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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f4e1ea6 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65351 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65351) diff --git a/old/65351-0.txt b/old/65351-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5dfe0fc..0000000 --- a/old/65351-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5435 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Story of the Indian Mutiny, by Ascot -Moncrieff - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Story of the Indian Mutiny - -Author: Ascot Moncrieff - -Release Date: May 15, 2021 [eBook #65351] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Brian Coe, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF THE INDIAN MUTINY *** - - - - - - THE STORY OF - THE INDIAN MUTINY - -[Illustration: Interior of Well at Cawnpore. - -_Frontispiece_] - - - - - THE STORY OF - - THE INDIAN MUTINY - - - BY - - ASCOTT R. HOPE - - AUTHOR OF - "MEN OF THE BACKWOODS," "YOUNG TRAVELLERS' TALES," - ETC. - - - _WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS_ - - - [Illustration] - - - LONDON - FREDERICK WARNE AND CO. - AND NEW YORK - 1896 - [_All rights reserved_] - - - - - Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, - London & Bungay. - - - - -PREFACE - - -The story of the great Indian Mutiny has often been told in whole or in -part. In this book, while historical outlines are carefully preserved, -it is attempted to throw into relief the more picturesque episodes, -and to bring out illustrative incidents of personal adventure likely -to attract young readers. With such a theme, if any reader will only -suffer some needful gravity in the introduction, he may be promised -a narrative of heroism and romance which the dullest treatment could -hardly make unexciting. - - A.R.H. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. INDIA: ITS PEOPLES AND RULERS 1 - - II. THE OUTBREAK 24 - - III. THE SPREAD OF INSURRECTION 45 - - IV. THE CONFLAGRATION 72 - - V. THE CITIES OF REFUGE 92 - - VI. THE FALL OF DELHI 138 - - VII. THE DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW 164 - - VIII. LORD CLYDE'S CAMPAIGNS 199 - - IX. THE EXTINCTION 227 - - APPENDIX 241 - - - - -THE STORY OF - -THE INDIAN MUTINY - - - - -CHAPTER I - -INDIA: ITS PEOPLES AND RULERS - - -A troubled history has all along been that of the great tongue of land -which, occupying the same position in Asia as Italy in Europe, is equal -to half our continent, with a population growing towards three hundred -millions. Far back into fabulous ages, we see it threatened by mythical -or shadowy conquerors, Hercules, Semiramis, Sesostris, Cyrus; whelmed -beneath inroads of nameless warriors from Central Asia; emerging first -into historical distinctness with Alexander the Great's expedition to -the valley of the Indus, from which came that familiar name given to -dark-skinned races on both sides of the globe. Our era brought in new -wars of spoil or of creed; Tartars, Arabs, Turcomans and Afghans in -turn struggled among each other for its ancient wealth; and India knew -little peace till it had passed under the dominion of a company of -British merchants, who for a century held it by the sword as proudly as -any martial conqueror. - -This rich region having always invited conquest, its present population -is seen to consist of different layers left by successive invasions. -First, we have fragments of a pre-historic people, chiefly in the hill -districts to which they were driven ages ago, whose very tribe-names, -meaning _slaves_ or _labourers_, sometimes tell how once they became -subject to stronger neighbours; but behind them again there are traces -of even older aborigines. Next, the open parts of the country are found -over-run by a fair-skinned Aryan race, of the same stock as ourselves, -whose pure descendants are the high-caste Brahmins and Rajpoots of our -day, while a mixture of their blood with that of the older tribes has -produced the mass of the Hindoo inhabitants. Over them lie patches of -another quality of flesh and blood, deposited by the fresh streams of -Moslem inroad, as in the case of our Saxons and Normans. But whereas -with us, Briton, Saxon and Norman are so welded into one nation, unless -in mountainous retreats, that most Englishmen hardly know what blood -runs mingled in their veins, here a very imperfect fusion has taken -place between varied peoples, held jealously aloof by pride of race, -by superstition, by hatred of rival faiths, and still speaking many -different languages, with the mongrel mixture called Hindostani as -the main means of intercommunication. The peculiarity of the latest -conquest, our own, is that the dominant strangers show small desire to -settle for life in the country subject to them, yet we have added a new -element in the half-caste or Eurasian strain, through which, also, and -but slightly by other means, have we been able to affect the religious -belief of this motley population. - -Religion may be taken as the keynote of Indian life and history. -While our ancestors were still dark-minded barbarians, their Aryan -kinsmen, migrating to Hindostan, had developed a singular degree of -culture, especially in religious thought. Before Greece or Rome became -illustrious, the hymns of the Vedas bespeak lofty ideas of the unseen, -and the Brahminical priesthood appear as philosophers, legislators and -poets of no mean rank. The first historical notices of India show a -high level, not only of material but of moral civilization, as well as -a manly temper of warriors well able to defend the soil they had won. - -This enervating climate, however, with its easy efforts for existence, -has proved an influence of degeneracy, and most clearly so in the -matter of belief. Good seed, which here sprang up so quickly, was -always apt to wither under a too scorching sun, or to run to rank -foliage rather than to fruit. Early Brahminism, itself a marked -growth in thought, after a time began to be choked by the heathenism -it had overshadowed. It sent out a new shoot in Buddhism, a faith of -noble ideals, which to this day surpasses all others in the number of -its adherents. This, in turn, became a jungle of sapless formulas, -and after a thousand years died out on the land of its birth. Then -grew up modern Hindooism, a union of Brahminical dreams of divinity -and Buddhist love for humanity, interwoven with the aboriginal -superstitions, the whole forming a tangled maze, where the great -Hindoo trinity of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Siva -the Destroyer, take Protean shapes as a pantheon of innumerable gods, -amid which higher minds may turn upwards seeking one Almighty Spirit, -but the vulgar crowd fix their attention rather on grotesque idols, -base fetishes, symbols of fear and sensuality, fitly adored with -degrading rites and barbarous observances. All efforts have hitherto -little availed to clear this deeply-rooted wilderness of misbelief. -Enlightened Hindoos, who see the errors of their religion, yet find -it difficult to shake off the mental slavery of the "unchangeable -East." Our missionaries have to deplore the little real success that -attends their efforts. Beneath the sweltering sky of Hindostan, -spiritual life remains a day-dream or a nightmare; reformers are ever -silenced by fanatics; virtues are frittered down into foolish scruples; -harmful customs cumber the ground, hindering the growth of progressive -institutions. - -The great encumbrance of Indian life is the system of caste, doubly -fostered by religion and pride of race. Originally the conquering -Aryans became divided into _Brahmins_ or priests, _Rajpoots_ or -warriors, and _Vaisyas_ or husbandmen, still distinguished as the -"twice-born" castes, who wear the sacred thread, badge of this -spiritual aristocracy; while under the common name of _Sudras_ or -serfs, were included all the despised aboriginal tribes. Then the mixed -population, formed by amalgamation between the latter and the lower -ranks of their masters, went on splitting up into other recognized -castes, as the superior classes, who took a pride in keeping their -stock pure, grew themselves divided among separate tribes or castes; -and thus arose a complex segregation of society into countless bodies, -cut off from each other by almost impassable barriers of rank and -occupation. There are now thousands of these castes, marked out by -descent, by calling, or by locality, the members of which cannot -intermarry, may seldom eat together, and must not touch food cooked by -an inferior; even the shadow of an outsider falling upon his meal might -cause a high-caste Hindoo to throw it away and go fasting. Each trade -is a separate caste, each order of servant; and the man who makes his -master's bed would shrink from the touch of the sweeper who cleans out -his bath-room. Yet caste does not always coincide with social position; -a powerful prince may be born of a low caste, and the native officer -who gives orders to a high-caste Brahmin in the ranks, must bow before -him when his sacred character is to be enlisted for the services of a -family festival. - -The origin of this organized exclusion becomes illustrated by the -conduct of our own countrymen in India, among whom any penniless -subaltern is apt to display at the best a haughty tolerance for the -high-titled descendants of native kings, while he holds aloof from -Englishmen of inferior station, and openly despises the half-caste -Eurasian, who in turn affects contempt for the heathen Hindoo. We, -indeed, have common sense enough, or at least sense of humour, not -to let our prejudices degenerate into the ridiculous scrupulosity -which forbids a Rajah to dine in the same room with his guests, or a -coolie to set profane lips to his neighbour's drinking vessel. Railway -travelling, military service, association with Europeans, cannot but -do much to break down these burdensome restrictions; and enlightened -natives, in public or in private, begin to neglect them, though it is -to be feared that they too often copy the worse rather than the better -parts of our example. But among the mass of the ignorant people, the -least infringement of the rules of caste is looked upon with horror, -and to become an outcast _pariah_, through any offence against them, is -the ruin in this world which it seems in the next. - -Another main barrier to progress here, has long been the slavish -condition of women, not improved by the next creed which came to -modify Hindoo institutions. Buddhism was hardly extinct in India, -when Mohamedan incursions began to put a strain of new blood into the -physical degeneration of the Hindoos, and though the Crescent, except -in parts, has never superseded the symbols of the older religion, these -two, dwelling side by side, could not be without their reaction on -each other's practice. It was the north of the peninsula that became -most frequently overflowed by inroads of its Moslem neighbours, while -Hindooism was left longer unassailed in the south, where also the -aboriginal fetish worships had of old their citadels. Even in the north -the conquests of Islam were long temporary and partial, irruptions of -pirates or mountain-robbers, able to prey upon the wealth of India -only through the want of cohesion among its Rajpoot lords. These early -invaders either returned with their booty, or remained to quarrel over -it between themselves, or were spoiled of it by fresh swarms from -beyond the Himalayas. - -By the beginning of the thirteenth century, we find a Mohamedan empire -set up at Delhi by a dynasty known as the Slave Kings, who, before -long, gave place to rival adventurers. The power of the Crescent -now began to extend into Southern India, yet revolts of vassals and -viceroys kept it continually unstable. At the close of next century, -the redoubtable Tamerlane captured Delhi, giving it up to an orgy of -slaughter; but this devastating conqueror retired beyond the mountains -and left India divided between warring princes, Hindoo and Moslem. Four -generations later, Tamerlane's descendant Baber returned to make more -enduring conquests; then it was by his grandson, Akbar, that the Mogul -empire became firmly founded. - -Akbar the Great, whose long reign roughly coincides with that of our -Queen Elizabeth, was rarely enlightened for an Oriental despot. By a -policy of religious toleration, he won over the Hindoo princes, while -he reduced the independent Mohamedan chiefs under his authority, and -did much towards welding Northern India into a powerful union of -provinces, ruled through his lieutenants. His less wise heirs, cursed -by self-indulgent luxury and by family discords, added to the splendour -rather than to the strength of this dominion. Its last famous reign -was that of Aurungzebe, covering the second half of the seventeenth -century. A bigoted Mohamedan, he alienated the Hindoos by persecution, -while he spent many years in conquering the independent Moslem kings of -the south, only to ripen the decay of his vast empire. After his death, -it began to go to pieces like that of Alexander the Great. His feeble -successors dwindled into puppets in the hands of one or another artful -minister. Their satraps at a distance, under various titles, asserted -a practical autocracy. And now had sprung up a new Hindoo power, the -warlike hordes of the Mahrattas, whose great leader Sivajee, from his -hill-forts among the Western Ghauts, began to make these ravaging -horsemen feared far and wide, till their raids were the terror of all -India. - -Among the quickly-fading glories of the Mogul Empire, almost unnoticed -came the appearance of the new strangers who would inherit it. The -Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive, at the beginning of the -sixteenth century, when all the gorgeous East was still a wonderland -of wealth in Christian imaginations. Then followed the Dutch, who, -however, fixed their chief attention upon the spice islands of the -Archipelago. On the last day of A.D. 1600, the East India Company was -incorporated by royal charter at London, none yet dreaming to what -greatness it would rise. A few years later, an English ambassador, sent -by James I., made his way to the Court of the Great Mogul, and received -assurances of favour and encouragement for trade. About the same -time, our first settlement was made on the Coromandel coast. In 1615 -a factory was established at Surat, on the other side of India; then, -half-a-century later, the head-quarters of the enterprise were shifted -to Bombay, ceded by Portugal in 1661, which, being an island, seemed -safe from Sivajee's plundering horsemen. - -In the meanwhile, other trading stations had been acquired in -Bengal. At the end of the century, the Company is found taking a -more independent stand, purchasing land, erecting fortifications, -and arming its servants to resist the dangers which threatened trade -in this disordered region. Such was the humble origin of the three -Presidencies of Madras, Bombay, and Bengal, the last of which became -the most important, and its chief station, Calcutta, the residence of -the Governor-General. - -Other European nations appeared in the field, but our only formidable -rival here was France, the Portuguese making little of their claim -to monopoly, now represented by the settlements of Goa, best known -as the breeding place for a mongrel race of servants. One more stock -of emigrants must not be omitted from mention. Centuries before a -European ship had touched India, a remnant of Persian fire-worshippers, -flying from Mohamedan persecution, settled upon the west coast, where, -though few in numbers, by their wealth, intelligence, and commercial -enterprise, these Parsees have grown to be an influential element in -the population, excelling, like the Jews in Europe, as traders and men -of business. - -The eighteenth century saw the ruin of Aurungzebe's empire going on -apace. Sikhs and Rajpoots threw off its yoke; hereditary kingdoms were -clutched for themselves out of the wreck by its ambitious viceroys; in -1739 the Persian Nadir Shah plundered the treasures of Delhi; after -him came fresh hordes of Afghan horsemen. The greatest power in India -was now the Mahratta Confederacy, under hereditary ministers bearing -the title of Peshwa, who, like the Mayors of the Palace in Old France, -usurped all real power, keeping Sivajee's unworthy heirs in sumptuous -seclusion; a form of government that has often been brought about -in Oriental States. The Peshwas, with their capital at Poona, ruled -over the Deccan, the great tableland of the south; but the Mahratta -incursions were carried as far as Delhi and Calcutta; and throughout -India reigned a lawless disorder, inviting the interference of any hand -strong enough to seize the opportunity. - -It was the French who, having failed as traders, first sought to -make political profit out of this confusion. Dupleix, Governor of -Pondicherry, conceived lofty ideas of founding a new empire under the -shadow of the old one, and to this end, began by trying to get rid of -his English neighbours. In 1746 Madras was captured by the French, -to be restored indeed at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle; but though -there came peace in Europe between the two nations, their East India -Companies remained at jealous war. Dupleix, mixing in the intrigues of -native ambition, made himself, for a time, predominant in the south; -and we seemed like to lose all hold here, but for the appearance on the -scene of one who was to prove arbiter of India's destinies. - -Every one knows how the young subaltern Robert Clive, by his gallant -defence of Arcot, suddenly sprang into fame, and at once turned the -scale of prestige in favour of his countrymen. The French went on -losing influence, till, in 1761, it was the turn of their settlements -to be conquered. Dupleix died in disgrace with his ungrateful -sovereign, while Clive was heaped with honours and rewards, soon earned -by services in another field of action. - -Before the French were fully humbled in the south, he had been summoned -to Calcutta to chastise the despicable Nawab of Bengal, Surajah Dowlah, -for that notorious atrocity of the "Black Hole," where nearly a hundred -and fifty Englishmen were shut up in a stifling den not twenty feet -square, from which few of them came out alive. Following Dupleix's -example, Clive plunged into political intrigue, and undertook to -supplant Surajah Dowlah by a prince of his own choosing. At Plassey, -with three thousand men, only a third of them Europeans, he routed the -tyrant's army, fifty thousand strong--a momentous battle that counts -as the foundation of our sovereignty in India. A new Nawab was set up, -nominally under appointment from Delhi, but really as the servant of -the English Company, who now obtained a considerable grant of land as -well as an enormous sum in compensation for their losses by Surajah -Dowlah's occupation of Calcutta. A few years later their nominee was -dethroned in favour of a more compliant one, who also had to pay -handsomely for his elevation. He ventured to rebel, but to no purpose. -Lord Clive pushed the English arms as far as Allahabad; and henceforth, -with whatever puppet on the throne and with whatever show of homage to -the high-titled suzerain at Delhi, the Company were the actual masters -of Bengal. - -All over India spread the renown of Clive's small but well-trained -Sepoy army. His subjugation of the effeminate Bengalees, Macaulay may -well compare to a war of sheep and wolves; but this young English -officer went on to defy the more warlike levies of the north-west. He -seized the Dutch settlements that threatened armed rivalry in Bengal; -he almost extinguished the French ones. A harder task he had in curbing -the rapacity of his own countrymen, who, among the temptations that -beset such rapid ascendancy, bid fair to become the worst oppressors of -their virtual subjects. - -The next great ruler of Bengal was Warren Hastings, who organized a -system of administration for the territory conquered by Clive, and -began with collecting the revenues directly through the hands of -English officers. Private greed was now restrained; but the Governor -must justify his policy and satisfy his employers, by sending home -large sums of money, which in the long run had to be wrung from the -unhappy natives; and this necessity led the agents of the Directors -into many questionable acts. It was a great step from the fortified -trading posts of last century to levying taxes and tribute, maintaining -an army and navy, selling provinces and dictating to princes. But by -this time the conscience of the English people was being roused, and -it began to be understood how India, for all its princely treasures, -was the home of a poor and much-enduring population, which our duty -should be to protect rather than to spoil. Returning to England, -Warren Hastings was solemnly impeached before the House of Lords for -his high-handed oppression. That famous trial, in which more than one -English Cicero denounced our pro-consul as a second Verres, dragged -itself out for seven years, and ended in a verdict of acquittal, -which posterity has not fully confirmed, yet with the recognition -of extenuating circumstances in the novelty and difficulty of the -criminal's office. - -We now held the valley of the Ganges up to Benares, and were soon -making further acquisitions in that direction. In the Bombay Presidency -we came into collision with the Mahrattas, in Madras with Hyder Ali, -the tyrant of Mysore. The result of these wars proved our arms not -so invincible as in the case of the timid Bengalees, but more than -one gallant action made native princes cautious how they trifled with -our friendship. Fortunately for us, the mutual jealousy of neighbour -potentates prevented them from combining to drive our small armies out -of India, and we were able to deal with them one by one. We had now no -European rival to fear, though more than one Indian despot kept French -troops in his service, or natives trained and officered by Frenchmen. -Napoleon Bonaparte, most illustrious of French adventurers, had an eye -to romantic conquest in the East; but we know how he found occupation -elsewhere, and did not come here to meet the adversary who in the -end proved his master. For it was in India that Wellington won his -first laurels, under his brother, Lord Wellesley, a Governor-General -resolute to make England paramount over the ruins of the Mogul Empire. -The Nizam of Hyderabad was persuaded to dismiss his French guards, and -become the vassal of England, as his descendant still is. Tippoo, Hyder -Ali's son, fell at the renowned storm of his stronghold, Seringapatam, -in the last year of the century. The Mahrattas were attacked in the -Deccan, where Wellington gained the battle of Assaye, while in the -north Lord Lake mastered Delhi and Agra. But the princes of this great -confederacy were not fully humbled till the third Mahratta war in 1818, -under the Governorship of Lord Hastings; before which the Goorkhas of -the Himalayas, and the Pindaree robbers of Central India, had also -been taught the lesson of submission. Presently we were carrying -our arms across the sea, and wresting Assam from the Burmese. The -crowning exploit of this victorious period was the siege of Bhurtpore, -a fortress believed in India to be impregnable, from which in 1805 -an English army had fallen back, but now in 1827 its capture went -far to make the natives look on us as irresistible. The once-dreaded -name of the Emperor was a cloak for our power, as it had been for the -Mahrattas', while Calcutta had taken the place of Delhi as capital, -through the primacy of Bengal among the three Presidencies, whose -bounds had stretched to touch each other all across India. - -Lord William Bentinck, who now became Governor-General, earned a -different kind of glory by his sympathetic labours for the true welfare -of the millions whom those wide conquests had placed under our rule. He -began to make war on the crimes of barbarous superstition--the burning -of hapless widows, the murders of infants, the secret assassinations -by fanatical devotees. But with his successor opened a new series -of campaigns that were not always illustrious to the British arms. -Russia had taken the place of France as the bugbear of our Indian -predominancy. Alarmed by Muscovite intrigues in Afghanistan, Lord -Auckland entered upon a course of unwise and disastrous interference -with the politics of that country. We succeeded in dethroning the -usurper, Dost Mahomed, of whom we could more easily have made an -ally. But in 1841 the people of Cabul rose against us; our army of -occupation had to retreat in the depth of winter; assailed by hardy -mountain tribes, they perished miserably among the rocks of the Khyber -Pass; and out of thousands only one man reached Jellalabad to tell the -tale. Sale's brave defence of that poor fortress did something towards -retrieving our disgrace, and next year an avenging army returned to -work bootless destruction at Cabul, leaving a legacy of ill-will that -has been dearly inherited by our own generation. - -More substantial conquests followed. Scindia, one of the old Mahratta -princes, was brought more effectively under British control. At the -same time, the Moslem Ameers of Scinde were overcome by Sir Charles -Napier. We then stood face to face with the last great independent -power of Hindostan, and the foeman who proved most worthy of our steel. -The Sikhs, a manly race, originally a sect of Hindoo reformers, had -risen from Mogul persecution to become lords of the Punjaub, "country -of the five rivers," which all along has been the great battle-field -of Indian history. Runjeet Singh, their masterful ruler for forty -years, had carefully avoided a struggle with the British, which soon -after his death was brought on by the turbulent bellicosity of the -people, made audacious through our Afghan reverses. The two Sikh -wars of 1845 and 1848 were marked by long and desperate battles; -Sobraon, Chillianwallah, and Goojerat are remembered for the bravery -and the slaughter on both sides, but finally the Punjaub was over-run, -disarmed, and turned into a British province. - -Several smaller states also were annexed about this time, through the -failure of legitimate heirs, and our Government's refusal to recognize -the Hindoo custom of adoption. A second Burmese war resulted in the -acquisition of another province beyond the Gulf of Bengal. Lastly, the -King of Oudh, whose incapable tyranny seemed beyond cure, had to submit -to be pensioned off and see his ill-governed dominions pass under -British administration. This signalized the end of Lord Dalhousie's -term of vigorous government, who, while carrying out a policy of -somewhat high-handed annexation, had shown himself not less active in -the construction of roads, canals, railways, telegraph lines, and in -all ways accomplished much to extend, consolidate, and develop what, -partly by accident, partly by force of circumstances, and partly by -far-seeing design, had in less than a century become a mighty empire. -There might well be elephants then alive that had served us when we -were struggling to keep a precarious foothold on the coasts of India. - -Such great and rapid changes could not be worked without leaving sore -grudges and dangerous cankers of discontent. Our policy had been so -much dictated by selfish strength, that it is no wonder if the natives -should conceive respect rather than love for us. Even after higher -motives began to come into play, our best intentions were apt to be -misunderstood by those placed under us, or to be foiled by our own want -of sympathy with and our ignorance of their feelings. The strong points -and the weak ones of the two races are almost poles apart, and neither -has proved ready to learn from the other. Our characteristic virtues of -truth and honesty are hardly comprehensible to the slavish Oriental, -who for his part displays a flattering courtesy and gentle kindliness, -with which appears in harsh contrast our frankly blunt masterfulness, -often degenerating into insolence of manner and foolish contempt for -all that is not English. While many of our best officers have shown -a spirit of enlightened and conscientious interest in their duties, -the average Briton, who goes out to India merely to gain money more -easily than at home, is unhappily too seldom the man to conciliate the -prejudices of those whom he treats as contemptible "niggers," knowing -and caring little about their ancient civilization. The very pride -of our superiority seems against us: other conquerors, more willing -to let themselves down to the level of the conquered, have proved -less unsuccessful in winning their good-will. Still, these natives -cannot but come to see the advantage of having rulers whose word may -be trusted. For long, honest efforts have been made to exercise among -all sects and classes an even-handed justice, hitherto little known -in India, the chief hindrance to which lies in the corruption of the -native subordinates, on whom our magistrates have largely to rely for -the details of their administration. - -At all events, the mass of the population, broken to the yoke of many -masters, had accepted ours with apparent resignation, even if they -might soon forget the grinding tyrannies from which we had delivered -them. Some fiercer spirits muttered their hatred, but kept silence -before our authorities. Some real grievances, here and there, passed -too much unnoticed, and sufferings brought about by over-taxation or -other injustice worked through the hasty inexperience of officials. -In certain large towns, the suppressed rage of hostile believers -was not always restrained from breaking into riot at the great -religious festivals, but these outbreaks we could easily put a stop -to; and the differences of creed and caste seemed our best security -against any dangerous combination to expel us. Some princes, whose -quasi-independent states were allowed to lie like islands among our -fully-conquered territory, might at times uneasily remember the martial -glories of their predecessors, but knew well how they held their idle -sceptres only on our sufferance, and took care not to neglect any hint -of good behaviour offered them by the British resident at their courts, -as real an authority as the Peshwas or Nizams of the past. - -From the Himalayas to Cape Comorin, from Beloochistan to the borders -of China, England was recognized as the Paramount Power of this vast -country, over which at length reigned the _Pax Britannica_, and seemed -little like to be seriously disturbed when, in 1856, Lord Canning came -out as Governor-General. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE OUTBREAK - - -The almost complete conquest of India had been chiefly carried out -through troops raised among its own natives, drilled and led by -European officers. Here and there, in the course of a century, their -commanders had been forced to repress attempts at mutiny, such as might -take place in any army; but on the whole this Sepoy force had proved -remarkably faithful to the Company in whose service haughty Rajpoot and -warlike Moslem were proud to enlist, and counted for wealth its hire -of a few pence a day. So great was the trust put in our native army, -and so unexpected the outbreak of 1857, that we had then no more than -about forty thousand English soldiers scattered over India, among six -times their number of troops, who looked upon us chiefly as formidable -masters. - -Strict officers of the old school judged that the beginning of the -mischief lay in making too much of our native soldiery. They had come -to understand how far England's power in India depended upon them, -while they were unable to form an adequate idea of its resources at -the other side of the world. Changes in organization are accused of -lessening the Sepoys' respect for their regimental officers, the best -of whom, also, were commonly taken away from their military duties to -fill coveted posts in the civil service. Flattery and indulgence had -slackened their discipline at the same time that it came to be tried -by unfamiliar causes of irritation. The main difficulty in managing -these troops lay in the superstitious customs and prejudices which -make so large part of a Hindoo's life. Our rule has been to respect -their ideas of religion; but this was not possible in all the claims -of military service. Sepoys believed their caste in danger, when -called upon to cross the sea to make war in Burma or Persia. Marched -into the cold heights of Afghanistan, they had to be forbidden the -ceremonial daily bathings in which they would have devoutly persisted -at the risk of their lives; and they fancied themselves defiled by the -sheepskin-jackets given them there as protection against the climate. -Through such novel experiences, suspicion began to spring up among them -that the English designed to change their religion by force. - -This suspicion grew to a height when, after the Crimean War, a wave of -unrest and expectation passed over our Eastern possessions. In every -bazaar, the discontented spoke ignorantly of the power of Russia as a -match for their conqueror. Our disasters in Afghanistan had already -shown us to be not invincible. An old story spread that the British -rule was fated to come to an end one hundred years after the battle of -Plassey, A.D. 1757. Now, the century having elapsed, secret messengers -were found going from village to village bearing mysterious tokens -in the shape of _chupatties_, flat cakes of unleavened bread, which -everywhere stirred the people as a sacrament of disaffection. For once, -Moslem and Hindoo seemed united in a vague hope that the time was -at hand when they should be able to shake off the yoke of a race so -repellent to both in faith, habits, and manners. - -The centre of the agitation was in the north-western provinces of -Bengal, where the recent annexation of Oudh, though meant as a -real boon to the ill-governed people of that fertile country, had -not been carried out without mistakes, wrongs and heart-burnings. -Here also appeared a _Moulvie_, or prophet, like the Mahdi of the -Soudan, preaching a holy war against the infidels, to excite the -ever-smouldering embers of Mohamedan fanaticism, a revival of which has -in our century spread all over the East. The Bengal army was mainly -recruited from this region; and when the civil population were in such -an unquiet state, we need not be surprised to find the Sepoys ripe -for disorder, many of whom, deeply in debt to native usurers, had the -natural desire of "new things," that, before and since the days of -Cataline, has so often inspired conspiracies. - -What brought their seditious mood to a head was the famous incident of -the greased cartridges, often given as the main cause of the Mutiny, -though it seems more justly compared to a spark falling upon an -invisible train of explosive material. The Enfield rifle having been -introduced into the native army, it was whispered from regiment to -regiment that the new cartridges were to be greased with the fat of -cows or of swine. Now, a chief point of Oriental religious sentiment is -an exaggerated respect for animal life, carried so far that one sect -of strict devotees may, in certain Indian cities, be seen wearing a -cloth over their mouths, lest by accident they should swallow a fly; -were they familiar with the discoveries of the microscope, they could -only be consistent by abstaining from every drop of water. The cow is a -special object of reverence among Hindoos, who are shocked by nothing -so much as our apparent impiety in eating beef. The pig is held in -detestation by Mussulmen. A majority of the Bengal army were high-caste -Brahmins or Rajpoots, with an admixture of Mohamedans drawn from that -part of India where their creed had taken firmest root. Both alike were -horrified to think that they might be called on not only to handle but -to touch with their lips such pollution as they imagined in animal fat. - -It was in vain the Government proclaimed that no unclean matters should -be used in the cartridges issued to them; that they might grease their -cartridges for themselves; that they would be allowed to tear off the -ends instead of biting them, as was the way in those muzzle-loading -days. The suspicion had taken so strong a hold that in more than -one case the new ammunition was mutinously rejected. Religious and -political agitators eagerly seized this chance of fomenting their own -designs. A fable spread among the Sepoys that the English, determined -to destroy their caste as a preliminary to forced conversion, had -ground up cows' bones to mix with the flour supplied to them. At -Lucknow, the simple incident of a regimental surgeon tasting a bottle -of medicine had been enough to raise a tumult among men who were -convinced that he thus designed to pollute the faith of their sick -comrades. Our officers, hardly able to treat such tales seriously, were -forced to pay heed to the spirit underlying them, which through the -early months of 1857 displayed itself ominously in frequent incendiary -fires at the various stations, the stealthy Oriental's first symptom -of lawlessness. Still, few Englishmen estimated aright the gravity -of the situation; and the Government failed in the prompt severity -judged needful only after the event. Two mutineers were hanged;[1] two -insubordinate regiments had been disbanded, to spread their seditious -murmurs all over Bengal; but the danger was not fully realized till, -like a thunderbolt, came news of the open outbreak at Meerut, forty -miles from Delhi. - -The scenes of the Mutiny can ill be conceived without some description -of an Indian "station." Usually the Cantonments lie two or three miles -out of the native city, forming a town in themselves, the buildings -widespread by the dusty _maidan_ that serves as a parade-ground. On -one side will be the barracks of the European troops, the scattered -bungalows of officers and civilians, each in its roomy "compound," -the church, the treasury, and other public places. On the other lie -the "lines," long rows of huts in which the Sepoys live after their -own fashion with their wives and families, overlooked only by their -staff of native officers, who bear fine titles and perform important -duties, but with whom the youngest English subaltern scorns familiar -comradeship. Between are a maze of bazaars, forming an always open -market, and the crowded abodes of the camp-followers who swarm about an -Indian army. - -At Meerut, one of the largest military stations in India, the native -lines stretched for over three miles, and stood too far apart from -the European quarters. Here were stationed more than a thousand -English troops of all arms, and three Sepoy regiments, among whom -the 3rd Light Cavalry had in April shown insubordination over the -new cartridges. Of ninety men, all but five flatly refused to touch -them when ordered. The eighty-five recalcitrants were arrested, tried -by court-martial of their native officers, and sentenced to ten -years' imprisonment. On Saturday, May 9th, at a general parade, these -_sowars_, or Sepoy troopers, were put in irons and marched off to jail. - -To all appearance, the mutinous feeling had been cowed by this example. -But beneath the smooth surface, where English eyes had too little skill -to read the native heart, were boiling fierce passions soon to take -shape in reckless acts. Next evening, while our people were making -ready for church, a disorderly band of sowars galloped to the jail, and -released their comrades, along with many hundreds of other prisoners. -Here was a ready-made mob of scoundrels, who at once began to plunder -among the bungalows. The excitement quickly spread to the 11th and 20th -native infantry regiments. Several of their officers hastened among -them, trying to calm the tumult. But a cry arose that the European -soldiers were upon them, and this drove the men of the 20th into a -panic of fury. They stormed the "bells of arms," small dome-like -buildings used as magazines, and got hold of their muskets. Colonel -Finnis, commander of the 11th, had more success in quieting his men, -but was shot down by the other regiment. - -A murderous uproar broke loose through the Cantonments. The 11th are -said to have refused to fire on their officers, and to have escorted -white women and children out of danger; but their good dispositions -were soon swept away in the torrent of disorder. The Sepoys of the 20th -and 3rd Cavalry fell to shooting and hacking every defenceless European -they met with. A crowd of _budmashes_, "roughs," as we should call -them, poured out of the city to share the congenial work of robbery -and bloodshed, in which they took the foremost part. The thatched -roofs of bungalows were easily set on fire, that the inmates might be -driven out to slaughter. In an hour all was wild riot; and the sun set -upon a fearful scene of blazing houses, shrieking victims and frenzied -butchers, strange horrors of that Sabbath evening, too often to be -renewed within the next few weeks. - -The English troops, already assembled for Church-parade, should at once -have been marched to crush this sudden rising. But the General in -command showed himself incompetent. There were delays and mistakes; and -not till darkness had fallen was a force brought up, too late to be of -any use beyond scaring the plunderers. By this time most of the Sepoys -had hurried off towards Delhi, leaving the gleaning of murder and -pillage to the rabble. Our soldiers fell back to their own quarters, -where were gathered for defence the whole Christian community, many of -whom, bereaved and destitute, after barely escaping with their lives, -saw the sky glowing from the conflagration of their ruined houses, and -might be thankful if they had not to shudder for the unknown fate of -husband or child. Eager officers vainly begged the General to spare -them some small force with which the mob of mutineers could have been -pursued and dispersed; at least to let them gallop through the night to -Delhi, and give warning there of what was at hand. The man unluckily -charged with such responsibility did nothing of what might well have -been done--a neglect which was nearly to cost us our Indian Empire. - -To both sides, the securing of Delhi was of the highest importance. -This magnificent city, in native eyes, still enjoyed the prestige of -a capital. Its ancient renown and famous monuments made it specially -sacred for the Mussulmen, whose rule had once flourished here. In its -vast palace still lived the descendant of the Great Moguls, a feeble -old man, who, under the shadowy title of king, was allowed, among -thousands of poverty-stricken kinsmen and retainers, to retain in -part the pomp, if not the power, of his haughty ancestors. To keep -up the show of his sovereignty, the English refrained from occupying -the city with their troops, who lay quartered outside, beyond a ridge -overlooking it from the north; and even here there were no English -soldiers. Such was the prize about to fall easily into the hands of the -rebels. - -Their secret messengers had already let the discontented within the -city know what might be expected, while the only hint our officers had -was in the breaking of the telegraph wire from Meerut. Still, uneasy -vigilance being the order of the day, the authorities were on Monday -morning startled by the report of a number of horsemen hurrying along -the Meerut road. The magistrate, Mr. Hutchinson, at once galloped out -to the Cantonments to warn the Brigadier in command, then returned -to the city, where the chief civil officials had hastened to their -posts, though hardly yet aware what danger was at hand. But, before -anything could be done to stop them, the van of the mutineers had -crossed the bridge of boats and seized the Calcutta Gate, the guard -of native police offering no resistance; and the way was thus clear -for the main body following not far behind. A second band of troopers -forded the Jumna, and entered the city at another point. - -[Illustration: Delhi, from the Outer Court of the Jumma Musjid. Page -34.] - -Some of these forerunners made straight for the palace, which should -rather be described as a fortified citadel, forced their way into the -presence of the doting old king, and, with or without his consent, -proclaimed him leader of the movement. A swarm of his fanatical -retainers eagerly joined them; they soon began to wreak their fury -by massacring several Englishmen and ladies who had quarters here. -Others broke open the prison and released its inmates, to swell the -bloodthirsty mob gathering like vultures to a carcase. The main body of -the mutineers, as soon as it arrived, split up into small bodies that -spread themselves over the city for pillage, destruction and murder. -In one quarter, there was a terrible slaughter of the poorer class of -Europeans and of Eurasian Christians, who, in unusual numbers, lived -within the walls of Delhi, not as elsewhere, under protection of the -Cantonments outside. Women and children were ruthlessly butchered. -Clerks, school-masters, printers, were killed at their work; doctors, -missionaries, converts, none might be spared who bore the hated name. -Some, flying or hiding for their lives, only prolonged their agony -for hours or days. A few succeeded finally in making their escape. -About fifty were confined miserably in an underground apartment of the -palace, to be led out and massacred after a few days. - -A regiment of Sepoys had been marched from the Cantonments to repress -the disorder. But, as soon as they entered the city, they let their -officers be shot down by the mutineers, and themselves dispersed in -excited confusion. A detachment on guard at the Cashmere Gate held firm -for a time, but evidently could not be depended on. Later in the day, -they too turned upon their English officers. More than one officer was -simply driven away by his men without injury; others were fired upon; -others made their escape by leaping or letting themselves down into the -ditch, as did several ladies who had taken refuge here with the main -guard. These survivors fled to the Cantonments, where for hours their -countrymen had been gathering together in almost helpless anxiety. -No sure news came back from the city; but they could guess what was -going on within from the uproar, the firing, the rising flames--at -length from a sudden cloud of smoke and dust, followed by a terrible -explosion, that marked the first heroic deed of the Indian Mutiny. - -The magazine within the walls, on the site of the present post-office, -was garrisoned by only nine Europeans under a young artillery -lieutenant, named Willoughby. Set on his guard betimes, he took -all possible measures for defence, calmly preparing to blow up the -magazine, if it came to the worst. The native gunners soon deserted; -the reinforcement urgently demanded did not appear; he found himself -cut off in a city full of foes raging round his important charge, -which presently, in the name of the King of Delhi, he was summoned to -surrender. For a time this little band stood in trying suspense, while -the insurgents worked up their courage for an attack. It appears that -they expected the English troops to be upon them, hour by hour, and -awaited the return of a messenger who could report the road from Meerut -clear. Then on they came in crowds, storming at the gates, scaling the -walls, to be again and again swept back by the fire of cannon in the -hands of nine desperate men. - -Three hours these nine held their post amid a rain of bullets, till -Willoughby saw that he must be overwhelmed beneath numbers. One last -look he took towards the Meerut road, in vain hope to see a cloud of -dust marking the advance of the English troops that still lay idly -there. Then he gave the word. In an instant the building was hurled -into the air, with hundreds of its assailants, and it is said that -five hundred people were killed in the streets by the far-reaching -explosion. The man who had fired the train and two others fell -victims of their courage; six managed to escape over the ruins in -the confusion, poor Willoughby to be obscurely murdered two or three -days later. The rest received the Victoria Cross, so often won, and -still more often earned, in those stirring days. A son of one of these -heroes is author of the well-known novel _Eight Days_, which, under a -transparent veil of fiction, gives a minutely faithful description of -what went on in and about Delhi at that terrible time. - -Meanwhile, at the Cantonments, the officers' families and other -fugitives had gathered in the Flagstaff Tower, a small circular -building on the ridge, where, huddled stiflingly together, they -suffered torments almost equal to those of the Black Hole of Calcutta. -Their only sure guard consisted of the drummer boys, who, in Sepoy -regiments, are usually half-caste Christians. These, armed for the -nonce, were posted close round the tower; before it stood two guns -served by native artillerymen to command the road from the city; and -part of two regiments were still kept to a show of duty, but hourly -their demeanour grew more threatening, till, when called upon to -move forward, they at length flatly refused. Two or three gentlemen, -stationed on the roof of the tower, in the scorching sun, held -themselves ready to fire upon the first of their more than doubtful -auxiliaries who should break into open mutiny. The Sepoys, for their -part, under the eyes of the Sahibs, remained for a time in hesitation, -uncertain how to act; and some of them allowed themselves to be -deprived of their bayonets, which were stored away in the tower. - -One messenger had ridden out towards Meerut to demand succour, but only -to be shot down by the Sepoys. Another, disguised as a native, made -the same attempt to no purpose. Brigadier Graves, still hoping for -the arrival of European troops from Meerut, would not for a time hear -of retreat. But when it became evident that the handful of band-boys -and civilians were all he could trust to defend the tower packed with -scared women and crying children; when fugitives from the city brought -news that all there was lost; when the Sepoys here began to fire at -their officers, whose orders were hardly listened to; when it became -plain that the guns would not be used against the mutineers, he saw -nothing for it but flight before darkness came on. Towards sunset, the -refugees of the tower went off in disorder, on foot, on horseback, -in their carriages, each as he could, many of the men hampered with -helpless families. The Sepoys did not stop them; some even urged their -officers to save themselves; but the guard of a large powder magazine -refused to allow it to be blown up; and it proved impossible to carry -off the guns. - -Through the rapidly falling night, these poor English people scattered -in search of safety, some making for Meerut, some northwards for -Kurnaul, some wandering lost among the roused villages. Yesterday -they had been the haughty lords of an obsequious race; now they were -to find how little love had often been beneath the fear of English -power. In many cases, indeed, the country-folk proved kind and helpful -to bewildered fugitives; not a few owed their lives to the devotion -of attached servants, or to the prudence if not the loyalty of native -chiefs, who still thought best to stand so far on our side. But others, -the news of their calamity spreading before them, fell into the hands -of cruel and insolent foes, to be mocked, tortured and murdered. - -Dr. Batson's adventures may be referred to, as one example of many. -It was he, surgeon of a Sepoy regiment, who had volunteered, as above -mentioned, to carry a message to Meerut in the disguise of a fakir, or -religious beggar. Taking leave of his wife and daughters, he stained -his face, hands, and feet to look like a native, and dressed himself in -the costume which perhaps he had already used for some light-hearted -masquerade. Thus arrayed, he made through the city without detection, -but found the bridge of boats broken, houses burning everywhere, and -country people rushing up to plunder the deserted bungalows. Turning -back towards the Cantonments to reach a ferry in that direction, he -excited the suspicion of some Sepoys, who fired at him; then he ran -away to fall into the hands of villagers, who stripped him stark -naked. In this plight, he had nothing for it but to hurry on after -the fugitives making for Kurnaul. Before he had gone a mile, two -sowars rode up to kill him. Luckily, Dr. Batson was familiar with the -Mohamedan religion, as well as with their language; and while they -ferociously cut at him with their swords, he threw himself on the -ground in a supplicating attitude, praising the Prophet, and in his -name begging for mercy, which was granted him as not seeming to be much -of a Christian, or because they could not get at him without taking -the trouble to dismount. Another mile he struggled on, then became -surrounded by a mob, who tied the "Kaffir's" arms behind his back and -were calling out for a sword to cut off his head, when some alarm -scattered them, and he could once more take flight. His next encounter -was with a party of Hindoo smiths employed at the Delhi Magazine. They -stopped him, with very different intentions, for they invited the naked -Sahib to their village, and gave him food, clothes, and a bed, on which -he could not sleep after the strain of such a day. - -For several days he remained in this village, the people taking a -kindly interest in him on account of his acquaintance with their -language and customs; and the fact of his being a doctor also told in -his favour. But then came a rumour that all the Englishmen in India -had been killed, and that the King of Delhi had proclaimed it death to -conceal a Christian. On this, his native friends hid him in a mango -grove, feeding him by night on bread and water. Nine days of anxious -solitude he spent here, burned by the sun, scared at night by prowling -jackals, but hardly thought himself better off when a new place of -concealment was found in a stifling house out of which he dared not -stir. It being reported that horsemen were hunting the villages for -English refugees, his protectors thought well to get rid of him under -charge of a real fakir, who carefully dressed and schooled him for the -part. Through several villages they took their pilgrimage, and the -disguised doctor passed off as a Cashmeeree fakir with such success -that he got his share of what alms were going, and seems to have been -only once suspected, through his blue eyes, by a brother holy man, who, -however, winked at the deception. After wandering for twenty-five days, -he had the fortune to fall in with a party of English troops. - -Dr. Batson, we see, owed his escape to an intimate knowledge of the -people, such as few Englishmen had to help them. His experience was -that the Mohamedans were much more fierce against us than the mild -Hindoo. But both religions had their proportion of covetous and cruel -spirits, who at such a time would be sure to come to the front. - -Like wolves scenting prey, gangs of robbers sprang up along the roads -upon which the unfortunate travellers were struggling on, often under -painful difficulties; and many fell victims whose fate was never -rightly known. Others, wounded or exhausted, lay down to die by the -way. Those who contrived to reach a haven of safety, had almost -all moving tales to tell of adventure, of suffering, of perilous -escape--tales such as, in the course of the next months, would be too -common all over Northern India, and would not lose in the telling. - -Many as these atrocities were, they might have been multiplied tenfold -had the rebels acted with more prudence and less passion. So little did -we know of the minds of our native soldiers, that it is still a matter -of debate how far the Mutiny had been the work of deliberate design. -But, at the time, it was widely believed by men too excited to be calm -judges, that the outbreak at Meerut came a mercy in disguise, as it -brought about the premature and incomplete explosion of a deep-laid -plot for the whole Bengal army to rise on the same day, when thousands -of Europeans, taken without warning and defence at a hundred different -points, might have perished in a general massacre. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 1: Mungul Pandy was the first open mutineer executed at -Barrackpore in April, from whose name, a common one among this class, -the Sepoys came to be called "Pandies" throughout the war, a sobriquet -like the "Tommy Atkins" of our soldiers.] - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE SPREAD OF INSURRECTION - - -"The Sepoys have come in from Meerut, and are burning everything.... We -must shut up," had been the last message flashed from Delhi by a young -clerk, who was killed in the act of sending it. This news, kept secret -for a few hours by the authorities, was soon startling the English -stations, north and west, and was put out of doubt by reports of the -fugitives, as they came to spread their dismay from various points. -On this side, fortunately, reigned the energy and foresight which had -so disastrously failed at Meerut. Lahore, the capital of the Punjaub, -swarmed with fierce fanatics, who would willingly have emulated the -deeds of their brethren at Meerut and Delhi. In the Cantonments, a -few miles off, were four regiments of Sepoys, held in check only by a -small force of Europeans. But here Mr. Montgomery, the Commissioner in -charge, showed a prompt mastery of the situation. He at once assembled -a council of the chief civil and military officers; and, not without -doubt on the part of some of his advisers, resolved to disarm the -dangerous regiments before they should be excited to the revolt they -were already conspiring. - -Next day, May 12, a ball was to be given at the Cantonments. Lest the -Sepoys should take warning, it went on as if nothing were the matter; -but many of the dancers must have been in no festive mood, at a scene -to recall that famous revelry on the night before Quatre Bras. The -officers had their arms at hand in the ball-room. Dancing was kept up -till two in the morning; then at early dawn, the whole brigade was -turned out on the parade-ground. The native regiments were suddenly -ordered to pile arms. They hesitated in obeying; but the thin line of -English soldiers confronting them fell back to reveal twelve guns, -loaded with grape, behind which the infantry ramrods rang fear into -their doubtful hearts. Sullenly they gave up their arms, 2500 Sepoys -cowed before not one-fourth their number. At the same time, the fort -in the city was made safe by the disarming of its native garrison. -Picquets of Europeans were posted at various points, and arrangements -made for defence against any sudden rising. - -Similar bold and prompt measures to secure other stations, forts, and -arsenals of the Punjaub, at once checked the spread of the mutiny in -this direction, and afforded a base of operations for its suppression. -But, on other sides, it ran through the country like wild-fire--here -blazing up into sudden revolt; there smouldering for weeks before it -gathered head; at one place crackling out almost as soon as kindled; -at another resolutely trampled down by vigilant authority; elsewhere -quickly growing to a conflagration that swept over the richest -provinces of India, unchaining the fiercest passions of its mixed -population, and destroying for a time all landmarks of law and order. -Men had to show, then, of what stuff they were made. While some of our -countrymen gave way before the danger, or even precipitated it through -panic or indecision, others stood fast at their posts, and by proud -audacity were able to hold the wavering natives to allegiance, and -still to keep hundreds of thousands overawed before the name of English -rule. Not seldom was it seen how mere boldness proved the best policy -in dealing with a race tamed by centuries of bondage; yet, in too many -cases, gallantry, honour, devotion to duty, fell sacrificed under the -rage of maddened rebels. - -It is impossible here to track the irregular progress of the revolt, or -to dwell on its countless episodes of heroism and suffering. Pitiable -was the lot of all English people in the disturbed districts, most -pitiable that of officials who, obliged to expose their own lives from -hour to hour, had to fear for wife and child a fate worse than death. -At their isolated posts, they heard daily rumours of fresh risings, -treasons, massacres, and knew not how soon the same perils might -burst upon themselves and their families. For weeks, sometimes, they -had to wait in sickening suspense, a handful of whites among crowds -of dusky faces, scowling on them more threateningly from day to day, -with no guard but men who would be the first to turn their arms upon -those whose safety was entrusted to them. To many it must have been a -relief when the outbreak came, and they saw clearly how to deal with -false friends and open foes. Then, at a season of the Indian year when -activity and exposure are hurtful to the health of Europeans, for -whom life, through that sweltering heat, seems made only tolerable -by elaborate contrivances and the services of obsequious attendants, -these sorely-tried people had to fight for their lives, pent-up in -some improvised stronghold, wanting perhaps ammunition, or food, or, -worst torment in such a climate, water, till relief came, often only -in the form of death. Or, again, it might be their chance to fly, -sun-scorched, destitute, desperate, skulking like thieves and beggars -among a population risen in arms against the power and the creed they -represented. It should never be forgotten how certain natives, indeed, -showed kindness and pity towards their fallen masters. We have seen -that in some cases the mutinous Sepoys let their officers go unhurt; -occasionally they risked their own lives to protect English women and -children against the fury of their comrades. But one horrible atrocity -after another warned the masterful race how little they had now to -hope from the love or fear of those from whom they had exacted such -flattering servility in quiet times. - -Among the natives themselves, the excesses of the Mutiny were hardly -less calamitous. Many, if not most, were hurried into it by panic or -excitement, or the persuasion of the more designing, and their hearts -soon misgave them when they saw the fruit of their wild deeds, still -more when they considered the punishment likely to follow. Anarchy, as -usual, sprang up behind rebellion. Debtors fell upon their creditors; -neighbours fought with neighbours; old feuds were revived; fanaticism -and crime ran rampant over the ruins of British justice. Towns were -sacked, jails broken open, treasuries plundered. Broken bands of -Sepoys and released convicts roamed about the country, murdering and -pillaging unchecked. Tribes of hereditary robbers eagerly returned -to their old ways, now that our police need no longer be feared. The -native police, themselves recruited from the dangerous classes, were -frequently the first to set an example of rebellion. Not a few native -officials, it should be said, gave honourable proofs of their fidelity, -through all risks, while the mass of them behaved like hirelings, or -displayed their inward hostility. - -The more thoughtful part of the population might well hesitate on -which side to declare; some prudently did their best to stand well -with both, in case of any event; but those who had much to lose must -soon have regretted the firm rule of our Government. On the whole, -it may be said that the princes and nobles, where not carried away -by ambition or religious zeal, remained more or less loyal to our -cause, having better means than the ignorant mob of judging that our -power would yet right itself, though crippled by such a sudden storm -and staggering like to founder in so troubled waters. But in Oudh and -other recently-annexed districts, where the Zemindars and Talookdars, -or chief landowners, had often been treated with real harshness in the -settlement of revenue, this class naturally proved hostile, yet not -more so than the poor peasants, to whom our rule had rather been a -benefit. The latter, indeed, acted in great part less like determined -rebels than like foolish school-boys, who, finding themselves all -at once rid of a strict pedagogue, had seized the opportunity for a -holiday-spell of disorder; as with the Sepoys themselves, defection -sometimes seemed a matter of childish impulse, and there would come a -moment of infectious excitement, in which the least breath of chance -turned them into staunch friends or ruthless foes. Except in Oudh, it -may be said, the movement was in general a military mutiny rather than -a popular insurrection, while everywhere, of course, the bad characters -of the locality took so favourable an occasion for violence. - -To gain some clear idea of what was going on over a region that would -make a large country in Europe, it seems best to take one narrative as -a good example of many. This means somewhat neglecting the rules of -proportion required in a regular historical narrative. It will also -lead to an overlapping of chapters in the order of time. In any case -it must be difficult to arrange orderly the multifarious and entangled -episodes of this story; and the plan of our book rather is to present -its characteristic outlines in scenes which cannot always be shifted -to mark the exact succession of events, but which will roughly exhibit -the main stages of the struggle. - -Let us, then, dismount from the high horse of history, to follow -a representative tale of _Personal Adventures_ by Mr. W. Edwards, -Magistrate and Collector at Budaon in Rohilcund, the district lying on -the Ganges between Delhi and Oudh. Almost at once after the outbreak at -Meerut, his country began to show signs of epidemic lawlessness. Just -in time, Mr. Edwards sent his wife and child off to the hill-station -of Nainee Tal; then it was ten weeks before he could hear of their -safety. A British officer, of course, had nothing for it but to stick -to his post, all the more closely now that it was one of danger. The -danger soon began to be apparent. What news did reach him was of -robbers springing up all round, Sepoys in mutiny, convicts being let -loose; and amid this growing disorder, he stood the ruler of more than -a million men, with no force to back him but doubtfully loyal natives, -and no European officials nearer than Bareilly, the head-quarters of -the district, thirty miles off. His best friend was a Sikh servant -named Wuzeer Singh, a native Christian, who was to show rare fidelity -throughout the most trying circumstances. - -At the end of the month, he had the satisfaction of a visit from one -of his colleagues, and good news of a small Sepoy force, under an -English officer, on its way to help him. But this gleam of hope was -soon extinguished. For the last time, on Sunday, May 31st, he assembled -at his house a little congregation with whom he was accustomed to hold -Christian services. In the middle of the night, a sowar came galloping -as for his life, to report that Bareilly was up, that the Sepoys there -were in full mutiny, and the roads covered by thousands of scoundrels -released from the jail. His brother magistrate at once dashed off to -his own post. Mr. Edwards thought it his duty to remain to the last, -like the captain of a sinking ship. - -In the forenoon a few white men and Eurasians gathered at his house -for poor protection. He wished them to disperse, believing that each -could better escape separately, while their sticking together would -only attract attention; but the others seemed too much overcome by fear -to act for themselves, and refused to leave him. The stifling day wore -on in anxious rumours. In the afternoon, the native officer in charge -of the treasury came to ask Edwards to join the guard there, assuring -him with solemn oaths that the men meant to be faithful. He was about -to start, when Wuzeer Singh earnestly entreated him not to trust them. -He took the advice, and afterwards learned that these men had been -waiting to murder him. They would not come to his house, for fear the -plundering of the treasury might begin in their absence. - -About 6 p.m. the mutineers from Bareilly arrived; and tumultuous -shouts announced that Sepoys, police, prisoners and all had broken -loose at Budaon. Now the magistrate might think of himself, all show -of authority being gone. He mounted his wife's horse, that had been -standing saddled all day, and rode off, accompanied by two European -indigo-planters and a Customs officer. His Eurasian clerk and his -family he was obliged to leave, as they had no means of conveyance but -a buggy, and the roads were blocked. All he could do for them was to -consign them to the care of an influential native who happened to come -up; and, as luckily these people were almost as dark as Hindoos, they -succeeded in hiding themselves, at all events for a time. - -Mr. Edwards had not ridden far when he met a Mohamedan sheikh, who -proposed to him to take refuge at his house, some three miles in -another direction. He turned with this well-wisher; then, passing his -own bungalow again, saw how in ten minutes the plundering of it had -already begun, his servants being first at the work. Wuzeer Singh and -another faithful follower accompanied him, carrying 150 rupees in their -waist-bands; that was all he had in the world but his watch, revolver, -a little Testament, and a purse which had just arrived from England -as a birthday present, which he kept about him as a dear gift rather -than for use. Such a man in the East is not used to carrying money, but -trusts his servants to act as purse-bearers, who will not cheat him -more than is the custom. A groom had been entrusted with a change of -clothes; but he soon disappeared. - -When the party reached the house where they had been promised shelter, -one of the family came out, respectfully informing their leader that -they would not be safe here, but they must go on to a village about -eighteen miles off. Mr. Edwards was much annoyed at this inhospitable -reception, which afterwards turned out a blessing in disguise, for -presently a band of horsemen arrived in search of him, and he would -probably have been murdered, if he had not now been on the way to that -further refuge. - -Till midnight the fugitives rode through by-ways and fields, and -villages swarming with armed crowds, who let the Englishmen pass in -silence under the convoy of their chief. He took them to a house of his -in a small village, where, after thanking heaven for their escape, they -lay down to rest on the flat roof. The magistrate, for one, weary and -worn out as he was, could hardly close an eye after the excitement of -such a day. Early in the morning, they were roused up by the sheikh, -who told them they must cross the Ganges at once, as their enemies -would soon be in pursuit. So they did, fired at by an excited crowd -assembled for the plunder of a neighbouring village, whose bullets -luckily did not come near them. - -On the other side, they were received by a Mohamedan gentleman, who -was the more civil to them, as he heard that two English officials, -with a large body of horse, were in the neighbourhood to restore order. -Edwards and his party joined their countrymen, but found that the main -body of expected troops had mutinied and made for Delhi, while their -escort of sixty sowars was in such a doubtful disposition, that they -were glad to send most of them off on pretence of guarding a treasury, -which these men at once plundered, and dispersed. - -With twenty troopers, whose fidelity they had to trust, the Englishmen -started for Agra, but soon turned back, the road being blocked by -mutineers marching to Delhi. They hardly knew which way to take. A -party of two hundred Sepoys was reported to be hunting them out. Their -escort grew so insolent, that they thought best to dismiss these -fellows to go where they pleased; then, for a moment, it seemed as if -the troopers were about to fall on them, but after a short consultation -turned and rode off. The Englishmen, having been twenty hours on -horseback, came back to the village from which they had started. - -But they could not be safe here, and after a day's halt determined -to separate. The other two civilians made a fresh attempt to push on -for Agra. Edwards would not desert his companions, encumbrance as -they were to him, for local chiefs, who might be willing to shelter -Government officers at some risk, in the hope of getting credit for it -on the re-establishment of our power, were unwilling to extend their -services to these private persons. He had received a message asking him -to come back to Budaon, as the mutineers had left it, and things were -comparatively quiet there. He afterwards understood this to be a snare, -the Sepoys being much exasperated against him because less money had -been found in the treasury than they expected. But now he decided to -return with the three who shared his fortunes. - -They had first to cross the Ganges. On regaining the house of a -zemindar, who had been a friendly enough host two days before, they met -with a colder reception, for meanwhile this native gentleman had heard -the worst news of the spread of mutiny. He agreed to provide them with -a boat, but it proved too small to carry their horses across. All they -could get out of the zemindar was an evident desire to be rid of them, -and he strongly recommended them to make for Furruckabad, sixty miles -off, where, he said, no mutiny had taken place. Hearing that the other -side of the Ganges was all ablaze with pillage and destruction, they -saw nothing for it but to follow this advice. - -They set out, then, by night, and passed by several villages without -being molested. At daybreak they reached a large place, where they -presented themselves to the chief proprietor, who was polite, but -would hardly let them into his house, while a brother of his, drunk -with opium, seemed disposed to shoot them on the spot. The chief did -relax so far as to give them some breakfast, then packed them off under -escort of five horsemen to the care of a neighbour. Before leaving, -he insisted on having a certificate that he had treated them well, a -suspicious sign; and Wuzeer Singh overheard the escort saying that they -were all to be killed. Putting a good face on the chance of having to -fight for their lives, they reached a river-side village, where they -were promised a boat to take them to Futtehgurh, the English station -near Furruckabad. But instead of a boat, about the house in which they -waited for it, a crowd of armed men appeared, with such menacing looks, -that the Englishmen mounted and rode off, to find their way barred by -a body of horse. They turned back. Then the crowd began to fire, and -their escort at once galloped away. So did the Englishmen; but one of -them, who rode a camel, fell into the hands of the mob and was cut to -pieces. - -The other three cleared a way for themselves, and rejoined their -escort, who looked rather ill-pleased that they had escaped. Their -leader, however, had shown some traces of pity, and now on Edwards -appealing to him as a husband and a father, he undertook to save their -lives if he could, and conducted them back to his master, who seemed -sorry for what had happened, but would not keep them in the house -beyond nightfall. - -Disguised in native dress, their own clothes being burned to conceal -all trace of their visit, they set forth again under the charge of -two guides, and this time were more fortunate. Riding all night, once -chased for their lives, at daybreak they reached the house of Mr. -Probyn, Collector of Furruckabad, from whom they had a hearty welcome, -but little cheering news. - -The Sepoys at Futtehgurh had broken out, then had been brought back to -their duty for a time, but could not be depended on. A large number of -the Europeans had gone down the Ganges in boats to Cawnpore; others, -among them Probyn's wife and children, were sheltered in a fort across -the river, belonging to a zemindar named Hurdeo Buksh. Edwards was -for going to Cawnpore, but that very day came the news of the rising -there. After consultation with the officers at Futtehgurh, he agreed -to accompany Probyn to Hurdeo Buksh's fort, where he found a number of -acquaintances and colleagues living in great discomfort, and without -much show of protection, in the dilapidated defences of this native -stronghold. - -Uncertainty and doubt reigned among these unfortunate people also. As -the colonel of the Sepoy regiment at the station persisted in believing -it staunch, and as some hopeful news from Delhi seemed calculated to -keep it so, after two or three days most of the refugees returned to -Futtehgurh. Probyn, however, preferred to trust his native friend; and -Edwards, though the others judged him rash, decided to stay with Hurdeo -Buksh. Here he was now joined by the faithful Wuzeer Singh, who had -been separated from him in that riot on the river bank, but had lost no -time in seeking his master out with the money entrusted to him. - -When two days more had passed, a band of mutineers arrived from another -station, flushed with massacre, and this was the signal for the -Futtehgurh regiment to rise. The Europeans had taken refuge in the fort -there; outside its walls all was uproar, villagers and Sepoys fighting -for the plunder. Hurdeo Buksh at once assembled his feudal retainers, -a thousand in number, and dug out from various hiding places the guns -which he had concealed on the English Government ordering these petty -chiefs to give up all their ordnance. He explained to his guests that -a body of mutineers was coming to attack the fort, led by a false -report that the two Collectors had several lakhs of treasure with them. -They must at once go into hiding in an out-of-the-way village, as he -could not trust his followers to fight for them. The Englishmen were -unwilling to leave even such doubtful shelter as the fort offered, but -when this Rajpoot chief gave them his right hand, pledging his honour -for their safety, as far as in him lay, they knew he might be trusted, -and consented to go. - -Carrying their bedding, arms, and the Probyns' four little children, -they crossed the Ramgunga, and reached the place where their quarters -were to be, a filthy enclosure from which the cattle and goats were -cleared out to make room for them. There at least they remained -undisturbed; but after a few days were startled by sounds of heavy -firing from Futtehgurh, where the Europeans were now being besieged -in the fort. Contradictory rumours kept Probyn and Edwards in painful -suspense, and when trustworthy news did come it was not assuring. The -little force in the fort, some thirty fighting men, with twice that -tale of women and children, could not hold out much longer. But several -days and nights passed, and still the cannonading went on incessantly. - -On the morning of the fifth day there was a sudden silence, which -might mean that the attack had been given up, or that the resistance -had been overpowered. Some hours later came fresh sounds of quick and -irregular firing from another quarter, further down the river. While -our miserable refugees were asking themselves what this portended, -a messenger from Hurdeo Buksh came to tell them that the English -had during the night evacuated the fort and fled in boats, only to -be discovered and pursued, so the shots they now heard must be the -death-knells of their wretched countrymen. Still, however, came -conflicting stories. At one time the boats were said to be out of -range, then to have sunk. The firing ceased, to break out again for an -hour towards evening. At last they heard that one boat had escaped to -Cawnpore, but that another had grounded, most of the people on board -being massacred or drowned. - -It would take too long to trace all the further perils of Edwards and -the Probyns, who for weeks to come remained hidden in a cow-house -for the most part, owing their safety chiefly to the heavy rains, -that after a time turned their place of refuge into an island. Their -presence here had been betrayed, and the Nawab of Furruckabad kept -pressing Hurdeo Buksh to give them up; but on the whole he proved a -staunch protector, though more than once he seemed ready to get rid -of so compromising guests. At one time, he had started them off by -boat for Cawnpore, to certain death, as they believed; at another, -they were to fly to Lucknow, disguised as natives, but that plan was -frustrated by bad news of how things were going there; then again there -was a design of smuggling them off to the hills; and once it was even -proposed that they should abandon the children and take to the jungle. -They were glad to be allowed to remain in their wretched shelter, where -sometimes they durst not show themselves, or the rain kept them close -prisoners. Poor Mrs. Probyn's baby wasted away for want of proper -nourishment. When it died they had to bury it in the darkness, thankful -to find a dry spot on which to dig a grave. Another of the children had -the same miserable fate. The whole party grew thin and weak on their -poor native fare. Two books they had, which were a great comfort to -them, a Bible and a copy of _Brydges on Psalm cix._ On the fly-leaf -of the latter Edwards wrote a note to his wife at Nainee Tal, and had -the joy of hearing from her that she and his child were safe. The -natives who carried these communications did so at the risk of their -lives; but the severity used to any one caught acting as messenger for -the English, did not prevent more than one letter from reaching the -refugees. - -Their native neighbours, on the whole, were kind, at least not showing -any hatred towards them. By and by both Hurdeo Buksh and his dependents -began to exhibit more active friendship, a sign of the advance of -the English troops to reconquer the districts deluged by rebellion. -Finally, at the end of August, their miserable condition was relieved -by a message from General Havelock, who had now reached Cawnpore. -Thither they set out, running the gauntlet of fresh dangers on the -river, and could hardly believe their good fortune when at length they -found themselves safe among British bayonets. The whole story is a most -moving one, and should be read in full in Mr. Edwards' book, to the -interest of which this abridgment by no means does justice, since its -object is rather to show the state of the country than to enlarge on -individual adventures and sufferings. - -One passage in his party's obscure experiences brings us back to the -highway of history. More than a month after the fall of Futtehguhr, -there had appeared at their refuge a tall, lean, spectral-looking -figure, almost naked and dripping with water, in whom Edwards with -difficulty recognized a young Mr. Jones, heard of by them as having -escaped from the boats to another of Hurdeo Buksh's villages. There he -had been hiding ever since, and now, in his weak state, burst into -tears at the sight of a countryman again and the sound of an English -voice. From him they learned with horror all the particulars of the -massacre that had been enacted within their hearing. - -The little garrison of the Futtehgurh citadel had defended themselves -till their ammunition was almost exhausted as well as their strength, -while the Sepoys had begun to blow down their walls by the explosion of -mines. Hampered by women and children, their only way of escape was the -Ganges, that flowed by this fort. Early in the morning of July 3 they -embarked in three boats to drop down the river. But their flight was -soon discovered, and daylight showed them pursued by the bloodthirsty -Sepoys. The swift current of the Ganges helped them so well that they -might have got off safe but for the shallows that obstruct its channel. -One of the boats soon grounded, and its people had to be transferred to -another under fire. This second boat in turn, on which Jones now was, -stuck fast on another sandbank opposite a village, the inhabitants of -which turned out against it with matchlocks; and two guns opened fire -from the bank. As the men were repelling this attack, and trying in -vain to move off their heavy ark, there drifted down upon them a boat -full of Sepoys, who, after pouring in a deadly volley, boarded the -helpless craft. Most of its passengers, not already killed or wounded, -jumped overboard. What followed, as related by Jones to Edwards, makes -a too true picture of that terrible time. - -"The water was up to their waists, and the current running very strong; -the bottom was shifting sand, which made it most difficult to maintain -a footing, and several of those who took to the river were at once -swept off and drowned. Jones himself had scarcely got into the water -when he was hit by a musket ball, which grazed the right shoulder, -without damaging the bone. At the same moment he saw Major Robertson, -who was standing in the stream supporting his wife with one arm and -carrying his little child in the other, wounded by a musket ball in -the thigh. Mrs. Robertson was washed out of her husband's grasp and -immediately drowned. Robertson then put the child on his shoulder and -swam away down the stream. Jones, finding that he could do no more -good, wounded as he was, determined to try to save his own life by -swimming down the river, hoping to reach the leading boat. As he struck -out from the boat, he saw poor Mr. Fisher, the chaplain, almost in -the same position as Robertson, holding his little son, a beautiful -boy eight or nine years old, in one arm, while with the other he -supported his wife. Mrs. Fisher was swaying about in the stream almost -insensible, and her husband could with great difficulty retain his -footing. - -"When Jones had got clear of the boat, he continued alternately -swimming and floating for five or six miles, when just as it was -growing dusk, he saw the leading boat anchored for the night. He -reached it, much exhausted by swimming, and by the pain of his wound -and of his back; which, as he was naked to the waist, had been -blistered and made raw by the scorching sun. On being taken on board, -he found that the only casualty which had occurred to this party since -leaving Futtehguhr, was the death of one of the Miss Goldies, who had -been killed by a grape shot from one of the guns on the bank near -Singheerampore. - -"Mrs. Lowis--who had maintained her fortitude throughout, and was -indefatigable during the siege in preparing tea and refreshment for -the men--immediately got him some brandy and water and food, and he -was then able to acquaint them with the miserable fate of his own -party, of whom he supposed himself to be the sole survivor. The boat -remained anchored in the same spot all night. Towards morning a voice -was heard from the bank, hailing the boat. It proved to be that of -Mr. Fisher, who, though badly wounded in the thigh, had managed by -swimming a portion of the way, then landing and walking along the bank, -to overtake the boat. He was helped on board more dead than alive, and -raved about his poor wife and son, both of whom were drowned. - -"At dawn they weighed anchor and proceeded down the stream; but very -slowly, as there was no pilot or skilful steersman on board, and only -the exhausted officers as rowers. Towards evening they became so -exhausted that they made for a village on the Oudh side of the Ganges, -in hopes of being able to procure some milk for the children and food -for themselves. The villagers brought supplies, and did not show any -ill-will or attempt to attack the party. - -"The boat was so crowded with its freight of from seventy to eighty -human beings, that Jones could find no space to lie down and sleep; -he therefore determined, as he was quite exhausted, to go on shore -and endeavour to get some rest. A villager brought him a charpoy, on -which he lay down and fell fast asleep. He was roused by a summons -from Colonel Smith to rejoin the boat, as they were on the point of -starting; but finding himself very stiff and scarcely able to move, -he determined to remain where he was, as he thought he might as well -die on shore as in the boat: in either case he regarded death as -inevitable. He therefore sent back a message that he could not come, -and begged to be left behind. Colonel Smith after this sent him two -more urgent requests to join the boat, which at length departed without -him. He slept till morning, when a poor Brahmin took pity on him and -permitted him to remain in a little shed, where he was partially -sheltered from the sun. There he remained unmolested by the villagers, -and protected by the Brahmin, until he was permitted to join us." - -In the absence of other surgery, Jones had a happy thought for treating -his wound, which else might have killed him by mortification. He got a -little puppy to lick it morning and evening, then it at once began to -improve. But he was still in a sorry state when, wading and swimming -all night over the inundated country, he managed to join Edwards' party. - -Two of his companions, who had also escaped alive, were hidden in other -villages without being able to communicate with each other. Three -unhappy ladies and a child had been taken back captive to Futtehguhr. -There, three weeks later, by order of the Nawab, who played the tyrant -here for a time, they were blown away from guns or shot down by grape, -along with some scores of native Christians, on whom the Sepoys thus -wreaked the infuriation of their defeat by Havelock's troops. The first -boat's crew had gained Cawnpore, only to be involved in its still more -awful tragedy. - -Before coming to that part of the story, let us turn from the provinces -now deluged by rebellion, to see what was being done elsewhere to make -head against such a torrent. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE CONFLAGRATION - - -On the second day after the rising at Meerut, Calcutta had been -electrified by a telegram from Agra. The central government seemed at -first hardly to realize the gravity of the crisis. But when further -bad news came in, Lord Canning recognized that our Indian Empire was -at stake, and began to act with an energy, in which his character and -his inexperience of Indian affairs had made him hitherto wanting; and -if to some he seemed still deficient in grasp of such perilous affairs, -it may be said of him that he never lost his head, as did others whose -counsels were more vehement. He looked around for every European -soldier within reach; he called for aid on Madras and Ceylon; he -ordered the troops returning from the war happily ended in Persia, to -be sent at once to Calcutta; he took upon himself the responsibility of -arresting an expedition on its way from England to make war in China, -but now more urgently needed for the rescue of India. Weeks must pass, -however, before he could assemble a force fit to cope with the mutiny, -while every English bayonet was demanded at a dozen points nearer the -capital, and the Government knew not how far to trust its embarrassing -native army. - -All was confusion, suspicion, and doubt, when the first measures of -precaution suggested by the danger might prove the very means of -inflaming it. The practical question, anxiously debated in so many -cases, was whether or no to disarm the Sepoys, at the risk of hurrying -other detachments into mutiny, and imperilling the lives of English -people, helpless in their hands. Most officers of Sepoy regiments, -indeed, refused to believe that their own men could be untrue, and -indignantly protested against their being disarmed--a blind confidence -often repaid by death at the hands of these very men, when their turn -came to break loose from the bonds of discipline. But one treacherous -tragedy after another decided the doubt, sometimes too late; and where -it was still thought well to accept the Sepoys' professions of loyalty, -they were vigilantly guarded by English soldiers, who thus could not be -spared to march against the open mutineers. - -Paralyzed by want of trustworthy troops, Lord Canning could do -little at present but give his lieutenants in the North-West leave to -act as they thought best--leave which they were fain in any case to -take, the rebellion soon cutting them off from communication with the -seat of Government. But there, most fortunately, were found men fit -to deal with the emergency, and to create resources in what to some -might have seemed a hopeless situation. At the season when the Mutiny -broke out, English officials who can leave their posts willingly take -refuge at the cool hill-stations of the Himalayas. General Anson, the -Commander-in-Chief, had betaken himself to Simla, the principal of -these sanatoriums, lying north of Delhi and of the military station -at Umballa. Here the alarming news came to cut short his holiday. -Naturally reluctant to believe the worst, he yet could not but order a -concentration of troops at Umballa, where he arrived in the course of -three or four days. - -A more masterful spirit was already at work upon the scene of action, -if not by his personal presence, through the zealous colleagues -inspired by his teaching and example as a ruler of men. Sir John -Lawrence, Chief Commissioner of the Punjaub, had also been recalled on -his way to the hills, to find himself practically independent governor -of that side of India. At once rising to the emergency, as soon as -he had taken the first measures, already anticipated indeed by his -deputies, for the safety of his own province, he saw that the one thing -to be aimed at was the recovery of Delhi, the very name of which would -be a tower of strength to the mutineers. The Commander-in-Chief's -eyes were mainly open to the difficulties of such an enterprise; and -the staff, fettered by red-tape, cried out upon the impossibility of -advancing in the unprepared state of his army. Lawrence never ceased to -urge that, with or without guns and stores, everything must be risked -to strike an immediate blow at Delhi, which might check the spread of -rebellion by restoring our lost prestige. His tireless subordinates -did the impossible in collecting supplies and means of transport. -Anson, urged to the same effect by the Governor-General as by Lawrence, -doubtfully agreed to lose no time in carrying out their policy of a -march on Delhi. This is not the only instance throughout the Indian -Mutiny where the hesitations and weakness of military men were -happily overruled by the resolute counsels of civilians. The ordinary -precautions of warfare had often to be disregarded in the struggle now -at hand. - -The difficulties, indeed, might well have seemed appalling. At -Umballa itself, an abortive attempt at mutiny had taken place on the -fatal 10th. General Anson, who, like some other Queen's officers, had -hitherto been apt to despise the Sepoys, now went to the other extreme -in flattering them, and let their officers hamper him by a promise that -they should not be disarmed. At his back, the fashionable station of -Simla was thrown into panic by a disturbance among the Goorkhas posted -there. Hundreds of English people fled to the woods and mountains in -terror, till it was found that the Goorkhas could easily be brought to -reason. They luckily showed no fellow-feeling with the Bengal Sepoys; -and soldiers from this warlike mountain race served us well throughout -the Mutiny. The native princes of the neighbourhood also gave timely -help of their troops and by furnishing supplies. - -Within a fortnight were gathered at Umballa three English infantry -regiments, the 9th Lancers, and twelve field-guns, with one regiment -and one squadron of natives whom it was not safe to leave behind. -Carts had been collected by the hundred, camels and elephants by the -thousand, and a numerous train of camp-followers, without whom an -Indian army can hardly move. Ammunition was brought up from the arsenal -at Philour, one of the Punjaub strongholds, secured just in time to -prevent it falling into treacherous hands. A siege-train, hastily -prepared here, had to be escorted by Sepoys, who might at any moment -break into revolt. The Sutlej, swollen with melting snows, threatened -to break down the bridge by which communication was kept up with this -important point; and, not two hours after the train had passed, the -bridge in fact gave way. Then there were delays through unmanageable -bullocks ploughing over heavy sands and roads deluged by rain. The -first day's labour of twenty hours brought the train only seven miles -on its long route. - -Without waiting for it, on May 25, Anson advanced to Kurnaul, the -rallying-point of the Delhi fugitives. But cholera, a feller foe than -the Sepoy, had already attacked his soldiers. One of the first victims -was the Commander-in-Chief, who died on the 27th, broken by ill-health -and the burden of a task too heavy for him. Another kind of General, it -was said by impatient critics, would have been in Delhi a week before. -But this was easier to say than to do, and certainly the destruction of -his small and ill-provided army, hurled forward without due precaution, -might have proved the loss of India. - -Anson was succeeded in command by Sir Henry Barnard, an officer of -Crimean distinction, who had been only a few weeks in India. His first -acts showed no want of energy. Leaving the siege-train to follow at -its slow pace, he moved upon Delhi at the end of the month, his men -marching eagerly under the fierce June sun, in burning desire to avenge -the slaughter of their country-people. And now began those cruel -reprisals by which our victory was so darkly stained. Angry suspicion -was all the evidence needed to condemn the natives, guilty and innocent -alike, who, after a hasty show of trial, were often mocked and tortured -before execution at the hands of Christians turned into savages. The -Sepoy regiment which marched with the column from Umballa had to be -sent away, to protect them against the suspicious resentment of their -English comrades, as much as in anticipation of the treachery which -soon displayed itself among them. - -A few days' march brought together the main body and Brigadier Wilson's -force from Meerut, which had lain there shamefully inactive for three -weeks, but now did much to retrieve its character by two encounters -under such a burning sun that the exhausted soldiers could not follow -up their victory. The whole army numbered little over three thousand -Englishmen, with whom Barnard pushed forward to where, five miles -north of Delhi, a horde of mutineers lay waiting to dispute his -advance, strongly posted at Budlee-ka-Serai. - -Here on June 8th was fought the first important battle of the war. -Nothing could resist this handful of British soldiers, terrible in -their vengeful passion. Blinded by the glare, now choked by dust, now -wading knee-deep in water, through all obstacles, the infantry dashed -up to the rebel guns; the Lancers, having made a stealthy circuit, -charged upon the enemy's rear; the field artillery took them in the -flank; and they fled in confusion, pressed hard by the eager though -jaded victors. On the Ridge without the city the Sepoys made another -stand, but were again swept back from this strong position. After -sixteen hours' marching and fighting, under a sun whose rays were -almost as fatal as bullets, the English soldiers encamped among the -burned quarters of the Cantonment, and from the Ridge beheld the domes -and minarets of that famous city, which already they looked upon as -regained. - -But not next day, as they had fondly hoped, nor next week, nor for -weary months, were they to pass the high red wall and heavy bastions -that defiantly confronted them. Even had those walls lain flat as -Jericho's, it were madness to have thrown some couple of thousand -bayonets into the narrow crooked streets of a city swarming with -fanatical foemen, besides a Sepoy garrison many times the number of the -assailants. Open still on all sides but one, Delhi was the rendezvous -of bands of mutineers flocking into it from various quarters; from -first to last it is said to have held forty thousand of them--a strange -reversal of the rules of war, which require that a besieging force -shall at least outnumber the besieged! Still, in the first few days, -Barnard did entertain the notion of carrying the place by a _coup de -main_, but allowed himself to be dissuaded, to the disgust of certain -ardent and youthful spirits. - -There was then nothing for it but to remain camped behind the Ridge, -awaiting reinforcements and the coming up of the siege-train. In this -position, the rear defended by a canal, and with a wall of rocky -heights in front, our army was practically besieged rather than -besieging. Their field artillery could make little impression on the -walls, nearly a mile off, while the enemy's heavier guns sent shot -among them night and day. So great was the want of ammunition that -two annas apiece were offered for cannon balls, which natives risked -their lives in picking up to be fired back into the city--balls which -sometimes could hardly be handled by Europeans in the burning heat. -Sunstroke struck them down as by lightning; half the officers of one -regiment were thus disabled in a single day. The over-tasked force -had often to fight all day and to watch all night. The enemy used his -superiority of numbers by continual harassing attacks, in front, in -flank, and at last in the rear. The day was a remarkable one which -passed without fighting. In six weeks, twenty combats were counted. On -the 23rd of June, the Centenary of Plassey, a particularly formidable -assault was made, and repulsed after a long day's fighting, to the -discouragement of the Sepoys, whom false prophecies had led to believe -that this date was to be fatal to us. Now, as always, the skulking -foe could never stand to face British bayonets in the open; but their -stealthy onsets were favoured by the wilderness of tangled ravines, -gardens, walls, ruins, tombs, thickets, and deserted houses, which gave -them cover right up to our entrenchments. - -Through the losses of these continual encounters, as well as through -disease and exposure, our scanty force would soon have melted away, if -reinforcements had not begun to come in towards the end of June. But -now also came the rainy season, multiplying the ravages of fever and -cholera. Poor General Barnard was so worn out by the strain of his -almost hopeless task that he could neither eat nor sleep. Early in July -he died, like his predecessor, of cholera. General Reed took up the -command, but at the end of a week, finding the burden too heavy for -his feeble health, gave it over to Brigadier Wilson, who at one time -had almost retired in despair, and would probably have done so if not -cheered and strengthened by one who, at a distance, was all along the -moving spirit of this marvellous siege. - -Sir John Lawrence it is, with his lieutenants, Montgomery, Herbert -Edwardes, Neville Chamberlain, John Nicholson, who are on all hands -hailed as foremost among the saviours of our Indian empire. The -Punjaub, where Lawrence bore rule at this crisis, home of the warlike -Sikhs, might have been judged our weakest point, yet he turned it -into a source of strength. Our latest and hardest conquest as it was, -conquerors and conquered had learned to respect one another as worthy -foemen, while its manly population bore a contemptuous ill-will towards -the rebel Sepoys, and, themselves divided between Sikh and Moslem, -did not readily find common cause to make against the English. From -this mingled population, Lawrence quickly began to enlist excellent -soldiers, weeding out also the Punjaub Sepoys from the ranks of their -East-country comrades, to form the nucleus of new corps. Punjaubees, -Afghans, Pathans, all the most martial and restless spirits of the -frontier, eagerly came forward for our service; and thus the very men -from whom we had most to fear became serviceable allies in the time of -need. - -The old Sepoy regiments were for the most part disarmed one by one, -some of them disbanded, as opportunity or suspicion counselled, yet -not till more than one had made attempts at mutiny that ended ill for -themselves. Lawrence, earnest in urging mercy when the time came for -it, was resolute in trampling out the early sparks of disaffection. -Forty mutinous Sepoys at once were blown away from the mouths of -guns. The dangerous districts were scoured by a movable column under -Nicholson, a man worshipped almost as a god by his Sikh followers. The -Afghan frontier had also to be watched, lest old enemies there should -take this chance of falling upon us from behind when our hands were so -full of fighting in front. And at the same time it was necessary to -keep a careful eye upon our new levies, lest they in turn should grow -too formidable. - -Fortunate it was that the neighbouring native princes proved friendly, -lending the aid of their troops to keep the peace, or giving more -substantial assistance to the representative of that power which they -had learned to look upon as paramount. Lawrence, governing a population -of twenty millions, cut off from communication with his superiors, -was made by force of circumstances dictator of Northern India. Not -for nearly three months did a message from Calcutta reach him by the -circuitous way of Bombay. The generals in the field, though owing him -no formal obedience, gave in to the energy of his character and the -weight of his experience. The well-provided arsenals and magazines of -the Punjaub, saved from the hands of the mutineers by his vigorous -action, became now the base of supplies against Delhi. Thither he kept -forwarding a continual stream of stores, transport, men and money, -which he had to raise by somewhat forced loans among the rich natives. -Thus, in spite of a painful ailment, in spite of his longing for home -and rest, he throughout masterfully maintained the British prestige -within his own boundaries, while ever pressing on the capture of Delhi, -as the blow which would paralyze rebellion all over India. When the -great enterprise seemed on the point of failure, as a last resource he -sent Nicholson's column to the front, leaving himself with only four -thousand European soldiers scattered among the millions of the Punjaub, -for whom that one man's strong hand was equal to a host of fighters. - -Still the siege of Delhi dragged on its costly length. We must leave it -for the meanwhile to see what thrilling and momentous scenes were being -enacted in other parts of India, and to follow the preparations made -for attacking the mutiny from the further side. - -Calcutta was in a state of bewildered dismay, not to be calmed -by official hopes for a speedy end to the insurrection, and soon -increasing daily with worse and worse news from up-country. From -Allighur, from Muttra, from Bareilly, from Moradabad, from Jhansi, from -other points, one after another, came sickening tales of revolt and -massacre, which would not lose in the telling. The only news of other -places was an ominous silence. The great stations of Agra, Cawnpore, -and Lucknow were presently cut off by a raging sea of rebellion. -Rohilcund, old nursery of warriors, was overflowed, and the Doab, that -fertile region between the Jumna and the Ganges, down whose thickly -peopled valleys poured the irresistible flood of disorder. The tide -rose to the sacred cities of Allahabad and Benares. Beyond, there were -risings in Rajpootana. At Gwalior, the Maharajah's Sepoy contingent, -after a time, broke away to play a considerable part in coming -battles. Everywhere regiments, believed faithful, were going off like -the guns of a burning ship. - -The leaven of agitation naturally spread into the two other -Presidencies, where the English officials could have no quiet rest -till the danger in Bengal should be over. But the organization of the -Madras and Bombay armies was not so dangerous for their rulers. Here -men of various creeds and castes were more thoroughly mixed together -in the ranks, which in Bengal had been allowed to consist too much of -fellow-believers, and of cliques of the same family, caste or locality, -turning every company into a clan animated by a common feeling apart -from that of soldierly duty; nor, outside of Bengal, were the regiments -permitted to be accompanied by squalid fakirs, to keep alive their -superstitious zeal. - -When Patna and Dinapore gave signs of commotion, not four hundred -miles from Calcutta, the people of the capital might well look to see -peril at their doors. They loudly accused Lord Canning as wanting to -the exigency. He certainly seemed to go too far in trying to allay -alarm by putting a calm face upon his inward anxiety. He forbore, as -long as possible, to show distrust of the Sepoys in Eastern Bengal; -he hesitated about accepting a contingent of Goorkhas offered him -from Nepaul; he delayed in letting the inhabitants arm for their -own defence. Not for a month did he allow them to form volunteer -corps, and at the same time was forced to disarm the Sepoys at the -neighbouring stations of Dum-Dum and Barrackpore. But rumours of what -the Sepoys there had intended were already at work, producing a panic -through Calcutta, where one Sunday in the middle of June a great part -of the Europeans and Eurasians hastened to barricade themselves in -their houses, or fled to the fort and the shipping for refuge from -an imaginary foe, while the poor natives lay hid, trembling on their -own account, expecting quite as groundlessly to be massacred by the -white soldiers. The ludicrous terror of this "Panic Sunday" will long -be remembered as a joke against the Calcutta people, who only towards -evening began to see they had nothing to fear. Next day their restored -confidence was strengthened by the arrest of the King of Oudh, who held -a quasi-state in his palace near the city, and whose retainers were -believed to have been plotting, with the now harmless Sepoys at the -neighbouring stations, for a great Christian massacre. - -A day or two later, Sir Patrick Grant, Commander of the Madras army, -arrived to assume command in Bengal. He did not feel himself equal -to taking the field in person, but made the fortunate choice of -Brigadier-General Havelock to advance against the rebels, as soon as -there should be an army ready to lead. The officer, who during the last -months of his life was to burst forth as a popular hero, had passed -obscurely a long life of eastern military service. In India, indeed, -he was well known for the earnest piety which had leavened the ranks -of his comrades. "Havelock's Saints," a name given in mockery, became -a title of honour, when it was found that the little band among whom -he preached and prayed so zealously were the best and most trustworthy -soldiers of the regiment. By his superiors he had been recognized as a -brave and intelligent officer; and he had served creditably in Burma, -in Afghanistan, in the Punjaub, and in Persia, without attracting much -public notice or rising to high command. Now, at length, this saintly -veteran, all his life a careful student of the art of war, had the -chance to show what he was as a general; but not till June 25 could he -leave Calcutta, picking up as he went the scattered fragments of his -force, which had been pushed on to meet immediate needs of succour. - -A month earlier, Neill with the 1st Madras Fusiliers had gone on as -forerunner of the help that would by and by be pouring in to the -rescue of our imperilled countrymen. As far as Allahabad he could -travel by railway, yet he did not arrive there for nearly three weeks, -delayed through turning aside to repress mutiny at Benares, and by -making grim examples to teach the cowering natives that the British -_raj_ was still to be feared. At Allahabad he found his presence -sorely needed by a handful of Europeans shut up in the fort along with -a band of hardly controllable Sikhs. The mutiny here had been marked -by painful as well as curious features. The Sepoys at first showed -themselves enthusiastically loyal, giving every sign of affection to -their officers, then rose against them in a sudden fit of cruel fury, -immediately after volunteering, with apparent heartiness, to march -against their comrades at Delhi. Seven or eight boy-ensigns were -murdered by the regiment they had just joined. The rebels bombarded -the locomotives on the new railway, which they took for mysterious -engines of warfare. There were the usual sickening massacres of women -and children. A general destruction had reigned without check, in which -helpless Hindoo pilgrims came off almost as ill as the Christians at -the hands of a Mohamedan mob. This short triumph of disorder was with -terrible and too little discriminating justice chastised by Neill, -stern Scotchman that he was. What between the mutineers and the British -soldiery, the inhabitants of the district had cause to rue these -troubles; and again our civilization was disgraced by a blind fury -of vengeance. Neill was more successful in restoring order among the -populace than in restraining his own soldiers, who gave way to excesses -of drink that fatally nursed the seeds of cholera, when not a man could -be spared from the trying task before them.[2] - -By the end of June, Havelock reached Allahabad, to take the head of -an army that hardly numbered two thousand fighters. Nineteen officers -and men made all his cavalry. But such news here met him, he could not -lose a day in flinging this small force among myriads of bitter foes, -at whose mercy lay the lives of many Christian women and children. -Yet it was no horde of undisciplined savages from whom he must wrest -those hapless captives. Throughout the war, our troops had to face, -at enormous odds of number, ranks trained and armed by ourselves, -supplied from our own captured stores, and in a large degree led by the -establishment of native officers whom we had taught how battles should -be won. Never perhaps has it been so well proved, as by the result of -this apparently unequal conflict, what advantage lies in pride and -strength of race! - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 2: One of the severest punishments inflicted on mutineers -was forcing them under the lash, before being hanged, to sweep up the -blood of their supposed victims, so as, in their ideas, to pollute -them to all eternity. A generation later, this General Neill's son was -murdered, it is said, by the vengeful son of a native officer thus -punished.] - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE CITIES OF REFUGE - - -Minor disturbances on the outskirts left out of sight, the stress of -the storm may now be considered as confined to the region between Delhi -and Allahabad, where in Agra, Cawnpore, and Lucknow were still havens -of refuge, that, it was to be feared, could not long hold out against -the turbulent elements surging around and against them. - -[Illustration: Taj of Agra, from the Fountain. Page 92.] - -At Agra, one of the most magnificent cities in India, and the seat -of the Government of the North-Western Provinces, there reigned -the liveliest alarm among the large Christian community, though -Lieutenant-Governor Colvin at first tried to make too light of the -danger. When the neighbouring stations burst into mutiny, a panic set -in, the Sepoys were disarmed, and by the end of June the Europeans took -refuge within the high red walls of the fort, some mile and a half -in circuit, that enclose a strangely-mingled maze of buildings, -galleries, pavilions, domes, towers, vaults, offices, barracks, -arcades, gardens and lordly halls recalling the Arabian Nights, among -them such architectural wonders as the glittering palace of Akbar -and the exquisite Pearl Mosque, now turned into a hospital for the -nonce. In sight of these monuments of Mogul grandeur, a mile or so up -the Jumna, rise the snowy splendours of the Taj, that Sultana's tomb -praised by some as the most beautiful work of human hands; and on this -side, without the city, were the English homes that must be deserted -as insecure. The citadel of Agra now gave quarters to several thousand -persons, the number increasing as destitute fugitives came slinking in -from the wrecked stations around. There was an English regiment here, -and a small force of volunteers, who, in July, sallied out to meet a -Sepoy army, but had to retire with some loss; then the unfortunate -refugees found themselves forced helplessly to look on at the burning -of their houses without the walls, while thousands of prisoners, -released from the jail, spread over the country in their clanking -chains, and for a few days the _budmashes_ and the rabble had their -way in the city. No vigorous attempt, however, was made to besiege the -Fort, and its inmates got off with the half-serious, half-ludicrous -hardships of an anxious summer spent in marble halls and crowded -palace-chambers, where decorations of mosaic, enamel and coloured glass -ill made up for the lack of substantial comfort. - -Poor Colvin, broken down, like so many another leader of that time, by -the burden of a charge too heavy for him, and pained by the quarrels -and murmurs of the pent-up multitude under his too feeble authority, -died in September, yet not till he had seen the motley garrison -venturing forth again, and beginning to restore order in the districts -about. On the whole, the story of Agra was rather a happily prosaic one -for a scene of such picturesque historic grandeur. - -At Meerut also, where the Mutiny first broke out, our people got -through its further alarms by standing on anxious guard behind their -entrenchments, while Dunlop the magistrate, at the news of trouble -hurrying back from his holiday in the Himalayas, raised a force of -volunteers that by their bold sallies kept the disaffected in awe for -some way round. - -Very different was the case of Lucknow, capital of Oudh, a vast expanse -of hovels and palaces, situated on the banks of the Goomtee, amid a -rich country famed as the garden of India. With its straggling suburbs, -it covered a space six miles long and about half as broad, including -groups of stately temples, palaces and pleasure-gardens. The central -part of the city was densely populated, and the chief streets offered -a lively scene, thronged as they were with natives in the picturesque -costumes of all parts of India, with rich palanquins, with stately -elephants, and camels in gay caparisons, with gorgeously-attired -cavaliers and their swaggering attendants. Every man in those days -went armed, frays and outrages being too common under the weak tyranny -of the lately deposed sovereign; even beggars demanded charity almost -at the point of the sword, and it was a point of prudence as well as -of honour for every dignitary to surround himself with a retinue of -formidable warriors. - -Over this swarm of dangerous elements Sir Henry Lawrence now held rule, -worthy brother of the Punjaub administrator. There were four Lawrence -brothers, who all manfully played parts in the Mutiny. Among them Henry -seems to have been the most lovable, distinguished as a philanthropist -not less than as a statesman and a soldier. The institutions which he -founded for the education of soldiers' children in India still attest -his benevolence towards his own people. He had singular sympathy with -and knowledge of the natives, yet there was no sentimentalism in his -earnest desire for their welfare, and when the time came for stern -repression he would not shrink from the uncongenial task. On the -earliest disturbances, he telegraphed to Calcutta asking to be invested -with full powers to deal with them; then, prematurely aged as he was -by hard work and sickness, strained every nerve to meet the emergency, -which seems to have taken him not so much by surprise as in the case of -other high officers. - -Discontent was strong in the newly-annexed kingdom of Oudh; and already -had Lawrence had to quell an attempt at mutiny caused by the greased -cartridges, before the native troops raised the standard of rebellion -at Delhi. Foreboding the worst from the news of what had happened on -the Jumna, he exerted himself to calm and conciliate the Sepoys at -Lucknow, and for a time succeeded in preserving an appearance of order, -under which, however, the signs of mischief brewing did not escape his -watchful eye. The Residency, his palatial quarters, with the public -offices and houses about it, stood upon a slight rising ground near -the river, overlooking the greater part of the city. From the first, -Lawrence began to turn this position into a fort of refuge, storing -here guns, ammunition, and supplies, as also in the Muchee Bhawun, an -imposing native fortress not far off. For garrison, part of the 32nd -Regiment, the only English troops he had, were moved in from their -Cantonments outside, and the Christian population soon abandoned their -homes for the asylum of the Residency. Yet at this time it was in no -state for serious defence; even weeks later, few foresaw the hot siege -it would undergo. Before long there appeared cause for actively pushing -on the work. Early in May there was a mutinous demonstration that -luckily could be appeased without bloodshed, but it too plainly showed -the temper of the Sepoys. - -By the end of the month, the women and children were all ordered in -from the Cantonments. Business was now at a standstill, and English -people venturing into the streets met everywhere with scared as well as -scowling faces, many of the better class fearing to lose the safety of -our Government, while the turbulent elements of the population eagerly -awaited the signal for general lawlessness. - -Sir Henry Lawrence has been blamed because, like other leaders on -whom rested the same responsibility, he delayed to disarm the Sepoy -regiments at Lucknow, fearing chiefly to bring about the mutiny of -others who, at various points in Oudh, still openly obeyed their -officers. Holding to his policy of pretended confidence, on May 30th he -was warned that a general mutiny would break out at evening gun-fire. -He went to dine in the Cantonments, as if no danger were to be feared; -and at the report of the nine o'clock gun, he remarked with a smile -to his informant, "Your friends are not punctual." But scarcely were -the words out of his mouth than a crackle of musketry came from the -lines. Calmly ordering his native guard to load, though for all he knew -it might be to shoot him on the spot, Lawrence hastened to overawe -their mutinous comrades. Only one whole regiment had broken out, most -of whose officers had time to escape with their lives. The Sepoys, -however, shot their brigadier as he tried to recall them to obedience, -and two other Englishmen were murdered, one a young cornet of seventeen -lying sick in his bungalow. For this small bloodshed the mutineers -consoled themselves by burning and plundering the abandoned bungalows, -till Lawrence came upon them at the head of an English detachment, -before whom they soon took to flight, yet not till the firing and -glare had spread wide alarm among the Europeans. - -Of the two other Sepoy regiments, some five or six hundred men fell -in under their officers' orders; the rest kept out of the way, or -went off to the mutineers. Next morning, Lawrence followed them on to -the race-course, where they had retreated, and they fled afresh from -the English artillery, though not till the fugitive Sepoys had been -joined by the greater part of a cavalry regiment, for want of whom -effectual pursuit could not be made. In the course of the day there was -an abortive mob-rising within the city, easily put down by the native -police, a number of insurgents being captured and executed. - -The English leaders tried to encourage themselves by the thought that -this long-dreaded mine had gone off with so little mischief, and that -now, at least, they knew their friends from their enemies. But they -did not foresee how fast would spread the madness which in so many -cases suddenly affected bodies hitherto faithful even against their -own comrades. A few days later, the police also mutinied and made -off, pursued by artillery, and a force of volunteer cavalry hastily -raised among the Europeans. Still a few hundred Sepoys, who had -stuck to their colours, were stationed beside English soldiers at the -Residency and the Muchee Bhawun; and, on an appeal to their loyalty, a -considerable number of old native pensioners, some of them blind and -crippled, presented themselves to stand by the Government whose salt -they had eaten so long. - -Among the reminiscences of that trying time, young readers will -be especially interested in those of Mr. E.H. Hilton, an Eurasian -gentleman still living in Lucknow, to show with pride the carbine -he bore as a school-boy through the siege, and to say _quaeque ipse -miserrima vidi_, if he remember as much from school-books, which may -well have been driven out of his head by the experiences of his last -days at school. - -Mr. Hilton, then well on in his teens, was in 1857 one of the senior -boys of the Martinière College, at which his parents held the posts of -Sergeant-Superintendent and Matron. This institution, also known as -Constantia House, from the motto _Labore et Constantia_ inscribed on -its front, is one of the lions of Lucknow. Founded at the beginning -of our century by General Claude Martin, a French soldier of -fortune, it has given a good education to thousands of European and -half-caste boys; nor is this the only educational endowment due to -his munificence. The Martinière, as it is commonly called, a huge, -fantastic, straggling mansion in a pleasant park some mile or two out -of the city, was the founder's residence during his lifetime, and -afterwards his monument and tomb, for he had himself buried in a vault -below the spacious halls and dormitories, now alive with the lads whom -that singular Frenchman had at heart to educate in the English language -and religion. At the time of the Mutiny, there were sixty-five resident -pupils, who had naturally to share the forebodings and alarms of that -terrible spring. - -When all the other Christians stood on their guard, Mr. Schilling, -Principal of the Martinière, prepared to defend his charge against -any sudden attack. A small party, first of Sepoys, and when they -could no longer be trusted, of English soldiers, was stationed at the -College. The elder boys were armed with muskets or carbines. Stores -of food and water were collected; and Mr. Hilton tells us how the -first taste his school-fellows had of the trials of the Mutiny was the -frequent bursting of earthen water-jars, which drenched the boys in -the dormitory below. The centre of the building was barricaded with -bricks, sand-bags, boxes of old books and crockery, anything that could -be turned to account. The boys still did their school-work in the long -open wings, but with orders to make for the centre, thus turned into a -citadel, as soon as the alarm-bell rang. One boy always stood on the -look-out; and, as may be supposed, there were several false alarms, -when a troop of grass-cutters' ponies, or the dark edge of a dust-storm -was taken by the nervous young sentinels for an advancing army. - -These lads were, indeed, in an exposed position, where they could not -long hope to hold out against soldiers, but might have beaten off a -sudden attack from the rabble of Lucknow. When the bungalows were -burned, young Hilton had nearly seen too much of that night's work. He -had gone, as usual, in charge of a party of his school-fellows, who -acted as choir-boys of the English Church, riding to and fro, it seems, -upon nothing less than elephants! - -"We were in the midst of chanting the _Magnificat_, when suddenly the -bugles sounded the alarm. All the officers present quietly rose up and -marched out, and, after finishing the _Magnificat_, the service was -then suddenly brought to a close. The Rev. Mr. Polehampton took the -choir-boys to his house, and gave us the choice of remaining there or -proceeding to the Martinière at once. As our elephants were waiting -ready, I preferred to take the boys home, and we twelve set off on -our moonlight journey of about six miles. Near the Iron Bridge, we -passed a regiment of Sepoys marching with fixed bayonets, but, to our -great relief, they took no notice of us whatever. At the Huzrutgunge -Gate, opposite what is now Eduljee's shop, a sowar, with his sword -drawn, rode up and ordered our _mahout_ to stop. Seeing, however, that -his horse would not come near our elephant, I told the _mahout_ to -go on. After a little colloquial abuse between the two, the _mahout_ -went on; the obstructive sowar took his departure with a few farewell -flourishes of his naked sword, and we arrived at the Martinière without -further molestation. There we found every one on the top of the -building looking at the far-off flames of the burning bungalows in the -Cantonments, and we received the hearty congratulations of all on what -they considered our providential escape." - -After the mutiny of the police, a flying skirmish took place in view of -the Martinière, eagerly watched by the pupils, who were eager to join -in the fray, but had to remain on guard over their buildings. Their -Principal made a narrow escape, meeting the rebels as he drove through -the College-park, and getting away from them by the speed of his horse. -There is another story, perhaps a distorted version of the same, that -one of the teachers did fall into the hands of some stragglers, who -seemed inclined to shoot him, but contemptuously let him go as "only a -school-master!" These school-masters, and some of the school-boys too, -were to play the warrior before long. - -Next morning, Mr. Schilling was ordered to abandon the College, and -move his boys into the Residency. A party of the 32nd leading the -way, and the elder lads with their muskets bringing up the rear, they -marched through the streets lined with sullen faces, where several -natives were seen going armed, but no one offered them any opposition. -At the Residency they were quartered uncomfortably enough in the house -of a native banker within the lines, and there went on with their -lessons as best they could for two or three weeks longer. - -All our people had now to take shelter behind the still imperfect -defences. Large stores of food, fodder, and fire had been laid in. -Fortunately there were wells of good water within the Residency -entrenchment. Gunpowder and treasure were buried underground for -safety. Much against his will, Lawrence gave orders for demolishing -the houses around that might afford cover to assailants, but, ever -anxious to spare the feelings of the natives, he desired that their -holy places should be left untouched, so that the adjacent mosques -remained to be used as works for the besiegers. The preparations, -within and without, of the garrison were far from complete by the end -of June, when cholera and small-pox appeared among them, to add to the -gloom of their prospects. The buildings about the Residency were now -crowded with people, not only the whole English population of Lucknow, -but refugees from out-stations, who kept coming in for their lives. The -worst tidings reached them from all hands. No sign of help cleared the -threatening horizon. It was still open to Lawrence to abandon the city, -retreating under protection of his one European regiment and his guns. -But he took the boldest for the best policy, and kept the British flag -floating over its capital when all the rest of Oudh was in unrestrained -rebellion. - -He even judged himself strong enough, or was unluckily persuaded, -to strike a blow outside his defences. Hearing that the vanguard of -a Sepoy army had reached Chinhut, a few miles from Lucknow, on the -last day of June, he marched out against them with some seven hundred -men, hoping to scatter the mutineers before they could enter the -city. But, unexpectedly, he found himself assailed by overwhelming -numbers, for he had been deceived through false information, and it -was a whole army, not their mere advance guard, with which he had to -do. The European soldiers could not long hold out under a burning sun, -when the native cavalry and gunners either fled or went over to the -enemy. The retreat became a shameful rout. The broken band was almost -surrounded, and owed its escape to the gallant charge made by a handful -of mounted volunteers, most of whom here saw their first battle. The -water-carriers, such indispensable attendants in this climate, having -deserted, our men suffered agonies from thirst, and many more might -have perished if the inhabitants had not come out to offer them water, -showing that we had still some friends left. But as Lawrence galloped -on, heavy-hearted, to break the bad news to those left behind in the -Residency, already he found the native population in hasty flight; and -soon an ominous silence made the streets outside our entrenchments like -a city of the dead. It grew lively enough later in the day, when the -victorious Sepoys came pouring in, and then began the long misery of -the defence of Lucknow. - -But that renowned episode shall be treated of in a chapter apart. -For the present we pass on to Cawnpore, where another wretched crowd -were already undergoing the horrors of a siege, and had earnestly -begged from Lucknow the help it could not spare. Their sufferings and -fate should be fully told, as an epitome of the Mutiny's most painful -features. - -Cawnpore, though no such splendid historic city as Delhi or Lucknow, -was an important military station, with a force of some three hundred -English soldiers, counting officers and invalids, to ten times as many -Sepoys. At Bithoor, about twelve miles up the Ganges, was the palace -of that wily and cruel Hindoo who, under the title of Nana Sahib, -became so widely known as the villain of a great tragedy. Adopted -son of the dethroned Mahratta potentate entitled the Peshwa, and -left a rich man by inheriting his wealth, he had a grievance against -our Government in its refusal to continue to him the ample pension -paid to the late Peshwa, whose heir by adoption, by foul play if all -stories are true, was, however, recognized as Maharajah of Bithoor, and -allowed to keep up a sumptuous court among some hundreds of idle and -insolent retainers. To ventilate his wrongs, Nana Sahib sent to England -a confidential agent named Azimoolah, a low-born adventurer like -himself, who by dint of shrewdness and impudence made an extraordinary -impression on London society. This part of his career reads like a -comic romance, and seems indeed to have suggested to Thackeray the -Rummun Loll of _The Newcomes_. But, though petted and flattered by -English fine ladies, Azimoolah could get no satisfaction from men in -office; then returned to his employer, during the Crimean War, with a -report that England was likely to be humbled by Russia. - -The Nana dissembled his resentment, and appeared to have given himself -up to a life of pleasure, in which degrading Oriental sensualities were -strangely mixed with an affectation of European tastes. Yet, while -pretending friendship with the English, and leading them to think him a -good-natured, jovial fellow, whose main ambition was to cultivate their -society, this dissembler, it seems, secretly nursed the blackest hatred -against his neighbours and frequent guests, biding a time when he might -satisfy the grudge he bore against their race. - -That startling news from Meerut had found our people at Cawnpore -engaged in the tedious round of duty, and the languid efforts to kill -time, which make the life of Anglo-Indians not lucky enough to get away -for the hot weather to bracing hill-stations. Henceforth, they could -not complain of any want of excitement. They had plenty of time for -preparation to meet the danger, for three weeks passed before it was -upon them. - -The General in command here, Sir Hugh Wheeler, was an Indian veteran of -the older school, who could speak to the Sepoys in their own language, -and, like some other officers of his generation, had become so much one -of themselves as to marry a native woman. Such a man would naturally -be slow to believe his "children"--_babalogue_ the affectionate word -was, that came now to be used rather in scornful irony--capable of -being untrue to their salt. Yet when the demeanour of the Sepoys, -agitated as much by fear and unreasoning excitement, perhaps, as by -deliberate intention to revolt, became too plainly threatening, while -still expressing confidence, Wheeler ordered an entrenchment to be -thrown up and provided with stores, as a refuge for the Europeans in -case of need. So great was his trust in the Maharajah of Bithoor, that -he did not doubt to accept the Nana's assistance. A detachment of his -ragamuffin troops was actually put in charge of the treasury; and there -was some talk of the ladies and children being placed for safety in -the palace of this traitor, already plotting their ruin. Every night -now they slept within the entrenchment; but the officers of Sepoy -regiments had to show true courage by staying among their men, who -were not so much impressed by this forced show of confidence as by the -distrust of them evident in the preparations for defence. - -At length even Sir Hugh began to take a gloomy view of the situation. -Many of those under him had done so from the first; and most pathetic -it is to read the letters written by some English people to their -friends at home by the last mail that got down to Calcutta--farewell -messages of men and women who felt how any hour now they might be -called on to face death. Before long the roads were all stopped, the -telegraph wires were cut, and almost the only news that reached this -blockaded garrison of what went on around them, was the grim hint -conveyed by white corpses floating down the sacred river, like an -offering to cruel Hindoo gods. - -On the night of June 4 came the long-expected outbreak. Part of the -Sepoys gave themselves up to the usual outrages, breaking open the -jail, plundering the treasury and the magazine. The rest remained quiet -for a time, and one regiment was even falling in upon the _maidan_ to -obey its officers, when, with ill-starred haste, Sir Hugh Wheeler had -them fired on from the entrenchment, at which they ran away to join -the mutineers. About eighty, however, were found obstinately faithful. -More than one of the native officers also risked his life in trying -to restrain his men; but others sided with the revolt, among them a -Soubahdar named Teeka Singh, who became its general, the Nana Sahib -being adopted as a figure-head. He at once consented to lead them to -Delhi, and the whole disorderly crew had marched off on the road, when -his crafty counsellor, Azimoolah, is understood to have persuaded him -that instead of going to swell the triumph of a Moslem king, it would -be more to his glory and profit to exterminate the English at Cawnpore, -and set up a Brahmin power of his own. The Nana, in turn, won over -the Sepoys to this view, and next morning they marched back upon the -entrenchment at Cawnpore. - -The English here had been fondly hoping the danger past with the -running away of their Sepoys, and congratulated themselves that, no -longer tied by duty, they would now be able to make their escape down -the river. What was their consternation when that trusted friend of -theirs unmasked himself by sending in to General Wheeler a note, -bidding him to expect an immediate attack! At hasty notice, they fled -within the entrenchment, some just in time; others, lingering or -trusting to concealment, were butchered by the desperadoes, who soon -filled the streets to make themselves a terror to respectable natives -as well as to Europeans. The strength of the disorder here was among -the Hindoos, at whose hands the Mohamedans were like to come ill-off; -and if they had not been united by a common hatred, they would probably -before long have taken to cutting one another's throats. - -After spending the forenoon in pillage, murder, and arson, the rebel -army came forward to the bombardment of that weak entrenchment, which -was to endure a siege seldom surpassed for misery and disaster. Sir -Hugh Wheeler is judged to have made a fatal mistake in not possessing -himself of the magazine, a strong position, which, with all its -contents, he abandoned, rather than irritate the Sepoys by taking it -out of their hands, and thus, perhaps, drive them into revolt. He -seems not to have reckoned on any serious attack. The fortress he had -provided was the buildings of a hospital and some unfinished barracks, -surrounded by a low mud wall, standing out in the open plain, and -commanded on all sides by substantial edifices, at a few hundred -yards' distance, to give cover for the besiegers, who soon surrounded -it with batteries of our own heavy guns, while the defenders had -mounted only a few nine-pounders. Within such slight defences were -huddled some thousand Christian souls, four hundred of them fighting -men. They had plenty of muskets and rifles, but sorely needed every -other means of defence. - -For now broke over these poor people a storm of cannon-balls and -bullets, pouring upon them all day like the slaughtering rays of the -sun overhead, and hardly ceasing by night, when they must steal forth -in wary silence to hide away their dead. At first every crashing shot -called forth shrieks of alarm from the women and children; but soon -they grew too well accustomed to the deadly din. In two or three days -all the buildings which gave them shelter were riddled through and -through. There was no part of the enclosure where flying missiles and -falling brickwork did not work havoc, as well as upon the thin circle -of defenders exposing themselves behind the wretched walls. By the -end of a week all the artillerymen had been killed or wounded beside -their ill-protected guns. But the sick, too, were put out of pain, in -whatever corners they might be laid. Children fell dead at play, their -mothers in nursing them. One shot struck down husband, wife and child -at once. Another carried off the head of General Wheeler's sick son, -before the eyes of his horrified family. Two men and seven women were -the victims of a single shell. An important out-work was the unfinished -barrack, garrisoned by less than a score of men, few of whom ever left -that post unhurt. Yet all did their duty as manfully as if not robbed -by continual alarms of their nightly rest, with brave hearts tormented -night and day by fear for their patient dear ones. - -Foremost among so many heroes was Captain Moore of the 32nd, who -seems to have been looked on as the soul of the defence, ever present -at the sorest need, and never seen but to leave "men something more -courageous, and women something less unhappy." We recognize another -Greatheart of a different order in Mr. Moncrieff, the chaplain, -unsparing of himself to cheer the living and soothe the dying with -words to which none now could listen in careless ease. Few and short, -indeed, were the prayers which that Christian flock could make over -their dead, stealthily buried by night in an empty well without the -rampart. Another well within proved more perilous than that of -Bethlehem, from which David longed to drink. This was the garrison's -one supply of water, and the ruthless enemy trained guns upon it, -firing even by night as soon as they heard the creaking of the tackle. -When the Hindoo water-carriers had all been killed, or scared away, -soldiers were paid several rupees for every pail they drew at the risk -of their lives. A brave civilian named Mackillop, declaring himself no -fighting man, undertook this post of honour, held only for a few days. -In the heat of June, on that dusty plain, no fainting woman or crying -child could have a drink of water, but at the price of blood. Washing -was out of the question--a severe hardship in such a climate. - -Water was not the sole want of our country-people, to many of whom the -Indian summer had hitherto seemed scarcely endurable through the help -of ice, effervescing beverages, apartments darkened and artificially -cooled. After a week, the thatched roof of their largest building was -set on fire by night, its helpless inmates hardly saved amid a shower -of bullets poured on the space lit up by the flames. With this was -destroyed the store of drugs and surgical instruments, so that little -henceforth could be done for the sick and wounded. Another time the -wood-work of a gun kindled close to the store of ammunition; then young -Lieutenant Delafosse, exposing himself to the cannon turned upon this -perilous spot, lay down beneath the blazing carriage, tore out the -fire, and stifled it with earth before it could spread. - -Many of that crowd had now to lie in the open air, or in what holes and -corners they could find for shade, exposed to the sun, and threatened -by the approach of the rainy season. A plague of flies made not the -least of the sufferings by which some were driven mad. They found -the stench of dead animals almost intolerable. Their provisions soon -began to run short; they were put on scanty rations of bad flour and -split-peas. Now and then, sympathizing or calculating townsfolk managed -to smuggle to them by night a basket of bread or some bottles of milk, -but such god-sends would not go far among so many. A mongrel dog, a -stray horse, a vagrant sacred bull, venturing near the entrenchment, -was sure to fall a welcome prey. But no expedient could do more than -stave off the starvation close at hand for them. Worst of all, the -ammunition was not inexhaustible. Such balls as they had would no -longer fit the worn-out guns. Then the ladies offered their stockings -to be filled with shot. But guns failed before cartridges. At length -there were only two left serviceable, when a quarter of the defenders -had perished, and still the foe rained death all around the frail -refuge, of which one who saw it a few weeks later says: "I could not -have believed that any human beings could have stood out for one day in -such a place. The walls, inside and out, were riddled with shot; you -could hardly put your hand on a clear spot. The ditch and wall--it is -absurd to call it a fortification--any child could have jumped over; -and yet behind these for three weeks the little force held their own." -This is the report of Lady Inglis, herself fresh from the perils of -Lucknow, which she judged slight in proportion. - -Several times dashing sorties were made to silence the most troublesome -batteries, or drive away the marksmen who swarmed like rats in adjacent -buildings. Thrice the enemy emboldened themselves to an assault, which -was easily repulsed, though under the shelter of cotton-bales, pushed -before them, a number of Sepoys contrived to advance close up to the -entrenchment. They were better served by their spies, who let them -know how losses and starvation must soon give the garrison into their -hands without any cost of onslaught. One after another of our men stole -out in disguise, vainly commissioned to seek help from Allahabad. Most -of these emissaries were caught and ill-treated. More than one native -messenger did get through to Lucknow; but with a sore heart Sir Henry -Lawrence had to deny the appeal of his beleaguered countrymen, knowing -by this time that it was all he could do to hold his own. The only -reinforcement that reached Cawnpore was one young officer, who came -galloping through the fire of the enemy, and leaped the wall to bring -the news how his comrades had failed to make the same lucky escape. -Other fugitives, seeking this poor place of refuge, were murdered on -the way. Meanwhile, the ranks of the besiegers were daily swollen by -all the scoundrelism of the district and by the followers of rebellious -chiefs, eager to avenge the wrongs of their subjection to British rule. - -Yet with them also things went not so smoothly as at first. The booty, -over which they were apt to quarrel, began to be exhausted. The Sepoys -could hardly be brought to face the wall of fire that ever girdled -their desperate victims. The dissensions among rival believers grew -strong. Their leader, jealous and suspicious of the increasing power -of the Moslem party, was impatient to seal his authority in the blood -of those stubborn Christians. Force failing so long, he fell back on -treachery. When the siege had lasted three weeks, the garrison received -a grandiloquent summons from Nana Sahib, proposing surrender on -condition of receiving a safe passage to Allahabad. - -General Wheeler was inclined to scorn this offer; but Moore and others, -who had well earned the right to advise prudence, urged that no -chivalrous pride should prevent them considering the inevitable fate -of so many non-combatants. Their provisions were almost at an end. -Trust in such an enemy might be doubtful, but it was the one hope of -life for the women and children, if no relief came, and whence could it -come? Had they only themselves to care for, these officers might have -cut a way through their mutinous Sepoys. As it was, they stooped to -negotiate, and on June 26th agreed to deliver up their battered works -and guns, the Nana consenting that they should march out under arms, -and promising means of conveyance and victuals to carry them down the -river. The only difficulty was a demand on his part to take possession -the same night; but when the English plenipotentiaries threatened to -blow up their magazine rather, he gave in to let them wait till next -morning. Through the night he was busy with his cruel counsellors, and -to one named Tantia Topee, afterwards better known as a rebel general, -he committed the execution of the blackest plot in this dark history. - -That night our country-people slept their first quiet sleep for long, -which to most of them was to be their last on earth. To some this -strange stillness seemed disquieting after the din of three dreadful -weeks. Early in the morning, gathering up what valuables and relics -of the terrible sojourn could be borne away, they left their ruined -abode with mingled emotions, on litters, carriages, and elephants, or -marching warily in front and rear of the long train, were escorted -down to the river by soldiers, now the Nana's, lately their own, amid -a vast crowd of half-scowling, half-wondering natives. The Ghaut, or -landing-steps, lay nearly a mile off, approached through the dry bed -of a torrent lined at its mouth with houses and timber. About this -hollow way Tantia Topee had concealed hundreds of men and several guns. -As soon as the head of that slow procession reached the river-side, -a bugle sounded, a line of Sepoys closed the head of the ravine to -cut off retreat, and from every point of cover there broke forth a -murderous roar as thousands of balls and bullets were hailed upon the -entrapped crowd below. - -The embarkation had already begun; the foremost of the English had -laid their arms in the boats, and taken off their coats to the work; -the wounded and children were being lifted on board and placed under -the thatched roofs of these clumsy vessels. But at that signal the -boatmen had all deserted, after setting the thatch on fire, and some -unhappy creatures were burned to death, while others plunged into the -water, vainly seeking escape from the balls splashing around them. On -land also a fearful slaughter was going on. Some of the Englishmen -tried to return the fire; some laboured to push off the boats, which -had purposely been stuck fast in the sand. Only three were launched, -one of which drifted across to the opposite bank, and there fell into -the hands of another band of slaughterers. The second appears to have -made a little way down the river before being disabled by a round -shot. The third got off clear, floating along the sluggish current, a -target for ambushed cannon and musketry, through which swam several -brave men, some to sink beneath the reddened stream, some to reach that -sole ark of deliverance. The rest remained at the traitor's mercy. -After most of them had been shot down, their false escort of troopers -dashed into the water to finish the bloody work, stabbing women and -tearing children in pieces. The General was butchered here, with his -young daughter, unless, as would appear from some accounts, Sir Hugh -survived in a dying state on board the escaped boat. Here died the -chaplain, beginning a prayer. A whole girls' school and their mistress -perished wretchedly. Nearly five hundred in all must have fallen on the -banks or in that fatal ravine, when a messenger arrived from the Nana, -ordering to kill the men, but to spare such women and children as still -survived. A hundred and twenty-five, half dead with terror, drenched -with mud and blood, were collected from the carnage and brought to -Cawnpore. - -The one boat which had escaped was crowded with about a hundred -persons, dead and living, including some of the chief heroes of the -defence. There is no more thrilling tale in fiction than the adventures -of that hopeless crew. They had no oars; their rudder was soon broken -by a shot. Paddling with bits of plank, they slowly drifted down the -Ganges, fired at from either bank. More than once they stuck fast in -the sand, and at night the women had to be disembarked before the -cumbrous craft could be got off. By daylight they had come only a few -miles from Cawnpore. Again were they attacked from the bank, and found -themselves pursued by a boat filled with armed men. The torrential -rains of an Indian summer burst upon them. They were obliged to tear -off the thatched roof of the boat, as the enemy had tried to set it on -fire. The second night found them helplessly aground; but a hurricane -came to their aid, and the boat floated off before morning, only to -drift into a backwater. There they grounded once more, and the enemy -soon gathered about them in overpowering numbers. - -Some dozen men, under Lieutenant Mowbray Thomson, waded on shore to -beat back the assailants, while the rest made an effort to shove off -the boat. This little party, sent out on what seemed a forlorn hope, -in the end furnished the only survivors; their leader was one of four -who lived to tell the tale. Desperately charging the mob of Sepoys -and peasants on the bank, they drove them back for some distance, but -soon found themselves surrounded by overwhelming numbers. Without the -loss of a man, however, though not without wounds, they cut their way -back to the shore, to find the boat gone. Expecting to catch it up, -they pushed on down the stream, but could see nothing of it, and had -to shift for themselves as best they could. Spread out in open order -to give less mark for bullets, they held together, loading and firing -upon the rabble that pressed at their heels, yet not too near, like a -cowardly pack of wolves. When the hunted Englishmen had toiled some -two or three miles barefoot over rough ground, a temple appeared in -the distance, for which the officer shaped his course. Mowbray Thomson -himself, in his _Story of Cawnpore_, describes the last stand made here -by this remnant of its garrison. - -"I instantly set four of the men crouching in the doorway with bayonets -fixed, and their muskets so placed as to form a _cheval-de-frise_ in -the narrow entrance. The mob came on helter-skelter, in such maddening -haste that some of them fell or were pushed on to the bayonets, and -their transfixed bodies made the barrier impassable to the rest, upon -whom we, from behind our novel defence, poured shot upon shot into the -crowd. The situation was the more favourable to us, in consequence of -the temple having been built upon a base of brickwork three feet from -the ground, and approached by steps on one side.... - -"Foiled in their attempts to enter our asylum, they next began to dig -at its foundation; but the walls had been well laid, and were not so -easily to be moved as they expected. They now fetched faggots, and from -the circular construction of the building they were able to place them -right in front of the doorway with impunity, there being no window or -loop-hole in the place through which we could attack them, nor any -means of so doing, without exposing ourselves to the whole mob at -the entrance. In the centre of the temple there was an altar for the -presentation of gifts to the presiding deity; his shrine, however, -had not lately been enriched, or it had more recently been visited by -his ministering priests, for there were no gifts upon it. There was, -however, in a deep hole in the centre of the stone which constituted -the altar, a hollow with a pint or two of water in it, which, although -long since putrid, we baled out with our hands, and sucked down with -great avidity. When the pile of faggots had reached the top of the -doorway, or nearly so, they set them on fire, expecting to suffocate -us; but a strong breeze kindly sent the great body of the smoke away -from the interior of the temple. Fearing that the suffocating sultry -atmosphere would be soon insupportable, I proposed to the men to sell -their lives as dearly as possible; but we stood until the wood had -sunk down into a pile of embers, and we began to hope that we might -brave out their torture till night (apparently the only friend left -us) would let us get out for food and attempted escape. But their next -expedient compelled an evacuation; for they brought bags of gunpowder, -and threw them upon the red-hot ashes. Delay would have been certain -suffocation--so out we rushed. The burning wood terribly marred our -bare feet, but it was no time to think of trifles. Jumping the parapet -we were in the thick of the rabble in an instant; we fired a volley and -ran a-muck with the bayonet." - -One by one, making for the river, most of the poor fellows were shot -down, some before reaching it, some while swimming for their lives. -Most thankful was Mowbray Thomson now that a year or two before he -had spent a guinea on learning to swim at the Holborn Baths. Only he, -Lieutenant Delafosse, and two Irish privates escaped both the yelling -crowd that thronged the bank, and not more cruel alligators that -lurked here in the blood-stained water. Stripping themselves as they -went, they swam on for two or three hours, the current helping to carry -them away till the last of their pursuers dropped off; then they could -venture to rest, up to their necks in water, plunging into the stream -again at every sound. At length, utterly exhausted by fatigue and want -of food, they saw nothing for it but to let themselves be dragged out -by a band of natives, whose professions of friendliness they hardly -credited, yet found them friends indeed. These four sole survivors of -our force at Cawnpore were sheltered by a humane rajah till they could -be safe in Havelock's ranks. - -"When you got once more among your countrymen, and the whole terrible -thing was over, what did you do first?" Thomson came to be asked, years -afterwards; and his answer was, "Why, I went and reported myself as -present and ready for duty." - -Their less fortunate comrades in the boat, captured after such -resistance as could be offered by its famished and fainting crew, -had been taken back to Cawnpore. The men were ordered to be shot. -One of the officers said a few prayers; they shook hands all round -like Englishmen; the Sepoys fired, and finished the work with their -swords. The women had to be dragged away from their husbands before -this execution could be done. To the number of about thirty, including -children, they were added to that band of captives in the Nana's hands, -which presently became increased by another party of hapless fugitives -from Futtehgurh, hoping here at last to find safety after an ordeal of -their own, as we have already seen. - -The fate of these prisoners is too well known. Some two hundred in -all, they were confined for more than a fortnight within sight of -the house where the Nana celebrated his doubtful triumph, under the -coveted title of Peshwa, which he had now conferred upon himself. In -want and woe, ill-fed, attended by "sweepers," that degraded caste -whose touch is taken for pollution, they had to listen to the revelry -of their tyrant's minions, and some were called on to grind corn for -him, as if to bring home to them their slavish plight. Still, the -worst was delayed. Probably the Nana had once meant to hold them as -hostages. But as his affairs grew more disquieting, through the hate -of rival pretenders, and the defeat of his troops before Havelock, -perhaps enraged to fury perhaps rightly calculating that the British -were urged on to such irresistible efforts by the hope of rescuing his -captives, he resolved on a crime, for which the chief ladies of his own -household, the widows of the adopted father to whom he owed everything, -heathen as they were, are said to have called shame upon him, and -threatened to commit suicide if he murdered any more of their sex. - -The avenging army was now at hand, not to be frightened away by the -roar of the idle salutes by which the Nana would fain have persuaded -himself and others that he was indeed a mighty conqueror. Before going -out to meet it on July 15th, he gave the order which has for ever -loaded his name with infamy.[3] A few men, still suffered to live among -the prisoners, were summoned forth. With them came the biggest of the -boys, a lad of fourteen, fatally ambitious not to be counted among -women and children. These were soon disposed of. Soon afterwards, a -band of Sepoys were sent to fire into the house packed with its mob -of helpless inmates; but the mutineers, who had done many a bloody -deed, seem to have shrank from this. Half-a-dozen of them fired a few -harmless shots, taking care to aim at the ceiling. Then were brought -up five ruthless ruffians, fit for such work, two of them butchers by -trade. By the quickly gathering gloom of Indian twilight, they entered -the shambles, sword in hand; and soon shrieks and entreaties, dying -down to groans through the darkness, told how these poor Christians -came to an end of their sorrows. Proud, delicate English ladies, dusky -Eurasians, sickly children, the night fell upon them all, never to see -another sun. - -One day more, and these unfortunates might have heard the guns of their -advancing deliverer. After a succession of arduous combats, toiling -through deep slush and sweltering air, Havelock had come within a few -miles of Cawnpore, to find Nana Sahib waiting to dispute the passage -with more than thrice his own numbers drawn up across the road. Very -early in the morning, the British soldiers had been roused from their -hungry bivouac in the open air. What their chief had to tell them -was how he had heard of women and children still alive in Cawnpore; -his clear voice broke into a sob as he cried, "With God's help, men, -we shall save them, or every man of us die in the attempt!" The men -answered with three cheers, and needed no word of command to set out -under the moonlight. - -The sun rose upon the hottest day they had yet had to struggle through. -A march of sixteen miles, that in itself was a trying day's work for -India, brought them in sight of the enemy. Taken in flank by a careful -manÅ“uvre, the Sepoys were rolled up before the onrush of the Rossshire -Buffs, and not now for the first or last time, had terror struck to -their hearts by the fierce strains of the Highland bagpipe. Twice they -rallied, but twice again our men drove them from their guns, to which -English and Scots raced forward in eager rivalry. The blowing up of -the Cawnpore magazine proclaimed a complete defeat. When night fell, -the cowardly tyrant was flying amid his routed troops, and the weary -Britons dropped to sleep on the ground they had won, cheered by hopes -that the prize of the victory would be the lives of their country-folk. - -It is said that on the night of this battle of Cawnpore, Havelock -himself learned how he had come too late; but, in any case, his -thousand men or less were not fit to be led a step further. Next day, -when they entered the deserted city, their ranks began to be saddened -by vague rumours of the tragedy they had toiled and bled to avert. -But they could not realize the horror of it, till some Highlanders, -prowling in search of drink or booty, came upon the house where their -shoes plashed in blood and the floor was strewn with gory relics, -strips of clothing, long locks of hair, babies' shoes and pinafores, -torn leaves of paper, all soaked or stained with the same red tokens of -what had been done within those walls. The trail of blood led them to -a well in the court-yard, filled to the brim with mangled corpses--a -sight from which brave men burst away in passionate tears and curses. - -Over that gruesome spot now stands a richly-sculptured monument, where -emblems of Christian faith and hope seem to speak peace to the souls of -the victims buried beneath its silent marble. But who can wonder if, -by such an open grave, our maddened soldiers then forgot all teachings -of their creed, swearing wild oaths--oaths too well kept--to take -vengeance on the heathen that thus made war with helpless women and -children! Yet more worthy of our true greatness are the words of one -who has eloquently chronicled the atrocities of Cawnpore, to draw from -them the lesson, that upon their most deep-dyed scenes each Englishman -should rather "breathe a silent petition for grace to do in his -generation some small thing towards the conciliation of races estranged -by a terrible memory"--alas! by more than one such memory. - -Having reached Cawnpore too late, in spite of their utmost exertions, -our small army had now before it the greater task of relieving Lucknow, -believed to be in the utmost straits. But inevitable delays bridled -their impatience. The Nana's troops were still in force not far off. - -Even far in Havelock's rear, within a day's railway journey from -Calcutta, there was an outbreak which had to be put down by the -reinforcements hurrying up to his aid. Before we return to the siege -of Delhi, a minor episode here should be related as one of the most -gallant actions of the Mutiny, and yet no more than a characteristic -sample of what Englishmen did in those days. - -On July the 25th the Sepoys at Dinapore mutinied, and though stopped -from doing much mischief there by the presence of European troops, -managed to get safe away, as at Meerut, through the incapacity of a -General unfit for command. Marching some twenty-five hundred strong -to Arrah, a small station in the neighbourhood, they released the -prisoners, plundered the treasury, and were joined by a mob of -country-people, at the head of whom placed himself an influential and -discontented nobleman named Koer Singh. - -But here the few Europeans were prepared for the trial that now came -upon them. The women and children being sent out of danger, a small -house belonging to Mr. Wake, the magistrate, had been put in a state -of defence, and stored with food and ammunition. It was an isolated -building of one large room, used as a billiard-room, with cellars and -arches below, and a flat roof protected by a parapet. Into this, the -Englishmen, not twenty in number, betook themselves, with some fifty -faithful Sikhs; and, almost all the former being sportsmen, if not -soldiers, they kept up such a fire as taught the enemy to be very -careful how they came too near their little stronghold. - -The siege, however, was hotly pushed. A rain of balls fell, day and -night, on the defences, behind which, strange to say, only a single -man was seriously wounded, though the Sepoys fired from a wall not -twenty yards off, and from the surrounding trees and the ditch of the -compound. Two small cannon were brought to bear on the house, one from -the roof of a bungalow which commanded it. An attempt had first been -made to carry it by storm, but the defenders were so active at their -loop-holes that the assailants did not care to try again. Other means -failing, they set fire to a heap of red pepper on the windward side, -hoping to smoke out the garrison. A not less serious annoyance was -the stench of dead horses shot underneath the walls. But Wake and his -brave band held out doggedly, and would not listen to any proposal for -surrender. - -Meanwhile, their friends at Dinapore were eager to make an effort for -their relief. With some difficulty, the consent of the sluggish General -was won, and over four hundred men steamed down the Ganges to land at -the nearest point to Arrah. By bright moonlight they struck out over -the flooded country. But the night-march was too hurried and careless. -The relieving force, fired on from an ambush, fell into disastrous -confusion, turned back, fighting their way into the boats, and got away -with the loss of half their number. Yet, in that scene of panic and -slaughter, some fugitives so distinguished themselves that two Victoria -Crosses were earned on the retreat. - -The besieged soon learned how their hopes of succour had been dashed -down, and might well have given themselves up to despair. When the -siege had lasted a week, it appeared not far from an end. The enemy -were found to be running a mine against them. Water had luckily been -dug down to under the house, but their food began to fail. Then, -looking out on the morning of August 3, expecting perhaps to see the -sun rise for the last time, to their astonishment they discovered -no one to prevent them from sallying forth and capturing the sheep -which had been feeding in the compound under their hungry eyes. The -beleaguering Sepoys had unaccountably vanished. - -Help was indeed at hand from another side. Vincent Eyre, a hero of -the Afghan war, had been moving to their relief with not two hundred -men and three guns. Though on the way he heard of the repulse of the -Dinapore detachment, more than twice his own strength, he did not turn -back. Making for an unfinished railway embankment as the best road to -Arrah, he encountered Koer Singh's whole force of two or three thousand -Sepoys and an unnumbered rabble, who crowded upon the little band, -and must soon have swept them away by the mere weight of bullets. But -the Englishmen charged into the thick of the crowd, and this time it -was the enemy's turn to fly in dismay. Next day, the garrison of that -billiard-room joyfully hailed the friends who had thus marvellously -relieved them; and it is hard to say which had more right to be proud -of their feat of arms. Koer Singh, beaten away from Arrah, nevertheless -long held the field, and did his side good service by keeping the -country in disorder, that helped to delay the advance of our troops to -the fields on which they were so urgently needed. - -Now has to be recorded a curious trait, very characteristic of -Englishmen in India. While Havelock was waiting on the scene of that -woeful massacre, till he should be able to advance, with such saddening -memories fresh about them, with such deadly trials still before them, -the officers kept up their spirits by organizing the "Cawnpore Autumn -Race Meeting," which their pious General thought right to attend. -The fawning or scowling natives, who now were fain at least to make -some show of loyalty, must have thought the ways of Englishmen more -unaccountable than ever. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 3: It is only fair to say that an attempt has been made so -far to whitewash this hated name by representing the Nana as a dull, -feeble tyrant, who, in this as in other actions, was the servant rather -than the master of his ferocious soldiery.] - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE FALL OF DELHI - - -Three months the British army lay upon the Ridge running obliquely from -the north-west angle of Delhi--that abrupt height two miles long, whose -steep and broken front formed a natural fortification, strengthened -by batteries and breast-works, among which the prominent points were -at a house known as Hindoo Rao's, on the right of the position, and -the Flagstaff Tower on the left, commanding the road to the Cashmere -Gate of the city. The rear was protected by a canal that had to be -vigilantly guarded, all the bridges broken down but one. The right -flank was defended by strong works crowning that end of the ridge; the -left rested on the straggling sandy bed of the Jumna, over-flooded by -summer rains. The whole army, after the arrival of reinforcements in -June, numbered not six thousand fighting men, a force barely sufficient -to maintain such an extended line, even if a fifth of them had not -been in hospital at once. Yet they not only held their own, but pushed -their outposts far across the debatable plain between them and the -city, seizing on the right an important point in the "Sammy House," the -soldiers' slang name for a temple, and on their left recovering the -grounds of Metcalf House, a splendid mansion that for weeks had been -given up to the destructive hands of the rebels, who here spoiled one -of the finest libraries in India. - -As already pointed out, this was a complete reversal of the ordinary -conditions of warfare. An army far inferior in numbers to its enemy -attacked one corner of a city, six miles in circumference, open on all -other sides to supplies of every kind, while the besiegers had much -ado to keep up their own communications through a disturbed country, -besides defending themselves against almost daily sallies of the -nominally besieged. They were sorely tried by sickness, by deadly heat, -then by wet weather that turned the river into an unwholesome swamp, -and by a plague of flies swarming about the camp, with its abundant -feast of filth and carrion. They were ill-provided with the means to -carry on their urgent enterprise. Their lines were filled with spies -among the native soldiers and camp-followers, who, at the best, only -half wished them well. Everything they did, even what was designed in -secret, seemed to be known presently at Delhi, so that the garrison -were found prepared for all our movements; and thus the fresh plan of -an assault in July had to be given up. - -Even the irregular cavalry, judged for the most part more trusty than -the foot Sepoys, came under strong suspicion when, by its connivance, -as was believed, a band of the enemy's horse one day broke suddenly -into the camp, causing a good deal of confusion, but were driven out -before they could do much mischief. Other faithless servants were -caught tampering with the artillery. But, in spite of all difficulties -and discouragements, Lawrence's energetic support kept General -Wilson sticking like a leech to his post, cautiously standing on the -defensive, restoring the somewhat impaired discipline of his harassed -ranks, and waiting till he should be strong enough to strike a decisive -blow. The last thing to be thought of was retreat, for that signal -of our discomfiture would have run like the Fiery Cross throughout -Hindoostan. - -We, too, had our spies, through whom we knew that those within the -city were not without their troubles. There were quarrels between the -devotees of the two hostile creeds, and between ambitious rivals for -command. The old king, a puppet in the hands of his turbulent soldiery, -might well sigh for peace. He wrote plaintive poetry describing his -gilded woes; he talked of abdicating, of becoming a humble pilgrim, -of giving himself up to the English; it is said that he even offered -to admit our men at one of the gates, but this chance may have seemed -too good to be trusted. The princes of his family began to think -of making terms for themselves with the inevitable conquerors. The -inhabitants were spoiled and oppressed by the Sepoys, vainly clamouring -for the high pay they had been promised. Different regiments taunted -one another's cowardice; but after one or two trials found themselves -indisposed again to face our batteries without the walls. - -When by the end of July, the fugitives from Cawnpore and elsewhere came -dropping into Delhi with alarming accounts of Havelock's victories--of -strange, terribly-plumed and kilted warriors, never seen before;[4] -of mysterious Enfield rifle-balls that would kill at an unheard-of -distance--the mutineers lost heart more and more, and in turn went on -deserting from their new service; though there would still be a stream -of reinforcements from those broken bodies which no longer cared to -keep the open country. - -To make up for want of real success, their leaders strove to inflame -them by lying proclamations of victory and incitements to their -superstitious zeal. The beginning of August brought in one of the great -Mohamedan festivals, and this opportunity was taken to work up their -enthusiasm for a fierce onslaught against our positions, from which, -however, Sepoy and sowar once more rolled back disheartened, though one -party had succeeded in pushing up almost to our left works, yelling out -their religious watchwords, "Deen! Deen! Allah! Allah Achbar!" that -could not silence the resolute British cheers. Another grand attack was -attempted at the rear, but heaven seemed on our side rather than that -of the Moslem fanatics, for an opportune deluge of rain swelled the -canal to a torrent and swept away their attempts at bridging it. Every -effort on their part was foiled, while to the right we made progress -in mastering the Kissengunge suburb, and on the left pushed forward -half-a-mile from Metcalf House to seize the enemy's guns at a building -called Ludlow Castle, formerly the Commissioner's residence, which lay -almost under the city walls. - -On August 7 a powder-magazine blew up on the further side of Delhi, -killing hundreds of men. This disaster was the more appalling to the -rebels when they learned that a heavy siege-train was advancing to -remount our feeble batteries. Six thousand men sallied forth, making -a circuit far to our rear in hope to cut off the train. But their -movements had been watched. They were followed and defeated with -heavy loss, the first exploit of Nicholson, who arrived with his -Punjaub column about the middle of August to put new vigour into the -attack. This officer, still young for command, had years before won a -reputation far beyond his age; and now, as soon as he appeared on the -scene of action, seems to have made himself felt as its moving spirit, -so much so, that in the story of it, his eager vehemence stands out -as too much throwing into the shade the caution supplied by General -Wilson, unduly disparaged by Nicholson' admirers. We had need at once -here of prudence and of valour in the highest degree. - -At length the slow siege-train, drawn by a hundred elephants, after so -long, literally, sticking in the mud, came up on September 3rd. On the -Ridge all was ready for it. Works sprang up like mushrooms, and in a -few days forty heavy guns began playing upon the northern face of the -city. Batteries were pushed forward to almost within musket-shot; then, -day by day, the massive walls and bastions were seen crashing into -ruins at several points. Formidable as they were in older warfare, they -did not resist modern artillery so well as less pretentious earthworks -might have done. - -By the 13th two breaches seemed practicable. That night four young -engineer officers, with a few riflemen, stole up through the jungle -to the Cashmere Bastion, passing behind the enemy's skirmishers. They -dropped into the ditch unseen, and had almost mounted the broken wall -when discovered by its sentries, whose random shots whizzed about them -as they ran back to report that a way was open for the stormers. - -[Illustration: PLAN OF DELHI - -Page 144.] - -The assault was at once ordered for three o'clock of that morning, -September 14. Under cover of darkness, the troops eagerly advanced in -four columns, the first, led by Nicholson, against the breach near the -Cashmere Bastion; the second directed upon another breach at the -Water Bastion; the third to storm the Cashmere Gate, after it had been -blown up; while the fourth, far to the right, should attack the Lahore -Gate, through the Kissengunge suburb. - -A reserve followed the first three columns, ready to follow up their -success; and the 60th Rifles, scattered through wooded ground in front, -were to keep down the fire of the enemy from the walls. The cavalry -and horse artillery, under Sir Hope Grant, held themselves ready for -repulsing any sortie to which our ill-guarded camp would now lie -exposed. - -The whole army numbered under nine thousand men, rather more than -a third of them English soldiers. There was a contingent of native -allies from Cashmere, who did not give much assistance when it came to -fighting. Our Punjaubee auxiliaries, however, proved more serviceable, -burning for the humiliation and spoil of this Moslem Sanctuary, against -which the Sikhs bore an old religious grudge. - -Unfortunately there came about some delay, and daylight had broken -before the three left columns were ready to advance from Ludlow Castle, -under a tremendous artillery fire from both sides. The advantage of a -surprise was thus lost. Suddenly our guns fell silent, a bugle rang -out, and forth dashed the stormers upon the walls manned to receive -them with fire and steel. Nicholson's column found that something had -been done to repair the breach; and so thick was the hail of bullets -to which they stood exposed in the open, that for several minutes they -could not even gain the ditch, man after man being struck down in -placing the ladders. But, once across that difficulty, they scrambled -up the breach, where the raging and cursing rebels hurled its fragments -down upon them, but, for all their shouts of defiance, did not await a -struggle hand to hand. They fled before the onset, and our men poured -in through the undefended gap. - -The same success, and the same losses, attended the second column, -making good its entry at the Water Bastion. A way for the third had -been opened by a resounding deed of heroism, which struck popular -imagination as the chief feature of this daring assault. The Cashmere -Gate, that from first to last plays such a part in the story of Delhi, -must be blown up to give the assailants passage into the bastion -from which it faces sideways. Lieutenants Home and Salkeld, of the -Engineers, with three sergeants and a bugler, formed the forlorn hope -that dashed up to the gate, each loaded with 25 lbs. of powder in -a bag. The enemy were so amazed at this audacity that for a moment -they offered no opposition as the gallant fellows sped across the -shattered drawbridge, and began to lay their bags against the heavy -wood-work of the inner gate. But then from the wicket and from the top -of the gateway they found themselves fired at point-blank, resolutely -completing their task. Home, after his bag was placed, had the luck to -jump into the ditch unhurt. Salkeld was shot in two places, but handed -the portfire to a sergeant, who fell dead. The next man lighted the -fuse at the cost of a mortal wound; and the third sergeant did not save -himself till he saw the train well alight. A bugle-note calling forward -the stormers was drowned in the roar of a terrific explosion, as the -52nd, held in leash for this signal, eagerly sprang on to pour through -the smoking ruins. Thus all three columns, about the same time, had -lodged themselves within the defences. - -While the third column pushed forward into the heart of the city, and -the supporting parties moved up to occupy the points taken, the rest of -the assailants turned to their right by a road which ran at the back -of the ramparts, clearing them as they went, and mastering the Mori -and Cabul Gates from behind; then tried to make their way towards the -Lahore Gate where they hoped to join hands with the fourth column. -But this, repulsed by a slaughterous fire and its leader wounded, had -alone failed in the errand assigned to it. Here, too, the routed Sepoys -rallied within their walls, and brought guns to bear down a narrow lane -in which the progress of Nicholson's column was fatally arrested. The -young General himself, the foremost hero of that day, fell shot through -the body while cheering on his men, and with his life-blood ebbed for -a time the tide of victory that had swept him on hitherto without a -check. He was carried away to die in the camp, yet not till he knew -Delhi to be fully won. His force had to fall back to the Cabul Gate, -and for the meanwhile stand upon the defensive. - -The third column, under Colonel Campbell, had met less opposition in -penetrating straight into the city, guided by Sir Thomas Metcalf, -who, though a civilian, had all along made himself most useful by his -thorough knowledge of the localities. Charging through lanes, bazaars, -and open spaces, they crossed the palace gardens, forced a passage over -the Chandnee Chouk, "Silver Street," the main commercial thoroughfare -of Delhi, and threaded their way by narrow winding streets right up to -the Jumma Musjid, or Great Mosque, whose gigantic steps, colonnades -and cupolas tower so majestically over the centre of the Mogul's -capital. But here they were brought to a stand before solid walls and -gates, having neither guns nor powder-bags to break their way further, -while from the buildings around the enemy poured destruction into the -chafing ranks. They had to withdraw to an enclosure, which was held for -an hour and a half under hot fire; and when Colonel Campbell learned -how the other column could not get beyond the Cabul Gate to support -him, he saw nothing for it but to retire upon the ruined English Church -near the Cashmere Gate, as did a party he had detached to occupy the -police office. - -The result of the first day's fighting, then, was that, with a dear -loss of nearly twelve hundred killed and wounded, our soldiers had -ensconced themselves along the north side of the walls, where, throwing -up hasty defences, they prepared to be in turn attacked by a host of -still resolute warriors. - -England's glory was now mingled with England's shame. The crafty foe, -knowing our men's besetting sin, would appear to have purposely strewn -the emptied streets with bottles of wine, beer, and spirits, the most -effectual weapons they could have used, for on them the parched Saxons -fell with such greedy thirst that by next morning a large part of the -army was, in plain English, helplessly drunk, and it seemed hopeless to -attempt any progress that day. Our Sikh and Goorkha auxiliaries, for -their part, thought less of fighting than of securing the long-expected -loot of a city so famed for riches. Had the enemy been more active, he -could have taken such an opportunity of turning victory into ruin by -a resolute diversion in the assailants' rear, two or three miles as -they now were from their slightly guarded camp and base of supplies. -General Wilson, trembling to think that even yet he might have to make -a disastrous retreat, ordered all liquor found to be destroyed, and -took steps to restrain the licence of plundering, which is always a -temptation to disorder for a storming army as well as a cruel terror -for the inhabitants. - -Thanks to his measures, Wednesday the 16th found the force more fit to -follow up its success, and that day ended with a considerable advance -in regaining the city, point after point, against a resistance growing -daily feebler. The arsenal was captured with a great number of guns. -Next day again, still further progress was made; then up to the end of -the week the assailants went on winning their way, street by street, -to the Royal Palace and the Great Mosque. These spacious edifices, as -well as the long-contested Lahore Gate, were easily carried on Sunday, -the 20th, the mass of the rebels having fled by night through the gates -beyond, leaving desolate streets, where the remnant of panic-stricken -inhabitants durst hardly show their faces. - -[Illustration: Tomb of Humayoon, Delhi.] - -[Illustration: Ruins of old Delhi. Page 150.] - -Everywhere now prevailed ruin and silence over the captured city. For -our soldiers, that Sunday afternoon might at length be a time of rest, -their hard and bloody week's work done when the British flag flew once -more over the palace of the Grand Mogul, and the Queen's health was -triumphantly drunk upon his deserted throne. A wild riot of pillage and -destruction ran through the famous halls, on which is inscribed what -must have now read such a mockery: "If on earth there be a Paradise, it -is here!" To this monument of Oriental splendour, the last monarch of -his race was soon brought a humble captive. - -The old king, who cuts such a pitiful figure throughout those tragic -scenes, refusing to follow the flying troops, with his wife and -family had taken sanctuary in one of the vast lordly tombs that rise -over the buried ruins of old Delhi, stretching for leagues beyond -the present limits of the city. Time-serving informers hastened to -betray his refuge to one who had neither fear of peril nor respect for -misfortune. Hodson of Hodson's Horse, a name often prominent in this -history, an old Rugby boy of the Tom Brown days, was a man as to whose -true character the strangest differences of opinion existed even among -those who knew him best; but no one ever doubted his readiness when any -stroke of daring was to be done. The city scarcely mastered, he offered -to go out and seize the king, to which General Wilson consented on the -unwelcome condition that his life should be spared. - -With fifty of his irregular troopers, Hodson galloped off to the tomb, -an enormous mausoleum of red stone, inlaid with marble and surmounted -by a marble dome, its square court-yard enclosed in lofty battlemented -walls with towers and gateways, forming a veritable fortress, which -had indeed, in former days, served as a citadel of refuge. That Sunday -afternoon the sacred enclosure swarmed with an excited multitude, -among whom Hodson and his men stood for two hours, awaiting an answer -to their summons for the king's surrender. Cowering in a dimly-lit -cell within, the unhappy old man was long in making up his mind; but -finally, yielding to the terrified or traitorous councils of those -around him, he came forth with his favourite wife and youngest son, -and gave up his arms, asking from the Englishman's own lips a renewal -of the promise that their lives should be spared. In palanquins they -were slowly carried back to his gorgeous palace, where the descendant -of the Moguls found himself now a prisoner, treated with contempt, and -indebted for his life to the promise of an English officer--a promise -openly regretted by some in the then temper of the conquerors. - -A more doubtful deed of prowess was to make Hodson doubly notorious. -Learning that two of the king's sons and a grandson were still lurking -in that tomb of their ancestors, he went out again next day with a -hundred troopers, and demanded their unconditional surrender. Again -the crowd stood cowed before his haughty courage. Again the fugitives -spent time in useless parley, while, surrounded by thousands of sullen -natives, Hodson bore himself as if he had an army at his back. At -length the princes, overcome by the determination of this masterful -Briton, came forth from their retreat, and gave themselves up to his -mercy. They were placed in a cart, and taken towards the city under -a small guard, Hodson remaining behind for an hour or two to see the -crowd give up its arms, as they actually did at his command; then he -galloped after the captives, and overtook them not far from the walls -of Delhi. - -Thus far all had gone well; but now came the dark feature of the story -that has given rise to so much debate. Hodson's account is that the -mob, which he had hitherto treated with such cool contempt, became -threatening when he had almost reached the Lahore Gate, causing a fear -that the prisoners might even yet be rescued. His accusers assert -that he let himself be overcome by the lust for vengeful slaughter -which then possessed too many a British heart. Riding up to the cart, -he ordered the princes to dismount and strip. Then, in a loud voice -proclaiming them the murderers of English women and children, with his -own hand he shot all three dead. The naked bodies, thus slain without -trial or deliberation, were exposed to public view in the Chandnee -Chouk, as stern warning of what it was to rouse the old Adam in English -nature. - -Wilson's army might now draw a deep breath of relief after successfully -performing such a critical operation, the results of which should -be quickly and widely felt. Like a surgeon's lancet, it had at last -been able to prick the festering sore that was the chief head of -far-spread inflammation. The fall of the Mogul's capital was a signal -for rebellion to hide its head elsewhere. Doubtful friends, wavering -allies, were confirmed, as our open enemies were dismayed, by the -tidings which let India's dusky millions know how British might had -prevailed against the proudest defiance. - -At the seat of war, indeed, this good effect was not at once so -apparent as might have been expected; the result being rather to let -loose thousands of desperate Sepoys for roving mischief, while even -hitherto inactive mutineers now rushed into the field as if urged by -resentful fury. But immediate and most welcome was the relief in the -Punjaub, where our power seemed strained to breaking-point by the -tension of delay in an enterprise for which almost all its trustworthy -troops had been drawn away, leaving the country at the mercy of any -sudden rising, such as did take place at two or three points among the -agitated population. But the fear of that danger was lost in the good -news from Delhi, as soon as it could be trusted. - -Not the least trouble of our people in those days was the want of -certain news, to let them know how it stood with their cause amid -the blinding waves of rebellion. The mails were stopped or passed -irregularly. Native messengers could not be depended upon, magnifying -the danger through terror, or dissembling it through ill-will; truth -is always a rare commodity in India. Many a tiny letter went and -came rolled in an inch of quill sewed away in the bearer's dress, or -carried in his mouth to be swallowed in an instant, for, if detected, -he was like to be severely punished. Officers were fain to correspond -with each other by microscopic missives written in Greek characters, -a remnant of scholarship thus turned to account against the case of -their falling into hostile hands. The natives, for their part, though -often ill-served by their own ignorance and proneness to exaggeration, -were marvellously quick to catch the rumours of our misfortunes, which -spread from mouth to mouth as by some invisible telegraph. They did not -prove always so ready to appreciate the signs of a coming restoration -of our supremacy, once the tide had turned. All over India the eyes of -white men and black had been fixed eagerly on Delhi; then while English -hearts had become more than once vainly exalted by false rumours of -its fall, when this did take place at length, the population, even of -the surrounding country, showed themselves slow to believe in the -catastrophe. - -General Wilson at once followed up his success by sending out a column -under Colonel Greathed to pursue the Sepoys who were making for Oudh. -All went smoothly with this expedition, till Greathed had letters -urgently begging him to turn aside for the relief of Agra, believed to -be threatened by the advance of another army of mutineers from Central -India. By forced marches the column made for Agra, where it arrived on -the morning of October 10, and was received with great jubilation by -the crowd pent up within the walls. But to the end it seemed as if the -drama enacted on that gorgeous scene was destined to have tragi-comic -features. The Agra people, under the mistaken idea that their enemies -had fallen back, gave themselves to welcoming their friends, when -mutual congratulations were rudely interrupted by the arrival, after -all, of the Sepoys, who had almost got into the place without being -observed. Sir George Campbell, so well-known both as an Indian official -and as a member of Parliament, describes the scene of amazement and -confusion that followed. He was at breakfast with a friend who had -ventured to re-occupy his house beyond the walls, when a sound of -firing was heard, at first taken for a salute, but soon suggesting -something more serious. Sir George got out his horse, borrowed a -revolver, and galloped down to the parade, on which he found round shot -hopping about like cricket-balls. - -"It turned out that the enemy had completely surprised us. Instead of -retreating, they had that morning marched straight down the metalled -high-road--not merely a surprise party, but the whole force, bag -and baggage, with all their material and many guns, including some -exceedingly large ones; but no one took the least notice of them. -There was a highly-organized Intelligence Department at Agra, who got -unlimited news, true and false, but on this occasion no one brought -any news at all. The only circumstance to favour the advance was that -the high millet crops were on the ground, some of them ten or twelve -feet high, and so the force marching down the road was not so visible -as it would have been at another time. They reached the point where -the road crossed the parade-ground quite unobserved. They probably had -some scouts, and discovering our troops there, arranged themselves and -got their guns in position before they announced themselves to us. The -first attack was made by a few fanatics, who rushed in and cut down two -or three of our men, but were not numerous enough to do material harm. -If the enemy's real forces had made a rush in the same way, when no -one expected them, there is no saying what might have happened; but, -fortunately, as natives generally do, they believed in and stuck to -their great guns, and instead of charging in, they opened that heavy -fire which had disturbed us at breakfast." - -The Sepoys, in fact, had also been surprised, not knowing that a -European force had reached Agra before them. Our soldiers at once -got under arms; then a battery of artillery, the 9th Lancers, and a -regiment of Sikhs were first to arrive on the ground. The rest came -up before long, at first in some doubt as to who was friend or foe. A -charge of the enemy's cavalry had almost been taken for our own people -running away. Then these troopers, broken by a charge of the Lancers, -"were galloping about the parade and our men firing at them as if it -were a kind of big battue." Some of the routed sowars got near enough -to the lines to cause a general panic there; and the way to the scene -of action was blocked by men wildly galloping back for the fort, -some of them, it is said, on artillery horses which they had stolen. -"Everybody was riding over everybody else." - -Once the confusion got straightened out, however, the hardened -Delhi troops were not long in repelling this unexpected attack. A -tumbrel blew up among the Sepoys, and that seemed to be a sign of -disheartenment for them. They began to give way, making a stand here -and there, but soon fled in complete rout, leaving their baggage and -guns to the victors, who chased them for several miles. - -Sir George Campbell, though a civilian, has to boast of more than one -amusing exploit on this battle-field. In the heat of pursuit, his -horse ran away with him, and, much against his will, carried him right -towards a band of Sepoys hurrying off a train of guns. All he could do -was to wave his sword and shout, partly to bring up assistance, and -partly in the hope of frightening the enemy. It is said that the battle -of Alma was perhaps decided by the accident of Lord Raglan rashly -straying right within the Russian position, when the enemy, seeing an -English general officer and his staff among them, took it for granted -that all must be lost. So it was with these Sepoys, who forthwith ran -away, leaving three guns, which Sir George could claim to have captured -by his single arm, but did not know what to do with them. It occurred -to him to shoot the leading bullock of each gun-team, to prevent the -rest getting away, while he went to seek for assistance; then he found -that his borrowed pistol would not go off. In the end, the three -guns were brought back to Agra in triumph, and probably form part of -the show of obsolete artillery and ammunition exhibited to travellers -within the walls of its vast fortress. - -"One more adventure I had which somewhat detracted from my triumph -with the guns. I overtook an armed rebel, not a Sepoy, but a native -matchlock-man; he threw away his gun, but I saw that he had still a -large powder-horn and an old-fashioned pistol in his belt; my blood was -up, and I dealt him a mighty stroke with my sword, expecting to cut -him almost in two, but my swordsmanship was not perfect; he did not -fall dead as I expected; on the contrary, he took off his turban, and -presenting his bare head to me, pointed to a small scratch and said, -'There, Sahib, evidently God did not intend you to kill me, so you may -as well let me off now.' I felt very small; evidently he had the best -of the argument. But he was of a forgiving disposition, and relieved my -embarrassment by cheerful conversation, while he professed, as natives -do, that he would serve me for the rest of his life. I made him throw -away any arms he still had, safe-conducted him to the nearest field, -and we parted excellent friends; but I did not feel that I had come -very gloriously out of it. I have never since attempted to use a sword -as an offensive weapon, nor, I think I may say, attempted to take the -life of any fellow-creature." - -Such amusing episodes come welcome in this grimly tragic story. But, -indeed, it is remarkable to note how our countrymen, at the worst, -never quite lost their sense of humour. Some singular proofs of Mark -Tapleyish spirit, under depressing circumstances, are supplied by -Mr. J.W. Sherer's narrative, incorporated in Colonel Maude's recent -_Memoirs of the Mutiny_. Mr. Sherer, like Edwards, had to run from his -post, and came near to sharing the same woes, but while the latter's -book might be signed _Il Penseroso_, the other is all _L'Allegro_. -Looking over Indian papers of that day, among the most dismaying news -and the most painful rumours, one finds squibs in bad verse and rough -jokes, not always in the best taste, directed against officers who -seemed wanting in courage, or stations where the community had given -way to ludicrous panic without sufficient cause. Some unintended -absurdities appear, also, due no doubt to native compositors or to -extraordinary haste, as when one newspaper declares that a certain -regiment has "covered itself with _immoral_ glory!" - -On the whole, however, editors were more disposed to be bloodthirsty -than facetious. After forty years have put us in a position to look -more calmly on that welter of hate and dread, one reads with a smile -how fiercely the men of pen and ink called out for prompt action, for -rapid movements, for ruthless severities--why was not Delhi taken -at once?--why were reinforcements not hurried up to this point or -that?--what was such and such an officer about that he did not overcome -all resistance as easily as it could be done on paper? The time was now -at hand, when these remonstrances could be made with less unreason. The -rebellion had been fairly got under with the fall of Delhi; and the -rest would mainly be a matter of patience and vigilance, though at one -point the flames still glowed in perilous conflagration. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 4: When the Highlanders first appeared in India, a report -is said to have spread among the natives that English men running -short, we had sent our women into the field; but the prowess of the new -warriors soon corrected that misapprehension.] - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW - - -The focus of the insurrection was now at Lucknow, where ever since the -end of June the Residency defences had been besieged by the rebels of -Oudh, and thus most serviceably kept engaged a host of fighters, who -might else have marched to turn the wavering scale at Delhi. Apart from -its practical result, the gallantry displayed, both by the much-tried -garrison and by two armies which successfully broke through to their -aid, has marked this defence as one of the principal scenes of the -Indian Mutiny and one of the most stirring episodes in modern history. -Some of the closing scenes of the war, also, long after the Residency -had been gloriously abandoned, came to be enacted round the same spot, -for ever sacred to English valour. - -[Illustration: City of Lucknow. - -Page 164.] - -There is no Englishman's heart but must thrill to behold those patches -of blackened and riddled ruin, half-hidden among gorgeous Eastern -flowers, where idle cannon stand now as trophies by the battered walls, -and brown-limbed gardeners water the smooth turf-lawns once drenched -with so brave blood. Set in a beautiful garden, the remnants of the -Residency buildings are preserved no less reverently than the tombs -and monuments of their defenders, over which rises the flowery mound -that bears aloft a white cross sacred to the memory of the Christian -dead, famous and nameless, lying side by side around. Pillars and -tablets carefully record the situation of this and that post, house, -or battery, some hardly traceable now, some mere shells, or no more -than names; but the ground has been so much changed by the clearing -away of _débris_ and the demolition of adjacent structures, that it -is difficult for us to realize the scene, some of the chief actors in -which, years afterwards, found themselves not quite clear as to all its -original features. A model, however, preserved in the Lucknow Museum, -presents the localities restored as far as possible to their original -state, according to the best authorities, giving us some idea of what -this frail fortress was, and exciting our amazement that it held out -for a single day.[5] - -We must not, then, imagine a citadel enclosed by solid walls like those -of Delhi or the palatial fort at Agra, but a group of buildings widely -scattered round the tower of the Residency, the outer ones turned each -into a defensive work, with its own separate garrison, the gaps between -filled up as means or accidents of situation best allowed. Mud walls, -banks, hedges, ditches, lanes, trees, palisades and barricades, were -all put to use for these irregular and extemporary fortifications, -composed among other materials of carriages, carts, boxes, valuable -furniture, and even a priceless library that went to stop bullets. It -would take too long to give a full description of all the points made -memorable by this siege, such as the Bailey Guard Gate, the Cawnpore -Battery, the Sikh Square, Gubbins' House, the Church Post, the Redan, -which formed the most salient features of the circle marked out for -defence. The hastily thrown-up bastions were not finished when that -rout of Chinhut made them so needful. A bolder enemy might have -carried the lines at once with a rush. The half-ruined buildings -outside gave the assailants cover within pistol-shot of the besieged; -while indeed the latter were thus to a large extent shielded against -artillery fire, as had been Lawrence's design in not completing his -work of destruction here. Some of the rebel batteries played upon the -works at a range of from fifty to a hundred yards. On one side, only a -dozen yards of roadway separated the fighters; and from behind their -palisades the loyal Sepoys could often exchange abuse, as well as -shots, with the mutineers, who would steal up at night, tempting them -to desert, as many did in the course of the siege, yet not so many as -might have been expected under such trying circumstances. - -[Illustration: PLAN OF LUCKNOW - -Page 160.] - -This entrenchment was occupied by nearly a thousand soldiers, -civilians, clerks, traders, or travellers turned by necessity into -fighting-men, with a rather less number of staunch Sepoys, as well as -about five hundred women and children, shuddering at the peril of a -fate so fearful that English ladies kept poison ready for suicide in -case of the worst, and loving husbands promised to shoot their wives -dead, rather than let them fall alive into hands freshly blood-stained -from the horrors of Cawnpore. As there a girls' school were among the -victims, so at Lucknow the motley garrison included the boys of the -Martinière College, whose experiences have been already mentioned. -In all, counting some hundreds of native servants, not far short of -three thousand persons must have been crowded within an irregular -enclosure about a mile round, where on that disastrous last day of -June the enemy's bullets began to fly across a scene of dismay and -confusion--men hardly yet knowing their places or their duties; women -wild with fear; bullocks, deserted by their attendants, wandering -stupidly about in search of food; horses, maddened by thirst, kicking -and biting one another, in the torment which no one had time to -relieve. The siege had come to find these people too little prepared -for its trials, or for the length to which it was protracted. Some -thought they might have to hold out a fortnight. Few guessed that their -ordeal would endure nearly five months. - -When, on June 30th, the city fell into the hands of the rebels, we -still occupied another position not far from the Residency, the old -fortress of Muchee Bhawun, which, though more imposing in appearance, -was not fit to resist artillery, nor, after the losses of Chinhut, were -there men enough to defend both points. On the second day of the siege, -therefore, Colonel Palmer, commanding here, was ordered by semaphore -signals from the Residency tower, to bring his force into the other -entrenchment, spiking the guns, and blowing up what ammunition he could -not carry away. At midnight he marched silently through the city, -without attracting any notice from the enemy, who were perhaps too -busy plundering elsewhere. They had hardly joined their comrades, when -a terrific explosion announced the destruction of the Muchee Bhawun, -blown up by a train set to go off in half-an-hour. One soldier had been -accidentally left behind, who, strange to say, escaped unhurt from the -explosion, and next morning walked coolly into the Residency, meeting -no one to stop him, perhaps because he was quite naked, and the people -took him for a madman or a holy man! - -It was sad news that awaited Colonel Palmer. His daughter, while -sitting in an upper room of the Residency, had been wounded by a shell, -one of the first among many victims. She died in a few days, by which -time the besieged had to mourn a greater loss. The Residency building, -elevated above the rest, was soon seen to be a prominent mark for the -enemy's fire, and on the first day, after a shell had burst harmlessly -in his own room, Lawrence was begged to move into less dangerous -quarters. With characteristic carelessness of self, he put off doing -so; then next morning, July 2, was mortally wounded while lying on -his bed. Two days later he died, visited by many weeping friends, of -whom he took leave in the spirit of an earnest Christian. Well known -is the epitaph which, amid the din of shot and shell, he dictated for -his grave: "_Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do his duty. May -the Lord have mercy on his soul!_" He nominated Major Banks as his -successor in the Commissionership and Brigadier Inglis to command the -troops. The latter had his wife with him throughout all, to whose -recently published reminiscences we owe one of the most interesting -narratives of the siege. - -Gloom fell upon the garrison when they came to learn this heavy loss. -Every man had so much to do at his own post, that he hardly knew what -went on a few hundred yards off, and some days seem to have passed -before it leaked out to all how their leader had been buried "darkly -at dead of night," in the same pit with less distinguished dead. A -common grave had to be dug each night, the churchyard being exposed -to fire. Every day now had its tale of deaths, soon from fifteen to -twenty, once the enemy had got the range and given up wild firing at -random--an average which grew smaller as the besieged were taught to -be more cautious in exposing themselves. Six weeks passed before -the diary of the chaplain's wife can record, for once, a day without -a single funeral. Death was busy everywhere in various forms. Men -were more than once buried beneath the ruins of houses crushed by the -storm of shot. Delicate women panted for air in crowded cellars, and -sickened amid the pestilential stenches that beset every corner of the -entrenchment, or despairingly saw their children pine away for want -of proper nourishment. The poor sufferers in hospital would sometimes -be wounded afresh or killed outright by balls crashing among them. An -amputation was almost certain death in that congregation of gangrened -sufferers, increased hour by hour. There were daily duties to be done -always at the peril of men's lives, and spots where no one could show -himself without the risk of drawing fire. "Many a poor fellow was shot, -who was too proud to run past places where bullets danced on the walls -like a handful of peas in a fry-pan." One building, called "Johannes' -House," overlooking the defences as it did, was long a thorn in the -side of the besieged, from the top of which a negro eunuch, whom they -nicknamed "Bob the Nailer," was believed to have shot down dozens of -them by the unerring aim of a double-barrelled rifle that gave him -such grim celebrity. - -The native servants soon began to desert, adding to the troubles of -masters whose pride and practice had been to do nothing that could -be helped for themselves. Then the younger Martinière boys were told -off to take their place in the cramped households, set to perform the -menial services looked upon as belonging to the lowest caste. They -attended the sick, too, and were of especial use in defending them -against an Egyptian plague of flies which assailed the entrenchment, -as well as in pulling punkahs to cool fevered brows. All these -school-boys, whose terrible holidays began so unseasonably, took their -turns in washing, grinding corn, bringing wood and water, besides -general fetching and carrying at various posts, while some dozen of -the oldest stood guard, musket in hand, or helped to work the signals -on the tower--a service of no small danger, as the movements of the -semaphore drew a hot fire; and, what with the clumsiness of the -apparatus and the cutting of the ropes by shot, it took three hours to -convey the order for evacuation of the Muchee Bhawun. - -Though their post seems to have been an exposed one, just opposite -Johannes' House, where that black marksman stationed himself, and -where the enemy were literally just across the street, the school-boys -had throughout only two of their number wounded, while two died of -disease. Mr. Hilton, whose narrative has been already quoted, can -tell of more than one narrow escape, once when a spent cannon-ball -passed between his legs; again when a fragment of shell smashed the -cooking pot from which he was about to draw his ration; and another -time he was assisting to work the semaphore on the roof, when a shell -burst so near as to disgust him with that duty. He did manage to get -hurt in a singular manner. A badly-aimed shell from one of their own -batteries fell into the court-yard where he was sitting, and in the -wild stampede which ensued he stumbled over his sister and cut his knee -on a sharp stone. This wound ought to have healed in a few days, but -constant hardship had thrown him into such a bad state of health, that -it festered and kept him in pain for more than two months, under the -terrible warning that his leg might have to be amputated if he did not -take care of it. - -Before this accident he had entered into his duties as a soldier with -rather more zeal than discretion. The boys trusted with arms, used, it -seems, to take ten or twenty rounds to the top of the house, and fire -through the loop-holes at whatever seemed a fair target. Fed on stews -of tough beef and coarse _chupatties_, the hand-cakes of the country, -their mouths watered at the sight of pumpkins and other vegetables -growing in Johannes' garden, just beyond the line of their defences, so -near yet so far out of reach; for the Sepoy marksmen were always on the -watch to shoot any one who exposed himself here. Seeing they could not -get these gourds for themselves, the lads found amusement in shooting -at them to spoil them at least for the enemy. But this sport was soon -interfered with. One boy having been wounded by a rebel lurking in -the sheds opposite, Hilton and a comrade, named Luffman, went up to -the roof to get a shot at the fellow. While they were firing from a -loop-hole protected by a basket full of rubbish, another boy came out -to join them with a fresh supply of ammunition; then their attention -being for a moment diverted to him, the Sepoy over the way saw his -chance for an aim. His bullet struck Luffman's musket, glanced along -the barrel, and lodged in the lad's left shoulder. This accident drew -on the young marksmen a severe reprimand from the Principal, and their -supplies of ammunition for promiscuous shooting were henceforth cut off. - -Mr. Hilton makes no complaint on his own account; but Mr. Rees, an -ex-master of the Martinière, who has also given us an account of the -siege, says that the boys were rather put upon in his opinion. He -describes them as going about "more filthy than others, and apparently -more neglected and hungry." Up till the end of June they had been able -to draw supplies of food and clean clothes from the college. Now they -were reduced to what they had on their backs, a serious trial in the -Indian climate, and had to do their washing for themselves as best -they could. The Martinière was in the hands of the mutineers, who -had wreaked their wrath by digging up poor General Martin's tomb and -scattering his bones. - -One honourable charge these youngsters had. There was a store of wines -and spirits in the garrison, which some of the soldiers broke into, and -were once found helplessly drunk when called to arms on a sudden alarm. -After that, the liquor was guarded in the Martinière post, till it -could be disposed of so as to do least mischief. - -The women, who in private houses or in the underground vaults of the -Residency were kept out of danger as well as possible, had their share -of toils, to which some would be little used. Many found enough to -do in looking after their own ailing families. Others distinguished -themselves by zeal in tending the sick and wounded. The wonder is that -the diseases which had broken out from the first did not sweep off the -whole community, pent up in such unwholesome confinement. Fortunately, -in the course of a few days, a heavy shower of rain fell to wash away -the filth that was poisoning them. This was the opening of the rainy -season, on the whole welcome, yet not an unmixed blessing. The climate -of India runs always to extremes; so glare and dust were exchanged only -for the enervation of a perpetual vapour-bath. - -In heat and wet, by night and day, every able-bodied man must take -weary spells of watching and working, and at all hours be ready to -run to his post on the first sign of danger. Nearly fifty guns had to -be served. Officers and men, civilians and soldiers, black and white, -laboured side by side, a tool in one hand, it may be said, a weapon in -the other. At the quietest intervals, they had to be repairing their -defences, shifting guns, carrying stores, burying the bodies of putrid -animals. Constant false alarms kept them harassed before they had -completed their works. For hours together the enemy sometimes went on -shouting and sounding the advance, without showing themselves, so that -all night the defenders, exhausted by the day's toil, might still have -to stand on guard. Yet, overwrought as they were, small parties would -here and there dash from their lines to spike a gun or drive away the -occupants of some annoying outpost. - -On our side there were many instances of daring prowess, but few of -cowardice and shirking, as is testified by Lady Inglis. "As an example -of brilliant courage, which to my mind made him one of the heroes of -the siege, I must instance Private Cuney, H.M. 32nd. His exploits were -marvellous; he was backed by a Sepoy named Kandial, who simply adored -him. Single-handed and without any orders, Cuney would go outside our -position, and he knew more of the enemy's movements than any one else. -It was impossible to be really angry with him. Over and over again -he was put into the guard-room for disobedience of orders, and as -often let out when there was fighting to be done. On one occasion he -surprised one of the enemy's batteries, into which he crawled, followed -by his faithful Sepoy, bayoneting four men, and spiking the guns. If -ever there was a man deserving the V.C., it was Cuney. He seemed to -bear a charmed life. He was often wounded, and several times left his -bed to volunteer for a sortie. He loved fighting for its own sake. -After surviving the perils of the siege, he was at last killed in a -sortie made after General Havelock's arrival." - -Three weeks passed thus before the besiegers, swarming soon in tens of -thousands around them, took courage for a general assault. The signal -was an ineffectual explosion of a mine against the Redan battery; -then from all sides they came pouring up to the works under cover -of their cannon. But here every man was at his post to receive them -desperately, many believing that their last hour was come. Some of the -wounded had staggered out of hospital, pale and blood-stained, to lend -a weak hand in the defence. The whole enclosure became quickly buried -in sulphureous smoke, so that men hardly saw how the fight went in -front of them, and still less knew but that their comrades had been -overwhelmed at some other point, as well they might be, and whether at -any moment the raging foe might not break in upon their rear. Again and -again the Sepoys were urged on, to be mowed down by grape and musketry. -Here they got right under our guns, driven away by hand grenades, -bricks toppled over upon them, and whatever missiles came to hand; -there they brought ladders against the walls, but were not allowed to -make use of them. At one point, led on by the green standard of Islam -in the hands of a reckless fanatic, they succeeded in bursting open a -gate, only to block up the opening by their corpses. Four hours the din -went on, under the fatal blaze of a July sun; but at length the enemy -fled, leaving some thousands fallen round the unbroken walls, within -which a surprisingly small number had been hurt. - -This repulse put new heart into the victors, so much in need of -cheering; and their spirits were soon raised still further by news -of Havelock's army on its way to relieve them. They were not without -communications from the outside world. An old pensioner named Unged -several times managed to slip through the enemy's lines, bringing back -messages and letters which were not always good news. Thus they had -learned the fate of their kinsmen at Cawnpore; and their own temporary -elation soon passed away under continued sufferings and losses. - -The day after the assault, Major Banks was shot dead. Others who -could be ill-spared fell one by one, every man placed _hors de -combat_ leaving more work to be done by his overstrained comrades. -Then there were dissensions among the remaining leaders. The English -soldiers, made reckless by peril, sometimes gave way to a spirit of -insubordination, or disgraced themselves by drunkenness. The Sepoys -could not be fully trusted. The enemy, there was reason to fear, had -spies within the place to report its weak points and the embarrassment -of its defenders. A proof of this was that they had ceased firing on -the hospital when some native dignitaries, held as prisoners, were -quartered there in the lucky thought of making them a shield for the -sick. It was hard on those hostages, who had to take their share of the -general want and peril. The rations of coarse beef and unground grain -were found insufficient to keep the garrison in good case; and before -long these had to be reduced, while the price of the smallest luxury -had risen beyond the means of most. If a hen laid an egg it came as a -god-send; a poor mother might have to beg in vain for a little milk for -her dying child. What the English soldiers missed most was tobacco; -and when some of the Sikhs deserted, they left a message that it was -because they had no opium. The priceless Crown Jewels of Oudh, and the -public treasure guarded in the Residency, were dross indeed in the eyes -of men longing for the simplest comforts. How yearningly they fixed -their eyes on the green gardens and parks blooming among the towers of -Lucknow! And Havelock did not come to fulfil their hopes, soon dashed -by news that he had been forced to fall back on Cawnpore, to recruit -his own wasted forces. - -At the beginning of August, our people had heard heavy firing and the -sound of English music in the city, which brought them out cheering and -shaking hands with each other on the tops of the houses, eager to catch -the first sight of their approaching friends. That night they slept -little, and rose to be bitterly disappointed. The rebels tauntingly -derided this short-lived joy, shouting over the cause of yesterday's -commotion. They had been saluting the boy crowned as puppet-king of -Oudh. Their bands, indeed, were often heard playing familiar tunes, -taught them in quieter days, and always wound up their concerts with -"God Save the Queen!" which must have sounded a strange mockery in -those English ears. Once it was the turn of the English to make a -joyful demonstration, firing off a general salute on a report of the -fall of Delhi, which turned out false, or at least premature. - -On August 10, the Sepoys delivered another assault, but were more -easily beaten off this time. It began by the explosion of a mine, -which threw down the front of the Martinière post, ruining also -some fifty feet of palisading and other bulwarks on each side. The -assailants wanted boldness to master the breach thus made; but they -lodged themselves in an underground room of this house, from which -they had to be expelled by hand-grenades, dropped among them through a -hole in the floor, and they got no further within the quickly-restored -defences. At first, it is said, they could have walked in through an -open door, which Mr. Schilling and his boys had the credit of shutting -in their faces. The School would all have been blown up, but for the -good fortune of having just been called in to prayers in an inner room. -Three soldiers had been hurled by the explosion on to the enemy's -ground, but ran back into the entrenchment, unhurt, under a shower of -bullets. - -The Sepoys' fire was kept up as hotly as ever, though at times they -seemed to be badly off for shot, sending in such strange projectiles as -logs of wood bound with iron, stones hollowed out for shells, twisted -telegraph wires, copper coins and bullocks' horns; even the occasional -use of bows and arrows lent a mediæval feature to the siege. - -Their main effort now seemed directed to the destruction of the walls -by mining. Here they were foiled, chiefly through the vigilance of -Captain Fulton, an engineer-officer, who took a leading part in the -defence, only to die before its end, like so many others. In the ranks -of the 32nd, he found a number of old Cornish miners, with whose help -he diligently countermined the subterranean attacks. Now the burrowing -Sepoy broke through into an unsuspected aperture, to find Fulton -patiently awaiting him, pistol in hand. Again, a deep-sunk gallery -from within would be pushed so far, that our men blew up not only the -enemy's mine, but a house full of his soldiers. The garrison had always -their ears strained to catch those muffled blows, which announced new -perils approaching them underground; then, as soon as the situation and -direction of the mine could be recognized, Fulton went to work and the -dusky pioneers either gave up the attempt or came on to their doom. - -Once, however, they did catch the watchers at fault. At the corner of -the defences called the Sikh Square, the warning sounds were mistaken -for the trampling of horses tied up close by--a mistake first revealed -by an explosion which made a breach in the works, overwhelming some of -its defenders and hurling others into the air, most of whom came off -with slight hurt. The Sepoys rushed on, but did not venture beyond the -gap they had made, while some time passed before our men could dislodge -them. One native officer was shot within the defences, the first and -last time they were ever penetrated till they came to be abandoned. -Of nearly forty mines attempted, this was the only one that could be -called a success. - -Several unhappy drummers, buried among the ruins, cried lamentably for -assistance; but the risk of going to their assistance under fire was -too great. A brave fellow did steal forward, and with a saw attempted -to release one of the men held down by a beam across his chest, but the -Sepoys drove him back when they saw what he was at. These half-buried -lads had all died a miserable death of suffocation or thirst, if not -from their injuries, when towards nightfall a party of the 32nd, -shielding themselves behind bullet-proof shutters, advanced to -recapture the lost ground at the point of the bayonet, which they not -only did, and barricaded the breach with doors, but, while they were -about it, made a dash forth to blow up some small houses that had given -cover to the enemy. - -This was one of several gallant sorties, in another of which Johannes' -House was blown up, and the redoubtable "Bob the Nailer" killed in the -act of exercising his deadly skill from the top of it. But his place -as a marksman was taken by a brother negro of scarcely less fatal -fame; and the enemy always expressed their resentment for these attacks -by fresh bouts of more furious bombardment. Once, they had nearly -destroyed a vital point of our line by piling up a bonfire against the -Bailey Guard Gate; but Lieutenant R.H.M. Aitken, the burly Scot who -held this post with his Sepoys, rushed out and extinguished the flames, -under a rain of bullets, before much mischief could be done. - -By this time the inmates of the Residency, from looking death so -hard in the face, had grown strangely callous both to suffering and -to danger. Men now showed themselves indifferent before the most -heart-rending spectacles, while they coolly undertook perilous tasks -at which, two months ago, the boldest would have hesitated. Children -could be seen playing with grape-shot for marbles, and making little -mines instead of mud-pies. Women took slight notice of the hair-breadth -escapes that happened daily with them as with others. "Balls fall -at our feet," says Mr. Rees in his journal, "and we continue the -conversation without a remark; bullets graze our very hair, and we -never speak of them. Narrow escapes are so very common that even -women and children cease to notice them. They are the rule, not the -exception. At one time a bullet passed through my hat; at another, I -escaped being shot dead by one of the enemy's best riflemen, by an -unfortunate soldier passing unexpectedly before me, and receiving the -wound through the temples instead; at another, I moved off from a place -where, in less than the twinkling of an eye afterwards, a musket-ball -stuck in the wall. At another, again, I was covered with dust and -pieces of brick by a round-shot that struck the wall not two inches -away from me; at another, again, a shell burst a couple of yards away -from me, killing an old woman and wounding a native boy and a native -cook, one dangerously, the other slightly--but no; I must stop, for I -could never exhaust the catalogue of hair-breadth escapes which every -man in the garrison can speak of as well as myself." - -Still, their hearts could not but grow heavy at times, especially as -the feast of the Mohurrem drew near, when Moslem zeal might be expected -to stimulate its votaries to more desperate fury. Desertions went on -fast among the servants, and it was feared that, if relief came not -soon, the Sepoys would go over to their mutinous comrades, who daily -tried to seduce them with threats and promises. Some native Christians -and half-castes, of whom better might have been expected, did run away -in a body, only to be butchered by the fanatics among whom they so -faithlessly cast their fortunes. A third of the Europeans had perished; -the rest were worn with sickness and suffering, but they had not lost -an inch of ground. - -It was no fault of Havelock if he still lay at Cawnpore, forty miles -away. Once and again he had advanced, beating the enemy every time -they ventured to face him; but after two pitched battles, in which -this fearless General had already had six horses killed under him, and -several minor combats, the country-people rising up about him in fierce -opposition, cholera also decimating the ranks, his losses were so heavy -that he could not yet hope to force a way to Lucknow, much less through -the narrow streets, where every house might be found a fortress. - -Now reinforcements were being pushed up from Calcutta; and at the end -of August, the besieged had a letter promising relief in twenty-five -days. "Do not negotiate," was Havelock's warning to them, "but rather -perish, sword in hand." So they meant to do, if it came to that, rather -than fall alive into the power of such a cruel and treacherous foe. -Meanwhile, there was nothing for it but to hold out doggedly till their -deliverer could gather strength to reach them. - -On September 5 the enemy tried another assault, which was more of a -failure than ever. Evidently, on their side, they were losing heart. -And at last, on the night of the 22nd, Unged, the trusty messenger, -rushed into the entrenchment under fire, with news that Havelock and -Outram were at hand. The latter's noble generosity here is one of his -best titles to fame. He came to supersede the General who had so long -strained every nerve in vain; but, knowing how Havelock had at heart -the well-deserved honour of relieving Lucknow, the "Bayard of India," -for the time, waived his own right to command, serving as a volunteer -till this task should have been accomplished. In this, Sir James Outram -afterwards judged himself to have done wrong, as putting sentiment -before duty. - -Two days of suspense followed, every ear within the Residency bent -to catch the sound of the cannon of the advancing army. On the third -day, the welcome din drew nearer, clouds of smoke marked the progress -of a hot battle through the streets, and, as a hopeful sign, routed -natives could be seen flying by hundreds, their bridges of boats -breaking down under a confused mob of horsemen and foot-passengers, -camels, elephants, and carriages. Havelock had forced the Char Bagh -bridge of the canal, and was working round by its inner bank, to turn -along the north side of the city, the ground here being more open. -But all that long day lasted the doubt and the fear, as well as the -joy, for our troops, their entrance once won into Lucknow, had to make -a devious circuit about the most thickly-built quarters, and after -all blunderingly fought their way, inch by inch, through the streets -into a narrow winding road that led to the Residency. It was not till -nightfall those strained eyes within could, by flashes of deadly fire, -see the van of their countrymen struggling up to the riddled buildings, -where-- - - "Ever upon the topmost roof our banner of England blew." - -The struggling progress of the column is described, in a letter home, -by Mr. Willock, a young civilian, who had volunteered to share its -perils. - -"The fire from the King's Palace, known as the 'Kaiser Bagh,' was so -severe that we had to run double-quick in front of it, as hard as we -could; and a scene of great confusion ensued when we halted--guns and -infantry mixed up, soldiers wandering in search of their companies, and -the wounded in the dhoolies carried here and there without any orders. -We had been there about half-an-hour when the Second Brigade joined -us, passing in front of the palace, emerging from a narrow lane close -to it. Here they had to pass under the very walls, while the rebels on -the walls hurled down stones and bricks, and even spat at our fellows, -a fierce fire being kept up from the loop-holes. After a little time -order was re-established, and after a fresh examination of the map, the -column was drawn up, and we started again. It was cruel work--brave -troops being exposed to such unfair fighting. What can men do against -loop-holed houses, when they have no time to enter a city, taking house -by house? In fact, we ran the gauntlet regularly through the streets. - -"After we passed the Palace, our men were knocked down like sheep, -without being able to return the fire of the enemy with any effect. -We passed on some little way, when we came to a sudden turning to the -left, with a huge gateway in front, and through this we had to pass, -under a shower of balls from the houses on each side. The Sikhs and 5th -Fusiliers got to the front, and kept up a steady fire at the houses -for some time, with the hope of lessening the enemy's musketry fire, -but it was no use. Excited men can seldom fire into loop-holes with -any certainty, and we had to make the best of our way up the street, -turning sharp round to the right, when we found ourselves in a long, -wide street, with sheets of fire shooting out from the houses. On we -went, about a quarter of a mile, being peppered from all sides, when -suddenly we found ourselves opposite to a large gateway, with folding -doors completely riddled with round-shot and musket-balls, the entrance -to a large enclosure. - -"At the side of this was a small doorway, half blocked up by a low mud -wall; the Europeans and Sikhs were struggling to get through, while the -bullets were whistling about them. I could not think what was up, and -why we should be going in there; but after forcing my way up to the -door, and getting my head and shoulders over the wall, I found myself -being pulled over by a great unwashed hairy creature,[6] who set me on -my legs and patted me on the back, and, to my astonishment, I found -myself in the 'Bailey Guard!'" - -The scene then ensuing has been often described--the garrison pressing -forward with cheers of welcome and triumph--the rough Highlanders -suddenly appearing through the darkness among the ruins they had fought -so many battles to save--their begrimed faces running with tears in -the torchlight, as they caught up in their arms the pale children, and -kissed their country-women, too, in that spasm of glad emotion; even -the ladies ready to hug them for hysteric joy--the gaunt, crippled -figures tottering out to join in the general rejoicing, now that for a -moment all believed their trials at an end. That picturesque incident -of a Highland Jessie, first to catch the distant strains of the -bagpipes, appears to be a fiction. But bagpipes were not wanting; and -one of the defenders, strolling over as soon as he could leave his own -post, hardly able to believe the good news true, tells us how he found -dancing going on to the music of two Highland pipers--a demonstration, -however, soon put a stop to by Havelock's orders. - -Havelock had cause to think this no time for dancing. While the common -soldiers might exult over their melodramatic victory, the leaders -knew too well at what a cost it had been won, and what dangers still -encompassed them. Not all the little army of two thousand five hundred -men had pushed through on that memorable evening. Nearly a fifth part -of them were lost in the attempt. Neill had been shot dead, with the -goal already in sight. Outram himself was hurt. It had been necessary -to leave most of the wounded on the way, many of whom, deserted by the -natives who bore their litters, suffered a horrible fate, massacred -or burned alive while their comrades were making merry within the -works. Part of the relieving force bivouacked all night on the road -outside, where in the confusion a lamentable affair occurred, some of -our faithful Sepoys at the Bailey Gate being attacked in mistake by the -excited new-comers. - -Only two days later, the rear-guard, hampered by the heavy guns, -could join its commander at the Residency; and even then a force, in -charge of baggage and ammunition, was left besieged in the Alum Bagh, -a fortified park beyond the city, which henceforth became an isolated -English outpost. - -The relieving army had been hurried on at all risks, under a mistaken -belief that the garrison was in immediate straits of famine. It turned -out they had still food to last some weeks, even with so many more -mouths to fill, an unreckoned store of grain having been found heaped -up, by Lawrence's foresight, in the plunge-bath below the Residency. -Means of transport, however, were wanting; and Outram, who now assumed -command, could not undertake to fight his way out again with the -encumbrance of a long train of non-combatants. Much less was he in a -position to clear the city, still occupied by the enemy in overwhelming -numbers. All he could do was to hold on where he was, awaiting the -arrival of another army now on the march. - -It was a relief and not a rescue over which so much jubilation had -been spent. It came just in time, now that the fall of Delhi had set -free a swarm of Sepoys to swell the ranks of the Lucknow besiegers. -The mere sight of their countrymen, and the sure news they brought, -was enough to put fresh spirit into the defenders, who, by the help of -such a reinforcement, no longer doubted to hold the fortress that had -sheltered them for three miserable months, with the loss of more than -seven hundred combatants by death and desertion. - -Here, then, the siege entered upon a second period, the characteristic -of which was an extended position occupied by the garrison. Now that -they had plenty of men, they seized some of the adjacent palaces, and -pushed their lines down to the river-bank. Like men risen from a long -sickness, they stretched their legs on the ground that for weeks had -been raining death into their enclosure. There must have been a strange -satisfaction in strolling out from their own half-ruined abodes, to -examine the damage they had wrought among the enemy's works, at the -risk of an occasional shot from his new posts, as the Martinière boys -found when they let curiosity get the better of caution. - -Some of these youngsters soon managed to run into mischief. A few -days after the relief, being sent out to pick up firewood among the -_débris_, they stole a look where still lay the mutilated corpses of -Havelock's wounded men murdered so basely, then rambled into one of -the royal palaces--a labyrinth of courts, gardens, gateways, passages, -pavilions, verandahs, halls, and so forth, all in the bewildering style -of Eastern magnificence, where it was difficult not to lose one's way. -Here a general plunder was going on, and our people, even gleaning -after the Sepoys, could help themselves freely to silks, satins, -velvets, cloth of gold, embroideries, costly brocade, swords, books, -pictures, and all sorts of valuables. In some rooms were nothing but -boxes full of gorgeous china, ransacked so eagerly that the floors -soon became covered a foot deep with broken crockery. Others of the -besieged pounced most willingly upon articles of food, especially on -tea, tobacco, and vegetables, which to them seemed treasures indeed. -For their part, the Martinière boys ferreted out a store of fireworks, -and must needs set off some rockets towards the enemy. One of these -dangerous playthings, however, exploded in their hands, kindling others -and setting fire to the building. The boys scampered out without being -noticed, and took care to hold their tongues about this adventure, so -that it was not ascertained at the time, though strongly suspected, on -whom to lay the blame of a conflagration that went on for several days. -The former King of Oudh who built this costly pile, little thought -how one day its glories were to perish by the idle hands of a pack of -careless school-boys. - -The trials of the garrison were by no means over. Sickness continued -to make havoc among them for want of wholesome food, especially of -vegetables, the best part of their diet being tough artillery bullocks. -The smallest luxury was still at famine price. The cold weather -drawing on found many of these poor people ill-provided with clothing. -One officer had gained asylum here in such a ragged state, that he -was fain to make himself a suit of clothes from the green cloth of -the Residency billiard-table. All were heartily sick of confinement -and anxiety. Yet nearly two months more had to be passed in a state -of blockade, the enemy no longer at such close quarters, but still -bombarding them with his artillery, and keeping them on the alert by -persistent attempts to mine their defences. - -They were now, however, able to do more than stand on the defensive, -making vigorous sallies, before which the Sepoys readily gave way, and -held their own ground only by the weight of numbers. Good news, too, -cheered the inmates of this ark of refuge. All round them the flood -of mutiny seemed to be subsiding. Delhi had fallen at length, while -they still held their shattered asylum. Sir Colin Campbell was coming -to make a clean sweep of the rebel bands who kept Oudh in fear and -confusion. The heroes of Lucknow knew for certain that they were not -forgotten by their countrymen. They could trust England to be proud of -them, and felt how every heart at home would now be throbbing with the -emotion, which the Laureate was one day to put into deathless verse. - - "Men will forget what we suffer and not what we do. We can fight-- - But to be soldier all day and be sentinel all through the night! - Ever the mine and assault, our sallies, their lying alarms, - Bugles and drums in the darkness, and shoutings and soundings to arms; - Ever the labour of fifty that had to be done by five; - Ever the marvel among us that one should be left alive; - Ever the day with its traitorous death from the loop-holes around; - Ever the night with its coffinless corpse to be laid in the ground. - - * * * * * - - Grief for our perishing children, and never a moment for grief; - Toil and ineffable weariness, faltering hopes of relief; - Havelock baffled, or beaten, or butchered for all that we knew. - Then day and night, night and day, coming down on the still shattered walls, - Millions of musket bullets and thousands of cannon balls-- - But ever upon the topmost roof our banner of England blew." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 5: The author has gone over the ground, noting its features -on the spot; but for refreshing his memory and making all the positions -clear, he has to acknowledge his obligation especially to the pictures -and plans in General McLeod Innes' _Lucknow and Oude in the Mutiny_.] - -[Footnote 6: This "great unwashed hairy creature" appears to have -been "Jock" Aitken, in whom, as his kinsman, the author must own to a -special interest. A monument to him now stands by the post he guarded -so well.] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -LORD CLYDE'S CAMPAIGNS - - -Sir Colin Campbell, soon to earn the title of Lord Clyde, had arrived -at Calcutta in the middle of August, as Commander-in-Chief of an army -still on its way from England by the slow route of the Cape. He could -do nothing for the moment but stir up the authorities in providing -stores and transport for his men when they came to hand. All the troops -available in Bengal were needed to guard the disarmed Sepoys here, and -to keep clear the six hundred miles of road to Allahabad, infested -as it was by flying bands of mutineers and robbers. But if he had no -English soldiers to command, there was a brigade of sailors, five -hundred strong, who under their daring leader, Captain William Peel, -steamed up the Ganges, ahead of the army, to which more than once they -were to show the way on an unfamiliar element. - -In the course of next month, arrived the troops of the intercepted -China expedition, a detachment from the Cape, and other bodies coming -in by driblets, who were at once forwarded to Allahabad, part of the -way by rail and then by bullock-trains. A considerable force of Madras -Sepoys, more faithful than their Bengal comrades, was also at the -disposal of the Government, and helped to restore order in the country -about the line of march, still so much agitated that reinforcements -moving to the front were apt to be turned aside to put down local -disturbances. Sir Colin himself, hurrying forward along the Grand Trunk -Road, had almost been captured by a party of rebels. - -On November 1, he was at Allahabad, from which his troops were already -pushing on towards Cawnpore, not without an encounter, where the Naval -Brigade won their first laurels on land. Two days later, Sir Colin -reached Cawnpore, and at once had to make a choice of urgent tasks. -To his left, the state of Central India had become threatening. The -revolted Gwalior Contingent Sepoys, in the service of Scindia, had -long been kept inactive by their nominal master; but after the fall of -Delhi, they marched against us under Tantia Topee, the Mahratta chief -who had carried out the massacre at Cawnpore, and now comes forward as -one of the chief generals on the native side. This army, swollen by -bands from Delhi, approached to menace the English communications on -the Ganges, if it were not faced before our men turned to the right for -the relief of Lucknow. The question was, whether or not to deal with -Tantia Topee at once. But Sir Colin, misled like Havelock by a false -estimate of the provisions in the Residency, decided at all risks to -lose no time in carrying off the garrison there, even though he must -leave a powerful enemy in his rear. Over and over again in this war, -English generals had to neglect the most established rules of strategy, -trusting to the ignorance or the cowardice of their opponents. Yet -Tantia Topee showed himself a leader who could by no means be trusted -for failing to improve his opportunities. - -Leaving behind him, then, five hundred Europeans and a body of Madras -Sepoys, under General Windham, to hold the passage of the Ganges at -Cawnpore, the Commander-in-Chief marched northwards to join Sir Hope -Grant, awaiting him with a column released from Delhi; and the combined -force moved upon the Alum Bagh, still held by a detachment of Outram's -force. From this point they were able to communicate with the Residency -by means of a semaphore telegraph erected on its roof, worked according -to the instructions of the _Penny Cyclopædia_, which happened to be in -the hands of the besieged. Native messengers also passed to and fro, -through whom Outram had generously recommended the relieving army to -attack Tantia Topee first, letting his garrison hold out upon reduced -rations, as he thought they could do till the end of November. He -had thus furnished Sir Colin with plans of the city and directions -that would be most useful to the latter as a stranger. But it seemed -important to give him some guide fully to be trusted for more precise -information as to the localities through which he must make his attack. -A bold civilian, named Kavanagh, volunteered to go from the Residency -to the camp, on this dangerous errand, by which he well-earned the -Victoria Cross. - -In company with a native, himself dyed and disguised as one of the -desperadoes who swarmed about Lucknow, Kavanagh left our lines by -swimming over the river, re-crossed it by a bridge, and walked through -the chief street, meeting few people, none of whom recognized him for -a European. Outside the city, the two companions lost their way, but -were actually set right by a picket of the rebels, who here and there -challenged them or let them pass without notice. Before daybreak they -fell in with the British outposts, and at noon a flag on the Alum Bagh -informed the garrison of their emissary's safe arrival. - -On November 12, Sir Colin reached the Alum Bagh, where he spent one -more day in making final arrangements; then, on the 14th, he set out -to begin the series of combats by which he must reach a hand to our -beleaguered countrymen. His army, with reinforcements coming up at the -last moment from Cawnpore, numbered some five thousand men and fifty -guns, made up in great part of fragments of several regiments, the -backbone of it the 93rd Highlanders, fresh from England, and steeled by -the Crimean battles in which they had learned to trust their present -leader. These precious lives had to be husbanded for further pressing -work; and in any case he naturally sought a safer road than that on -which Havelock had lost a third of his force. - -One looking at the map of Lucknow might be puzzled to explain the -circuitous route taken by both generals from the Alum Bagh to the -Residency, which stand directly opposite each other on either side -of the city, some three or four miles apart. Running a gauntlet of -street-fighting was the main peril to be avoided. Then, not only should -the approach be made as far as possible through open suburbs, but while -the Residency quarter is bounded by the windings of the Goomtee to -the north, the south and east sides are defended by the Canal, a deep -curved ravine, in the wet season filled with water. Instead of forcing -his way, like Havelock, over its nearest bridge, Sir Colin meant to -make a sweep half-round the city on the further side of this channel, -taking the rebels by surprise at an unexpected point, as well as hoping -to avoid the fire of the Kaiser Bagh, a huge royal palace, which was -their head-quarters, and commanded the usual road to the Residency. - -His first move was to the Dilkoosha, a hunting palace with a walled -enclosure, which he fortified as a depôt for his stores and for the -great train of vehicles provided to carry off the women and children. -The same day he seized the Martinière College close by, and pushed -his position towards the banks of the Canal, from their side of which -the enemy made hostile demonstrations. Next day was spent in final -arrangements and in repelling attacks. By ostentatious activity -in that direction, the Sepoys were led to believe that they would be -assailed on the English left; but on the morning of the 16th Sir Colin -marched off by his right, crossed the bed of the Canal, dry at this -point, gained the bank of the river, and penetrated the straggling -suburbs upon the enemy's rear, with no more than three thousand men, -the rest left posted so as to keep open his retreat. A small force -this for a week's fighting, under most difficult circumstances, against -enormous odds, where a way must again and again be opened through -fortified buildings! - -[Illustration: The Kaiserbagh, Lucknow.] - -[Illustration: Ruins of the Residency, Lucknow. - -Page 204.] - -The line of march lay along narrow winding lanes and through woods and -mud walls, that for a time sheltered our troops from fire. The first -obstacle encountered was the Secunder Bagh, one of those walled gardens -which played such a part in the operations about Lucknow and Delhi. -Its gloomy ruins stand to-day to tell a dreadful tale. The approaches -had first to be cleared, and the walls battered by guns that could -hardly be forced up a steep bank under terrible fire. In half-an-hour, -a small hole had been knocked through one gate, then, Highlanders and -Sikhs racing to be foremost in the fierce assault, the enclosure was -carried, where two thousand mutineers were caught as in a trap. Some -fought desperately to the last; some threw down their arms begging -for mercy, but found no mercy in hearts maddened by the remembrance of -slaughtered women and children. "Cawnpore!" was the cry with which our -men drove their bayonets home; and when the wild din of fire and sword, -of shrieks and curses, at length fell silent, this pleasure-garden ran -with the blood of two thousand dusky corpses, piled in heaps or strewn -over every foot of ground. We may blame the spirit of barbaric revenge; -but we had not seen that well at Cawnpore. - -The advance was now resumed across a plain dotted by houses and -gardens, where soon it came once more to a stand before the Shah -Nujeef, a mosque surrounded with high loop-holed walls, that proved a -harder nut to crack than the Secunder Bagh. For hours it was battered -and assaulted in vain, the General himself leading his Highlanders to -the charge. In vain the guns of Peel's Naval Brigade were once brought -up within a few yards of the walls, worked as resolutely as if their -commander had been laying his ship beside an enemy's. In vain brave -men rushed to their death at those fiery loop-holes, while behind -them reigned a scene of perilous confusion, the soldiers able neither -to advance nor retreat among blazing buildings and deadly missiles. -The narrow road had become choked up by the train of camels and other -animals, so that ammunition could scarcely be forced to the front. From -the opposite side of the river, the enemy brought a heavy gun to bear -upon the disordered ranks. Our batteries had to be withdrawn under -cover of a searching rocket-fire. - -For a moment Sir Colin feared all might be lost. Yet, after all, what -seems little better than an accident put an easy end to this desperate -contest. At nightfall, a sergeant of the 93rd, prowling round the -obstinate wall, discovered a fissure through which the Highlanders tore -their way, to see the white-clad Sepoys flitting out through the smoke -before them. Our men could now lie down on their arms, happy to think -that the worst part of the task was over. - -Next morning, the same laborious and deadly work went on. Other large -buildings had to be hastily bombarded and a way broken through them, -in presence of a host strong enough to surround the scanty force. -But this day the amazed enemy seemed to have his hands too full to -interfere much with our progress. Parties had been thrown out towards -the city, on Sir Colin's left, to form a chain of posts which should -cover his advance and secure his retreat. Meanwhile, also, the garrison -of the Residency were busy on their side, with mines and sorties, -pushing forward to meet the relieving army, who spent most of the day -in breaching a building known as the Mess House. This was at length -carried, as well as a palace beyond, called the Motee Mahal, by gallant -assaults, foremost in which were two of our most illustrious living -soldiers, Lord Wolseley and Sir Frederick Roberts. - -Between the relievers and the defences of the Residency there now -remained only a few hundred yards of open space, swept by the guns of -the Kaiser Bagh. Mr. Kavanagh appears to have been the first man who -reached the garrison with his good news; then Outram and Havelock rode -forward under hot fire to meet Sir Colin Campbell on that hard won -battle-field, over which for days they had been anxiously tracing his -slow progress. - -This relief may seem to fall short of the dramatic effect of -Havelock's, though it has grand features of its own, and from a -military point of view is a more admirable achievement. To many of the -beleaguered it brought a sore disappointment, when they learned that -their countrymen had come only to carry them away, and that, after all, -they must abandon this already famous citadel to the foe they had so -long kept at bay by their own strength--the one spot in Oudh where the -English flag had never been lowered throughout all the perils of the -rebellion. Inglis offered to go on holding the place against any odds, -if left with six hundred men and due supplies; but Sir Colin, while -admiring his spirit, was in no mind for sentiment, aware that not a -man could be spared to idle defiance. At first he had been for giving -them only two hours to prepare their departure. A delay of a few days, -however, was won from or forced upon him by the circumstances to be -reckoned with--days to him full of anxious responsibility, and for his -men of fresh perils. - -On Nov. 19, a hot fire was opened against the Kaiser Bagh, the enemy -thus led to believe in an assault imminent here. Under cover of this -demonstration, the non-combatants were first moved out in small groups -behind the screen of posts held through the suburbs, all reaching -the Dilkoosha safely. At midnight of the 22nd the soldiers followed, -the covering posts withdrawn as they passed, and the whole force -was brought off without the loss of a man, while the Sepoys blinded -their own eyes by continuing to bombard the deserted entrenchment. -The garrison were naturally loth to leave it a prey to such a foe, -who could neither drive them out nor prevent them from marching away -before his face. They had to abandon most of their belongings to be -plundered, the army being already too much hampered by its train. -The public treasure, however, was carried off, and the Sepoys so far -disappointed of a prize they had striven in vain to wrest from these -poor works. The guns also had been saved or rendered unserviceable. It -was trying work for the women, their road being at some points under -fire, so that they had to catch up the children and make a run for it; -then, once behind safe walls again, they must wait two or three days in -suspense for husbands and fathers, who might have to cut their way out, -if the Sepoys became aware what was going on. - -Among the first to leave were the Martinière boys, whom we have left -out of sight for a time. Some of these juvenile heroes, however, had -been too eager about getting away. The elder ones, who carried arms, -forgot that they were numbered as soldiers, and must wait for orders -before retiring. Next day they had a sharp hint of this in being -arrested and sent back under escort to the Residency, where a bold face -of defence was still maintained, the enemy to be kept in ignorance of -our proposed retreat. We may suppose that the young deserters were -let off easily; and, on the day after, Hilton and another boy, having -satisfied military punctilio, obtained an honourable exit by being -sent off in charge of two ponies conveying money and other valuable -property belonging to the College. On the way they came under fire of -an enemy's battery across the river, and a shot whizzed so near that -the ponies ran off and upset their precious burden; then the boys, -helped by some of Peel's sailors, who were replying to the Sepoy fire, -had much ado in picking up the rupees and catching their restive -beasts; but, without further adventure, once more reached the camp -at Dilkoosha, where, with plenty to eat, and the new sense of being -able to eat it in safety, they could listen to the roar of guns still -resounding in the city. - -The final scene is described for us by Captain Birch, who had -throughout acted as aide-de-camp to Inglis:--"First, the garrison -in immediate contact with the enemy, at the furthest extremity of -the Residency position, was marched out. Every other garrison in -turn fell in behind it, and so passed out through the Bailey Guard -Gate, till the whole of our position was evacuated. Then came the -turn of Havelock's force, which was similarly withdrawn post by -post, marching in rear of our garrison. After them again came the -forces of the Commander-in-Chief, which joined on in the rear of -Havelock's force. Regiment by regiment was withdrawn with the utmost -order and regularity. The whole operation resembled the movement of a -telescope. Stern silence was kept, and the enemy took no alarm. Never -shall I forget that eventful night. The withdrawal of the fourteen -garrisons which occupied our defensive positions was entrusted to -three staff-officers--Captain Wilson, assistant Adjutant-General; the -Brigade-Major, and myself, as aide-de-camp. Brigadier Inglis stood at -the Bailey Guard Gate as his gallant garrison defiled past him; with -him was Sir James Outram, commanding the division. The night was dark, -but on our side, near the Residency-house, the hot gun-metal from some -guns, which we burst before leaving, set fire to the heap of wood -used as a rampart, which I have before described, and lighted up the -place. The noise of the bursting of the guns, and the blazing of the -rampart, should have set the enemy on the _qui vive_, but they took no -notice. Somehow, a doubt arose whether the full tale of garrisons had -passed the gate. Some counted thirteen, and some fourteen; probably two -had got mixed; but, to make certain, I was sent back to Innes' post, -the furthest garrison, to see if all had been withdrawn. The utter -stillness and solitude of the deserted position, with which I was so -familiar, struck coldly on my nerves; I had to go, and go I did. Had -the enemy known of our departure, they would ere this have occupied our -places, and there was also a chance of individuals or single parties -having got in for the sake of plunder; but I did not meet a living -soul. I think I may fairly claim to have seen the last of the Residency -of Lucknow before its abandonment to the enemy. Captain Waterman, 13th -Native Infantry, however, was the last involuntarily to leave; he fell -asleep after his name had been called, and woke up to find himself -alone; he escaped in safety, but the fright sent him off his head for -a time. As I made my report to the commanders at the gate, Sir James -Outram waved his hand to Brigadier Inglis to precede him in departure, -but the Brigadier stood firm, and claimed to be the last to leave the -ground which he and his gallant regiment had so stoutly defended. Sir -James Outram smiled, then, extending his hand, said, 'Let us go out -together;' so, shaking hands, these two heroic spirits, side by side, -descended the declivity outside our battered gate. Immediately behind -them came the staff, and the place of honour again became the subject -of dispute between Captain Wilson and myself; but the former was weak -from all the hardships and privations he had undergone, and could not -stand the trick of shoulder to shoulder learned in the Harrow football -fields. Prone on the earth he lay, till he rolled down the hill, and I -was the last of the staff to leave the Bailey Guard Gate." - -On the 23rd all were united at the Dilkoosha; but here the successful -retreat became overclouded by a heavy loss. Havelock, worn out through -care and disease, died before he could know of the honours bestowed -upon him by his grateful countrymen, yet happy in being able to say -truly: "I have for forty years so ruled my life that, when death came, -I might face it without fear." Under a tree, marked only with a rudely -scrawled initial, he was left buried at the Alum Bagh, till a prouder -monument should signalize his grave as one of the many holy spots -"where England's patriot soldiers lie." - -There was no time then for mourning. Leaving Outram with a strong -detachment at the Alum Bagh, to keep Lucknow in check, Sir Colin -hurried by forced marches to Cawnpore, where his bridge of boats -across the Ganges was now in serious danger. As the long train of -refugees approached it, they were again greeted by the familiar sound -of cannon, telling how hard a little band of English troops fought -to keep open for them the way to safety. The city was in flames, and -a hot battle going on beyond the river, when Sir Colin appeared upon -the scene, not an hour too soon, for his small force here had been -driven out of its camp into the entrenchment covering the bridge. "Our -soldiers do not withdraw well," an observer drily remarked of this -almost disastrous affair. - -Next day, he crossed the Ganges to confront Tantia Topee with less -unequal force. Before doing anything more, he must get rid of his -encumbering charge, some of whom had died in the haste of that anxious -march. On December 3, the non-combatants were sent off towards -Allahabad, on carriages or on foot, till they came to the unfinished -railway, and had what was for many of them their first experience -of railroad travelling. As soon as they were well out of danger, on -December 6, was fought the third battle of Cawnpore, which ended in a -disastrous rout of the rebels. - -This victory could not be immediately followed up, owing to want -of transport, the carriages having been sent off to Allahabad. But -Sir Colin now felt himself master of the situation, with also the -"cold weather," as it is called by comparison, in favour of English -soldiers, and laid his plans for thoroughly reconquering the country, -step by step. We need not track all his careful movements, which lasted -through the winter, and indeed beyond the end of next year; it would be -a too tedious repetition of hopeless combats and flights on the part -of the enemy, hiding and running before our forces, who eagerly sought -every chance of bringing them to bay. The dramatic interest of the -story is largely gone, now that its end becomes a foregone conclusion. -So leaving Sir Colin and his lieutenants to sweep the Doab, we return -next spring to see him make an end of Lucknow, which all along figures -so prominently in these troubles. It was here that the rebellion died -hardest, since in Oudh it had more the character of a popular rising, -and not of a mere military mutiny. - -The Commander-in-Chief would have preferred to go on with a slow and -sure conquest of Rohilcund, letting Lucknow blaze itself out for the -meanwhile; but the Governor-General urged him to a speedy conquest of -that city, for the sake of the prestige its mastership gave, so much -value being attached to the superficial impressions of power we could -make on the native mind. As it was, Sir Colin thought well to wait, -through most of the cold weather, for the arrival of reinforcements, -in part still delayed by the task of restoring order on the way. -Then also he was expecting a slow Goorkha army under Jung Bahadoor, -the ruler of Nepaul, who, having offered his assistance, might take -offence if the siege were begun without him. The newspapers and other -irresponsible critics attacked our general for what seemed strange -inaction. Indeed, he was judged over-cautious by officers who with a -few hundreds of English soldiers had seen exploits accomplished such as -he delayed to undertake with thousands. He at least justified himself -by final success, and none have a right to blame him who do not know -the difficulty of assembling and providing for the movements of an army -where every European soldier needs the services of natives and beasts -of burden, and every animal, too, must have at least one attendant. - -It was not till the beginning of March that he set out from Cawnpore -with the strongest British force ever seen in India--twenty thousand -soldiers, followed by a train fourteen miles long; camels, elephants, -horses, ponies, goats, sheep, dogs, and even poultry, with stores and -tents; litters for the sick in the rear of each regiment; innumerable -servants, grooms, grass-cutters, water-carriers, porters, traders and -women--a motley crowd from every part of India; and over all a hovering -cloud of kites and vultures, ready to swoop down on the refuse of this -moving multitude and the carnage that would soon mark its advance. As -it dragged its slow length along, moreover, the army now unwound a -trail of telegraph wire, through which its head could at any moment -communicate with his base of operations, and with Lord Canning, who had -made Allahabad the seat of his Government, to be nearer the field. - -Yet such a force was small enough to assail a hostile city some score -of miles in circuit, holding a population estimated at from half a -million upwards, and a garrison that, with revolted troops and fierce -swashbucklers, was believed to be still over a hundred thousand strong. -Their leaders were a woman and a priest--the Moulvie, who at the outset -became notorious by preaching a religious war against us infidels, then -all along appears to have been the animating spirit of that protracted -struggle; and the Begum, mother of a boy set up as King of Oudh. This -poor lad got little good out of his kingship; and even those in real -authority about him must have had their hands full in trying to control -his turbulent subjects. - -But there was some military rule among the rebels, and during the -winter they had been diligent in fortifying their huge stronghold. A -high earthen parapet, like a railway embankment, had been thrown up -along the banks of the Canal, itself a valuable defence, now rendered -impassable where Sir Colin crossed before, with trenches and rifle-pits -beyond; inside this a line of palaces connected by earthworks formed -a second barrier; and the citadel was the Kaiser Bagh, a vast square -of courtyards crowned by battlements, spires and cupolas, gilt or -glaringly painted--a semi-barbaric Versailles. This, though it had -no great strength in itself, was put in a position of defence. The -chief streets were blocked by barriers or stockades, and the houses -loop-holed and otherwise turned to account as fortifications wherever -the assailants might be expected to force their way. Still, after the -exploits again and again performed by handfuls against hosts, there was -no one in our army who now for a moment doubted of success. - -As they approached that doomed city, the English soldiers were greeted -by the cannon of the Alum Bagh, where all winter Outram, with four -thousand men, had coolly held himself in face of such a swarm of -enemies. On March 4th, Sir Colin was encamped in the parks about the -Dilkoosha, from the roof of which he surveyed the wide prospect of -palaces and gardens before him, while his outposts kept up a duel of -artillery and musketry with the Martinière opposite, where the rebels -had established themselves. He soon saw the weak point in their scheme -of defence. They had omitted to fortify the city on its north side, -supposing this to be protected sufficiently by the river, the two -permanent bridges of which were a long way up, beyond the Residency, -and approached on the further bank through straggling suburbs. Here, -then, the enemy not being prepared, was the best place to attack; and -though before more resolute and skilful opponents, it would be counted -rash to separate the two wings of an army by a deep river, under the -circumstances, this was what Sir Colin resolved to do. A pontoon-bridge -was thrown across the Goomtee, by which, on the 6th, Outram crossed -with a column of all arms, to encamp near Chinhut, the scene of our -reverse under Sir Henry Lawrence. - -The next two days were spent in pushing back the enemy, who had soon -discovered Outram's movements; and by the morning of the 9th, he had -established himself on the left side of the river, with a battery -enfilading the rear of the first defensive line running from its right -bank. Just as the guns were about to open fire, it appeared that the -rebels had not stayed for any further hint to be off. On the opposite -side could be seen a detachment of Highlanders waiting to carry the -abandoned wall. Shouts and gestures failing to attract their attention, -a brave young officer volunteered to swim over the river to make -certain how matters stood; and presently a dripping figure was seen on -the top of the parapet, beckoning up the Highlanders, who rushed in to -find the works here abandoned to them without a blow. The Martinière, -close by, was carried with almost equal ease, the Sepoys swarming out -like rats from a sinking ship; and thus quickly a footing had already -been gained in those elaborate defences. Before the day was over, we -held the enemy's first line of defence. - -For another two days, the operations went on without a check, Outram -advancing on the opposite side as far as the bridges and bombarding -the works in the city from flank and rear, while Sir Colin took and -occupied, one by one, the strong buildings, some of which, already -familiar to his companions in the former attack, were found still -tainted by the corpses of its victims, but this time gave not so much -trouble. Jung Bahadoor now arrived with his Goorkhas, enabling the line -of assault to be extended to the left. Two more days, Sir Colin sapped -and stormed his way through fortified buildings on the open ground -between the river and the city, choosing this slow progress rather -than expose his men to the risk of street-fighting. On the 14th, the -third line of works was seized, and our men pressed eagerly forward -into the courts and gardens of the Kaiser Bagh, which at once fell into -their hands with some confused slaughter. - -This rapid success came so unexpectedly, that no arrangements had been -made for restraining the triumphant soldiery from such a wild orgy -of spoil and destruction as now burst loose through that spacious -pleasure-house. The scene has been vividly described by Dr. Russell, -the _Times_ Correspondent, who was an eye-witness--walls broken down, -blazing or ball-pitted; statues and fountains reddened with blood; dead -or dying Sepoys in the orange-groves and summer-houses; at every door -a crowd of powder-grimed soldiers blowing open the locks, or smashing -the panels with the butt ends of their muskets; their officers in vain -trying to recall them to discipline; the men, "drunk with plunder," -smashing vases and mirrors, ripping up pictures, making bonfires of -costly furniture, tearing away gems from their setting, breaking open -lids, staggering out loaded with porcelain, tapestry, caskets of -jewels, splendid arms and robes, strangely disguised in shawls and -head-dresses of magnificent plumes. Even parrots, monkeys, and other -tame animals were made part of the booty. One man offered Dr. Russell -for a hundred rupees a chain of precious stones afterwards sold for -several thousand pounds; another was excitedly carrying off a string -of glass prisms from a chandelier, taking them for priceless emeralds; -some might be seen swathed in cloth of gold, or flinging away too -cumbrous treasures that would have been a small fortune to them. This -wasteful robbery broke loose while the din of shots and yells still -echoed through the battered walls and labyrinthine corridors of the -palace. Then, as fresh bands poured in to share the loot, white men and -black, these comrades had almost turned their weapons on each other -in the rage of greed; and, meantime, without gathered a crowd of more -timid but not less eager camp-followers, waiting till the lions had -gorged themselves, to fall like jackals upon the leavings of the spoil. -To this had come the rich magnificence of the kings of Oudh. - -Amid such distraction, the victors thought little of following up -their routed enemy, whose ruin, however, would have been overwhelming -had Outram, as was his own wish, now crossed the nearest bridge to -fall upon the mass of dismayed fugitives. Sir Colin had given him -leave to do so on condition of not losing a single man--an emphatic -caution, perhaps not meant to be taken literally; but Outram, whom -nobody could suspect of failing in hardihood, interpreted it as keeping -him inactive. Thus a great number of rebels now made their escape, -scattering over the country. Many still clung to the further buildings, -which remained to be carried. Even two days later some of them had -the boldness to sally out against our rear at the Alum Bagh, and the -Moulvie, their leader, did not take flight for some days. But, after -the capture of the chief palace, the rest could be only a matter of -time. - -By the end of a week, with little further opposition, on March 21, -we had mastered the whole city, to find it almost deserted by its -terrified inhabitants, after enjoying for almost a year the doubtful -benefits of independence. - -The British soldiers were now lodged in the palaces of Oudh, and might -stroll admiringly through the ruins of that wretched fortress which, in -the hands of their countrymen, had held out as many months as it had -taken them days to overcome the formidable works of the enemy. Their -victory was followed up by a proclamation from the Governor-General, -that in the opinion of many seemed harsh and unwise, since, with a few -exceptions, it declared the lands of Oudh forfeit to the conquering -power. The natural tendency of this was to drive the dispossessed -nobles and landowners into a guerilla warfare, in which they were -supported by the rebels escaped from Lucknow to scatter over the -country, taking as strongholds the forts and jungles that abound in it. -Nearly a year, indeed, passed before Oudh was fully pacified. - -After sending out columns to deal with some of the most conspicuous -points of danger, Sir Colin moved into Rohilcund, his next task being -the reduction of its no less contumacious population. On May 5th, a -sharp fight decided the fate of Bareilly, its capital. Then he was -recalled by the Oudh rebels, growing to some head again under that -persistent foe the Moulvie. But, next month, the Moulvie fell in a -petty affray with some of his own countrymen--a too inglorious end for -one of our most hearty and determined opponents, who seems to have had -the gifts of a leader as well as of a preacher of rebellion. - -Again may be hurried over a monotonous record of almost constant -success. The troops had suffered so frightfully from heat, that they -must now be allowed a little repose through the rainy season. With -next winter began the slow work of hunting down the rebels, in which -Sir Hope Grant took a leading part. By the spring of 1859, those still -in arms had been driven into Nepaul, or forced to take shelter in the -pestilential, tiger-haunted jungles of the Terai, while throughout -Hindostan burned bungalows were rebuilding, broken telegraph-posts -replacing, officials coming back to their stations; and the machinery -of law and order became gradually brought again into gear, under the -dread of a race that could so well assert its supremacy. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE EXTINCTION - - -It has been impossible to note all the minor operations in this -confused war, and the isolated risings of which here and there we have -caught glimpses through the clouds of smoke overhanging the main field -of action--a mere corner of India, yet a region as large as England. -Thrills of sympathetic disaffection ran out towards Assam on the one -side, and to Goojerat on the other; up northwards into the Punjaub, as -we have seen, then through the Central Provinces, down into Bombay, and -to the great native state of Hyderabad, where the Nizam and his shrewd -minister Salar Jung managed to keep their people quiet, yet reverses on -our part might at any time have inflamed them beyond restraint. - -Among the protected or semi-independent Courts of Rajpootana and -Central India there were serious troubles. Scindia and Holkar, the -chief Mahratta princes, stood loyal to us; but their soldiery took the -other side. The most remarkable case of hostility here was that of the -Ranee or Queen of Jhansi, a dispossessed widow, who had much the same -grievance against the British Government as Nana Sahib, and avenged it -by similar treacherous cruelty. She managed to blind the small English -community to their danger till the Sepoys broke out early in June with -the usual excesses; then our people, taking refuge in a fort, were -persuaded to surrender, and basely massacred. After this version of the -Cawnpore tragedy on a smaller scale, the Ranee had seized the throne of -her husband's ancestors, to defend it with more spirit than was shown -by the would-be Peshwa. - -The whole heart of the Continent remained in a state of intermittent -disorder, and little could be done to put this down till the beginning -of 1858, when columns of troops from Madras and Bombay respectively -marched northward to clear the central districts, and rid Sir Colin -Campbell of the marauding swarms that thence troubled his rear. The -Bombay column, under Sir Hugh Rose, had the harder work of it. Fighting -his way through a difficult country, he first relieved the English who -for more than seven months had been holding out at Saugor; then moved -upon Jhansi, a strongly fortified city, with a rock-built citadel -towering over its walls. - -The Ranee was found determined to hold out, and on March 22nd a siege -of this formidable fortress had to be undertaken by two brigades of -European soldiers and Sepoys. At the end of a week, they in turn -became threatened by over twenty thousand rebels, under Tantia Topee, -advancing to raise the siege. Fifteen hundred men, only a third of them -Europeans, were all Sir Hugh Rose could spare from before the walls, -but with so few he faced this fresh army, that seemed able to envelop -his little band in far-stretching masses. Again, however, bold tactics -were successful against a foe that seldom bore to be assailed at an -unexpected point. Attacked on each flank by cavalry and artillery, -the long line of Sepoys wavered, and gave way at the first onset of -a handful of infantry in front. They fell back on their second line, -which had no heart to renew the battle. Setting fire to the jungle in -front of him, Tantia Topee fled with the loss of all his guns, hotly -pursued through the blazing timber by our cavalry and artillery. - -Next day but one, April 3rd, while this brilliant victory was still -fresh, our soldiers carried Jhansi by assault. Severe fighting took -place in the streets round the palace; then the citadel was evacuated, -and the Ranee fled to Calpee, not far south of Cawnpore. Sir Hugh -Rose followed, as soon as he could get supplies, defeating Tantia -Topee once more on the road. Our most terrible enemy was the sun, -which struck down men by hundreds; the commander himself had several -sunstrokes, and more than half of one regiment fell out in a single -day. Half the whole force were in the doctor's hands; hardly a man -among them but was ailing. The rebels knew this weak point well, and -sought to make their harassing attacks in the mid-day heat. The want of -water also was most distressing at times; men and beasts went almost -mad with thirst, when tears could be seen running from the eyes of -the huge elephants sweltering on a shadeless plain, and the backs of -howling dogs were burned raw by the cruel sun. - -But the work seemed almost done, and in confidence of full success Sir -Hugh Rose did not wait for the Madras column, which should now have -joined him, but could not come up in time. At Calpee, the arsenal of -the rebels, were the Ranee and Rao Sahib, a nephew of the Nana. This -place also was a picturesque and imposing fortress that might well have -delayed the little army. But the infatuated enemy, driven to madness -by drugs and fanatical excitement, swarmed out into the labyrinth of -sun-baked ravines before it, to attack our fainting soldiers; then they -met with such a reception as to send them flying, not only from the -field, but from the town, and their arsenal, with all its contents, -fell an easy prey to the victors. This march of a thousand miles, -though so briefly related, was distinguished by some of the finest -feats of arms in the whole war. - -The Madras column, under General Whitlock, had meanwhile had a less -glorious career. After overthrowing the Nawab of Banda, it marched -against the boy-Prince of Kirwi, a ward of the British Government, -who was only nine years old and could hardly be accused of hostility, -though his people shared the feelings of their neighbours. His palace -fell without a blow. Yet its treasures were pronounced a prize of the -soldiery, and the poor boy himself became dethroned for a rebellious -disposition he could neither inspire nor prevent. This seems one of the -most discreditable of our doings in the high-handed suppression of the -Mutiny. - -Leaving Whitlock's men with their easily-won booty, we return to Sir -Hugh Rose, who now hoped to take well-earned repose. At the end of May -he had already begun to break up his sickly force, when startling news -came that the resources of the rebels were not yet exhausted. Tantia, -Rao Sahib, and the Ranee had hit on the idea of seizing Gwalior, and -turning it into a nucleus of renewed hostility. Scindia marched out to -meet them on June 1, but a few shots decided the battle. Most of his -army went over to the enemy, who seized his capital with its treasures -and munitions of war, and proclaimed Nana Sahib as Peshwa. The alarming -danger was that under a title once so illustrious, a revolt might -still spread far southwards into the Deccan through the whole Mahratta -country. - -Without waiting for orders, broken in health as he was, Sir Hugh Rose -lost no time in starting out to extinguish this new conflagration. By -forced marches, made as far as possible at night, he reached Gwalior -in a fortnight, not without encounters by the way, in one of which -fell obscurely that undaunted Amazon, the young Ranee, dressed in -man's clothes, whom her conqueror judged more of a man than any among -the rebel leaders; the Indian Joan of Arc she has been called, and -certainly makes the most heroic figure on that side of the contest. -On June 19, her allies made a last useless stand before Gwalior. The -pursuers followed them into the city, and next day its mighty fortress, -famed as the Gibraltar of India, was audaciously broken into by a -couple of subalterns, a blacksmith, and a few Sepoys. The character of -the war may be seen, in which such an exploit passes with so slight -notice; and these rapid successes against mighty strongholds are a -remarkable contrast to the vain efforts of the mutineers to wrest from -us our poor places of refuge. - -Tantia Topee was followed up beyond Gwalior, and once more defeated -with the loss of his guns, a matter of one charge, over in a few -minutes. But that by no means made an end of this pertinacious rebel, -who for the best part of a year yet was to lead our officers a weary -chase all up and down the west of Central India. Through jungles and -deserts, over mountains and rivers, by half-friendly, half-frightened -towns, running and lurking, doubling and twisting, along a trail of -some three thousand miles, he found himself everywhere hunted and -headed, but could nowhere be brought effectually to bay. Here and there -he might make a short stand, which always had the same result; and the -nature of these encounters may be judged from one in which, with eight -thousand men and thirty guns, he was routed without a single casualty -on our side. - -The great object was to prevent him getting south into the Deccan and -stirring up the Mahrattas there to swell his shrivelled ranks, and -this was successfully attained. As for catching him, that seemed more -difficult. But at length he grew worn out. Such followers as were left -him slunk away to their homes, or split up into wandering bands of -robbers; the toils of the hunters closed round their slippery chief, -fairly driven into hiding. Betrayed by a rebel who thus sought to make -his peace with our Government, he was at length laid hands on in the -spring of 1859, to be speedily tried and hanged, the last hydra-head of -the insurrection. - -For murderers like those of Cawnpore there was no pardon. But English -blood ran calmer now, and wise men might talk of mercy to the misguided -masses. The Governor-General had already earned the honourable nickname -of "Clemency Canning," given in bitterness by those not noble enough -to use victory with moderation. At the end of 1858, the Queen's -proclamation offered an amnesty to all rebels who had taken no part -in the murder of Europeans. This came none too soon, for the ruthless -severity with which we followed our first successes had been a main -cause in driving the beaten enemy to desperation, and thus prolonging a -hopeless struggle. - -It must be confessed with shame, that not only in the heat of combat, -but in deliberate savagery excited by the licence of revenge, and with -formal mockeries of justice, too many Englishmen gave themselves up -to a heathen lust for bloodshed. Hasty punishment fell often on the -innocent as well as the guilty, meted with the same rough measure to -mutinous soldiers and to those whose crime, as in Oudh, was that of -defending their country against an arrogant and powerful oppressor. The -mass of the natives could hardly help themselves between one side and -the other; and if they did sympathize with their own countrymen, was it -for the descendants of Cromwell, of Wallace, of Alfred, to blame them -so wrathfully? - -Heavy could not but be the punishment that visited this unhappy land. -Not a few of the mutineers were spared in battle to die by inches in -some unwholesome jungle, or slunk home, when they durst, only to meet -the curses of the friends upon whom they had brought so much misery, -and to be at a loss how to earn their bread, pay and pension having -been scattered to the winds of rebellion. The sufferings of the civil -population, even where they had not risen in arms, were also pitiable; -and if hundreds of homes in England had been bereaved, there would be -thousands of dusky heathen to mourn their dear ones. The country was -laid waste in many parts; towns and palaces were ruined; landowners -were dispossessed, nobles driven into beggary among the multitude of -humbler victims, whose very religion was insulted to bring home to them -their defeat. A favourite mode of execution was blowing prisoners away -from the mouth of guns, through which they believed themselves doomed -in the shadowy life beyond death; and where they came to be hanged, -the last rude offices were done by the eternally profaning touch of -the sweeper caste. The temples on the river-side at Cawnpore had been -blown up, as a sacrifice to the memory of our massacred country-people. -The mosques and shrines of Delhi were thrown open to the infidel. -Immediately after its capture, there had even been a talk of razing -this great city to the ground, that its magnificence might be forgotten -in its guilt. - -The old king had paid dearly for that short-lived attempt to revive the -glories of his ancestors. Tried by court-martial, he was transported -to Rangoon, where he soon died in captivity. Certain other potentates -were punished, and some rewarded at their expense, for varying conduct -during a crisis when most of them had the same desire to be on the -winning side, but some played their game more skilfully or more luckily -than others. Nana Sahib, the most hateful of our enemies, escaped the -speedy death that awaited him if ever he fell into British hands. He -fled to the Himalayas with a high price on his head, and his fate was -never known for certain; but the probability is that long ago he has -perished more miserably than if he had been brought to the gallows. - -The Power which had set up and pulled down so many princes became -itself dispossessed and abolished through the upheavings of the -Mutiny. In England, it was felt on all hands that such an empire as -had grown out of our Eastern possessions, should no longer be left -under the control of even a so dignified body as the East India -Company. The realm won by private or corporate enterprise was annexed -to the dominions of the British Crown; and on Nov. 1, 1858, the same -proclamation which offered amnesty to the submissive rebels, declared -that henceforth the Queen of England ruled as sovereign over India. - -In 1877, Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress at Delhi, amid an -imposing assemblage both of actual rulers and of gorgeous native -potentates bearing time-honoured titles, who thus fully acknowledged -themselves vassals of the Power that in little more than a century had -taken the place of the Great Mogul. - -Our rule in India has now become marked by a feature almost new -in the history of conquerors. We begin to recognize more and more -clearly that we owe this subjugated land a debt in the elevation of -her long-oppressed millions. With this duty comes a new source of -danger. By the very means we take here to raise up a sense of common -welfare, and through the destruction of those petty tyrannies that -hitherto held apart the elements of national life, we are teaching the -agglomeration of races to whom we have given a common name to look on -themselves as one people, still too much differing from us in interests -and sympathies; and it is to be feared that their growth in healthy -progress does not keep pace with the hot-headed and loud-tongued -patriotism of some who, in the schools of their rulers, have learned -rather to talk about than to be fit for freedom. Though such noisy -discontent is chiefly noted among the classes least formidable in arms, -while the more warlike seem not unwilling to accept our supremacy, -if ever another rebellion took place, we should have to deal with a -less unorganized sentiment of national existence, and perhaps with the -deeper and wider counsels, for want of which mainly, we have seen how -the Mutiny miscarried, that else might have swept our scanty force out -of India. On the other hand, in such a future emergency, we should have -the advantage both of the improved scientific arms, so decisive in -modern warfare, the use of which we now take more care to keep in our -own hands, and of those better means of communication with the East, -gained within the lifetime of our generation. In less than a month, we -could throw into India as many English soldiers as, in 1857, arrived -only in time to stamp out the embers of an almost ruinous conflagration. - -In any case, the conscience of England has set up a new standard to -judge its achievements--by the good we can do to this great people, and -not by the gain we can wring from them, the honour of our mastery must -stand or fall. - -The work of education may well be longer and harder than that of -conquest. The conduct of our countrymen here causes yet too much shame -and doubt in thoughtful minds. But when we see the spirit in which many -of India's rulers undertake their difficult task--the patient labours -of officials, following the pattern of men like Outram, Lawrence, -Havelock, the devotion to duty that often meets no reward but an early -grave--we take hope that their work may after all weld into strength a -free, prosperous, and united nation. And though we wisely forbear to -force our faith upon these benighted souls, it rests with ourselves -in time, through the power of example, to win a nobler victory than -any in the blood-stained annals of Hindostan. Missionary teachings can -little avail, if Christians, set among the heathen in such authority -and pre-eminence, are not true to their own lessons of righteousness. -Standing beside that proudly-mournful monument which now crowns the -ridge of Delhi, and raises our holiest symbol over the once-rebellious -city, every Englishman should be inspired to a braver struggle than -with armed foes, that, mastering himself, he may rightly do his part -towards planting the Cross--not in show alone, but in power--above the -cruel Crescent and the hideous idols of an outworn creed! - - - - -APPENDIX - -CHIEF DATES OF INDIAN HISTORY - - - Alexander the Great's Invasion of India B.C. 327 - - Slave Kings of Delhi A.D. 1206-90 - - Tamerlane's Invasion 1398 - - Vasco de Gama's Voyage 1498 - - Baber founds the Mogul Empire 1526 - - Akbar's Reign 1556-1605 - - East India Company Incorporated 1600 - - Sivajee becomes King of the Mahrattas 1674 - - Death of Aurungzebe 1707 - - Nadir Shah plunders Delhi 1739 - - Clive's Defence of Arcot 1751 - - Battle of Plassey 1757 - - War with Hyder Ali 1780 - - Trial of Warren Hastings 1788-95 - - Storming of Seringapatam 1799 - - Battle of Assaye 1803 - - Overthrow of the Mahrattas 1818 - - First Burmese War 1824 - - Capture of Bhurtpore 1827 - - Lord William Bentinck's Governorship 1829 - - Disasters in Afghanistan 1841 - - Conquest of Scinde 1843 - - First Sikh War 1845 - - Second Sikh War 1848 - - Conquest of Pegu 1852 - - Annexation of Oudh 1856 - - The Sepoy Mutiny 1857 - - Outbreak at Meerut May 10 - - The Mutineers seize Delhi May 11 - - General Anson marches against Delhi May 25 - - Mutiny at Lucknow May 30 - - " " Cawnpore June 4 - - " " Jhansi June 5 - - " " Allahabad June 6 - - Battle of Budlee-Ka-Serai June 8 - - Panic Sunday at Calcutta June 14 - - Mutiny at Futtehgurh June 18 - - Massacre at Cawnpore June 27 - - Sir H. Lawrence defeated at Chinhut June 30 - - English Retreat into Agra Fort July 5 - - Havelock advances from Allahabad July 7 - - Nana Sahib routed before Cawnpore July 16 - - Mutiny at Dinapore July 25 - - Storming of Delhi Sept. 14 - - Surrender of the King Sept. 21 - - Havelock's Relief of Lucknow Sept. 25 - - Sir Colin Campbell marches to Lucknow Nov. 9 - - Residency of Lucknow evacuated Nov. 22 - - Tantia Topee defeated at Cawnpore Dec. 6 - - 1858 - - Lucknow finally taken March 21 - - Taking of Jhansi April 3 - - Battle of Bareilly May 5 - - Battle before Calpee May 22 - - Scindia defeated by the Rebels June 1 - - Gwalior taken June 19 - - The Queen's Proclamation Nov. 1 - - 1859 - - Tantia Topee taken April 15 - - The Queen proclaimed Empress of India 1877 - - -THE END - - - Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, - London & Bungay. - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF THE INDIAN MUTINY *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Story of the Indian Mutiny</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Ascot Moncrieff</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: May 15, 2021 [eBook #65351]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Brian Coe, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF THE INDIAN MUTINY ***</div> - - - - - - -<p class="ph3">THE STORY OF</p> -<p class="ph2">THE INDIAN MUTINY</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus01.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">Interior of Well at Cawnpore.</span><br /> - -<i>Frontispiece</i></p> - - - - - -<p class="ph3" style="margin-top: 5em;">THE STORY OF</p> - -<p class="ph1">THE INDIAN MUTINY</p> - -<p class="ph6" style="margin-top: 2em;">BY</p> - -<p class="ph3">ASCOTT R. HOPE</p> - -<p class="ph5">AUTHOR OF<br /> -"MEN OF THE BACKWOODS," "YOUNG TRAVELLERS' TALES,"<br /> -ETC.</p> - -<p class="ph4" style="margin-top: 2em;"><i>WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS</i></p> - - - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 5em;">LONDON</p> -<p class="ph5">FREDERICK WARNE AND CO.</p> -<p class="ph5">AND NEW YORK</p> -<p class="ph6">1896</p> -<p class="ph6">[<i>All rights reserved</i>]</p> - - - - - - -<p class="ph6" style="margin-top: 10em;"><span class="smcap">Richard Clay & Sons, Limited,</span></p> -<p class="ph6"><span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">London & Bungay.</span></p> - - - - - -<p class="ph3" style="margin-top: 10em;">PREFACE</p> - - -<p>The story of the great Indian Mutiny has often been told in whole or in -part. In this book, while historical outlines are carefully preserved, -it is attempted to throw into relief the more picturesque episodes, -and to bring out illustrative incidents of personal adventure likely -to attract young readers. With such a theme, if any reader will only -suffer some needful gravity in the introduction, he may be promised -a narrative of heroism and romance which the dullest treatment could -hardly make unexciting.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 35%;">A.R.H.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="ph2">CONTENTS</p> - - - - - - -<table summary="toc" width="65%"> -<tr><td align="right">CHAP.</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">PAGE</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">I.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_I">INDIA: ITS PEOPLES AND RULERS</a></td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">II.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_II">THE OUTBREAK</a></td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_24">24</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">III.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_III">THE SPREAD OF INSURRECTION</a></td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">IV.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">THE CONFLAGRATION</a></td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">V.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_V">THE CITIES OF REFUGE</a></td> <td align="right"> <a href="#Page_92">92</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">VI.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">THE FALL OF DELHI</a></td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_138">138</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">VII.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">THE DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW</a></td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_164">164</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">VIII.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">LORD CLYDE'S CAMPAIGNS</a></td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">IX.</td> <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">THE EXTINCTION</a> </td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_227">227</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td></td> <td><a href="#APPENDIX">APPENDIX</a></td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_241">241</a></td></tr> -</table> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph3">THE STORY OF</p> - -<p class="ph2">THE INDIAN MUTINY</p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a></p> - -<p class="center">INDIA: ITS PEOPLES AND RULERS</p> - - -<p>A troubled history has all along been that of the great tongue of land -which, occupying the same position in Asia as Italy in Europe, is equal -to half our continent, with a population growing towards three hundred -millions. Far back into fabulous ages, we see it threatened by mythical -or shadowy conquerors, Hercules, Semiramis, Sesostris, Cyrus; whelmed -beneath inroads of nameless warriors from Central Asia; emerging first -into historical distinctness with Alexander the Great's expedition to -the valley of the Indus, from which came that familiar name given to -dark-skinned races on both sides of the globe. Our era brought in new -wars of spoil or of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> creed; Tartars, Arabs, Turcomans and Afghans in -turn struggled among each other for its ancient wealth; and India knew -little peace till it had passed under the dominion of a company of -British merchants, who for a century held it by the sword as proudly as -any martial conqueror.</p> - -<p>This rich region having always invited conquest, its present population -is seen to consist of different layers left by successive invasions. -First, we have fragments of a pre-historic people, chiefly in the hill -districts to which they were driven ages ago, whose very tribe-names, -meaning <i>slaves</i> or <i>labourers</i>, sometimes tell how once they became -subject to stronger neighbours; but behind them again there are traces -of even older aborigines. Next, the open parts of the country are found -over-run by a fair-skinned Aryan race, of the same stock as ourselves, -whose pure descendants are the high-caste Brahmins and Rajpoots of our -day, while a mixture of their blood with that of the older tribes has -produced the mass of the Hindoo inhabitants. Over them lie patches of -another quality of flesh and blood, deposited by the fresh streams of -Moslem inroad, as in the case of our Saxons and Normans. But whereas -with us, Briton, Saxon and Norman are so welded into one nation, unless -in mountainous retreats, that most Englishmen hardly know what blood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> -runs mingled in their veins, here a very imperfect fusion has taken -place between varied peoples, held jealously aloof by pride of race, -by superstition, by hatred of rival faiths, and still speaking many -different languages, with the mongrel mixture called Hindostani as -the main means of intercommunication. The peculiarity of the latest -conquest, our own, is that the dominant strangers show small desire to -settle for life in the country subject to them, yet we have added a new -element in the half-caste or Eurasian strain, through which, also, and -but slightly by other means, have we been able to affect the religious -belief of this motley population.</p> - -<p>Religion may be taken as the keynote of Indian life and history. -While our ancestors were still dark-minded barbarians, their Aryan -kinsmen, migrating to Hindostan, had developed a singular degree of -culture, especially in religious thought. Before Greece or Rome became -illustrious, the hymns of the Vedas bespeak lofty ideas of the unseen, -and the Brahminical priesthood appear as philosophers, legislators and -poets of no mean rank. The first historical notices of India show a -high level, not only of material but of moral civilization, as well as -a manly temper of warriors well able to defend the soil they had won.</p> - -<p>This enervating climate, however, with its easy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> efforts for existence, -has proved an influence of degeneracy, and most clearly so in the -matter of belief. Good seed, which here sprang up so quickly, was -always apt to wither under a too scorching sun, or to run to rank -foliage rather than to fruit. Early Brahminism, itself a marked -growth in thought, after a time began to be choked by the heathenism -it had overshadowed. It sent out a new shoot in Buddhism, a faith of -noble ideals, which to this day surpasses all others in the number of -its adherents. This, in turn, became a jungle of sapless formulas, -and after a thousand years died out on the land of its birth. Then -grew up modern Hindooism, a union of Brahminical dreams of divinity -and Buddhist love for humanity, interwoven with the aboriginal -superstitions, the whole forming a tangled maze, where the great -Hindoo trinity of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Siva -the Destroyer, take Protean shapes as a pantheon of innumerable gods, -amid which higher minds may turn upwards seeking one Almighty Spirit, -but the vulgar crowd fix their attention rather on grotesque idols, -base fetishes, symbols of fear and sensuality, fitly adored with -degrading rites and barbarous observances. All efforts have hitherto -little availed to clear this deeply-rooted wilderness of misbelief. -Enlightened Hindoos,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> who see the errors of their religion, yet find -it difficult to shake off the mental slavery of the "unchangeable -East." Our missionaries have to deplore the little real success that -attends their efforts. Beneath the sweltering sky of Hindostan, -spiritual life remains a day-dream or a nightmare; reformers are ever -silenced by fanatics; virtues are frittered down into foolish scruples; -harmful customs cumber the ground, hindering the growth of progressive -institutions.</p> - -<p>The great encumbrance of Indian life is the system of caste, doubly -fostered by religion and pride of race. Originally the conquering -Aryans became divided into <i>Brahmins</i> or priests, <i>Rajpoots</i> or -warriors, and <i>Vaisyas</i> or husbandmen, still distinguished as the -"twice-born" castes, who wear the sacred thread, badge of this -spiritual aristocracy; while under the common name of <i>Sudras</i> or -serfs, were included all the despised aboriginal tribes. Then the mixed -population, formed by amalgamation between the latter and the lower -ranks of their masters, went on splitting up into other recognized -castes, as the superior classes, who took a pride in keeping their -stock pure, grew themselves divided among separate tribes or castes; -and thus arose a complex segregation of society into countless bodies, -cut off from each other by almost impassable barriers of rank and -occupa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>tion. There are now thousands of these castes, marked out by -descent, by calling, or by locality, the members of which cannot -intermarry, may seldom eat together, and must not touch food cooked by -an inferior; even the shadow of an outsider falling upon his meal might -cause a high-caste Hindoo to throw it away and go fasting. Each trade -is a separate caste, each order of servant; and the man who makes his -master's bed would shrink from the touch of the sweeper who cleans out -his bath-room. Yet caste does not always coincide with social position; -a powerful prince may be born of a low caste, and the native officer -who gives orders to a high-caste Brahmin in the ranks, must bow before -him when his sacred character is to be enlisted for the services of a -family festival.</p> - -<p>The origin of this organized exclusion becomes illustrated by the -conduct of our own countrymen in India, among whom any penniless -subaltern is apt to display at the best a haughty tolerance for the -high-titled descendants of native kings, while he holds aloof from -Englishmen of inferior station, and openly despises the half-caste -Eurasian, who in turn affects contempt for the heathen Hindoo. We, -indeed, have common sense enough, or at least sense of humour, not -to let our prejudices<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> degenerate into the ridiculous scrupulosity -which forbids a Rajah to dine in the same room with his guests, or a -coolie to set profane lips to his neighbour's drinking vessel. Railway -travelling, military service, association with Europeans, cannot but -do much to break down these burdensome restrictions; and enlightened -natives, in public or in private, begin to neglect them, though it is -to be feared that they too often copy the worse rather than the better -parts of our example. But among the mass of the ignorant people, the -least infringement of the rules of caste is looked upon with horror, -and to become an outcast <i>pariah</i>, through any offence against them, is -the ruin in this world which it seems in the next.</p> - -<p>Another main barrier to progress here, has long been the slavish -condition of women, not improved by the next creed which came to -modify Hindoo institutions. Buddhism was hardly extinct in India, -when Mohamedan incursions began to put a strain of new blood into the -physical degeneration of the Hindoos, and though the Crescent, except -in parts, has never superseded the symbols of the older religion, these -two, dwelling side by side, could not be without their reaction on -each other's practice. It was the north of the peninsula<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> that became -most frequently overflowed by inroads of its Moslem neighbours, while -Hindooism was left longer unassailed in the south, where also the -aboriginal fetish worships had of old their citadels. Even in the north -the conquests of Islam were long temporary and partial, irruptions of -pirates or mountain-robbers, able to prey upon the wealth of India -only through the want of cohesion among its Rajpoot lords. These early -invaders either returned with their booty, or remained to quarrel over -it between themselves, or were spoiled of it by fresh swarms from -beyond the Himalayas.</p> - -<p>By the beginning of the thirteenth century, we find a Mohamedan empire -set up at Delhi by a dynasty known as the Slave Kings, who, before -long, gave place to rival adventurers. The power of the Crescent -now began to extend into Southern India, yet revolts of vassals and -viceroys kept it continually unstable. At the close of next century, -the redoubtable Tamerlane captured Delhi, giving it up to an orgy of -slaughter; but this devastating conqueror retired beyond the mountains -and left India divided between warring princes, Hindoo and Moslem. Four -generations later, Tamerlane's descendant Baber returned to make more -enduring conquests; then it was by his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> grandson, Akbar, that the Mogul -empire became firmly founded.</p> - -<p>Akbar the Great, whose long reign roughly coincides with that of our -Queen Elizabeth, was rarely enlightened for an Oriental despot. By a -policy of religious toleration, he won over the Hindoo princes, while -he reduced the independent Mohamedan chiefs under his authority, and -did much towards welding Northern India into a powerful union of -provinces, ruled through his lieutenants. His less wise heirs, cursed -by self-indulgent luxury and by family discords, added to the splendour -rather than to the strength of this dominion. Its last famous reign -was that of Aurungzebe, covering the second half of the seventeenth -century. A bigoted Mohamedan, he alienated the Hindoos by persecution, -while he spent many years in conquering the independent Moslem kings of -the south, only to ripen the decay of his vast empire. After his death, -it began to go to pieces like that of Alexander the Great. His feeble -successors dwindled into puppets in the hands of one or another artful -minister. Their satraps at a distance, under various titles, asserted -a practical autocracy. And now had sprung up a new Hindoo power, the -warlike hordes of the Mahrattas, whose great leader Sivajee, from his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> -hill-forts among the Western Ghauts, began to make these ravaging -horsemen feared far and wide, till their raids were the terror of all -India.</p> - -<p>Among the quickly-fading glories of the Mogul Empire, almost unnoticed -came the appearance of the new strangers who would inherit it. The -Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive, at the beginning of the -sixteenth century, when all the gorgeous East was still a wonderland -of wealth in Christian imaginations. Then followed the Dutch, who, -however, fixed their chief attention upon the spice islands of the -Archipelago. On the last day of <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 1600, the East India -Company was incorporated by royal charter at London, none yet dreaming -to what greatness it would rise. A few years later, an English -ambassador, sent by James I., made his way to the Court of the Great -Mogul, and received assurances of favour and encouragement for trade. -About the same time, our first settlement was made on the Coromandel -coast. In 1615 a factory was established at Surat, on the other side of -India; then, half-a-century later, the head-quarters of the enterprise -were shifted to Bombay, ceded by Portugal in 1661, which, being an -island, seemed safe from Sivajee's plundering horsemen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> - -<p>In the meanwhile, other trading stations had been acquired in -Bengal. At the end of the century, the Company is found taking a -more independent stand, purchasing land, erecting fortifications, -and arming its servants to resist the dangers which threatened trade -in this disordered region. Such was the humble origin of the three -Presidencies of Madras, Bombay, and Bengal, the last of which became -the most important, and its chief station, Calcutta, the residence of -the Governor-General.</p> - -<p>Other European nations appeared in the field, but our only formidable -rival here was France, the Portuguese making little of their claim -to monopoly, now represented by the settlements of Goa, best known -as the breeding place for a mongrel race of servants. One more stock -of emigrants must not be omitted from mention. Centuries before a -European ship had touched India, a remnant of Persian fire-worshippers, -flying from Mohamedan persecution, settled upon the west coast, where, -though few in numbers, by their wealth, intelligence, and commercial -enterprise, these Parsees have grown to be an influential element in -the population, excelling, like the Jews in Europe, as traders and men -of business.</p> - -<p>The eighteenth century saw the ruin of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> Aurungzebe's empire going on -apace. Sikhs and Rajpoots threw off its yoke; hereditary kingdoms were -clutched for themselves out of the wreck by its ambitious viceroys; in -1739 the Persian Nadir Shah plundered the treasures of Delhi; after -him came fresh hordes of Afghan horsemen. The greatest power in India -was now the Mahratta Confederacy, under hereditary ministers bearing -the title of Peshwa, who, like the Mayors of the Palace in Old France, -usurped all real power, keeping Sivajee's unworthy heirs in sumptuous -seclusion; a form of government that has often been brought about -in Oriental States. The Peshwas, with their capital at Poona, ruled -over the Deccan, the great tableland of the south; but the Mahratta -incursions were carried as far as Delhi and Calcutta; and throughout -India reigned a lawless disorder, inviting the interference of any hand -strong enough to seize the opportunity.</p> - -<p>It was the French who, having failed as traders, first sought to -make political profit out of this confusion. Dupleix, Governor of -Pondicherry, conceived lofty ideas of founding a new empire under the -shadow of the old one, and to this end, began by trying to get rid of -his English neighbours. In 1746 Madras was captured by the French, -to be restored<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> indeed at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle; but though -there came peace in Europe between the two nations, their East India -Companies remained at jealous war. Dupleix, mixing in the intrigues of -native ambition, made himself, for a time, predominant in the south; -and we seemed like to lose all hold here, but for the appearance on the -scene of one who was to prove arbiter of India's destinies.</p> - -<p>Every one knows how the young subaltern Robert Clive, by his gallant -defence of Arcot, suddenly sprang into fame, and at once turned the -scale of prestige in favour of his countrymen. The French went on -losing influence, till, in 1761, it was the turn of their settlements -to be conquered. Dupleix died in disgrace with his ungrateful -sovereign, while Clive was heaped with honours and rewards, soon earned -by services in another field of action.</p> - -<p>Before the French were fully humbled in the south, he had been summoned -to Calcutta to chastise the despicable Nawab of Bengal, Surajah Dowlah, -for that notorious atrocity of the "Black Hole," where nearly a hundred -and fifty Englishmen were shut up in a stifling den not twenty feet -square, from which few of them came out alive. Following Dupleix's -example, Clive plunged into political intrigue,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> and undertook to -supplant Surajah Dowlah by a prince of his own choosing. At Plassey, -with three thousand men, only a third of them Europeans, he routed the -tyrant's army, fifty thousand strong—a momentous battle that counts -as the foundation of our sovereignty in India. A new Nawab was set up, -nominally under appointment from Delhi, but really as the servant of -the English Company, who now obtained a considerable grant of land as -well as an enormous sum in compensation for their losses by Surajah -Dowlah's occupation of Calcutta. A few years later their nominee was -dethroned in favour of a more compliant one, who also had to pay -handsomely for his elevation. He ventured to rebel, but to no purpose. -Lord Clive pushed the English arms as far as Allahabad; and henceforth, -with whatever puppet on the throne and with whatever show of homage to -the high-titled suzerain at Delhi, the Company were the actual masters -of Bengal.</p> - -<p>All over India spread the renown of Clive's small but well-trained -Sepoy army. His subjugation of the effeminate Bengalees, Macaulay may -well compare to a war of sheep and wolves; but this young English -officer went on to defy the more warlike levies of the north-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>west. He -seized the Dutch settlements that threatened armed rivalry in Bengal; -he almost extinguished the French ones. A harder task he had in curbing -the rapacity of his own countrymen, who, among the temptations that -beset such rapid ascendancy, bid fair to become the worst oppressors of -their virtual subjects.</p> - -<p>The next great ruler of Bengal was Warren Hastings, who organized a -system of administration for the territory conquered by Clive, and -began with collecting the revenues directly through the hands of -English officers. Private greed was now restrained; but the Governor -must justify his policy and satisfy his employers, by sending home -large sums of money, which in the long run had to be wrung from the -unhappy natives; and this necessity led the agents of the Directors -into many questionable acts. It was a great step from the fortified -trading posts of last century to levying taxes and tribute, maintaining -an army and navy, selling provinces and dictating to princes. But by -this time the conscience of the English people was being roused, and -it began to be understood how India, for all its princely treasures, -was the home of a poor and much-enduring population, which our duty -should be to protect rather than to spoil. Returning to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> England, -Warren Hastings was solemnly impeached before the House of Lords for -his high-handed oppression. That famous trial, in which more than one -English Cicero denounced our pro-consul as a second Verres, dragged -itself out for seven years, and ended in a verdict of acquittal, -which posterity has not fully confirmed, yet with the recognition -of extenuating circumstances in the novelty and difficulty of the -criminal's office.</p> - -<p>We now held the valley of the Ganges up to Benares, and were soon -making further acquisitions in that direction. In the Bombay Presidency -we came into collision with the Mahrattas, in Madras with Hyder Ali, -the tyrant of Mysore. The result of these wars proved our arms not -so invincible as in the case of the timid Bengalees, but more than -one gallant action made native princes cautious how they trifled with -our friendship. Fortunately for us, the mutual jealousy of neighbour -potentates prevented them from combining to drive our small armies out -of India, and we were able to deal with them one by one. We had now no -European rival to fear, though more than one Indian despot kept French -troops in his service, or natives trained and officered by Frenchmen. -Napoleon Bonaparte, most illustrious of French adventurers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> had an eye -to romantic conquest in the East; but we know how he found occupation -elsewhere, and did not come here to meet the adversary who in the -end proved his master. For it was in India that Wellington won his -first laurels, under his brother, Lord Wellesley, a Governor-General -resolute to make England paramount over the ruins of the Mogul Empire. -The Nizam of Hyderabad was persuaded to dismiss his French guards, and -become the vassal of England, as his descendant still is. Tippoo, Hyder -Ali's son, fell at the renowned storm of his stronghold, Seringapatam, -in the last year of the century. The Mahrattas were attacked in the -Deccan, where Wellington gained the battle of Assaye, while in the -north Lord Lake mastered Delhi and Agra. But the princes of this great -confederacy were not fully humbled till the third Mahratta war in 1818, -under the Governorship of Lord Hastings; before which the Goorkhas of -the Himalayas, and the Pindaree robbers of Central India, had also -been taught the lesson of submission. Presently we were carrying -our arms across the sea, and wresting Assam from the Burmese. The -crowning exploit of this victorious period was the siege of Bhurtpore, -a fortress believed in India to be impregnable, from which in 1805 -an English<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> army had fallen back, but now in 1827 its capture went -far to make the natives look on us as irresistible. The once-dreaded -name of the Emperor was a cloak for our power, as it had been for the -Mahrattas', while Calcutta had taken the place of Delhi as capital, -through the primacy of Bengal among the three Presidencies, whose -bounds had stretched to touch each other all across India.</p> - -<p>Lord William Bentinck, who now became Governor-General, earned a -different kind of glory by his sympathetic labours for the true welfare -of the millions whom those wide conquests had placed under our rule. He -began to make war on the crimes of barbarous superstition—the burning -of hapless widows, the murders of infants, the secret assassinations -by fanatical devotees. But with his successor opened a new series -of campaigns that were not always illustrious to the British arms. -Russia had taken the place of France as the bugbear of our Indian -predominancy. Alarmed by Muscovite intrigues in Afghanistan, Lord -Auckland entered upon a course of unwise and disastrous interference -with the politics of that country. We succeeded in dethroning the -usurper, Dost Mahomed, of whom we could more easily have made an -ally. But in 1841 the people of Cabul<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> rose against us; our army of -occupation had to retreat in the depth of winter; assailed by hardy -mountain tribes, they perished miserably among the rocks of the Khyber -Pass; and out of thousands only one man reached Jellalabad to tell the -tale. Sale's brave defence of that poor fortress did something towards -retrieving our disgrace, and next year an avenging army returned to -work bootless destruction at Cabul, leaving a legacy of ill-will that -has been dearly inherited by our own generation.</p> - -<p>More substantial conquests followed. Scindia, one of the old Mahratta -princes, was brought more effectively under British control. At the -same time, the Moslem Ameers of Scinde were overcome by Sir Charles -Napier. We then stood face to face with the last great independent -power of Hindostan, and the foeman who proved most worthy of our steel. -The Sikhs, a manly race, originally a sect of Hindoo reformers, had -risen from Mogul persecution to become lords of the Punjaub, "country -of the five rivers," which all along has been the great battle-field -of Indian history. Runjeet Singh, their masterful ruler for forty -years, had carefully avoided a struggle with the British, which soon -after his death was brought on by the turbulent bellicosity of the -people, made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> audacious through our Afghan reverses. The two Sikh -wars of 1845 and 1848 were marked by long and desperate battles; -Sobraon, Chillianwallah, and Goojerat are remembered for the bravery -and the slaughter on both sides, but finally the Punjaub was over-run, -disarmed, and turned into a British province.</p> - -<p>Several smaller states also were annexed about this time, through the -failure of legitimate heirs, and our Government's refusal to recognize -the Hindoo custom of adoption. A second Burmese war resulted in the -acquisition of another province beyond the Gulf of Bengal. Lastly, the -King of Oudh, whose incapable tyranny seemed beyond cure, had to submit -to be pensioned off and see his ill-governed dominions pass under -British administration. This signalized the end of Lord Dalhousie's -term of vigorous government, who, while carrying out a policy of -somewhat high-handed annexation, had shown himself not less active in -the construction of roads, canals, railways, telegraph lines, and in -all ways accomplished much to extend, consolidate, and develop what, -partly by accident, partly by force of circumstances, and partly by -far-seeing design, had in less than a century become a mighty empire. -There might well be elephants then alive that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> had served us when we -were struggling to keep a precarious foothold on the coasts of India.</p> - -<p>Such great and rapid changes could not be worked without leaving sore -grudges and dangerous cankers of discontent. Our policy had been so -much dictated by selfish strength, that it is no wonder if the natives -should conceive respect rather than love for us. Even after higher -motives began to come into play, our best intentions were apt to be -misunderstood by those placed under us, or to be foiled by our own want -of sympathy with and our ignorance of their feelings. The strong points -and the weak ones of the two races are almost poles apart, and neither -has proved ready to learn from the other. Our characteristic virtues of -truth and honesty are hardly comprehensible to the slavish Oriental, -who for his part displays a flattering courtesy and gentle kindliness, -with which appears in harsh contrast our frankly blunt masterfulness, -often degenerating into insolence of manner and foolish contempt for -all that is not English. While many of our best officers have shown -a spirit of enlightened and conscientious interest in their duties, -the average Briton, who goes out to India merely to gain money more -easily than at home, is unhappily too seldom the man to conciliate the -prejudices of those whom he treats as contemptible "niggers,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> knowing -and caring little about their ancient civilization. The very pride -of our superiority seems against us: other conquerors, more willing -to let themselves down to the level of the conquered, have proved -less unsuccessful in winning their good-will. Still, these natives -cannot but come to see the advantage of having rulers whose word may -be trusted. For long, honest efforts have been made to exercise among -all sects and classes an even-handed justice, hitherto little known -in India, the chief hindrance to which lies in the corruption of the -native subordinates, on whom our magistrates have largely to rely for -the details of their administration.</p> - -<p>At all events, the mass of the population, broken to the yoke of many -masters, had accepted ours with apparent resignation, even if they -might soon forget the grinding tyrannies from which we had delivered -them. Some fiercer spirits muttered their hatred, but kept silence -before our authorities. Some real grievances, here and there, passed -too much unnoticed, and sufferings brought about by over-taxation or -other injustice worked through the hasty inexperience of officials. -In certain large towns, the suppressed rage of hostile believers -was not always restrained from breaking into riot at the great -religious festivals, but these outbreaks we could easily put a stop -to;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> and the differences of creed and caste seemed our best security -against any dangerous combination to expel us. Some princes, whose -quasi-independent states were allowed to lie like islands among our -fully-conquered territory, might at times uneasily remember the martial -glories of their predecessors, but knew well how they held their idle -sceptres only on our sufferance, and took care not to neglect any hint -of good behaviour offered them by the British resident at their courts, -as real an authority as the Peshwas or Nizams of the past.</p> - -<p>From the Himalayas to Cape Comorin, from Beloochistan to the borders -of China, England was recognized as the Paramount Power of this vast -country, over which at length reigned the <i>Pax Britannica</i>, and seemed -little like to be seriously disturbed when, in 1856, Lord Canning came -out as Governor-General.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE OUTBREAK</p> - - -<p>The almost complete conquest of India had been chiefly carried out -through troops raised among its own natives, drilled and led by -European officers. Here and there, in the course of a century, their -commanders had been forced to repress attempts at mutiny, such as might -take place in any army; but on the whole this Sepoy force had proved -remarkably faithful to the Company in whose service haughty Rajpoot and -warlike Moslem were proud to enlist, and counted for wealth its hire -of a few pence a day. So great was the trust put in our native army, -and so unexpected the outbreak of 1857, that we had then no more than -about forty thousand English soldiers scattered over India, among six -times their number of troops, who looked upon us chiefly as formidable -masters.</p> - -<p>Strict officers of the old school judged that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> the beginning of the -mischief lay in making too much of our native soldiery. They had come -to understand how far England's power in India depended upon them, -while they were unable to form an adequate idea of its resources at -the other side of the world. Changes in organization are accused of -lessening the Sepoys' respect for their regimental officers, the best -of whom, also, were commonly taken away from their military duties to -fill coveted posts in the civil service. Flattery and indulgence had -slackened their discipline at the same time that it came to be tried -by unfamiliar causes of irritation. The main difficulty in managing -these troops lay in the superstitious customs and prejudices which -make so large part of a Hindoo's life. Our rule has been to respect -their ideas of religion; but this was not possible in all the claims -of military service. Sepoys believed their caste in danger, when -called upon to cross the sea to make war in Burma or Persia. Marched -into the cold heights of Afghanistan, they had to be forbidden the -ceremonial daily bathings in which they would have devoutly persisted -at the risk of their lives; and they fancied themselves defiled by the -sheepskin-jackets given them there as protection against the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> climate. -Through such novel experiences, suspicion began to spring up among them -that the English designed to change their religion by force.</p> - -<p>This suspicion grew to a height when, after the Crimean War, a wave of -unrest and expectation passed over our Eastern possessions. In every -bazaar, the discontented spoke ignorantly of the power of Russia as a -match for their conqueror. Our disasters in Afghanistan had already -shown us to be not invincible. An old story spread that the British -rule was fated to come to an end one hundred years after the battle of -Plassey, <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 1757. Now, the century having elapsed, secret -messengers were found going from village to village bearing mysterious -tokens in the shape of <i>chupatties</i>, flat cakes of unleavened bread, -which everywhere stirred the people as a sacrament of disaffection. For -once, Moslem and Hindoo seemed united in a vague hope that the time was -at hand when they should be able to shake off the yoke of a race so -repellent to both in faith, habits, and manners.</p> - -<p>The centre of the agitation was in the north-western provinces of -Bengal, where the recent annexation of Oudh, though meant as a -real boon to the ill-governed people of that fertile<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> country, had -not been carried out without mistakes, wrongs and heart-burnings. -Here also appeared a <i>Moulvie</i>, or prophet, like the Mahdi of the -Soudan, preaching a holy war against the infidels, to excite the -ever-smouldering embers of Mohamedan fanaticism, a revival of which has -in our century spread all over the East. The Bengal army was mainly -recruited from this region; and when the civil population were in such -an unquiet state, we need not be surprised to find the Sepoys ripe -for disorder, many of whom, deeply in debt to native usurers, had the -natural desire of "new things," that, before and since the days of -Cataline, has so often inspired conspiracies.</p> - -<p>What brought their seditious mood to a head was the famous incident of -the greased cartridges, often given as the main cause of the Mutiny, -though it seems more justly compared to a spark falling upon an -invisible train of explosive material. The Enfield rifle having been -introduced into the native army, it was whispered from regiment to -regiment that the new cartridges were to be greased with the fat of -cows or of swine. Now, a chief point of Oriental religious sentiment is -an exaggerated respect for animal life, carried so far that one sect -of strict devotees may, in certain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> Indian cities, be seen wearing a -cloth over their mouths, lest by accident they should swallow a fly; -were they familiar with the discoveries of the microscope, they could -only be consistent by abstaining from every drop of water. The cow is a -special object of reverence among Hindoos, who are shocked by nothing -so much as our apparent impiety in eating beef. The pig is held in -detestation by Mussulmen. A majority of the Bengal army were high-caste -Brahmins or Rajpoots, with an admixture of Mohamedans drawn from that -part of India where their creed had taken firmest root. Both alike were -horrified to think that they might be called on not only to handle but -to touch with their lips such pollution as they imagined in animal fat.</p> - -<p>It was in vain the Government proclaimed that no unclean matters should -be used in the cartridges issued to them; that they might grease their -cartridges for themselves; that they would be allowed to tear off the -ends instead of biting them, as was the way in those muzzle-loading -days. The suspicion had taken so strong a hold that in more than -one case the new ammunition was mutinously rejected. Religious and -political agitators eagerly seized this chance of fomenting their own -de<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span>signs. A fable spread among the Sepoys that the English, determined -to destroy their caste as a preliminary to forced conversion, had -ground up cows' bones to mix with the flour supplied to them. At -Lucknow, the simple incident of a regimental surgeon tasting a bottle -of medicine had been enough to raise a tumult among men who were -convinced that he thus designed to pollute the faith of their sick -comrades. Our officers, hardly able to treat such tales seriously, were -forced to pay heed to the spirit underlying them, which through the -early months of 1857 displayed itself ominously in frequent incendiary -fires at the various stations, the stealthy Oriental's first symptom -of lawlessness. Still, few Englishmen estimated aright the gravity -of the situation; and the Government failed in the prompt severity -judged needful only after the event. Two mutineers were hanged;<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> two -insubordinate regiments had been disbanded, to spread their seditious -murmurs all over Bengal; but the danger was not fully realized till, -like a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> thunderbolt, came news of the open outbreak at Meerut, forty -miles from Delhi.</p> - -<p>The scenes of the Mutiny can ill be conceived without some description -of an Indian "station." Usually the Cantonments lie two or three miles -out of the native city, forming a town in themselves, the buildings -widespread by the dusty <i>maidan</i> that serves as a parade-ground. On -one side will be the barracks of the European troops, the scattered -bungalows of officers and civilians, each in its roomy "compound," -the church, the treasury, and other public places. On the other lie -the "lines," long rows of huts in which the Sepoys live after their -own fashion with their wives and families, overlooked only by their -staff of native officers, who bear fine titles and perform important -duties, but with whom the youngest English subaltern scorns familiar -comradeship. Between are a maze of bazaars, forming an always open -market, and the crowded abodes of the camp-followers who swarm about an -Indian army.</p> - -<p>At Meerut, one of the largest military stations in India, the native -lines stretched for over three miles, and stood too far apart from -the European quarters. Here were stationed more than a thousand -English troops of all arms,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> and three Sepoy regiments, among whom -the 3rd Light Cavalry had in April shown insubordination over the -new cartridges. Of ninety men, all but five flatly refused to touch -them when ordered. The eighty-five recalcitrants were arrested, tried -by court-martial of their native officers, and sentenced to ten -years' imprisonment. On Saturday, May 9th, at a general parade, these -<i>sowars</i>, or Sepoy troopers, were put in irons and marched off to jail.</p> - -<p>To all appearance, the mutinous feeling had been cowed by this example. -But beneath the smooth surface, where English eyes had too little skill -to read the native heart, were boiling fierce passions soon to take -shape in reckless acts. Next evening, while our people were making -ready for church, a disorderly band of sowars galloped to the jail, and -released their comrades, along with many hundreds of other prisoners. -Here was a ready-made mob of scoundrels, who at once began to plunder -among the bungalows. The excitement quickly spread to the 11th and 20th -native infantry regiments. Several of their officers hastened among -them, trying to calm the tumult. But a cry arose that the European -soldiers were upon them, and this drove the men of the 20th into a -panic of fury. They stormed the "bells<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> of arms," small dome-like -buildings used as magazines, and got hold of their muskets. Colonel -Finnis, commander of the 11th, had more success in quieting his men, -but was shot down by the other regiment.</p> - -<p>A murderous uproar broke loose through the Cantonments. The 11th are -said to have refused to fire on their officers, and to have escorted -white women and children out of danger; but their good dispositions -were soon swept away in the torrent of disorder. The Sepoys of the 20th -and 3rd Cavalry fell to shooting and hacking every defenceless European -they met with. A crowd of <i>budmashes</i>, "roughs," as we should call -them, poured out of the city to share the congenial work of robbery -and bloodshed, in which they took the foremost part. The thatched -roofs of bungalows were easily set on fire, that the inmates might be -driven out to slaughter. In an hour all was wild riot; and the sun set -upon a fearful scene of blazing houses, shrieking victims and frenzied -butchers, strange horrors of that Sabbath evening, too often to be -renewed within the next few weeks.</p> - -<p>The English troops, already assembled for Church-parade, should at once -have been marched to crush this sudden rising. But the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> General in -command showed himself incompetent. There were delays and mistakes; and -not till darkness had fallen was a force brought up, too late to be of -any use beyond scaring the plunderers. By this time most of the Sepoys -had hurried off towards Delhi, leaving the gleaning of murder and -pillage to the rabble. Our soldiers fell back to their own quarters, -where were gathered for defence the whole Christian community, many of -whom, bereaved and destitute, after barely escaping with their lives, -saw the sky glowing from the conflagration of their ruined houses, and -might be thankful if they had not to shudder for the unknown fate of -husband or child. Eager officers vainly begged the General to spare -them some small force with which the mob of mutineers could have been -pursued and dispersed; at least to let them gallop through the night to -Delhi, and give warning there of what was at hand. The man unluckily -charged with such responsibility did nothing of what might well have -been done—a neglect which was nearly to cost us our Indian Empire.</p> - -<p>To both sides, the securing of Delhi was of the highest importance. -This magnificent city, in native eyes, still enjoyed the prestige of -a capital. Its ancient renown and famous monu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>ments made it specially -sacred for the Mussulmen, whose rule had once flourished here. In its -vast palace still lived the descendant of the Great Moguls, a feeble -old man, who, under the shadowy title of king, was allowed, among -thousands of poverty-stricken kinsmen and retainers, to retain in -part the pomp, if not the power, of his haughty ancestors. To keep -up the show of his sovereignty, the English refrained from occupying -the city with their troops, who lay quartered outside, beyond a ridge -overlooking it from the north; and even here there were no English -soldiers. Such was the prize about to fall easily into the hands of the -rebels.</p> - -<p>Their secret messengers had already let the discontented within the -city know what might be expected, while the only hint our officers had -was in the breaking of the telegraph wire from Meerut. Still, uneasy -vigilance being the order of the day, the authorities were on Monday -morning startled by the report of a number of horsemen hurrying along -the Meerut road. The magistrate, Mr. Hutchinson, at once galloped out -to the Cantonments to warn the Brigadier in command, then returned -to the city, where the chief civil officials had hastened to their -posts, though hardly yet aware what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> danger was at hand. But, before -anything could be done to stop them, the van of the mutineers had -crossed the bridge of boats and seized the Calcutta Gate, the guard -of native police offering no resistance; and the way was thus clear -for the main body following not far behind. A second band of troopers -forded the Jumna, and entered the city at another point.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus02.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">Delhi, from the Outer Court of the Jumma -Musjid.</span><br /> Page 34.</p> - -<p>Some of these forerunners made straight for the palace, which should -rather be described as a fortified citadel, forced their way into the -presence of the doting old king, and, with or without his consent, -proclaimed him leader of the movement. A swarm of his fanatical -retainers eagerly joined them; they soon began to wreak their fury -by massacring several Englishmen and ladies who had quarters here. -Others broke open the prison and released its inmates, to swell the -bloodthirsty mob gathering like vultures to a carcase. The main body of -the mutineers, as soon as it arrived, split up into small bodies that -spread themselves over the city for pillage, destruction and murder. -In one quarter, there was a terrible slaughter of the poorer class of -Europeans and of Eurasian Christians, who, in unusual numbers, lived -within the walls of Delhi, not as elsewhere, under protection of the -Cantonments outside. Women and children were ruthlessly butchered. -Clerks,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> school-masters, printers, were killed at their work; doctors, -missionaries, converts, none might be spared who bore the hated name. -Some, flying or hiding for their lives, only prolonged their agony -for hours or days. A few succeeded finally in making their escape. -About fifty were confined miserably in an underground apartment of the -palace, to be led out and massacred after a few days.</p> - -<p>A regiment of Sepoys had been marched from the Cantonments to repress -the disorder. But, as soon as they entered the city, they let their -officers be shot down by the mutineers, and themselves dispersed in -excited confusion. A detachment on guard at the Cashmere Gate held firm -for a time, but evidently could not be depended on. Later in the day, -they too turned upon their English officers. More than one officer was -simply driven away by his men without injury; others were fired upon; -others made their escape by leaping or letting themselves down into the -ditch, as did several ladies who had taken refuge here with the main -guard. These survivors fled to the Cantonments, where for hours their -countrymen had been gathering together in almost helpless anxiety. -No sure news came back from the city; but they could guess what was -going on within from the up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>roar, the firing, the rising flames—at -length from a sudden cloud of smoke and dust, followed by a terrible -explosion, that marked the first heroic deed of the Indian Mutiny.</p> - -<p>The magazine within the walls, on the site of the present post-office, -was garrisoned by only nine Europeans under a young artillery -lieutenant, named Willoughby. Set on his guard betimes, he took -all possible measures for defence, calmly preparing to blow up the -magazine, if it came to the worst. The native gunners soon deserted; -the reinforcement urgently demanded did not appear; he found himself -cut off in a city full of foes raging round his important charge, -which presently, in the name of the King of Delhi, he was summoned to -surrender. For a time this little band stood in trying suspense, while -the insurgents worked up their courage for an attack. It appears that -they expected the English troops to be upon them, hour by hour, and -awaited the return of a messenger who could report the road from Meerut -clear. Then on they came in crowds, storming at the gates, scaling the -walls, to be again and again swept back by the fire of cannon in the -hands of nine desperate men.</p> - -<p>Three hours these nine held their post amid a rain of bullets, till -Willoughby saw that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> must be overwhelmed beneath numbers. One last -look he took towards the Meerut road, in vain hope to see a cloud of -dust marking the advance of the English troops that still lay idly -there. Then he gave the word. In an instant the building was hurled -into the air, with hundreds of its assailants, and it is said that -five hundred people were killed in the streets by the far-reaching -explosion. The man who had fired the train and two others fell -victims of their courage; six managed to escape over the ruins in -the confusion, poor Willoughby to be obscurely murdered two or three -days later. The rest received the Victoria Cross, so often won, and -still more often earned, in those stirring days. A son of one of these -heroes is author of the well-known novel <i>Eight Days</i>, which, under a -transparent veil of fiction, gives a minutely faithful description of -what went on in and about Delhi at that terrible time.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, at the Cantonments, the officers' families and other -fugitives had gathered in the Flagstaff Tower, a small circular -building on the ridge, where, huddled stiflingly together, they -suffered torments almost equal to those of the Black Hole of Calcutta. -Their only sure guard consisted of the drummer boys, who, in Sepoy -regiments, are usually half-caste Christians. These,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> armed for the -nonce, were posted close round the tower; before it stood two guns -served by native artillerymen to command the road from the city; and -part of two regiments were still kept to a show of duty, but hourly -their demeanour grew more threatening, till, when called upon to -move forward, they at length flatly refused. Two or three gentlemen, -stationed on the roof of the tower, in the scorching sun, held -themselves ready to fire upon the first of their more than doubtful -auxiliaries who should break into open mutiny. The Sepoys, for their -part, under the eyes of the Sahibs, remained for a time in hesitation, -uncertain how to act; and some of them allowed themselves to be -deprived of their bayonets, which were stored away in the tower.</p> - -<p>One messenger had ridden out towards Meerut to demand succour, but only -to be shot down by the Sepoys. Another, disguised as a native, made -the same attempt to no purpose. Brigadier Graves, still hoping for -the arrival of European troops from Meerut, would not for a time hear -of retreat. But when it became evident that the handful of band-boys -and civilians were all he could trust to defend the tower packed with -scared women and crying children; when fugitives from the city brought -news that all there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> was lost; when the Sepoys here began to fire at -their officers, whose orders were hardly listened to; when it became -plain that the guns would not be used against the mutineers, he saw -nothing for it but flight before darkness came on. Towards sunset, the -refugees of the tower went off in disorder, on foot, on horseback, -in their carriages, each as he could, many of the men hampered with -helpless families. The Sepoys did not stop them; some even urged their -officers to save themselves; but the guard of a large powder magazine -refused to allow it to be blown up; and it proved impossible to carry -off the guns.</p> - -<p>Through the rapidly falling night, these poor English people scattered -in search of safety, some making for Meerut, some northwards for -Kurnaul, some wandering lost among the roused villages. Yesterday -they had been the haughty lords of an obsequious race; now they were -to find how little love had often been beneath the fear of English -power. In many cases, indeed, the country-folk proved kind and helpful -to bewildered fugitives; not a few owed their lives to the devotion -of attached servants, or to the prudence if not the loyalty of native -chiefs, who still thought best to stand so far on our side. But others, -the news of their calamity spreading before them,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> fell into the hands -of cruel and insolent foes, to be mocked, tortured and murdered.</p> - -<p>Dr. Batson's adventures may be referred to, as one example of many. -It was he, surgeon of a Sepoy regiment, who had volunteered, as above -mentioned, to carry a message to Meerut in the disguise of a fakir, or -religious beggar. Taking leave of his wife and daughters, he stained -his face, hands, and feet to look like a native, and dressed himself in -the costume which perhaps he had already used for some light-hearted -masquerade. Thus arrayed, he made through the city without detection, -but found the bridge of boats broken, houses burning everywhere, and -country people rushing up to plunder the deserted bungalows. Turning -back towards the Cantonments to reach a ferry in that direction, he -excited the suspicion of some Sepoys, who fired at him; then he ran -away to fall into the hands of villagers, who stripped him stark -naked. In this plight, he had nothing for it but to hurry on after -the fugitives making for Kurnaul. Before he had gone a mile, two -sowars rode up to kill him. Luckily, Dr. Batson was familiar with the -Mohamedan religion, as well as with their language; and while they -ferociously cut at him with their swords, he threw himself on the -ground in a supplicating attitude, prais<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>ing the Prophet, and in his -name begging for mercy, which was granted him as not seeming to be much -of a Christian, or because they could not get at him without taking -the trouble to dismount. Another mile he struggled on, then became -surrounded by a mob, who tied the "Kaffir's" arms behind his back and -were calling out for a sword to cut off his head, when some alarm -scattered them, and he could once more take flight. His next encounter -was with a party of Hindoo smiths employed at the Delhi Magazine. They -stopped him, with very different intentions, for they invited the naked -Sahib to their village, and gave him food, clothes, and a bed, on which -he could not sleep after the strain of such a day.</p> - -<p>For several days he remained in this village, the people taking a -kindly interest in him on account of his acquaintance with their -language and customs; and the fact of his being a doctor also told in -his favour. But then came a rumour that all the Englishmen in India -had been killed, and that the King of Delhi had proclaimed it death to -conceal a Christian. On this, his native friends hid him in a mango -grove, feeding him by night on bread and water. Nine days of anxious -solitude he spent here, burned by the sun, scared at night by prowling -jackals, but hardly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> thought himself better off when a new place of -concealment was found in a stifling house out of which he dared not -stir. It being reported that horsemen were hunting the villages for -English refugees, his protectors thought well to get rid of him under -charge of a real fakir, who carefully dressed and schooled him for the -part. Through several villages they took their pilgrimage, and the -disguised doctor passed off as a Cashmeeree fakir with such success -that he got his share of what alms were going, and seems to have been -only once suspected, through his blue eyes, by a brother holy man, who, -however, winked at the deception. After wandering for twenty-five days, -he had the fortune to fall in with a party of English troops.</p> - -<p>Dr. Batson, we see, owed his escape to an intimate knowledge of the -people, such as few Englishmen had to help them. His experience was -that the Mohamedans were much more fierce against us than the mild -Hindoo. But both religions had their proportion of covetous and cruel -spirits, who at such a time would be sure to come to the front.</p> - -<p>Like wolves scenting prey, gangs of robbers sprang up along the roads -upon which the unfortunate travellers were struggling on, often under -painful difficulties; and many fell victims<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> whose fate was never -rightly known. Others, wounded or exhausted, lay down to die by the -way. Those who contrived to reach a haven of safety, had almost -all moving tales to tell of adventure, of suffering, of perilous -escape—tales such as, in the course of the next months, would be too -common all over Northern India, and would not lose in the telling.</p> - -<p>Many as these atrocities were, they might have been multiplied tenfold -had the rebels acted with more prudence and less passion. So little did -we know of the minds of our native soldiers, that it is still a matter -of debate how far the Mutiny had been the work of deliberate design. -But, at the time, it was widely believed by men too excited to be calm -judges, that the outbreak at Meerut came a mercy in disguise, as it -brought about the premature and incomplete explosion of a deep-laid -plot for the whole Bengal army to rise on the same day, when thousands -of Europeans, taken without warning and defence at a hundred different -points, might have perished in a general massacre.</p> - - - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="ph3">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Mungul Pandy was the first open mutineer executed at -Barrackpore in April, from whose name, a common one among this class, -the Sepoys came to be called "Pandies" throughout the war, a sobriquet -like the "Tommy Atkins" of our soldiers.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE SPREAD OF INSURRECTION</p> - - -<p>"The Sepoys have come in from Meerut, and are burning everything.... We -must shut up," had been the last message flashed from Delhi by a young -clerk, who was killed in the act of sending it. This news, kept secret -for a few hours by the authorities, was soon startling the English -stations, north and west, and was put out of doubt by reports of the -fugitives, as they came to spread their dismay from various points. -On this side, fortunately, reigned the energy and foresight which had -so disastrously failed at Meerut. Lahore, the capital of the Punjaub, -swarmed with fierce fanatics, who would willingly have emulated the -deeds of their brethren at Meerut and Delhi. In the Cantonments, a -few miles off, were four regiments of Sepoys, held in check only by a -small force of Europeans. But here Mr. Montgomery, the Commissioner in -charge, showed a prompt mastery of the situation. He at once assembled -a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> council of the chief civil and military officers; and, not without -doubt on the part of some of his advisers, resolved to disarm the -dangerous regiments before they should be excited to the revolt they -were already conspiring.</p> - -<p>Next day, May 12, a ball was to be given at the Cantonments. Lest the -Sepoys should take warning, it went on as if nothing were the matter; -but many of the dancers must have been in no festive mood, at a scene -to recall that famous revelry on the night before Quatre Bras. The -officers had their arms at hand in the ball-room. Dancing was kept up -till two in the morning; then at early dawn, the whole brigade was -turned out on the parade-ground. The native regiments were suddenly -ordered to pile arms. They hesitated in obeying; but the thin line of -English soldiers confronting them fell back to reveal twelve guns, -loaded with grape, behind which the infantry ramrods rang fear into -their doubtful hearts. Sullenly they gave up their arms, 2500 Sepoys -cowed before not one-fourth their number. At the same time, the fort -in the city was made safe by the disarming of its native garrison. -Picquets of Europeans were posted at various points, and arrangements -made for defence against any sudden rising.</p> - -<p>Similar bold and prompt measures to secure<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> other stations, forts, and -arsenals of the Punjaub, at once checked the spread of the mutiny in -this direction, and afforded a base of operations for its suppression. -But, on other sides, it ran through the country like wild-fire—here -blazing up into sudden revolt; there smouldering for weeks before it -gathered head; at one place crackling out almost as soon as kindled; -at another resolutely trampled down by vigilant authority; elsewhere -quickly growing to a conflagration that swept over the richest -provinces of India, unchaining the fiercest passions of its mixed -population, and destroying for a time all landmarks of law and order. -Men had to show, then, of what stuff they were made. While some of our -countrymen gave way before the danger, or even precipitated it through -panic or indecision, others stood fast at their posts, and by proud -audacity were able to hold the wavering natives to allegiance, and -still to keep hundreds of thousands overawed before the name of English -rule. Not seldom was it seen how mere boldness proved the best policy -in dealing with a race tamed by centuries of bondage; yet, in too many -cases, gallantry, honour, devotion to duty, fell sacrificed under the -rage of maddened rebels.</p> - -<p>It is impossible here to track the irregular progress of the revolt, or -to dwell on its countless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> episodes of heroism and suffering. Pitiable -was the lot of all English people in the disturbed districts, most -pitiable that of officials who, obliged to expose their own lives from -hour to hour, had to fear for wife and child a fate worse than death. -At their isolated posts, they heard daily rumours of fresh risings, -treasons, massacres, and knew not how soon the same perils might -burst upon themselves and their families. For weeks, sometimes, they -had to wait in sickening suspense, a handful of whites among crowds -of dusky faces, scowling on them more threateningly from day to day, -with no guard but men who would be the first to turn their arms upon -those whose safety was entrusted to them. To many it must have been a -relief when the outbreak came, and they saw clearly how to deal with -false friends and open foes. Then, at a season of the Indian year when -activity and exposure are hurtful to the health of Europeans, for -whom life, through that sweltering heat, seems made only tolerable -by elaborate contrivances and the services of obsequious attendants, -these sorely-tried people had to fight for their lives, pent-up in -some improvised stronghold, wanting perhaps ammunition, or food, or, -worst torment in such a climate, water, till relief came, often only -in the form of death. Or, again, it might be their chance to fly, -sun-scorched,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> destitute, desperate, skulking like thieves and beggars -among a population risen in arms against the power and the creed they -represented. It should never be forgotten how certain natives, indeed, -showed kindness and pity towards their fallen masters. We have seen -that in some cases the mutinous Sepoys let their officers go unhurt; -occasionally they risked their own lives to protect English women and -children against the fury of their comrades. But one horrible atrocity -after another warned the masterful race how little they had now to -hope from the love or fear of those from whom they had exacted such -flattering servility in quiet times.</p> - -<p>Among the natives themselves, the excesses of the Mutiny were hardly -less calamitous. Many, if not most, were hurried into it by panic or -excitement, or the persuasion of the more designing, and their hearts -soon misgave them when they saw the fruit of their wild deeds, still -more when they considered the punishment likely to follow. Anarchy, as -usual, sprang up behind rebellion. Debtors fell upon their creditors; -neighbours fought with neighbours; old feuds were revived; fanaticism -and crime ran rampant over the ruins of British justice. Towns were -sacked, jails broken open, treasuries plundered. Broken bands of -Sepoys and released convicts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> roamed about the country, murdering and -pillaging unchecked. Tribes of hereditary robbers eagerly returned -to their old ways, now that our police need no longer be feared. The -native police, themselves recruited from the dangerous classes, were -frequently the first to set an example of rebellion. Not a few native -officials, it should be said, gave honourable proofs of their fidelity, -through all risks, while the mass of them behaved like hirelings, or -displayed their inward hostility.</p> - -<p>The more thoughtful part of the population might well hesitate on -which side to declare; some prudently did their best to stand well -with both, in case of any event; but those who had much to lose must -soon have regretted the firm rule of our Government. On the whole, -it may be said that the princes and nobles, where not carried away -by ambition or religious zeal, remained more or less loyal to our -cause, having better means than the ignorant mob of judging that our -power would yet right itself, though crippled by such a sudden storm -and staggering like to founder in so troubled waters. But in Oudh and -other recently-annexed districts, where the Zemindars and Talookdars, -or chief landowners, had often been treated with real harshness in the -settlement of revenue, this class naturally proved hostile, yet not -more so than the poor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> peasants, to whom our rule had rather been a -benefit. The latter, indeed, acted in great part less like determined -rebels than like foolish school-boys, who, finding themselves all -at once rid of a strict pedagogue, had seized the opportunity for a -holiday-spell of disorder; as with the Sepoys themselves, defection -sometimes seemed a matter of childish impulse, and there would come a -moment of infectious excitement, in which the least breath of chance -turned them into staunch friends or ruthless foes. Except in Oudh, it -may be said, the movement was in general a military mutiny rather than -a popular insurrection, while everywhere, of course, the bad characters -of the locality took so favourable an occasion for violence.</p> - -<p>To gain some clear idea of what was going on over a region that would -make a large country in Europe, it seems best to take one narrative as -a good example of many. This means somewhat neglecting the rules of -proportion required in a regular historical narrative. It will also -lead to an overlapping of chapters in the order of time. In any case -it must be difficult to arrange orderly the multifarious and entangled -episodes of this story; and the plan of our book rather is to present -its characteristic outlines in scenes which can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>not always be shifted -to mark the exact succession of events, but which will roughly exhibit -the main stages of the struggle.</p> - -<p>Let us, then, dismount from the high horse of history, to follow -a representative tale of <i>Personal Adventures</i> by Mr. W. Edwards, -Magistrate and Collector at Budaon in Rohilcund, the district lying on -the Ganges between Delhi and Oudh. Almost at once after the outbreak at -Meerut, his country began to show signs of epidemic lawlessness. Just -in time, Mr. Edwards sent his wife and child off to the hill-station -of Nainee Tal; then it was ten weeks before he could hear of their -safety. A British officer, of course, had nothing for it but to stick -to his post, all the more closely now that it was one of danger. The -danger soon began to be apparent. What news did reach him was of -robbers springing up all round, Sepoys in mutiny, convicts being let -loose; and amid this growing disorder, he stood the ruler of more than -a million men, with no force to back him but doubtfully loyal natives, -and no European officials nearer than Bareilly, the head-quarters of -the district, thirty miles off. His best friend was a Sikh servant -named Wuzeer Singh, a native Christian, who was to show rare fidelity -throughout the most trying circumstances.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> - -<p>At the end of the month, he had the satisfaction of a visit from one -of his colleagues, and good news of a small Sepoy force, under an -English officer, on its way to help him. But this gleam of hope was -soon extinguished. For the last time, on Sunday, May 31st, he assembled -at his house a little congregation with whom he was accustomed to hold -Christian services. In the middle of the night, a sowar came galloping -as for his life, to report that Bareilly was up, that the Sepoys there -were in full mutiny, and the roads covered by thousands of scoundrels -released from the jail. His brother magistrate at once dashed off to -his own post. Mr. Edwards thought it his duty to remain to the last, -like the captain of a sinking ship.</p> - -<p>In the forenoon a few white men and Eurasians gathered at his house -for poor protection. He wished them to disperse, believing that each -could better escape separately, while their sticking together would -only attract attention; but the others seemed too much overcome by fear -to act for themselves, and refused to leave him. The stifling day wore -on in anxious rumours. In the afternoon, the native officer in charge -of the treasury came to ask Edwards to join the guard there, assuring -him with solemn oaths that the men meant to be faithful. He was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> about -to start, when Wuzeer Singh earnestly entreated him not to trust them. -He took the advice, and afterwards learned that these men had been -waiting to murder him. They would not come to his house, for fear the -plundering of the treasury might begin in their absence.</p> - -<p>About 6 p.m. the mutineers from Bareilly arrived; and tumultuous -shouts announced that Sepoys, police, prisoners and all had broken -loose at Budaon. Now the magistrate might think of himself, all show -of authority being gone. He mounted his wife's horse, that had been -standing saddled all day, and rode off, accompanied by two European -indigo-planters and a Customs officer. His Eurasian clerk and his -family he was obliged to leave, as they had no means of conveyance but -a buggy, and the roads were blocked. All he could do for them was to -consign them to the care of an influential native who happened to come -up; and, as luckily these people were almost as dark as Hindoos, they -succeeded in hiding themselves, at all events for a time.</p> - -<p>Mr. Edwards had not ridden far when he met a Mohamedan sheikh, who -proposed to him to take refuge at his house, some three miles in -another direction. He turned with this well-wisher; then, passing his -own bungalow again,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> saw how in ten minutes the plundering of it had -already begun, his servants being first at the work. Wuzeer Singh and -another faithful follower accompanied him, carrying 150 rupees in their -waist-bands; that was all he had in the world but his watch, revolver, -a little Testament, and a purse which had just arrived from England -as a birthday present, which he kept about him as a dear gift rather -than for use. Such a man in the East is not used to carrying money, but -trusts his servants to act as purse-bearers, who will not cheat him -more than is the custom. A groom had been entrusted with a change of -clothes; but he soon disappeared.</p> - -<p>When the party reached the house where they had been promised shelter, -one of the family came out, respectfully informing their leader that -they would not be safe here, but they must go on to a village about -eighteen miles off. Mr. Edwards was much annoyed at this inhospitable -reception, which afterwards turned out a blessing in disguise, for -presently a band of horsemen arrived in search of him, and he would -probably have been murdered, if he had not now been on the way to that -further refuge.</p> - -<p>Till midnight the fugitives rode through by-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>ways and fields, and -villages swarming with armed crowds, who let the Englishmen pass in -silence under the convoy of their chief. He took them to a house of his -in a small village, where, after thanking heaven for their escape, they -lay down to rest on the flat roof. The magistrate, for one, weary and -worn out as he was, could hardly close an eye after the excitement of -such a day. Early in the morning, they were roused up by the sheikh, -who told them they must cross the Ganges at once, as their enemies -would soon be in pursuit. So they did, fired at by an excited crowd -assembled for the plunder of a neighbouring village, whose bullets -luckily did not come near them.</p> - -<p>On the other side, they were received by a Mohamedan gentleman, who -was the more civil to them, as he heard that two English officials, -with a large body of horse, were in the neighbourhood to restore order. -Edwards and his party joined their countrymen, but found that the main -body of expected troops had mutinied and made for Delhi, while their -escort of sixty sowars was in such a doubtful disposition, that they -were glad to send most of them off on pretence of guarding a treasury, -which these men at once plundered, and dispersed.</p> - -<p>With twenty troopers, whose fidelity they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> had to trust, the Englishmen -started for Agra, but soon turned back, the road being blocked by -mutineers marching to Delhi. They hardly knew which way to take. A -party of two hundred Sepoys was reported to be hunting them out. Their -escort grew so insolent, that they thought best to dismiss these -fellows to go where they pleased; then, for a moment, it seemed as if -the troopers were about to fall on them, but after a short consultation -turned and rode off. The Englishmen, having been twenty hours on -horseback, came back to the village from which they had started.</p> - -<p>But they could not be safe here, and after a day's halt determined -to separate. The other two civilians made a fresh attempt to push on -for Agra. Edwards would not desert his companions, encumbrance as -they were to him, for local chiefs, who might be willing to shelter -Government officers at some risk, in the hope of getting credit for it -on the re-establishment of our power, were unwilling to extend their -services to these private persons. He had received a message asking him -to come back to Budaon, as the mutineers had left it, and things were -comparatively quiet there. He afterwards understood this to be a snare, -the Sepoys being much exasperated against him because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> less money had -been found in the treasury than they expected. But now he decided to -return with the three who shared his fortunes.</p> - -<p>They had first to cross the Ganges. On regaining the house of a -zemindar, who had been a friendly enough host two days before, they met -with a colder reception, for meanwhile this native gentleman had heard -the worst news of the spread of mutiny. He agreed to provide them with -a boat, but it proved too small to carry their horses across. All they -could get out of the zemindar was an evident desire to be rid of them, -and he strongly recommended them to make for Furruckabad, sixty miles -off, where, he said, no mutiny had taken place. Hearing that the other -side of the Ganges was all ablaze with pillage and destruction, they -saw nothing for it but to follow this advice.</p> - -<p>They set out, then, by night, and passed by several villages without -being molested. At daybreak they reached a large place, where they -presented themselves to the chief proprietor, who was polite, but -would hardly let them into his house, while a brother of his, drunk -with opium, seemed disposed to shoot them on the spot. The chief did -relax so far as to give them some breakfast, then packed them off under -escort of five horsemen to the care of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> a neighbour. Before leaving, -he insisted on having a certificate that he had treated them well, a -suspicious sign; and Wuzeer Singh overheard the escort saying that they -were all to be killed. Putting a good face on the chance of having to -fight for their lives, they reached a river-side village, where they -were promised a boat to take them to Futtehgurh, the English station -near Furruckabad. But instead of a boat, about the house in which they -waited for it, a crowd of armed men appeared, with such menacing looks, -that the Englishmen mounted and rode off, to find their way barred by -a body of horse. They turned back. Then the crowd began to fire, and -their escort at once galloped away. So did the Englishmen; but one of -them, who rode a camel, fell into the hands of the mob and was cut to -pieces.</p> - -<p>The other three cleared a way for themselves, and rejoined their -escort, who looked rather ill-pleased that they had escaped. Their -leader, however, had shown some traces of pity, and now on Edwards -appealing to him as a husband and a father, he undertook to save their -lives if he could, and conducted them back to his master, who seemed -sorry for what had happened, but would not keep them in the house -beyond nightfall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p> - -<p>Disguised in native dress, their own clothes being burned to conceal -all trace of their visit, they set forth again under the charge of -two guides, and this time were more fortunate. Riding all night, once -chased for their lives, at daybreak they reached the house of Mr. -Probyn, Collector of Furruckabad, from whom they had a hearty welcome, -but little cheering news.</p> - -<p>The Sepoys at Futtehgurh had broken out, then had been brought back to -their duty for a time, but could not be depended on. A large number of -the Europeans had gone down the Ganges in boats to Cawnpore; others, -among them Probyn's wife and children, were sheltered in a fort across -the river, belonging to a zemindar named Hurdeo Buksh. Edwards was -for going to Cawnpore, but that very day came the news of the rising -there. After consultation with the officers at Futtehgurh, he agreed -to accompany Probyn to Hurdeo Buksh's fort, where he found a number of -acquaintances and colleagues living in great discomfort, and without -much show of protection, in the dilapidated defences of this native -stronghold.</p> - -<p>Uncertainty and doubt reigned among these unfortunate people also. As -the colonel of the Sepoy regiment at the station persisted in believing -it staunch, and as some hopeful news<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> from Delhi seemed calculated to -keep it so, after two or three days most of the refugees returned to -Futtehgurh. Probyn, however, preferred to trust his native friend; and -Edwards, though the others judged him rash, decided to stay with Hurdeo -Buksh. Here he was now joined by the faithful Wuzeer Singh, who had -been separated from him in that riot on the river bank, but had lost no -time in seeking his master out with the money entrusted to him.</p> - -<p>When two days more had passed, a band of mutineers arrived from another -station, flushed with massacre, and this was the signal for the -Futtehgurh regiment to rise. The Europeans had taken refuge in the fort -there; outside its walls all was uproar, villagers and Sepoys fighting -for the plunder. Hurdeo Buksh at once assembled his feudal retainers, -a thousand in number, and dug out from various hiding places the guns -which he had concealed on the English Government ordering these petty -chiefs to give up all their ordnance. He explained to his guests that -a body of mutineers was coming to attack the fort, led by a false -report that the two Collectors had several lakhs of treasure with them. -They must at once go into hiding in an out-of-the-way village, as he -could not trust his followers to fight for them. The Englishmen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> were -unwilling to leave even such doubtful shelter as the fort offered, but -when this Rajpoot chief gave them his right hand, pledging his honour -for their safety, as far as in him lay, they knew he might be trusted, -and consented to go.</p> - -<p>Carrying their bedding, arms, and the Probyns' four little children, -they crossed the Ramgunga, and reached the place where their quarters -were to be, a filthy enclosure from which the cattle and goats were -cleared out to make room for them. There at least they remained -undisturbed; but after a few days were startled by sounds of heavy -firing from Futtehgurh, where the Europeans were now being besieged -in the fort. Contradictory rumours kept Probyn and Edwards in painful -suspense, and when trustworthy news did come it was not assuring. The -little force in the fort, some thirty fighting men, with twice that -tale of women and children, could not hold out much longer. But several -days and nights passed, and still the cannonading went on incessantly.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the fifth day there was a sudden silence, which -might mean that the attack had been given up, or that the resistance -had been overpowered. Some hours later came fresh sounds of quick and -irregular<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> firing from another quarter, further down the river. While -our miserable refugees were asking themselves what this portended, -a messenger from Hurdeo Buksh came to tell them that the English -had during the night evacuated the fort and fled in boats, only to -be discovered and pursued, so the shots they now heard must be the -death-knells of their wretched countrymen. Still, however, came -conflicting stories. At one time the boats were said to be out of -range, then to have sunk. The firing ceased, to break out again for an -hour towards evening. At last they heard that one boat had escaped to -Cawnpore, but that another had grounded, most of the people on board -being massacred or drowned.</p> - -<p>It would take too long to trace all the further perils of Edwards and -the Probyns, who for weeks to come remained hidden in a cow-house -for the most part, owing their safety chiefly to the heavy rains, -that after a time turned their place of refuge into an island. Their -presence here had been betrayed, and the Nawab of Furruckabad kept -pressing Hurdeo Buksh to give them up; but on the whole he proved a -staunch protector, though more than once he seemed ready to get rid -of so compromising guests. At one time, he had started them off<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> by -boat for Cawnpore, to certain death, as they believed; at another, -they were to fly to Lucknow, disguised as natives, but that plan was -frustrated by bad news of how things were going there; then again there -was a design of smuggling them off to the hills; and once it was even -proposed that they should abandon the children and take to the jungle. -They were glad to be allowed to remain in their wretched shelter, where -sometimes they durst not show themselves, or the rain kept them close -prisoners. Poor Mrs. Probyn's baby wasted away for want of proper -nourishment. When it died they had to bury it in the darkness, thankful -to find a dry spot on which to dig a grave. Another of the children had -the same miserable fate. The whole party grew thin and weak on their -poor native fare. Two books they had, which were a great comfort to -them, a Bible and a copy of <i>Brydges on Psalm cix.</i> On the fly-leaf -of the latter Edwards wrote a note to his wife at Nainee Tal, and had -the joy of hearing from her that she and his child were safe. The -natives who carried these communications did so at the risk of their -lives; but the severity used to any one caught acting as messenger for -the English, did not prevent more than one letter from reaching the -refugees.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p> - -<p>Their native neighbours, on the whole, were kind, at least not showing -any hatred towards them. By and by both Hurdeo Buksh and his dependents -began to exhibit more active friendship, a sign of the advance of -the English troops to reconquer the districts deluged by rebellion. -Finally, at the end of August, their miserable condition was relieved -by a message from General Havelock, who had now reached Cawnpore. -Thither they set out, running the gauntlet of fresh dangers on the -river, and could hardly believe their good fortune when at length they -found themselves safe among British bayonets. The whole story is a most -moving one, and should be read in full in Mr. Edwards' book, to the -interest of which this abridgment by no means does justice, since its -object is rather to show the state of the country than to enlarge on -individual adventures and sufferings.</p> - -<p>One passage in his party's obscure experiences brings us back to the -highway of history. More than a month after the fall of Futtehguhr, -there had appeared at their refuge a tall, lean, spectral-looking -figure, almost naked and dripping with water, in whom Edwards with -difficulty recognized a young Mr. Jones, heard of by them as having -escaped from the boats to another of Hurdeo Buksh's villages. There he -had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> hiding ever since, and now, in his weak state, burst into -tears at the sight of a countryman again and the sound of an English -voice. From him they learned with horror all the particulars of the -massacre that had been enacted within their hearing.</p> - -<p>The little garrison of the Futtehgurh citadel had defended themselves -till their ammunition was almost exhausted as well as their strength, -while the Sepoys had begun to blow down their walls by the explosion of -mines. Hampered by women and children, their only way of escape was the -Ganges, that flowed by this fort. Early in the morning of July 3 they -embarked in three boats to drop down the river. But their flight was -soon discovered, and daylight showed them pursued by the bloodthirsty -Sepoys. The swift current of the Ganges helped them so well that they -might have got off safe but for the shallows that obstruct its channel. -One of the boats soon grounded, and its people had to be transferred to -another under fire. This second boat in turn, on which Jones now was, -stuck fast on another sandbank opposite a village, the inhabitants of -which turned out against it with matchlocks; and two guns opened fire -from the bank. As the men were repelling this attack, and trying in -vain to move off their heavy ark, there drifted down upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> them a boat -full of Sepoys, who, after pouring in a deadly volley, boarded the -helpless craft. Most of its passengers, not already killed or wounded, -jumped overboard. What followed, as related by Jones to Edwards, makes -a too true picture of that terrible time.</p> - -<p>"The water was up to their waists, and the current running very strong; -the bottom was shifting sand, which made it most difficult to maintain -a footing, and several of those who took to the river were at once -swept off and drowned. Jones himself had scarcely got into the water -when he was hit by a musket ball, which grazed the right shoulder, -without damaging the bone. At the same moment he saw Major Robertson, -who was standing in the stream supporting his wife with one arm and -carrying his little child in the other, wounded by a musket ball in -the thigh. Mrs. Robertson was washed out of her husband's grasp and -immediately drowned. Robertson then put the child on his shoulder and -swam away down the stream. Jones, finding that he could do no more -good, wounded as he was, determined to try to save his own life by -swimming down the river, hoping to reach the leading boat. As he struck -out from the boat, he saw poor Mr. Fisher, the chaplain, almost in -the same position as Robertson, holding his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> little son, a beautiful -boy eight or nine years old, in one arm, while with the other he -supported his wife. Mrs. Fisher was swaying about in the stream almost -insensible, and her husband could with great difficulty retain his -footing.</p> - -<p>"When Jones had got clear of the boat, he continued alternately -swimming and floating for five or six miles, when just as it was -growing dusk, he saw the leading boat anchored for the night. He -reached it, much exhausted by swimming, and by the pain of his wound -and of his back; which, as he was naked to the waist, had been -blistered and made raw by the scorching sun. On being taken on board, -he found that the only casualty which had occurred to this party since -leaving Futtehguhr, was the death of one of the Miss Goldies, who had -been killed by a grape shot from one of the guns on the bank near -Singheerampore.</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Lowis—who had maintained her fortitude throughout, and was -indefatigable during the siege in preparing tea and refreshment for -the men—immediately got him some brandy and water and food, and he -was then able to acquaint them with the miserable fate of his own -party, of whom he supposed himself to be the sole survivor. The boat -remained anchored in the same spot all night. Towards morning a voice<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> -was heard from the bank, hailing the boat. It proved to be that of -Mr. Fisher, who, though badly wounded in the thigh, had managed by -swimming a portion of the way, then landing and walking along the bank, -to overtake the boat. He was helped on board more dead than alive, and -raved about his poor wife and son, both of whom were drowned.</p> - -<p>"At dawn they weighed anchor and proceeded down the stream; but very -slowly, as there was no pilot or skilful steersman on board, and only -the exhausted officers as rowers. Towards evening they became so -exhausted that they made for a village on the Oudh side of the Ganges, -in hopes of being able to procure some milk for the children and food -for themselves. The villagers brought supplies, and did not show any -ill-will or attempt to attack the party.</p> - -<p>"The boat was so crowded with its freight of from seventy to eighty -human beings, that Jones could find no space to lie down and sleep; -he therefore determined, as he was quite exhausted, to go on shore -and endeavour to get some rest. A villager brought him a charpoy, on -which he lay down and fell fast asleep. He was roused by a summons -from Colonel Smith to rejoin the boat, as they were on the point of -starting; but finding himself very stiff and scarcely able<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> to move, -he determined to remain where he was, as he thought he might as well -die on shore as in the boat: in either case he regarded death as -inevitable. He therefore sent back a message that he could not come, -and begged to be left behind. Colonel Smith after this sent him two -more urgent requests to join the boat, which at length departed without -him. He slept till morning, when a poor Brahmin took pity on him and -permitted him to remain in a little shed, where he was partially -sheltered from the sun. There he remained unmolested by the villagers, -and protected by the Brahmin, until he was permitted to join us."</p> - -<p>In the absence of other surgery, Jones had a happy thought for treating -his wound, which else might have killed him by mortification. He got a -little puppy to lick it morning and evening, then it at once began to -improve. But he was still in a sorry state when, wading and swimming -all night over the inundated country, he managed to join Edwards' party.</p> - -<p>Two of his companions, who had also escaped alive, were hidden in other -villages without being able to communicate with each other. Three -unhappy ladies and a child had been taken back captive to Futtehguhr. -There, three weeks later, by order of the Nawab, who played<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> the tyrant -here for a time, they were blown away from guns or shot down by grape, -along with some scores of native Christians, on whom the Sepoys thus -wreaked the infuriation of their defeat by Havelock's troops. The first -boat's crew had gained Cawnpore, only to be involved in its still more -awful tragedy.</p> - -<p>Before coming to that part of the story, let us turn from the provinces -now deluged by rebellion, to see what was being done elsewhere to make -head against such a torrent.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE CONFLAGRATION</p> - - -<p>On the second day after the rising at Meerut, Calcutta had been -electrified by a telegram from Agra. The central government seemed at -first hardly to realize the gravity of the crisis. But when further -bad news came in, Lord Canning recognized that our Indian Empire was -at stake, and began to act with an energy, in which his character and -his inexperience of Indian affairs had made him hitherto wanting; and -if to some he seemed still deficient in grasp of such perilous affairs, -it may be said of him that he never lost his head, as did others whose -counsels were more vehement. He looked around for every European -soldier within reach; he called for aid on Madras and Ceylon; he -ordered the troops returning from the war happily ended in Persia, to -be sent at once to Calcutta; he took upon himself the responsibility of -arresting an expedition on its way from England to make war in China, -but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> now more urgently needed for the rescue of India. Weeks must pass, -however, before he could assemble a force fit to cope with the mutiny, -while every English bayonet was demanded at a dozen points nearer the -capital, and the Government knew not how far to trust its embarrassing -native army.</p> - -<p>All was confusion, suspicion, and doubt, when the first measures of -precaution suggested by the danger might prove the very means of -inflaming it. The practical question, anxiously debated in so many -cases, was whether or no to disarm the Sepoys, at the risk of hurrying -other detachments into mutiny, and imperilling the lives of English -people, helpless in their hands. Most officers of Sepoy regiments, -indeed, refused to believe that their own men could be untrue, and -indignantly protested against their being disarmed—a blind confidence -often repaid by death at the hands of these very men, when their turn -came to break loose from the bonds of discipline. But one treacherous -tragedy after another decided the doubt, sometimes too late; and where -it was still thought well to accept the Sepoys' professions of loyalty, -they were vigilantly guarded by English soldiers, who thus could not be -spared to march against the open mutineers.</p> - -<p>Paralyzed by want of trustworthy troops, Lord<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> Canning could do -little at present but give his lieutenants in the North-West leave to -act as they thought best—leave which they were fain in any case to -take, the rebellion soon cutting them off from communication with the -seat of Government. But there, most fortunately, were found men fit -to deal with the emergency, and to create resources in what to some -might have seemed a hopeless situation. At the season when the Mutiny -broke out, English officials who can leave their posts willingly take -refuge at the cool hill-stations of the Himalayas. General Anson, the -Commander-in-Chief, had betaken himself to Simla, the principal of -these sanatoriums, lying north of Delhi and of the military station -at Umballa. Here the alarming news came to cut short his holiday. -Naturally reluctant to believe the worst, he yet could not but order a -concentration of troops at Umballa, where he arrived in the course of -three or four days.</p> - -<p>A more masterful spirit was already at work upon the scene of action, -if not by his personal presence, through the zealous colleagues -inspired by his teaching and example as a ruler of men. Sir John -Lawrence, Chief Commissioner of the Punjaub, had also been recalled on -his way to the hills, to find himself practically independent governor -of that side of India. At once rising<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> to the emergency, as soon as -he had taken the first measures, already anticipated indeed by his -deputies, for the safety of his own province, he saw that the one thing -to be aimed at was the recovery of Delhi, the very name of which would -be a tower of strength to the mutineers. The Commander-in-Chief's -eyes were mainly open to the difficulties of such an enterprise; and -the staff, fettered by red-tape, cried out upon the impossibility of -advancing in the unprepared state of his army. Lawrence never ceased to -urge that, with or without guns and stores, everything must be risked -to strike an immediate blow at Delhi, which might check the spread of -rebellion by restoring our lost prestige. His tireless subordinates -did the impossible in collecting supplies and means of transport. -Anson, urged to the same effect by the Governor-General as by Lawrence, -doubtfully agreed to lose no time in carrying out their policy of a -march on Delhi. This is not the only instance throughout the Indian -Mutiny where the hesitations and weakness of military men were -happily overruled by the resolute counsels of civilians. The ordinary -precautions of warfare had often to be disregarded in the struggle now -at hand.</p> - -<p>The difficulties, indeed, might well have seemed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> appalling. At -Umballa itself, an abortive attempt at mutiny had taken place on the -fatal 10th. General Anson, who, like some other Queen's officers, had -hitherto been apt to despise the Sepoys, now went to the other extreme -in flattering them, and let their officers hamper him by a promise that -they should not be disarmed. At his back, the fashionable station of -Simla was thrown into panic by a disturbance among the Goorkhas posted -there. Hundreds of English people fled to the woods and mountains in -terror, till it was found that the Goorkhas could easily be brought to -reason. They luckily showed no fellow-feeling with the Bengal Sepoys; -and soldiers from this warlike mountain race served us well throughout -the Mutiny. The native princes of the neighbourhood also gave timely -help of their troops and by furnishing supplies.</p> - -<p>Within a fortnight were gathered at Umballa three English infantry -regiments, the 9th Lancers, and twelve field-guns, with one regiment -and one squadron of natives whom it was not safe to leave behind. -Carts had been collected by the hundred, camels and elephants by the -thousand, and a numerous train of camp-followers, without whom an -Indian army can hardly move. Ammunition was brought up from the arsenal -at Philour, one of the Punjaub strongholds, secured<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> just in time to -prevent it falling into treacherous hands. A siege-train, hastily -prepared here, had to be escorted by Sepoys, who might at any moment -break into revolt. The Sutlej, swollen with melting snows, threatened -to break down the bridge by which communication was kept up with this -important point; and, not two hours after the train had passed, the -bridge in fact gave way. Then there were delays through unmanageable -bullocks ploughing over heavy sands and roads deluged by rain. The -first day's labour of twenty hours brought the train only seven miles -on its long route.</p> - -<p>Without waiting for it, on May 25, Anson advanced to Kurnaul, the -rallying-point of the Delhi fugitives. But cholera, a feller foe than -the Sepoy, had already attacked his soldiers. One of the first victims -was the Commander-in-Chief, who died on the 27th, broken by ill-health -and the burden of a task too heavy for him. Another kind of General, it -was said by impatient critics, would have been in Delhi a week before. -But this was easier to say than to do, and certainly the destruction of -his small and ill-provided army, hurled forward without due precaution, -might have proved the loss of India.</p> - -<p>Anson was succeeded in command by Sir<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> Henry Barnard, an officer of -Crimean distinction, who had been only a few weeks in India. His first -acts showed no want of energy. Leaving the siege-train to follow at -its slow pace, he moved upon Delhi at the end of the month, his men -marching eagerly under the fierce June sun, in burning desire to avenge -the slaughter of their country-people. And now began those cruel -reprisals by which our victory was so darkly stained. Angry suspicion -was all the evidence needed to condemn the natives, guilty and innocent -alike, who, after a hasty show of trial, were often mocked and tortured -before execution at the hands of Christians turned into savages. The -Sepoy regiment which marched with the column from Umballa had to be -sent away, to protect them against the suspicious resentment of their -English comrades, as much as in anticipation of the treachery which -soon displayed itself among them.</p> - -<p>A few days' march brought together the main body and Brigadier Wilson's -force from Meerut, which had lain there shamefully inactive for three -weeks, but now did much to retrieve its character by two encounters -under such a burning sun that the exhausted soldiers could not follow -up their victory. The whole army numbered little over three thousand -Englishmen, with whom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> Barnard pushed forward to where, five miles -north of Delhi, a horde of mutineers lay waiting to dispute his -advance, strongly posted at Budlee-ka-Serai.</p> - -<p>Here on June 8th was fought the first important battle of the war. -Nothing could resist this handful of British soldiers, terrible in -their vengeful passion. Blinded by the glare, now choked by dust, now -wading knee-deep in water, through all obstacles, the infantry dashed -up to the rebel guns; the Lancers, having made a stealthy circuit, -charged upon the enemy's rear; the field artillery took them in the -flank; and they fled in confusion, pressed hard by the eager though -jaded victors. On the Ridge without the city the Sepoys made another -stand, but were again swept back from this strong position. After -sixteen hours' marching and fighting, under a sun whose rays were -almost as fatal as bullets, the English soldiers encamped among the -burned quarters of the Cantonment, and from the Ridge beheld the domes -and minarets of that famous city, which already they looked upon as -regained.</p> - -<p>But not next day, as they had fondly hoped, nor next week, nor for -weary months, were they to pass the high red wall and heavy bastions -that defiantly confronted them. Even had those walls lain flat as -Jericho's, it were madness to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> have thrown some couple of thousand -bayonets into the narrow crooked streets of a city swarming with -fanatical foemen, besides a Sepoy garrison many times the number of the -assailants. Open still on all sides but one, Delhi was the rendezvous -of bands of mutineers flocking into it from various quarters; from -first to last it is said to have held forty thousand of them—a strange -reversal of the rules of war, which require that a besieging force -shall at least outnumber the besieged! Still, in the first few days, -Barnard did entertain the notion of carrying the place by a <i>coup de -main</i>, but allowed himself to be dissuaded, to the disgust of certain -ardent and youthful spirits.</p> - -<p>There was then nothing for it but to remain camped behind the Ridge, -awaiting reinforcements and the coming up of the siege-train. In this -position, the rear defended by a canal, and with a wall of rocky -heights in front, our army was practically besieged rather than -besieging. Their field artillery could make little impression on the -walls, nearly a mile off, while the enemy's heavier guns sent shot -among them night and day. So great was the want of ammunition that -two annas apiece were offered for cannon balls, which natives risked -their lives in picking up to be fired back into the city—balls which -sometimes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> could hardly be handled by Europeans in the burning heat. -Sunstroke struck them down as by lightning; half the officers of one -regiment were thus disabled in a single day. The over-tasked force -had often to fight all day and to watch all night. The enemy used his -superiority of numbers by continual harassing attacks, in front, in -flank, and at last in the rear. The day was a remarkable one which -passed without fighting. In six weeks, twenty combats were counted. On -the 23rd of June, the Centenary of Plassey, a particularly formidable -assault was made, and repulsed after a long day's fighting, to the -discouragement of the Sepoys, whom false prophecies had led to believe -that this date was to be fatal to us. Now, as always, the skulking -foe could never stand to face British bayonets in the open; but their -stealthy onsets were favoured by the wilderness of tangled ravines, -gardens, walls, ruins, tombs, thickets, and deserted houses, which gave -them cover right up to our entrenchments.</p> - -<p>Through the losses of these continual encounters, as well as through -disease and exposure, our scanty force would soon have melted away, if -reinforcements had not begun to come in towards the end of June. But -now also came the rainy season, multiplying the ravages of fever and -cholera. Poor General Barnard was so worn out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> by the strain of his -almost hopeless task that he could neither eat nor sleep. Early in July -he died, like his predecessor, of cholera. General Reed took up the -command, but at the end of a week, finding the burden too heavy for -his feeble health, gave it over to Brigadier Wilson, who at one time -had almost retired in despair, and would probably have done so if not -cheered and strengthened by one who, at a distance, was all along the -moving spirit of this marvellous siege.</p> - -<p>Sir John Lawrence it is, with his lieutenants, Montgomery, Herbert -Edwardes, Neville Chamberlain, John Nicholson, who are on all hands -hailed as foremost among the saviours of our Indian empire. The -Punjaub, where Lawrence bore rule at this crisis, home of the warlike -Sikhs, might have been judged our weakest point, yet he turned it -into a source of strength. Our latest and hardest conquest as it was, -conquerors and conquered had learned to respect one another as worthy -foemen, while its manly population bore a contemptuous ill-will towards -the rebel Sepoys, and, themselves divided between Sikh and Moslem, -did not readily find common cause to make against the English. From -this mingled population, Lawrence quickly began to enlist excellent -soldiers, weeding out also the Punjaub Sepoys from the ranks of their -East-country comrades,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> to form the nucleus of new corps. Punjaubees, -Afghans, Pathans, all the most martial and restless spirits of the -frontier, eagerly came forward for our service; and thus the very men -from whom we had most to fear became serviceable allies in the time of -need.</p> - -<p>The old Sepoy regiments were for the most part disarmed one by one, -some of them disbanded, as opportunity or suspicion counselled, yet -not till more than one had made attempts at mutiny that ended ill for -themselves. Lawrence, earnest in urging mercy when the time came for -it, was resolute in trampling out the early sparks of disaffection. -Forty mutinous Sepoys at once were blown away from the mouths of -guns. The dangerous districts were scoured by a movable column under -Nicholson, a man worshipped almost as a god by his Sikh followers. The -Afghan frontier had also to be watched, lest old enemies there should -take this chance of falling upon us from behind when our hands were so -full of fighting in front. And at the same time it was necessary to -keep a careful eye upon our new levies, lest they in turn should grow -too formidable.</p> - -<p>Fortunate it was that the neighbouring native princes proved friendly, -lending the aid of their troops to keep the peace, or giving more -substan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>tial assistance to the representative of that power which they -had learned to look upon as paramount. Lawrence, governing a population -of twenty millions, cut off from communication with his superiors, -was made by force of circumstances dictator of Northern India. Not -for nearly three months did a message from Calcutta reach him by the -circuitous way of Bombay. The generals in the field, though owing him -no formal obedience, gave in to the energy of his character and the -weight of his experience. The well-provided arsenals and magazines of -the Punjaub, saved from the hands of the mutineers by his vigorous -action, became now the base of supplies against Delhi. Thither he kept -forwarding a continual stream of stores, transport, men and money, -which he had to raise by somewhat forced loans among the rich natives. -Thus, in spite of a painful ailment, in spite of his longing for home -and rest, he throughout masterfully maintained the British prestige -within his own boundaries, while ever pressing on the capture of Delhi, -as the blow which would paralyze rebellion all over India. When the -great enterprise seemed on the point of failure, as a last resource he -sent Nicholson's column to the front, leaving himself with only four -thousand European soldiers scattered among the millions of the Punjaub, -for whom that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> one man's strong hand was equal to a host of fighters.</p> - -<p>Still the siege of Delhi dragged on its costly length. We must leave it -for the meanwhile to see what thrilling and momentous scenes were being -enacted in other parts of India, and to follow the preparations made -for attacking the mutiny from the further side.</p> - -<p>Calcutta was in a state of bewildered dismay, not to be calmed -by official hopes for a speedy end to the insurrection, and soon -increasing daily with worse and worse news from up-country. From -Allighur, from Muttra, from Bareilly, from Moradabad, from Jhansi, from -other points, one after another, came sickening tales of revolt and -massacre, which would not lose in the telling. The only news of other -places was an ominous silence. The great stations of Agra, Cawnpore, -and Lucknow were presently cut off by a raging sea of rebellion. -Rohilcund, old nursery of warriors, was overflowed, and the Doab, that -fertile region between the Jumna and the Ganges, down whose thickly -peopled valleys poured the irresistible flood of disorder. The tide -rose to the sacred cities of Allahabad and Benares. Beyond, there were -risings in Rajpootana. At Gwalior, the Maharajah's Sepoy contingent, -after a time, broke away to play a considerable part in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> coming -battles. Everywhere regiments, believed faithful, were going off like -the guns of a burning ship.</p> - -<p>The leaven of agitation naturally spread into the two other -Presidencies, where the English officials could have no quiet rest -till the danger in Bengal should be over. But the organization of the -Madras and Bombay armies was not so dangerous for their rulers. Here -men of various creeds and castes were more thoroughly mixed together -in the ranks, which in Bengal had been allowed to consist too much of -fellow-believers, and of cliques of the same family, caste or locality, -turning every company into a clan animated by a common feeling apart -from that of soldierly duty; nor, outside of Bengal, were the regiments -permitted to be accompanied by squalid fakirs, to keep alive their -superstitious zeal.</p> - -<p>When Patna and Dinapore gave signs of commotion, not four hundred -miles from Calcutta, the people of the capital might well look to see -peril at their doors. They loudly accused Lord Canning as wanting to -the exigency. He certainly seemed to go too far in trying to allay -alarm by putting a calm face upon his inward anxiety. He forbore, as -long as possible, to show distrust of the Sepoys in Eastern Bengal; -he hesitated about accepting a contingent of Goorkhas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> offered him -from Nepaul; he delayed in letting the inhabitants arm for their -own defence. Not for a month did he allow them to form volunteer -corps, and at the same time was forced to disarm the Sepoys at the -neighbouring stations of Dum-Dum and Barrackpore. But rumours of what -the Sepoys there had intended were already at work, producing a panic -through Calcutta, where one Sunday in the middle of June a great part -of the Europeans and Eurasians hastened to barricade themselves in -their houses, or fled to the fort and the shipping for refuge from -an imaginary foe, while the poor natives lay hid, trembling on their -own account, expecting quite as groundlessly to be massacred by the -white soldiers. The ludicrous terror of this "Panic Sunday" will long -be remembered as a joke against the Calcutta people, who only towards -evening began to see they had nothing to fear. Next day their restored -confidence was strengthened by the arrest of the King of Oudh, who held -a quasi-state in his palace near the city, and whose retainers were -believed to have been plotting, with the now harmless Sepoys at the -neighbouring stations, for a great Christian massacre.</p> - -<p>A day or two later, Sir Patrick Grant, Commander of the Madras army, -arrived to assume command in Bengal. He did not feel himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> equal -to taking the field in person, but made the fortunate choice of -Brigadier-General Havelock to advance against the rebels, as soon as -there should be an army ready to lead. The officer, who during the last -months of his life was to burst forth as a popular hero, had passed -obscurely a long life of eastern military service. In India, indeed, -he was well known for the earnest piety which had leavened the ranks -of his comrades. "Havelock's Saints," a name given in mockery, became -a title of honour, when it was found that the little band among whom -he preached and prayed so zealously were the best and most trustworthy -soldiers of the regiment. By his superiors he had been recognized as a -brave and intelligent officer; and he had served creditably in Burma, -in Afghanistan, in the Punjaub, and in Persia, without attracting much -public notice or rising to high command. Now, at length, this saintly -veteran, all his life a careful student of the art of war, had the -chance to show what he was as a general; but not till June 25 could he -leave Calcutta, picking up as he went the scattered fragments of his -force, which had been pushed on to meet immediate needs of succour.</p> - -<p>A month earlier, Neill with the 1st Madras Fusiliers had gone on as -forerunner of the help<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> that would by and by be pouring in to the -rescue of our imperilled countrymen. As far as Allahabad he could -travel by railway, yet he did not arrive there for nearly three weeks, -delayed through turning aside to repress mutiny at Benares, and by -making grim examples to teach the cowering natives that the British -<i>raj</i> was still to be feared. At Allahabad he found his presence -sorely needed by a handful of Europeans shut up in the fort along with -a band of hardly controllable Sikhs. The mutiny here had been marked -by painful as well as curious features. The Sepoys at first showed -themselves enthusiastically loyal, giving every sign of affection to -their officers, then rose against them in a sudden fit of cruel fury, -immediately after volunteering, with apparent heartiness, to march -against their comrades at Delhi. Seven or eight boy-ensigns were -murdered by the regiment they had just joined. The rebels bombarded -the locomotives on the new railway, which they took for mysterious -engines of warfare. There were the usual sickening massacres of women -and children. A general destruction had reigned without check, in which -helpless Hindoo pilgrims came off almost as ill as the Christians at -the hands of a Mohamedan mob. This short triumph of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> disorder was with -terrible and too little discriminating justice chastised by Neill, -stern Scotchman that he was. What between the mutineers and the British -soldiery, the inhabitants of the district had cause to rue these -troubles; and again our civilization was disgraced by a blind fury -of vengeance. Neill was more successful in restoring order among the -populace than in restraining his own soldiers, who gave way to excesses -of drink that fatally nursed the seeds of cholera, when not a man could -be spared from the trying task before them.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p>By the end of June, Havelock reached Allahabad, to take the head of -an army that hardly numbered two thousand fighters. Nineteen officers -and men made all his cavalry. But such news here met him, he could not -lose a day in flinging this small force among myriads of bitter foes, -at whose mercy lay the lives of many Christian women and children. -Yet it was no horde of undisciplined savages from whom he must wrest -those hapless captives.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> Throughout the war, our troops had to face, -at enormous odds of number, ranks trained and armed by ourselves, -supplied from our own captured stores, and in a large degree led by the -establishment of native officers whom we had taught how battles should -be won. Never perhaps has it been so well proved, as by the result of -this apparently unequal conflict, what advantage lies in pride and -strength of race!</p> - - - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="ph3">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> One of the severest punishments inflicted on mutineers -was forcing them under the lash, before being hanged, to sweep up the -blood of their supposed victims, so as, in their ideas, to pollute -them to all eternity. A generation later, this General Neill's son was -murdered, it is said, by the vengeful son of a native officer thus -punished.</p></div></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE CITIES OF REFUGE</p> - - -<p>Minor disturbances on the outskirts left out of sight, the stress of -the storm may now be considered as confined to the region between Delhi -and Allahabad, where in Agra, Cawnpore, and Lucknow were still havens -of refuge, that, it was to be feared, could not long hold out against -the turbulent elements surging around and against them.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus03.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> <span class="smcap">Taj of Agra, from the Fountain.</span><br /> Page 92.</p> - -<p>At Agra, one of the most magnificent cities in India, and the seat -of the Government of the North-Western Provinces, there reigned -the liveliest alarm among the large Christian community, though -Lieutenant-Governor Colvin at first tried to make too light of the -danger. When the neighbouring stations burst into mutiny, a panic set -in, the Sepoys were disarmed, and by the end of June the Europeans took -refuge within the high red walls of the fort, some mile and a half -in circuit, that enclose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> a strangely-mingled maze of buildings, -galleries, pavilions, domes, towers, vaults, offices, barracks, -arcades, gardens and lordly halls recalling the Arabian Nights, among -them such architectural wonders as the glittering palace of Akbar -and the exquisite Pearl Mosque, now turned into a hospital for the -nonce. In sight of these monuments of Mogul grandeur, a mile or so up -the Jumna, rise the snowy splendours of the Taj, that Sultana's tomb -praised by some as the most beautiful work of human hands; and on this -side, without the city, were the English homes that must be deserted -as insecure. The citadel of Agra now gave quarters to several thousand -persons, the number increasing as destitute fugitives came slinking in -from the wrecked stations around. There was an English regiment here, -and a small force of volunteers, who, in July, sallied out to meet a -Sepoy army, but had to retire with some loss; then the unfortunate -refugees found themselves forced helplessly to look on at the burning -of their houses without the walls, while thousands of prisoners, -released from the jail, spread over the country in their clanking -chains, and for a few days the <i>budmashes</i> and the rabble had their -way in the city. No vigorous attempt, however, was made to besiege the -Fort, and its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> inmates got off with the half-serious, half-ludicrous -hardships of an anxious summer spent in marble halls and crowded -palace-chambers, where decorations of mosaic, enamel and coloured glass -ill made up for the lack of substantial comfort.</p> - -<p>Poor Colvin, broken down, like so many another leader of that time, by -the burden of a charge too heavy for him, and pained by the quarrels -and murmurs of the pent-up multitude under his too feeble authority, -died in September, yet not till he had seen the motley garrison -venturing forth again, and beginning to restore order in the districts -about. On the whole, the story of Agra was rather a happily prosaic one -for a scene of such picturesque historic grandeur.</p> - -<p>At Meerut also, where the Mutiny first broke out, our people got -through its further alarms by standing on anxious guard behind their -entrenchments, while Dunlop the magistrate, at the news of trouble -hurrying back from his holiday in the Himalayas, raised a force of -volunteers that by their bold sallies kept the disaffected in awe for -some way round.</p> - -<p>Very different was the case of Lucknow, capital of Oudh, a vast expanse -of hovels and palaces, situated on the banks of the Goomtee,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> amid a -rich country famed as the garden of India. With its straggling suburbs, -it covered a space six miles long and about half as broad, including -groups of stately temples, palaces and pleasure-gardens. The central -part of the city was densely populated, and the chief streets offered -a lively scene, thronged as they were with natives in the picturesque -costumes of all parts of India, with rich palanquins, with stately -elephants, and camels in gay caparisons, with gorgeously-attired -cavaliers and their swaggering attendants. Every man in those days -went armed, frays and outrages being too common under the weak tyranny -of the lately deposed sovereign; even beggars demanded charity almost -at the point of the sword, and it was a point of prudence as well as -of honour for every dignitary to surround himself with a retinue of -formidable warriors.</p> - -<p>Over this swarm of dangerous elements Sir Henry Lawrence now held rule, -worthy brother of the Punjaub administrator. There were four Lawrence -brothers, who all manfully played parts in the Mutiny. Among them Henry -seems to have been the most lovable, distinguished as a philanthropist -not less than as a statesman and a soldier. The institutions which he -founded for the education of soldiers' children<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> in India still attest -his benevolence towards his own people. He had singular sympathy with -and knowledge of the natives, yet there was no sentimentalism in his -earnest desire for their welfare, and when the time came for stern -repression he would not shrink from the uncongenial task. On the -earliest disturbances, he telegraphed to Calcutta asking to be invested -with full powers to deal with them; then, prematurely aged as he was -by hard work and sickness, strained every nerve to meet the emergency, -which seems to have taken him not so much by surprise as in the case of -other high officers.</p> - -<p>Discontent was strong in the newly-annexed kingdom of Oudh; and already -had Lawrence had to quell an attempt at mutiny caused by the greased -cartridges, before the native troops raised the standard of rebellion -at Delhi. Foreboding the worst from the news of what had happened on -the Jumna, he exerted himself to calm and conciliate the Sepoys at -Lucknow, and for a time succeeded in preserving an appearance of order, -under which, however, the signs of mischief brewing did not escape his -watchful eye. The Residency, his palatial quarters, with the public -offices and houses about it, stood upon a slight rising ground near<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> -the river, overlooking the greater part of the city. From the first, -Lawrence began to turn this position into a fort of refuge, storing -here guns, ammunition, and supplies, as also in the Muchee Bhawun, an -imposing native fortress not far off. For garrison, part of the 32nd -Regiment, the only English troops he had, were moved in from their -Cantonments outside, and the Christian population soon abandoned their -homes for the asylum of the Residency. Yet at this time it was in no -state for serious defence; even weeks later, few foresaw the hot siege -it would undergo. Before long there appeared cause for actively pushing -on the work. Early in May there was a mutinous demonstration that -luckily could be appeased without bloodshed, but it too plainly showed -the temper of the Sepoys.</p> - -<p>By the end of the month, the women and children were all ordered in -from the Cantonments. Business was now at a standstill, and English -people venturing into the streets met everywhere with scared as well as -scowling faces, many of the better class fearing to lose the safety of -our Government, while the turbulent elements of the population eagerly -awaited the signal for general lawlessness.</p> - -<p>Sir Henry Lawrence has been blamed because,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> like other leaders on -whom rested the same responsibility, he delayed to disarm the Sepoy -regiments at Lucknow, fearing chiefly to bring about the mutiny of -others who, at various points in Oudh, still openly obeyed their -officers. Holding to his policy of pretended confidence, on May 30th he -was warned that a general mutiny would break out at evening gun-fire. -He went to dine in the Cantonments, as if no danger were to be feared; -and at the report of the nine o'clock gun, he remarked with a smile -to his informant, "Your friends are not punctual." But scarcely were -the words out of his mouth than a crackle of musketry came from the -lines. Calmly ordering his native guard to load, though for all he knew -it might be to shoot him on the spot, Lawrence hastened to overawe -their mutinous comrades. Only one whole regiment had broken out, most -of whose officers had time to escape with their lives. The Sepoys, -however, shot their brigadier as he tried to recall them to obedience, -and two other Englishmen were murdered, one a young cornet of seventeen -lying sick in his bungalow. For this small bloodshed the mutineers -consoled themselves by burning and plundering the abandoned bungalows, -till Lawrence came upon them at the head of an English detachment, -before whom they soon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> took to flight, yet not till the firing and -glare had spread wide alarm among the Europeans.</p> - -<p>Of the two other Sepoy regiments, some five or six hundred men fell -in under their officers' orders; the rest kept out of the way, or -went off to the mutineers. Next morning, Lawrence followed them on to -the race-course, where they had retreated, and they fled afresh from -the English artillery, though not till the fugitive Sepoys had been -joined by the greater part of a cavalry regiment, for want of whom -effectual pursuit could not be made. In the course of the day there was -an abortive mob-rising within the city, easily put down by the native -police, a number of insurgents being captured and executed.</p> - -<p>The English leaders tried to encourage themselves by the thought that -this long-dreaded mine had gone off with so little mischief, and that -now, at least, they knew their friends from their enemies. But they -did not foresee how fast would spread the madness which in so many -cases suddenly affected bodies hitherto faithful even against their -own comrades. A few days later, the police also mutinied and made -off, pursued by artillery, and a force of volunteer cavalry hastily -raised among the Europeans. Still a few hundred Sepoys, who had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> -stuck to their colours, were stationed beside English soldiers at the -Residency and the Muchee Bhawun; and, on an appeal to their loyalty, a -considerable number of old native pensioners, some of them blind and -crippled, presented themselves to stand by the Government whose salt -they had eaten so long.</p> - -<p>Among the reminiscences of that trying time, young readers will -be especially interested in those of Mr. E.H. Hilton, an Eurasian -gentleman still living in Lucknow, to show with pride the carbine -he bore as a school-boy through the siege, and to say <i>quaeque ipse -miserrima vidi</i>, if he remember as much from school-books, which may -well have been driven out of his head by the experiences of his last -days at school.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hilton, then well on in his teens, was in 1857 one of the senior -boys of the Martinière College, at which his parents held the posts of -Sergeant-Superintendent and Matron. This institution, also known as -Constantia House, from the motto <i>Labore et Constantia</i> inscribed on -its front, is one of the lions of Lucknow. Founded at the beginning -of our century by General Claude Martin, a French soldier of -fortune, it has given a good education to thousands of European and -half-caste boys; nor is this the only educational endowment due to -his munificence. The Mar<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span>tinière, as it is commonly called, a huge, -fantastic, straggling mansion in a pleasant park some mile or two out -of the city, was the founder's residence during his lifetime, and -afterwards his monument and tomb, for he had himself buried in a vault -below the spacious halls and dormitories, now alive with the lads whom -that singular Frenchman had at heart to educate in the English language -and religion. At the time of the Mutiny, there were sixty-five resident -pupils, who had naturally to share the forebodings and alarms of that -terrible spring.</p> - -<p>When all the other Christians stood on their guard, Mr. Schilling, -Principal of the Martinière, prepared to defend his charge against -any sudden attack. A small party, first of Sepoys, and when they -could no longer be trusted, of English soldiers, was stationed at the -College. The elder boys were armed with muskets or carbines. Stores -of food and water were collected; and Mr. Hilton tells us how the -first taste his school-fellows had of the trials of the Mutiny was the -frequent bursting of earthen water-jars, which drenched the boys in -the dormitory below. The centre of the building was barricaded with -bricks, sand-bags, boxes of old books and crockery, anything that could -be turned to account. The boys still did their school-work in the long<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> -open wings, but with orders to make for the centre, thus turned into a -citadel, as soon as the alarm-bell rang. One boy always stood on the -look-out; and, as may be supposed, there were several false alarms, -when a troop of grass-cutters' ponies, or the dark edge of a dust-storm -was taken by the nervous young sentinels for an advancing army.</p> - -<p>These lads were, indeed, in an exposed position, where they could not -long hope to hold out against soldiers, but might have beaten off a -sudden attack from the rabble of Lucknow. When the bungalows were -burned, young Hilton had nearly seen too much of that night's work. He -had gone, as usual, in charge of a party of his school-fellows, who -acted as choir-boys of the English Church, riding to and fro, it seems, -upon nothing less than elephants!</p> - -<p>"We were in the midst of chanting the <i>Magnificat</i>, when suddenly the -bugles sounded the alarm. All the officers present quietly rose up and -marched out, and, after finishing the <i>Magnificat</i>, the service was -then suddenly brought to a close. The Rev. Mr. Polehampton took the -choir-boys to his house, and gave us the choice of remaining there or -proceeding to the Martinière at once. As our elephants were waiting -ready, I preferred to take the boys<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> home, and we twelve set off on -our moonlight journey of about six miles. Near the Iron Bridge, we -passed a regiment of Sepoys marching with fixed bayonets, but, to our -great relief, they took no notice of us whatever. At the Huzrutgunge -Gate, opposite what is now Eduljee's shop, a sowar, with his sword -drawn, rode up and ordered our <i>mahout</i> to stop. Seeing, however, that -his horse would not come near our elephant, I told the <i>mahout</i> to -go on. After a little colloquial abuse between the two, the <i>mahout</i> -went on; the obstructive sowar took his departure with a few farewell -flourishes of his naked sword, and we arrived at the Martinière without -further molestation. There we found every one on the top of the -building looking at the far-off flames of the burning bungalows in the -Cantonments, and we received the hearty congratulations of all on what -they considered our providential escape."</p> - -<p>After the mutiny of the police, a flying skirmish took place in view of -the Martinière, eagerly watched by the pupils, who were eager to join -in the fray, but had to remain on guard over their buildings. Their -Principal made a narrow escape, meeting the rebels as he drove through -the College-park, and getting away from them by the speed of his horse. -There is another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> story, perhaps a distorted version of the same, that -one of the teachers did fall into the hands of some stragglers, who -seemed inclined to shoot him, but contemptuously let him go as "only a -school-master!" These school-masters, and some of the school-boys too, -were to play the warrior before long.</p> - -<p>Next morning, Mr. Schilling was ordered to abandon the College, and -move his boys into the Residency. A party of the 32nd leading the -way, and the elder lads with their muskets bringing up the rear, they -marched through the streets lined with sullen faces, where several -natives were seen going armed, but no one offered them any opposition. -At the Residency they were quartered uncomfortably enough in the house -of a native banker within the lines, and there went on with their -lessons as best they could for two or three weeks longer.</p> - -<p>All our people had now to take shelter behind the still imperfect -defences. Large stores of food, fodder, and fire had been laid in. -Fortunately there were wells of good water within the Residency -entrenchment. Gunpowder and treasure were buried underground for -safety. Much against his will, Lawrence gave orders for demolishing -the houses around that might afford cover to assailants, but, ever -anxious to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> spare the feelings of the natives, he desired that their -holy places should be left untouched, so that the adjacent mosques -remained to be used as works for the besiegers. The preparations, -within and without, of the garrison were far from complete by the end -of June, when cholera and small-pox appeared among them, to add to the -gloom of their prospects. The buildings about the Residency were now -crowded with people, not only the whole English population of Lucknow, -but refugees from out-stations, who kept coming in for their lives. The -worst tidings reached them from all hands. No sign of help cleared the -threatening horizon. It was still open to Lawrence to abandon the city, -retreating under protection of his one European regiment and his guns. -But he took the boldest for the best policy, and kept the British flag -floating over its capital when all the rest of Oudh was in unrestrained -rebellion.</p> - -<p>He even judged himself strong enough, or was unluckily persuaded, -to strike a blow outside his defences. Hearing that the vanguard of -a Sepoy army had reached Chinhut, a few miles from Lucknow, on the -last day of June, he marched out against them with some seven hundred -men, hoping to scatter the mutineers before they could enter the -city. But, un<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span>expectedly, he found himself assailed by overwhelming -numbers, for he had been deceived through false information, and it -was a whole army, not their mere advance guard, with which he had to -do. The European soldiers could not long hold out under a burning sun, -when the native cavalry and gunners either fled or went over to the -enemy. The retreat became a shameful rout. The broken band was almost -surrounded, and owed its escape to the gallant charge made by a handful -of mounted volunteers, most of whom here saw their first battle. The -water-carriers, such indispensable attendants in this climate, having -deserted, our men suffered agonies from thirst, and many more might -have perished if the inhabitants had not come out to offer them water, -showing that we had still some friends left. But as Lawrence galloped -on, heavy-hearted, to break the bad news to those left behind in the -Residency, already he found the native population in hasty flight; and -soon an ominous silence made the streets outside our entrenchments like -a city of the dead. It grew lively enough later in the day, when the -victorious Sepoys came pouring in, and then began the long misery of -the defence of Lucknow.</p> - -<p>But that renowned episode shall be treated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> of in a chapter apart. -For the present we pass on to Cawnpore, where another wretched crowd -were already undergoing the horrors of a siege, and had earnestly -begged from Lucknow the help it could not spare. Their sufferings and -fate should be fully told, as an epitome of the Mutiny's most painful -features.</p> - -<p>Cawnpore, though no such splendid historic city as Delhi or Lucknow, -was an important military station, with a force of some three hundred -English soldiers, counting officers and invalids, to ten times as many -Sepoys. At Bithoor, about twelve miles up the Ganges, was the palace -of that wily and cruel Hindoo who, under the title of Nana Sahib, -became so widely known as the villain of a great tragedy. Adopted -son of the dethroned Mahratta potentate entitled the Peshwa, and -left a rich man by inheriting his wealth, he had a grievance against -our Government in its refusal to continue to him the ample pension -paid to the late Peshwa, whose heir by adoption, by foul play if all -stories are true, was, however, recognized as Maharajah of Bithoor, and -allowed to keep up a sumptuous court among some hundreds of idle and -insolent retainers. To ventilate his wrongs, Nana Sahib sent to England -a confidential agent named Azimoolah, a low-born<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> adventurer like -himself, who by dint of shrewdness and impudence made an extraordinary -impression on London society. This part of his career reads like a -comic romance, and seems indeed to have suggested to Thackeray the -Rummun Loll of <i>The Newcomes</i>. But, though petted and flattered by -English fine ladies, Azimoolah could get no satisfaction from men in -office; then returned to his employer, during the Crimean War, with a -report that England was likely to be humbled by Russia.</p> - -<p>The Nana dissembled his resentment, and appeared to have given himself -up to a life of pleasure, in which degrading Oriental sensualities were -strangely mixed with an affectation of European tastes. Yet, while -pretending friendship with the English, and leading them to think him a -good-natured, jovial fellow, whose main ambition was to cultivate their -society, this dissembler, it seems, secretly nursed the blackest hatred -against his neighbours and frequent guests, biding a time when he might -satisfy the grudge he bore against their race.</p> - -<p>That startling news from Meerut had found our people at Cawnpore -engaged in the tedious round of duty, and the languid efforts to kill -time, which make the life of Anglo-Indians not lucky enough to get away -for the hot weather<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> to bracing hill-stations. Henceforth, they could -not complain of any want of excitement. They had plenty of time for -preparation to meet the danger, for three weeks passed before it was -upon them.</p> - -<p>The General in command here, Sir Hugh Wheeler, was an Indian veteran of -the older school, who could speak to the Sepoys in their own language, -and, like some other officers of his generation, had become so much one -of themselves as to marry a native woman. Such a man would naturally -be slow to believe his "children"—<i>babalogue</i> the affectionate word -was, that came now to be used rather in scornful irony—capable of -being untrue to their salt. Yet when the demeanour of the Sepoys, -agitated as much by fear and unreasoning excitement, perhaps, as by -deliberate intention to revolt, became too plainly threatening, while -still expressing confidence, Wheeler ordered an entrenchment to be -thrown up and provided with stores, as a refuge for the Europeans in -case of need. So great was his trust in the Maharajah of Bithoor, that -he did not doubt to accept the Nana's assistance. A detachment of his -ragamuffin troops was actually put in charge of the treasury; and there -was some talk of the ladies and children being placed for safety in -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> palace of this traitor, already plotting their ruin. Every night -now they slept within the entrenchment; but the officers of Sepoy -regiments had to show true courage by staying among their men, who -were not so much impressed by this forced show of confidence as by the -distrust of them evident in the preparations for defence.</p> - -<p>At length even Sir Hugh began to take a gloomy view of the situation. -Many of those under him had done so from the first; and most pathetic -it is to read the letters written by some English people to their -friends at home by the last mail that got down to Calcutta—farewell -messages of men and women who felt how any hour now they might be -called on to face death. Before long the roads were all stopped, the -telegraph wires were cut, and almost the only news that reached this -blockaded garrison of what went on around them, was the grim hint -conveyed by white corpses floating down the sacred river, like an -offering to cruel Hindoo gods.</p> - -<p>On the night of June 4 came the long-expected outbreak. Part of the -Sepoys gave themselves up to the usual outrages, breaking open the -jail, plundering the treasury and the magazine. The rest remained quiet -for a time, and one regiment was even falling in upon the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> <i>maidan</i> to -obey its officers, when, with ill-starred haste, Sir Hugh Wheeler had -them fired on from the entrenchment, at which they ran away to join -the mutineers. About eighty, however, were found obstinately faithful. -More than one of the native officers also risked his life in trying -to restrain his men; but others sided with the revolt, among them a -Soubahdar named Teeka Singh, who became its general, the Nana Sahib -being adopted as a figure-head. He at once consented to lead them to -Delhi, and the whole disorderly crew had marched off on the road, when -his crafty counsellor, Azimoolah, is understood to have persuaded him -that instead of going to swell the triumph of a Moslem king, it would -be more to his glory and profit to exterminate the English at Cawnpore, -and set up a Brahmin power of his own. The Nana, in turn, won over -the Sepoys to this view, and next morning they marched back upon the -entrenchment at Cawnpore.</p> - -<p>The English here had been fondly hoping the danger past with the -running away of their Sepoys, and congratulated themselves that, no -longer tied by duty, they would now be able to make their escape down -the river. What was their consternation when that trusted friend of -theirs unmasked himself by sending in to General<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> Wheeler a note, -bidding him to expect an immediate attack! At hasty notice, they fled -within the entrenchment, some just in time; others, lingering or -trusting to concealment, were butchered by the desperadoes, who soon -filled the streets to make themselves a terror to respectable natives -as well as to Europeans. The strength of the disorder here was among -the Hindoos, at whose hands the Mohamedans were like to come ill-off; -and if they had not been united by a common hatred, they would probably -before long have taken to cutting one another's throats.</p> - -<p>After spending the forenoon in pillage, murder, and arson, the rebel -army came forward to the bombardment of that weak entrenchment, which -was to endure a siege seldom surpassed for misery and disaster. Sir -Hugh Wheeler is judged to have made a fatal mistake in not possessing -himself of the magazine, a strong position, which, with all its -contents, he abandoned, rather than irritate the Sepoys by taking it -out of their hands, and thus, perhaps, drive them into revolt. He -seems not to have reckoned on any serious attack. The fortress he had -provided was the buildings of a hospital and some unfinished barracks, -surrounded by a low mud wall, standing out in the open plain, and -com<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>manded on all sides by substantial edifices, at a few hundred -yards' distance, to give cover for the besiegers, who soon surrounded -it with batteries of our own heavy guns, while the defenders had -mounted only a few nine-pounders. Within such slight defences were -huddled some thousand Christian souls, four hundred of them fighting -men. They had plenty of muskets and rifles, but sorely needed every -other means of defence.</p> - -<p>For now broke over these poor people a storm of cannon-balls and -bullets, pouring upon them all day like the slaughtering rays of the -sun overhead, and hardly ceasing by night, when they must steal forth -in wary silence to hide away their dead. At first every crashing shot -called forth shrieks of alarm from the women and children; but soon -they grew too well accustomed to the deadly din. In two or three days -all the buildings which gave them shelter were riddled through and -through. There was no part of the enclosure where flying missiles and -falling brickwork did not work havoc, as well as upon the thin circle -of defenders exposing themselves behind the wretched walls. By the -end of a week all the artillerymen had been killed or wounded beside -their ill-protected guns. But the sick, too, were put out of pain, in -whatever corners they might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> be laid. Children fell dead at play, their -mothers in nursing them. One shot struck down husband, wife and child -at once. Another carried off the head of General Wheeler's sick son, -before the eyes of his horrified family. Two men and seven women were -the victims of a single shell. An important out-work was the unfinished -barrack, garrisoned by less than a score of men, few of whom ever left -that post unhurt. Yet all did their duty as manfully as if not robbed -by continual alarms of their nightly rest, with brave hearts tormented -night and day by fear for their patient dear ones.</p> - -<p>Foremost among so many heroes was Captain Moore of the 32nd, who -seems to have been looked on as the soul of the defence, ever present -at the sorest need, and never seen but to leave "men something more -courageous, and women something less unhappy." We recognize another -Greatheart of a different order in Mr. Moncrieff, the chaplain, -unsparing of himself to cheer the living and soothe the dying with -words to which none now could listen in careless ease. Few and short, -indeed, were the prayers which that Christian flock could make over -their dead, stealthily buried by night in an empty well without the -rampart. Another well within proved more perilous than that of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> -Bethlehem, from which David longed to drink. This was the garrison's -one supply of water, and the ruthless enemy trained guns upon it, -firing even by night as soon as they heard the creaking of the tackle. -When the Hindoo water-carriers had all been killed, or scared away, -soldiers were paid several rupees for every pail they drew at the risk -of their lives. A brave civilian named Mackillop, declaring himself no -fighting man, undertook this post of honour, held only for a few days. -In the heat of June, on that dusty plain, no fainting woman or crying -child could have a drink of water, but at the price of blood. Washing -was out of the question—a severe hardship in such a climate.</p> - -<p>Water was not the sole want of our country-people, to many of whom the -Indian summer had hitherto seemed scarcely endurable through the help -of ice, effervescing beverages, apartments darkened and artificially -cooled. After a week, the thatched roof of their largest building was -set on fire by night, its helpless inmates hardly saved amid a shower -of bullets poured on the space lit up by the flames. With this was -destroyed the store of drugs and surgical instruments, so that little -henceforth could be done for the sick and wounded.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> Another time the -wood-work of a gun kindled close to the store of ammunition; then young -Lieutenant Delafosse, exposing himself to the cannon turned upon this -perilous spot, lay down beneath the blazing carriage, tore out the -fire, and stifled it with earth before it could spread.</p> - -<p>Many of that crowd had now to lie in the open air, or in what holes and -corners they could find for shade, exposed to the sun, and threatened -by the approach of the rainy season. A plague of flies made not the -least of the sufferings by which some were driven mad. They found -the stench of dead animals almost intolerable. Their provisions soon -began to run short; they were put on scanty rations of bad flour and -split-peas. Now and then, sympathizing or calculating townsfolk managed -to smuggle to them by night a basket of bread or some bottles of milk, -but such god-sends would not go far among so many. A mongrel dog, a -stray horse, a vagrant sacred bull, venturing near the entrenchment, -was sure to fall a welcome prey. But no expedient could do more than -stave off the starvation close at hand for them. Worst of all, the -ammunition was not inexhaustible. Such balls as they had would no -longer fit the worn-out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> guns. Then the ladies offered their stockings -to be filled with shot. But guns failed before cartridges. At length -there were only two left serviceable, when a quarter of the defenders -had perished, and still the foe rained death all around the frail -refuge, of which one who saw it a few weeks later says: "I could not -have believed that any human beings could have stood out for one day in -such a place. The walls, inside and out, were riddled with shot; you -could hardly put your hand on a clear spot. The ditch and wall—it is -absurd to call it a fortification—any child could have jumped over; -and yet behind these for three weeks the little force held their own." -This is the report of Lady Inglis, herself fresh from the perils of -Lucknow, which she judged slight in proportion.</p> - -<p>Several times dashing sorties were made to silence the most troublesome -batteries, or drive away the marksmen who swarmed like rats in adjacent -buildings. Thrice the enemy emboldened themselves to an assault, which -was easily repulsed, though under the shelter of cotton-bales, pushed -before them, a number of Sepoys contrived to advance close up to the -entrenchment. They were better served by their spies, who let them -know how losses and starv<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>ation must soon give the garrison into their -hands without any cost of onslaught. One after another of our men stole -out in disguise, vainly commissioned to seek help from Allahabad. Most -of these emissaries were caught and ill-treated. More than one native -messenger did get through to Lucknow; but with a sore heart Sir Henry -Lawrence had to deny the appeal of his beleaguered countrymen, knowing -by this time that it was all he could do to hold his own. The only -reinforcement that reached Cawnpore was one young officer, who came -galloping through the fire of the enemy, and leaped the wall to bring -the news how his comrades had failed to make the same lucky escape. -Other fugitives, seeking this poor place of refuge, were murdered on -the way. Meanwhile, the ranks of the besiegers were daily swollen by -all the scoundrelism of the district and by the followers of rebellious -chiefs, eager to avenge the wrongs of their subjection to British rule.</p> - -<p>Yet with them also things went not so smoothly as at first. The booty, -over which they were apt to quarrel, began to be exhausted. The Sepoys -could hardly be brought to face the wall of fire that ever girdled -their desperate victims. The dissensions among rival<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> believers grew -strong. Their leader, jealous and suspicious of the increasing power -of the Moslem party, was impatient to seal his authority in the blood -of those stubborn Christians. Force failing so long, he fell back on -treachery. When the siege had lasted three weeks, the garrison received -a grandiloquent summons from Nana Sahib, proposing surrender on -condition of receiving a safe passage to Allahabad.</p> - -<p>General Wheeler was inclined to scorn this offer; but Moore and others, -who had well earned the right to advise prudence, urged that no -chivalrous pride should prevent them considering the inevitable fate -of so many non-combatants. Their provisions were almost at an end. -Trust in such an enemy might be doubtful, but it was the one hope of -life for the women and children, if no relief came, and whence could it -come? Had they only themselves to care for, these officers might have -cut a way through their mutinous Sepoys. As it was, they stooped to -negotiate, and on June 26th agreed to deliver up their battered works -and guns, the Nana consenting that they should march out under arms, -and promising means of conveyance and victuals to carry them down the -river. The only difficulty was a demand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> on his part to take possession -the same night; but when the English plenipotentiaries threatened to -blow up their magazine rather, he gave in to let them wait till next -morning. Through the night he was busy with his cruel counsellors, and -to one named Tantia Topee, afterwards better known as a rebel general, -he committed the execution of the blackest plot in this dark history.</p> - -<p>That night our country-people slept their first quiet sleep for long, -which to most of them was to be their last on earth. To some this -strange stillness seemed disquieting after the din of three dreadful -weeks. Early in the morning, gathering up what valuables and relics -of the terrible sojourn could be borne away, they left their ruined -abode with mingled emotions, on litters, carriages, and elephants, or -marching warily in front and rear of the long train, were escorted -down to the river by soldiers, now the Nana's, lately their own, amid -a vast crowd of half-scowling, half-wondering natives. The Ghaut, or -landing-steps, lay nearly a mile off, approached through the dry bed -of a torrent lined at its mouth with houses and timber. About this -hollow way Tantia Topee had concealed hundreds of men and several guns. -As soon as the head of that slow procession<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> reached the river-side, -a bugle sounded, a line of Sepoys closed the head of the ravine to -cut off retreat, and from every point of cover there broke forth a -murderous roar as thousands of balls and bullets were hailed upon the -entrapped crowd below.</p> - -<p>The embarkation had already begun; the foremost of the English had -laid their arms in the boats, and taken off their coats to the work; -the wounded and children were being lifted on board and placed under -the thatched roofs of these clumsy vessels. But at that signal the -boatmen had all deserted, after setting the thatch on fire, and some -unhappy creatures were burned to death, while others plunged into the -water, vainly seeking escape from the balls splashing around them. On -land also a fearful slaughter was going on. Some of the Englishmen -tried to return the fire; some laboured to push off the boats, which -had purposely been stuck fast in the sand. Only three were launched, -one of which drifted across to the opposite bank, and there fell into -the hands of another band of slaughterers. The second appears to have -made a little way down the river before being disabled by a round -shot. The third got off clear, floating along the sluggish current, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> -target for ambushed cannon and musketry, through which swam several -brave men, some to sink beneath the reddened stream, some to reach that -sole ark of deliverance. The rest remained at the traitor's mercy. -After most of them had been shot down, their false escort of troopers -dashed into the water to finish the bloody work, stabbing women and -tearing children in pieces. The General was butchered here, with his -young daughter, unless, as would appear from some accounts, Sir Hugh -survived in a dying state on board the escaped boat. Here died the -chaplain, beginning a prayer. A whole girls' school and their mistress -perished wretchedly. Nearly five hundred in all must have fallen on the -banks or in that fatal ravine, when a messenger arrived from the Nana, -ordering to kill the men, but to spare such women and children as still -survived. A hundred and twenty-five, half dead with terror, drenched -with mud and blood, were collected from the carnage and brought to -Cawnpore.</p> - -<p>The one boat which had escaped was crowded with about a hundred -persons, dead and living, including some of the chief heroes of the -defence. There is no more thrilling tale in fiction than the adventures -of that hopeless crew. They had no oars; their rudder was soon broken -by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> a shot. Paddling with bits of plank, they slowly drifted down the -Ganges, fired at from either bank. More than once they stuck fast in -the sand, and at night the women had to be disembarked before the -cumbrous craft could be got off. By daylight they had come only a few -miles from Cawnpore. Again were they attacked from the bank, and found -themselves pursued by a boat filled with armed men. The torrential -rains of an Indian summer burst upon them. They were obliged to tear -off the thatched roof of the boat, as the enemy had tried to set it on -fire. The second night found them helplessly aground; but a hurricane -came to their aid, and the boat floated off before morning, only to -drift into a backwater. There they grounded once more, and the enemy -soon gathered about them in overpowering numbers.</p> - -<p>Some dozen men, under Lieutenant Mowbray Thomson, waded on shore to -beat back the assailants, while the rest made an effort to shove off -the boat. This little party, sent out on what seemed a forlorn hope, -in the end furnished the only survivors; their leader was one of four -who lived to tell the tale. Desperately charging the mob of Sepoys -and peasants on the bank, they drove them back for some distance, but -soon found themselves sur<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>rounded by overwhelming numbers. Without the -loss of a man, however, though not without wounds, they cut their way -back to the shore, to find the boat gone. Expecting to catch it up, -they pushed on down the stream, but could see nothing of it, and had -to shift for themselves as best they could. Spread out in open order -to give less mark for bullets, they held together, loading and firing -upon the rabble that pressed at their heels, yet not too near, like a -cowardly pack of wolves. When the hunted Englishmen had toiled some -two or three miles barefoot over rough ground, a temple appeared in -the distance, for which the officer shaped his course. Mowbray Thomson -himself, in his <i>Story of Cawnpore</i>, describes the last stand made here -by this remnant of its garrison.</p> - -<p>"I instantly set four of the men crouching in the doorway with bayonets -fixed, and their muskets so placed as to form a <i>cheval-de-frise</i> in -the narrow entrance. The mob came on helter-skelter, in such maddening -haste that some of them fell or were pushed on to the bayonets, and -their transfixed bodies made the barrier impassable to the rest, upon -whom we, from behind our novel defence, poured shot upon shot into the -crowd. The situation was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> the more favourable to us, in consequence of -the temple having been built upon a base of brickwork three feet from -the ground, and approached by steps on one side....</p> - -<p>"Foiled in their attempts to enter our asylum, they next began to dig -at its foundation; but the walls had been well laid, and were not so -easily to be moved as they expected. They now fetched faggots, and from -the circular construction of the building they were able to place them -right in front of the doorway with impunity, there being no window or -loop-hole in the place through which we could attack them, nor any -means of so doing, without exposing ourselves to the whole mob at -the entrance. In the centre of the temple there was an altar for the -presentation of gifts to the presiding deity; his shrine, however, -had not lately been enriched, or it had more recently been visited by -his ministering priests, for there were no gifts upon it. There was, -however, in a deep hole in the centre of the stone which constituted -the altar, a hollow with a pint or two of water in it, which, although -long since putrid, we baled out with our hands, and sucked down with -great avidity. When the pile of faggots had reached the top of the -doorway, or nearly so, they set them on fire,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> expecting to suffocate -us; but a strong breeze kindly sent the great body of the smoke away -from the interior of the temple. Fearing that the suffocating sultry -atmosphere would be soon insupportable, I proposed to the men to sell -their lives as dearly as possible; but we stood until the wood had -sunk down into a pile of embers, and we began to hope that we might -brave out their torture till night (apparently the only friend left -us) would let us get out for food and attempted escape. But their next -expedient compelled an evacuation; for they brought bags of gunpowder, -and threw them upon the red-hot ashes. Delay would have been certain -suffocation—so out we rushed. The burning wood terribly marred our -bare feet, but it was no time to think of trifles. Jumping the parapet -we were in the thick of the rabble in an instant; we fired a volley and -ran a-muck with the bayonet."</p> - -<p>One by one, making for the river, most of the poor fellows were shot -down, some before reaching it, some while swimming for their lives. -Most thankful was Mowbray Thomson now that a year or two before he -had spent a guinea on learning to swim at the Holborn Baths. Only he, -Lieutenant Delafosse, and two Irish privates escaped both the yelling -crowd<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> that thronged the bank, and not more cruel alligators that -lurked here in the blood-stained water. Stripping themselves as they -went, they swam on for two or three hours, the current helping to carry -them away till the last of their pursuers dropped off; then they could -venture to rest, up to their necks in water, plunging into the stream -again at every sound. At length, utterly exhausted by fatigue and want -of food, they saw nothing for it but to let themselves be dragged out -by a band of natives, whose professions of friendliness they hardly -credited, yet found them friends indeed. These four sole survivors of -our force at Cawnpore were sheltered by a humane rajah till they could -be safe in Havelock's ranks.</p> - -<p>"When you got once more among your countrymen, and the whole terrible -thing was over, what did you do first?" Thomson came to be asked, years -afterwards; and his answer was, "Why, I went and reported myself as -present and ready for duty."</p> - -<p>Their less fortunate comrades in the boat, captured after such -resistance as could be offered by its famished and fainting crew, -had been taken back to Cawnpore. The men were ordered to be shot. -One of the officers said a few prayers; they shook hands all round -like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> Englishmen; the Sepoys fired, and finished the work with their -swords. The women had to be dragged away from their husbands before -this execution could be done. To the number of about thirty, including -children, they were added to that band of captives in the Nana's hands, -which presently became increased by another party of hapless fugitives -from Futtehgurh, hoping here at last to find safety after an ordeal of -their own, as we have already seen.</p> - -<p>The fate of these prisoners is too well known. Some two hundred in -all, they were confined for more than a fortnight within sight of -the house where the Nana celebrated his doubtful triumph, under the -coveted title of Peshwa, which he had now conferred upon himself. In -want and woe, ill-fed, attended by "sweepers," that degraded caste -whose touch is taken for pollution, they had to listen to the revelry -of their tyrant's minions, and some were called on to grind corn for -him, as if to bring home to them their slavish plight. Still, the -worst was delayed. Probably the Nana had once meant to hold them as -hostages. But as his affairs grew more disquieting, through the hate -of rival pretenders, and the defeat of his troops before Havelock, -perhaps enraged to fury perhaps rightly calculating that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> British -were urged on to such irresistible efforts by the hope of rescuing his -captives, he resolved on a crime, for which the chief ladies of his own -household, the widows of the adopted father to whom he owed everything, -heathen as they were, are said to have called shame upon him, and -threatened to commit suicide if he murdered any more of their sex.</p> - -<p>The avenging army was now at hand, not to be frightened away by the -roar of the idle salutes by which the Nana would fain have persuaded -himself and others that he was indeed a mighty conqueror. Before going -out to meet it on July 15th, he gave the order which has for ever -loaded his name with infamy.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> A few men, still suffered to live among -the prisoners, were summoned forth. With them came the biggest of the -boys, a lad of fourteen, fatally ambitious not to be counted among -women and children. These were soon disposed of. Soon afterwards, a -band of Sepoys were sent to fire into the house packed with its mob -of helpless inmates; but the mutineers, who had done many a bloody<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> -deed, seem to have shrank from this. Half-a-dozen of them fired a few -harmless shots, taking care to aim at the ceiling. Then were brought -up five ruthless ruffians, fit for such work, two of them butchers by -trade. By the quickly gathering gloom of Indian twilight, they entered -the shambles, sword in hand; and soon shrieks and entreaties, dying -down to groans through the darkness, told how these poor Christians -came to an end of their sorrows. Proud, delicate English ladies, dusky -Eurasians, sickly children, the night fell upon them all, never to see -another sun.</p> - -<p>One day more, and these unfortunates might have heard the guns of their -advancing deliverer. After a succession of arduous combats, toiling -through deep slush and sweltering air, Havelock had come within a few -miles of Cawnpore, to find Nana Sahib waiting to dispute the passage -with more than thrice his own numbers drawn up across the road. Very -early in the morning, the British soldiers had been roused from their -hungry bivouac in the open air. What their chief had to tell them -was how he had heard of women and children still alive in Cawnpore; -his clear voice broke into a sob as he cried, "With God's help, men, -we shall save them, or every man of us die in the attempt!" The men<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> -answered with three cheers, and needed no word of command to set out -under the moonlight.</p> - -<p>The sun rose upon the hottest day they had yet had to struggle through. -A march of sixteen miles, that in itself was a trying day's work for -India, brought them in sight of the enemy. Taken in flank by a careful -manÅ“uvre, the Sepoys were rolled up before the onrush of the Rossshire -Buffs, and not now for the first or last time, had terror struck to -their hearts by the fierce strains of the Highland bagpipe. Twice they -rallied, but twice again our men drove them from their guns, to which -English and Scots raced forward in eager rivalry. The blowing up of -the Cawnpore magazine proclaimed a complete defeat. When night fell, -the cowardly tyrant was flying amid his routed troops, and the weary -Britons dropped to sleep on the ground they had won, cheered by hopes -that the prize of the victory would be the lives of their country-folk.</p> - -<p>It is said that on the night of this battle of Cawnpore, Havelock -himself learned how he had come too late; but, in any case, his -thousand men or less were not fit to be led a step further. Next day, -when they entered the deserted city, their ranks began to be saddened -by vague rumours of the tragedy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> they had toiled and bled to avert. -But they could not realize the horror of it, till some Highlanders, -prowling in search of drink or booty, came upon the house where their -shoes plashed in blood and the floor was strewn with gory relics, -strips of clothing, long locks of hair, babies' shoes and pinafores, -torn leaves of paper, all soaked or stained with the same red tokens of -what had been done within those walls. The trail of blood led them to -a well in the court-yard, filled to the brim with mangled corpses—a -sight from which brave men burst away in passionate tears and curses.</p> - -<p>Over that gruesome spot now stands a richly-sculptured monument, where -emblems of Christian faith and hope seem to speak peace to the souls of -the victims buried beneath its silent marble. But who can wonder if, -by such an open grave, our maddened soldiers then forgot all teachings -of their creed, swearing wild oaths—oaths too well kept—to take -vengeance on the heathen that thus made war with helpless women and -children! Yet more worthy of our true greatness are the words of one -who has eloquently chronicled the atrocities of Cawnpore, to draw from -them the lesson, that upon their most deep-dyed scenes each Englishman -should rather "breathe a silent petition for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> grace to do in his -generation some small thing towards the conciliation of races estranged -by a terrible memory"—alas! by more than one such memory.</p> - -<p>Having reached Cawnpore too late, in spite of their utmost exertions, -our small army had now before it the greater task of relieving Lucknow, -believed to be in the utmost straits. But inevitable delays bridled -their impatience. The Nana's troops were still in force not far off.</p> - -<p>Even far in Havelock's rear, within a day's railway journey from -Calcutta, there was an outbreak which had to be put down by the -reinforcements hurrying up to his aid. Before we return to the siege -of Delhi, a minor episode here should be related as one of the most -gallant actions of the Mutiny, and yet no more than a characteristic -sample of what Englishmen did in those days.</p> - -<p>On July the 25th the Sepoys at Dinapore mutinied, and though stopped -from doing much mischief there by the presence of European troops, -managed to get safe away, as at Meerut, through the incapacity of a -General unfit for command. Marching some twenty-five hundred strong -to Arrah, a small station in the neighbourhood, they released the -prisoners, plundered the treasury, and were joined by a mob of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> -country-people, at the head of whom placed himself an influential and -discontented nobleman named Koer Singh.</p> - -<p>But here the few Europeans were prepared for the trial that now came -upon them. The women and children being sent out of danger, a small -house belonging to Mr. Wake, the magistrate, had been put in a state -of defence, and stored with food and ammunition. It was an isolated -building of one large room, used as a billiard-room, with cellars and -arches below, and a flat roof protected by a parapet. Into this, the -Englishmen, not twenty in number, betook themselves, with some fifty -faithful Sikhs; and, almost all the former being sportsmen, if not -soldiers, they kept up such a fire as taught the enemy to be very -careful how they came too near their little stronghold.</p> - -<p>The siege, however, was hotly pushed. A rain of balls fell, day and -night, on the defences, behind which, strange to say, only a single -man was seriously wounded, though the Sepoys fired from a wall not -twenty yards off, and from the surrounding trees and the ditch of the -compound. Two small cannon were brought to bear on the house, one from -the roof of a bungalow which commanded it. An attempt had first been -made to carry it by storm, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> the defenders were so active at their -loop-holes that the assailants did not care to try again. Other means -failing, they set fire to a heap of red pepper on the windward side, -hoping to smoke out the garrison. A not less serious annoyance was -the stench of dead horses shot underneath the walls. But Wake and his -brave band held out doggedly, and would not listen to any proposal for -surrender.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, their friends at Dinapore were eager to make an effort for -their relief. With some difficulty, the consent of the sluggish General -was won, and over four hundred men steamed down the Ganges to land at -the nearest point to Arrah. By bright moonlight they struck out over -the flooded country. But the night-march was too hurried and careless. -The relieving force, fired on from an ambush, fell into disastrous -confusion, turned back, fighting their way into the boats, and got away -with the loss of half their number. Yet, in that scene of panic and -slaughter, some fugitives so distinguished themselves that two Victoria -Crosses were earned on the retreat.</p> - -<p>The besieged soon learned how their hopes of succour had been dashed -down, and might well have given themselves up to despair. When the -siege had lasted a week, it appeared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> not far from an end. The enemy -were found to be running a mine against them. Water had luckily been -dug down to under the house, but their food began to fail. Then, -looking out on the morning of August 3, expecting perhaps to see the -sun rise for the last time, to their astonishment they discovered -no one to prevent them from sallying forth and capturing the sheep -which had been feeding in the compound under their hungry eyes. The -beleaguering Sepoys had unaccountably vanished.</p> - -<p>Help was indeed at hand from another side. Vincent Eyre, a hero of -the Afghan war, had been moving to their relief with not two hundred -men and three guns. Though on the way he heard of the repulse of the -Dinapore detachment, more than twice his own strength, he did not turn -back. Making for an unfinished railway embankment as the best road to -Arrah, he encountered Koer Singh's whole force of two or three thousand -Sepoys and an unnumbered rabble, who crowded upon the little band, -and must soon have swept them away by the mere weight of bullets. But -the Englishmen charged into the thick of the crowd, and this time it -was the enemy's turn to fly in dismay. Next day, the garrison of that -billiard-room joyfully hailed the friends who had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> thus marvellously -relieved them; and it is hard to say which had more right to be proud -of their feat of arms. Koer Singh, beaten away from Arrah, nevertheless -long held the field, and did his side good service by keeping the -country in disorder, that helped to delay the advance of our troops to -the fields on which they were so urgently needed.</p> - -<p>Now has to be recorded a curious trait, very characteristic of -Englishmen in India. While Havelock was waiting on the scene of that -woeful massacre, till he should be able to advance, with such saddening -memories fresh about them, with such deadly trials still before them, -the officers kept up their spirits by organizing the "Cawnpore Autumn -Race Meeting," which their pious General thought right to attend. -The fawning or scowling natives, who now were fain at least to make -some show of loyalty, must have thought the ways of Englishmen more -unaccountable than ever.</p> - - - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="ph3">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> It is only fair to say that an attempt has been made so -far to whitewash this hated name by representing the Nana as a dull, -feeble tyrant, who, in this as in other actions, was the servant rather -than the master of his ferocious soldiery.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE FALL OF DELHI</p> - - -<p>Three months the British army lay upon the Ridge running obliquely from -the north-west angle of Delhi—that abrupt height two miles long, whose -steep and broken front formed a natural fortification, strengthened -by batteries and breast-works, among which the prominent points were -at a house known as Hindoo Rao's, on the right of the position, and -the Flagstaff Tower on the left, commanding the road to the Cashmere -Gate of the city. The rear was protected by a canal that had to be -vigilantly guarded, all the bridges broken down but one. The right -flank was defended by strong works crowning that end of the ridge; the -left rested on the straggling sandy bed of the Jumna, over-flooded by -summer rains. The whole army, after the arrival of reinforcements in -June, numbered not six thousand fighting men, a force barely sufficient -to maintain such an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> extended line, even if a fifth of them had not -been in hospital at once. Yet they not only held their own, but pushed -their outposts far across the debatable plain between them and the -city, seizing on the right an important point in the "Sammy House," the -soldiers' slang name for a temple, and on their left recovering the -grounds of Metcalf House, a splendid mansion that for weeks had been -given up to the destructive hands of the rebels, who here spoiled one -of the finest libraries in India.</p> - -<p>As already pointed out, this was a complete reversal of the ordinary -conditions of warfare. An army far inferior in numbers to its enemy -attacked one corner of a city, six miles in circumference, open on all -other sides to supplies of every kind, while the besiegers had much -ado to keep up their own communications through a disturbed country, -besides defending themselves against almost daily sallies of the -nominally besieged. They were sorely tried by sickness, by deadly heat, -then by wet weather that turned the river into an unwholesome swamp, -and by a plague of flies swarming about the camp, with its abundant -feast of filth and carrion. They were ill-provided with the means to -carry on their urgent enterprise. Their lines were filled with spies -among the native soldiers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> and camp-followers, who, at the best, only -half wished them well. Everything they did, even what was designed in -secret, seemed to be known presently at Delhi, so that the garrison -were found prepared for all our movements; and thus the fresh plan of -an assault in July had to be given up.</p> - -<p>Even the irregular cavalry, judged for the most part more trusty than -the foot Sepoys, came under strong suspicion when, by its connivance, -as was believed, a band of the enemy's horse one day broke suddenly -into the camp, causing a good deal of confusion, but were driven out -before they could do much mischief. Other faithless servants were -caught tampering with the artillery. But, in spite of all difficulties -and discouragements, Lawrence's energetic support kept General -Wilson sticking like a leech to his post, cautiously standing on the -defensive, restoring the somewhat impaired discipline of his harassed -ranks, and waiting till he should be strong enough to strike a decisive -blow. The last thing to be thought of was retreat, for that signal -of our discomfiture would have run like the Fiery Cross throughout -Hindoostan.</p> - -<p>We, too, had our spies, through whom we knew that those within the -city were not without their troubles. There were quarrels between<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> the -devotees of the two hostile creeds, and between ambitious rivals for -command. The old king, a puppet in the hands of his turbulent soldiery, -might well sigh for peace. He wrote plaintive poetry describing his -gilded woes; he talked of abdicating, of becoming a humble pilgrim, -of giving himself up to the English; it is said that he even offered -to admit our men at one of the gates, but this chance may have seemed -too good to be trusted. The princes of his family began to think -of making terms for themselves with the inevitable conquerors. The -inhabitants were spoiled and oppressed by the Sepoys, vainly clamouring -for the high pay they had been promised. Different regiments taunted -one another's cowardice; but after one or two trials found themselves -indisposed again to face our batteries without the walls.</p> - -<p>When by the end of July, the fugitives from Cawnpore and elsewhere came -dropping into Delhi with alarming accounts of Havelock's victories—of -strange, terribly-plumed and kilted warriors, never seen before;<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> -of mysterious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> Enfield rifle-balls that would kill at an unheard-of -distance—the mutineers lost heart more and more, and in turn went on -deserting from their new service; though there would still be a stream -of reinforcements from those broken bodies which no longer cared to -keep the open country.</p> - -<p>To make up for want of real success, their leaders strove to inflame -them by lying proclamations of victory and incitements to their -superstitious zeal. The beginning of August brought in one of the great -Mohamedan festivals, and this opportunity was taken to work up their -enthusiasm for a fierce onslaught against our positions, from which, -however, Sepoy and sowar once more rolled back disheartened, though one -party had succeeded in pushing up almost to our left works, yelling out -their religious watchwords, "Deen! Deen! Allah! Allah Achbar!" that -could not silence the resolute British cheers. Another grand attack was -attempted at the rear, but heaven seemed on our side rather than that -of the Moslem fanatics, for an opportune deluge of rain swelled the -canal to a torrent and swept away their attempts at bridging it. Every -effort on their part was foiled, while to the right we made progress -in mastering the Kissengunge suburb,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> and on the left pushed forward -half-a-mile from Metcalf House to seize the enemy's guns at a building -called Ludlow Castle, formerly the Commissioner's residence, which lay -almost under the city walls.</p> - -<p>On August 7 a powder-magazine blew up on the further side of Delhi, -killing hundreds of men. This disaster was the more appalling to the -rebels when they learned that a heavy siege-train was advancing to -remount our feeble batteries. Six thousand men sallied forth, making -a circuit far to our rear in hope to cut off the train. But their -movements had been watched. They were followed and defeated with -heavy loss, the first exploit of Nicholson, who arrived with his -Punjaub column about the middle of August to put new vigour into the -attack. This officer, still young for command, had years before won a -reputation far beyond his age; and now, as soon as he appeared on the -scene of action, seems to have made himself felt as its moving spirit, -so much so, that in the story of it, his eager vehemence stands out -as too much throwing into the shade the caution supplied by General -Wilson, unduly disparaged by Nicholson' admirers. We had need at once -here of prudence and of valour in the highest degree.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span></p> - -<p>At length the slow siege-train, drawn by a hundred elephants, after so -long, literally, sticking in the mud, came up on September 3rd. On the -Ridge all was ready for it. Works sprang up like mushrooms, and in a -few days forty heavy guns began playing upon the northern face of the -city. Batteries were pushed forward to almost within musket-shot; then, -day by day, the massive walls and bastions were seen crashing into -ruins at several points. Formidable as they were in older warfare, they -did not resist modern artillery so well as less pretentious earthworks -might have done.</p> - -<p>By the 13th two breaches seemed practicable. That night four young -engineer officers, with a few riflemen, stole up through the jungle -to the Cashmere Bastion, passing behind the enemy's skirmishers. They -dropped into the ditch unseen, and had almost mounted the broken wall -when discovered by its sentries, whose random shots whizzed about them -as they ran back to report that a way was open for the stormers.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus04.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> PLAN OF DELHI<br /> - -Page 144.</p> - -<p>The assault was at once ordered for three o'clock of that morning, -September 14. Under cover of darkness, the troops eagerly advanced in -four columns, the first, led by Nicholson, against the breach near the -Cashmere Bastion; the second directed upon another breach at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> -Water Bastion; the third to storm the Cashmere Gate, after it had been -blown up; while the fourth, far to the right, should attack the Lahore -Gate, through the Kissengunge suburb.</p> - -<p>A reserve followed the first three columns, ready to follow up their -success; and the 60th Rifles, scattered through wooded ground in front, -were to keep down the fire of the enemy from the walls. The cavalry -and horse artillery, under Sir Hope Grant, held themselves ready for -repulsing any sortie to which our ill-guarded camp would now lie -exposed.</p> - -<p>The whole army numbered under nine thousand men, rather more than -a third of them English soldiers. There was a contingent of native -allies from Cashmere, who did not give much assistance when it came to -fighting. Our Punjaubee auxiliaries, however, proved more serviceable, -burning for the humiliation and spoil of this Moslem Sanctuary, against -which the Sikhs bore an old religious grudge.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately there came about some delay, and daylight had broken -before the three left columns were ready to advance from Ludlow Castle, -under a tremendous artillery fire from both sides. The advantage of a -surprise was thus lost. Suddenly our guns fell silent, a bugle rang -out, and forth dashed the stormers upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> the walls manned to receive -them with fire and steel. Nicholson's column found that something had -been done to repair the breach; and so thick was the hail of bullets -to which they stood exposed in the open, that for several minutes they -could not even gain the ditch, man after man being struck down in -placing the ladders. But, once across that difficulty, they scrambled -up the breach, where the raging and cursing rebels hurled its fragments -down upon them, but, for all their shouts of defiance, did not await a -struggle hand to hand. They fled before the onset, and our men poured -in through the undefended gap.</p> - -<p>The same success, and the same losses, attended the second column, -making good its entry at the Water Bastion. A way for the third had -been opened by a resounding deed of heroism, which struck popular -imagination as the chief feature of this daring assault. The Cashmere -Gate, that from first to last plays such a part in the story of Delhi, -must be blown up to give the assailants passage into the bastion -from which it faces sideways. Lieutenants Home and Salkeld, of the -Engineers, with three sergeants and a bugler, formed the forlorn hope -that dashed up to the gate, each loaded with 25 lbs. of powder in -a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> bag. The enemy were so amazed at this audacity that for a moment -they offered no opposition as the gallant fellows sped across the -shattered drawbridge, and began to lay their bags against the heavy -wood-work of the inner gate. But then from the wicket and from the top -of the gateway they found themselves fired at point-blank, resolutely -completing their task. Home, after his bag was placed, had the luck to -jump into the ditch unhurt. Salkeld was shot in two places, but handed -the portfire to a sergeant, who fell dead. The next man lighted the -fuse at the cost of a mortal wound; and the third sergeant did not save -himself till he saw the train well alight. A bugle-note calling forward -the stormers was drowned in the roar of a terrific explosion, as the -52nd, held in leash for this signal, eagerly sprang on to pour through -the smoking ruins. Thus all three columns, about the same time, had -lodged themselves within the defences.</p> - -<p>While the third column pushed forward into the heart of the city, and -the supporting parties moved up to occupy the points taken, the rest of -the assailants turned to their right by a road which ran at the back -of the ramparts, clearing them as they went, and mastering the Mori -and Cabul Gates from behind; then tried to make<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> their way towards the -Lahore Gate where they hoped to join hands with the fourth column. -But this, repulsed by a slaughterous fire and its leader wounded, had -alone failed in the errand assigned to it. Here, too, the routed Sepoys -rallied within their walls, and brought guns to bear down a narrow lane -in which the progress of Nicholson's column was fatally arrested. The -young General himself, the foremost hero of that day, fell shot through -the body while cheering on his men, and with his life-blood ebbed for -a time the tide of victory that had swept him on hitherto without a -check. He was carried away to die in the camp, yet not till he knew -Delhi to be fully won. His force had to fall back to the Cabul Gate, -and for the meanwhile stand upon the defensive.</p> - -<p>The third column, under Colonel Campbell, had met less opposition in -penetrating straight into the city, guided by Sir Thomas Metcalf, -who, though a civilian, had all along made himself most useful by his -thorough knowledge of the localities. Charging through lanes, bazaars, -and open spaces, they crossed the palace gardens, forced a passage over -the Chandnee Chouk, "Silver Street," the main commercial thoroughfare -of Delhi, and threaded their way by narrow winding streets right up to -the Jumma Musjid,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> or Great Mosque, whose gigantic steps, colonnades -and cupolas tower so majestically over the centre of the Mogul's -capital. But here they were brought to a stand before solid walls and -gates, having neither guns nor powder-bags to break their way further, -while from the buildings around the enemy poured destruction into the -chafing ranks. They had to withdraw to an enclosure, which was held for -an hour and a half under hot fire; and when Colonel Campbell learned -how the other column could not get beyond the Cabul Gate to support -him, he saw nothing for it but to retire upon the ruined English Church -near the Cashmere Gate, as did a party he had detached to occupy the -police office.</p> - -<p>The result of the first day's fighting, then, was that, with a dear -loss of nearly twelve hundred killed and wounded, our soldiers had -ensconced themselves along the north side of the walls, where, throwing -up hasty defences, they prepared to be in turn attacked by a host of -still resolute warriors.</p> - -<p>England's glory was now mingled with England's shame. The crafty foe, -knowing our men's besetting sin, would appear to have purposely strewn -the emptied streets with bottles of wine, beer, and spirits, the most -effectual weapons they could have used, for on them the parched Saxons -fell with such greedy thirst that by next morning a large part of the -army was, in plain English, helplessly drunk, and it seemed hopeless to -attempt any progress that day. Our Sikh and Goorkha auxiliaries, for -their part, thought less of fighting than of securing the long-expected -loot of a city so famed for riches. Had the enemy been more active, he -could have taken such an opportunity of turning victory into ruin by -a resolute diversion in the assailants' rear, two or three miles as -they now were from their slightly guarded camp and base of supplies. -General Wilson, trembling to think that even yet he might have to make -a disastrous retreat, ordered all liquor found to be destroyed, and -took steps to restrain the licence of plundering, which is always a -temptation to disorder for a storming army as well as a cruel terror -for the inhabitants.</p> - -<p>Thanks to his measures, Wednesday the 16th found the force more fit to -follow up its success, and that day ended with a considerable advance -in regaining the city, point after point, against a resistance growing -daily feebler. The arsenal was captured with a great number of guns. -Next day again, still further progress was made; then up to the end of -the week<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a><br /><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> the assailants went on winning their way, street by street, -to the Royal Palace and the Great Mosque. These spacious edifices, as -well as the long-contested Lahore Gate, were easily carried on Sunday, -the 20th, the mass of the rebels having fled by night through the gates -beyond, leaving desolate streets, where the remnant of panic-stricken -inhabitants durst hardly show their faces.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus05.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> <span class="smcap">Tomb of Humayoon, Delhi.</span><br /> -<br /> - <span class="smcap">Ruins of old Delhi.</span><br /> Page 150.</p> - -<p>Everywhere now prevailed ruin and silence over the captured city. For -our soldiers, that Sunday afternoon might at length be a time of rest, -their hard and bloody week's work done when the British flag flew once -more over the palace of the Grand Mogul, and the Queen's health was -triumphantly drunk upon his deserted throne. A wild riot of pillage and -destruction ran through the famous halls, on which is inscribed what -must have now read such a mockery: "If on earth there be a Paradise, it -is here!" To this monument of Oriental splendour, the last monarch of -his race was soon brought a humble captive.</p> - -<p>The old king, who cuts such a pitiful figure throughout those tragic -scenes, refusing to follow the flying troops, with his wife and -family had taken sanctuary in one of the vast lordly tombs that rise -over the buried ruins of old Delhi,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> stretching for leagues beyond -the present limits of the city. Time-serving informers hastened to -betray his refuge to one who had neither fear of peril nor respect for -misfortune. Hodson of Hodson's Horse, a name often prominent in this -history, an old Rugby boy of the Tom Brown days, was a man as to whose -true character the strangest differences of opinion existed even among -those who knew him best; but no one ever doubted his readiness when any -stroke of daring was to be done. The city scarcely mastered, he offered -to go out and seize the king, to which General Wilson consented on the -unwelcome condition that his life should be spared.</p> - -<p>With fifty of his irregular troopers, Hodson galloped off to the tomb, -an enormous mausoleum of red stone, inlaid with marble and surmounted -by a marble dome, its square court-yard enclosed in lofty battlemented -walls with towers and gateways, forming a veritable fortress, which -had indeed, in former days, served as a citadel of refuge. That Sunday -afternoon the sacred enclosure swarmed with an excited multitude, -among whom Hodson and his men stood for two hours, awaiting an answer -to their summons for the king's surrender. Cowering in a dimly-lit -cell within, the unhappy old man was long<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> in making up his mind; but -finally, yielding to the terrified or traitorous councils of those -around him, he came forth with his favourite wife and youngest son, -and gave up his arms, asking from the Englishman's own lips a renewal -of the promise that their lives should be spared. In palanquins they -were slowly carried back to his gorgeous palace, where the descendant -of the Moguls found himself now a prisoner, treated with contempt, and -indebted for his life to the promise of an English officer—a promise -openly regretted by some in the then temper of the conquerors.</p> - -<p>A more doubtful deed of prowess was to make Hodson doubly notorious. -Learning that two of the king's sons and a grandson were still lurking -in that tomb of their ancestors, he went out again next day with a -hundred troopers, and demanded their unconditional surrender. Again -the crowd stood cowed before his haughty courage. Again the fugitives -spent time in useless parley, while, surrounded by thousands of sullen -natives, Hodson bore himself as if he had an army at his back. At -length the princes, overcome by the determination of this masterful -Briton, came forth from their retreat, and gave themselves up to his -mercy. They were placed in a cart, and taken<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> towards the city under -a small guard, Hodson remaining behind for an hour or two to see the -crowd give up its arms, as they actually did at his command; then he -galloped after the captives, and overtook them not far from the walls -of Delhi.</p> - -<p>Thus far all had gone well; but now came the dark feature of the story -that has given rise to so much debate. Hodson's account is that the -mob, which he had hitherto treated with such cool contempt, became -threatening when he had almost reached the Lahore Gate, causing a fear -that the prisoners might even yet be rescued. His accusers assert -that he let himself be overcome by the lust for vengeful slaughter -which then possessed too many a British heart. Riding up to the cart, -he ordered the princes to dismount and strip. Then, in a loud voice -proclaiming them the murderers of English women and children, with his -own hand he shot all three dead. The naked bodies, thus slain without -trial or deliberation, were exposed to public view in the Chandnee -Chouk, as stern warning of what it was to rouse the old Adam in English -nature.</p> - -<p>Wilson's army might now draw a deep breath of relief after successfully -performing such a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> critical operation, the results of which should -be quickly and widely felt. Like a surgeon's lancet, it had at last -been able to prick the festering sore that was the chief head of -far-spread inflammation. The fall of the Mogul's capital was a signal -for rebellion to hide its head elsewhere. Doubtful friends, wavering -allies, were confirmed, as our open enemies were dismayed, by the -tidings which let India's dusky millions know how British might had -prevailed against the proudest defiance.</p> - -<p>At the seat of war, indeed, this good effect was not at once so -apparent as might have been expected; the result being rather to let -loose thousands of desperate Sepoys for roving mischief, while even -hitherto inactive mutineers now rushed into the field as if urged by -resentful fury. But immediate and most welcome was the relief in the -Punjaub, where our power seemed strained to breaking-point by the -tension of delay in an enterprise for which almost all its trustworthy -troops had been drawn away, leaving the country at the mercy of any -sudden rising, such as did take place at two or three points among the -agitated population. But the fear of that danger was lost in the good -news from Delhi, as soon as it could be trusted.</p> - -<p>Not the least trouble of our people in those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> days was the want of -certain news, to let them know how it stood with their cause amid -the blinding waves of rebellion. The mails were stopped or passed -irregularly. Native messengers could not be depended upon, magnifying -the danger through terror, or dissembling it through ill-will; truth -is always a rare commodity in India. Many a tiny letter went and -came rolled in an inch of quill sewed away in the bearer's dress, or -carried in his mouth to be swallowed in an instant, for, if detected, -he was like to be severely punished. Officers were fain to correspond -with each other by microscopic missives written in Greek characters, -a remnant of scholarship thus turned to account against the case of -their falling into hostile hands. The natives, for their part, though -often ill-served by their own ignorance and proneness to exaggeration, -were marvellously quick to catch the rumours of our misfortunes, which -spread from mouth to mouth as by some invisible telegraph. They did not -prove always so ready to appreciate the signs of a coming restoration -of our supremacy, once the tide had turned. All over India the eyes of -white men and black had been fixed eagerly on Delhi; then while English -hearts had become more than once vainly exalted by false rumours of -its fall, when this did take place at length, the population, even of -the sur<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span>rounding country, showed themselves slow to believe in the -catastrophe.</p> - -<p>General Wilson at once followed up his success by sending out a column -under Colonel Greathed to pursue the Sepoys who were making for Oudh. -All went smoothly with this expedition, till Greathed had letters -urgently begging him to turn aside for the relief of Agra, believed to -be threatened by the advance of another army of mutineers from Central -India. By forced marches the column made for Agra, where it arrived on -the morning of October 10, and was received with great jubilation by -the crowd pent up within the walls. But to the end it seemed as if the -drama enacted on that gorgeous scene was destined to have tragi-comic -features. The Agra people, under the mistaken idea that their enemies -had fallen back, gave themselves to welcoming their friends, when -mutual congratulations were rudely interrupted by the arrival, after -all, of the Sepoys, who had almost got into the place without being -observed. Sir George Campbell, so well-known both as an Indian official -and as a member of Parliament, describes the scene of amazement and -confusion that followed. He was at breakfast with a friend who had -ventured to re-occupy his house beyond the walls, when a sound of -firing was heard, at first taken for a salute, but soon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> suggesting -something more serious. Sir George got out his horse, borrowed a -revolver, and galloped down to the parade, on which he found round shot -hopping about like cricket-balls.</p> - -<p>"It turned out that the enemy had completely surprised us. Instead of -retreating, they had that morning marched straight down the metalled -high-road—not merely a surprise party, but the whole force, bag -and baggage, with all their material and many guns, including some -exceedingly large ones; but no one took the least notice of them. -There was a highly-organized Intelligence Department at Agra, who got -unlimited news, true and false, but on this occasion no one brought -any news at all. The only circumstance to favour the advance was that -the high millet crops were on the ground, some of them ten or twelve -feet high, and so the force marching down the road was not so visible -as it would have been at another time. They reached the point where -the road crossed the parade-ground quite unobserved. They probably had -some scouts, and discovering our troops there, arranged themselves and -got their guns in position before they announced themselves to us. The -first attack was made by a few fanatics, who rushed in and cut down two -or three of our men, but were not numerous enough to do material harm. -If the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> enemy's real forces had made a rush in the same way, when no -one expected them, there is no saying what might have happened; but, -fortunately, as natives generally do, they believed in and stuck to -their great guns, and instead of charging in, they opened that heavy -fire which had disturbed us at breakfast."</p> - -<p>The Sepoys, in fact, had also been surprised, not knowing that a -European force had reached Agra before them. Our soldiers at once -got under arms; then a battery of artillery, the 9th Lancers, and a -regiment of Sikhs were first to arrive on the ground. The rest came -up before long, at first in some doubt as to who was friend or foe. A -charge of the enemy's cavalry had almost been taken for our own people -running away. Then these troopers, broken by a charge of the Lancers, -"were galloping about the parade and our men firing at them as if it -were a kind of big battue." Some of the routed sowars got near enough -to the lines to cause a general panic there; and the way to the scene -of action was blocked by men wildly galloping back for the fort, -some of them, it is said, on artillery horses which they had stolen. -"Everybody was riding over everybody else."</p> - -<p>Once the confusion got straightened out, however, the hardened -Delhi troops were not long in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> repelling this unexpected attack. A -tumbrel blew up among the Sepoys, and that seemed to be a sign of -disheartenment for them. They began to give way, making a stand here -and there, but soon fled in complete rout, leaving their baggage and -guns to the victors, who chased them for several miles.</p> - -<p>Sir George Campbell, though a civilian, has to boast of more than one -amusing exploit on this battle-field. In the heat of pursuit, his -horse ran away with him, and, much against his will, carried him right -towards a band of Sepoys hurrying off a train of guns. All he could do -was to wave his sword and shout, partly to bring up assistance, and -partly in the hope of frightening the enemy. It is said that the battle -of Alma was perhaps decided by the accident of Lord Raglan rashly -straying right within the Russian position, when the enemy, seeing an -English general officer and his staff among them, took it for granted -that all must be lost. So it was with these Sepoys, who forthwith ran -away, leaving three guns, which Sir George could claim to have captured -by his single arm, but did not know what to do with them. It occurred -to him to shoot the leading bullock of each gun-team, to prevent the -rest getting away, while he went to seek for assistance; then he found -that his borrowed pistol would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> not go off. In the end, the three -guns were brought back to Agra in triumph, and probably form part of -the show of obsolete artillery and ammunition exhibited to travellers -within the walls of its vast fortress.</p> - -<p>"One more adventure I had which somewhat detracted from my triumph -with the guns. I overtook an armed rebel, not a Sepoy, but a native -matchlock-man; he threw away his gun, but I saw that he had still a -large powder-horn and an old-fashioned pistol in his belt; my blood was -up, and I dealt him a mighty stroke with my sword, expecting to cut -him almost in two, but my swordsmanship was not perfect; he did not -fall dead as I expected; on the contrary, he took off his turban, and -presenting his bare head to me, pointed to a small scratch and said, -'There, Sahib, evidently God did not intend you to kill me, so you may -as well let me off now.' I felt very small; evidently he had the best -of the argument. But he was of a forgiving disposition, and relieved my -embarrassment by cheerful conversation, while he professed, as natives -do, that he would serve me for the rest of his life. I made him throw -away any arms he still had, safe-conducted him to the nearest field, -and we parted excellent friends; but I did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> not feel that I had come -very gloriously out of it. I have never since attempted to use a sword -as an offensive weapon, nor, I think I may say, attempted to take the -life of any fellow-creature."</p> - -<p>Such amusing episodes come welcome in this grimly tragic story. But, -indeed, it is remarkable to note how our countrymen, at the worst, -never quite lost their sense of humour. Some singular proofs of Mark -Tapleyish spirit, under depressing circumstances, are supplied by -Mr. J.W. Sherer's narrative, incorporated in Colonel Maude's recent -<i>Memoirs of the Mutiny</i>. Mr. Sherer, like Edwards, had to run from his -post, and came near to sharing the same woes, but while the latter's -book might be signed <i>Il Penseroso</i>, the other is all <i>L'Allegro</i>. -Looking over Indian papers of that day, among the most dismaying news -and the most painful rumours, one finds squibs in bad verse and rough -jokes, not always in the best taste, directed against officers who -seemed wanting in courage, or stations where the community had given -way to ludicrous panic without sufficient cause. Some unintended -absurdities appear, also, due no doubt to native compositors or to -extraordinary haste, as when one newspaper declares that a certain -regiment has "covered itself with <i>immoral</i> glory!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span></p> - -<p>On the whole, however, editors were more disposed to be bloodthirsty -than facetious. After forty years have put us in a position to look -more calmly on that welter of hate and dread, one reads with a smile -how fiercely the men of pen and ink called out for prompt action, for -rapid movements, for ruthless severities—why was not Delhi taken -at once?—why were reinforcements not hurried up to this point or -that?—what was such and such an officer about that he did not overcome -all resistance as easily as it could be done on paper? The time was now -at hand, when these remonstrances could be made with less unreason. The -rebellion had been fairly got under with the fall of Delhi; and the -rest would mainly be a matter of patience and vigilance, though at one -point the flames still glowed in perilous conflagration.</p> - - - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="ph3">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> When the Highlanders first appeared in India, a report -is said to have spread among the natives that English men running -short, we had sent our women into the field; but the prowess of the new -warriors soon corrected that misapprehension.</p></div></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW</p> - - -<p>The focus of the insurrection was now at Lucknow, where ever since the -end of June the Residency defences had been besieged by the rebels of -Oudh, and thus most serviceably kept engaged a host of fighters, who -might else have marched to turn the wavering scale at Delhi. Apart from -its practical result, the gallantry displayed, both by the much-tried -garrison and by two armies which successfully broke through to their -aid, has marked this defence as one of the principal scenes of the -Indian Mutiny and one of the most stirring episodes in modern history. -Some of the closing scenes of the war, also, long after the Residency -had been gloriously abandoned, came to be enacted round the same spot, -for ever sacred to English valour.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus06.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> <span class="smcap">City of Lucknow.</span><br /> - -Page 164.</p> - -<p>There is no Englishman's heart but must thrill to behold those patches -of blackened and riddled ruin, half-hidden among gorgeous Eastern<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> -flowers, where idle cannon stand now as trophies by the battered walls, -and brown-limbed gardeners water the smooth turf-lawns once drenched -with so brave blood. Set in a beautiful garden, the remnants of the -Residency buildings are preserved no less reverently than the tombs -and monuments of their defenders, over which rises the flowery mound -that bears aloft a white cross sacred to the memory of the Christian -dead, famous and nameless, lying side by side around. Pillars and -tablets carefully record the situation of this and that post, house, -or battery, some hardly traceable now, some mere shells, or no more -than names; but the ground has been so much changed by the clearing -away of <i>débris</i> and the demolition of adjacent structures, that it -is difficult for us to realize the scene, some of the chief actors in -which, years afterwards, found themselves not quite clear as to all its -original features. A model, however, preserved in the Lucknow Museum, -presents the localities restored as far as possible to their original -state, according to the best authorities, giving us some idea of what -this frail fortress was, and exciting our amazement that it held out -for a single day.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span><a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p> - -<p>We must not, then, imagine a citadel enclosed by solid walls like those -of Delhi or the palatial fort at Agra, but a group of buildings widely -scattered round the tower of the Residency, the outer ones turned each -into a defensive work, with its own separate garrison, the gaps between -filled up as means or accidents of situation best allowed. Mud walls, -banks, hedges, ditches, lanes, trees, palisades and barricades, were -all put to use for these irregular and extemporary fortifications, -composed among other materials of carriages, carts, boxes, valuable -furniture, and even a priceless library that went to stop bullets. It -would take too long to give a full description of all the points made -memorable by this siege, such as the Bailey Guard Gate, the Cawnpore -Battery, the Sikh Square, Gubbins' House, the Church Post, the Redan, -which formed the most salient features of the circle marked out for -defence. The hastily thrown-up bastions were not finished when that -rout of Chinhut made them so needful. A bolder enemy might have -carried the lines at once with a rush. The half-ruined<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> buildings -outside gave the assailants cover within pistol-shot of the besieged; -while indeed the latter were thus to a large extent shielded against -artillery fire, as had been Lawrence's design in not completing his -work of destruction here. Some of the rebel batteries played upon the -works at a range of from fifty to a hundred yards. On one side, only a -dozen yards of roadway separated the fighters; and from behind their -palisades the loyal Sepoys could often exchange abuse, as well as -shots, with the mutineers, who would steal up at night, tempting them -to desert, as many did in the course of the siege, yet not so many as -might have been expected under such trying circumstances.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus07.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> PLAN OF LUCKNOW<br /> - -Page 160.</p> - -<p>This entrenchment was occupied by nearly a thousand soldiers, -civilians, clerks, traders, or travellers turned by necessity into -fighting-men, with a rather less number of staunch Sepoys, as well as -about five hundred women and children, shuddering at the peril of a -fate so fearful that English ladies kept poison ready for suicide in -case of the worst, and loving husbands promised to shoot their wives -dead, rather than let them fall alive into hands freshly blood-stained -from the horrors of Cawnpore. As there a girls' school were among the -victims, so at Lucknow the motley garrison included the boys of the -Martinière<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> College, whose experiences have been already mentioned. -In all, counting some hundreds of native servants, not far short of -three thousand persons must have been crowded within an irregular -enclosure about a mile round, where on that disastrous last day of -June the enemy's bullets began to fly across a scene of dismay and -confusion—men hardly yet knowing their places or their duties; women -wild with fear; bullocks, deserted by their attendants, wandering -stupidly about in search of food; horses, maddened by thirst, kicking -and biting one another, in the torment which no one had time to -relieve. The siege had come to find these people too little prepared -for its trials, or for the length to which it was protracted. Some -thought they might have to hold out a fortnight. Few guessed that their -ordeal would endure nearly five months.</p> - -<p>When, on June 30th, the city fell into the hands of the rebels, we -still occupied another position not far from the Residency, the old -fortress of Muchee Bhawun, which, though more imposing in appearance, -was not fit to resist artillery, nor, after the losses of Chinhut, were -there men enough to defend both points. On the second day of the siege, -therefore, Colonel Palmer, commanding here, was ordered by semaphore -signals from the Residency tower, to bring his force into the other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> -entrenchment, spiking the guns, and blowing up what ammunition he could -not carry away. At midnight he marched silently through the city, -without attracting any notice from the enemy, who were perhaps too -busy plundering elsewhere. They had hardly joined their comrades, when -a terrific explosion announced the destruction of the Muchee Bhawun, -blown up by a train set to go off in half-an-hour. One soldier had been -accidentally left behind, who, strange to say, escaped unhurt from the -explosion, and next morning walked coolly into the Residency, meeting -no one to stop him, perhaps because he was quite naked, and the people -took him for a madman or a holy man!</p> - -<p>It was sad news that awaited Colonel Palmer. His daughter, while -sitting in an upper room of the Residency, had been wounded by a shell, -one of the first among many victims. She died in a few days, by which -time the besieged had to mourn a greater loss. The Residency building, -elevated above the rest, was soon seen to be a prominent mark for the -enemy's fire, and on the first day, after a shell had burst harmlessly -in his own room, Lawrence was begged to move into less dangerous -quarters. With characteristic carelessness of self, he put off doing -so; then next morning, July 2, was mortally wounded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> while lying on -his bed. Two days later he died, visited by many weeping friends, of -whom he took leave in the spirit of an earnest Christian. Well known -is the epitaph which, amid the din of shot and shell, he dictated for -his grave: "<i>Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do his duty. May -the Lord have mercy on his soul!</i>" He nominated Major Banks as his -successor in the Commissionership and Brigadier Inglis to command the -troops. The latter had his wife with him throughout all, to whose -recently published reminiscences we owe one of the most interesting -narratives of the siege.</p> - -<p>Gloom fell upon the garrison when they came to learn this heavy loss. -Every man had so much to do at his own post, that he hardly knew what -went on a few hundred yards off, and some days seem to have passed -before it leaked out to all how their leader had been buried "darkly -at dead of night," in the same pit with less distinguished dead. A -common grave had to be dug each night, the churchyard being exposed -to fire. Every day now had its tale of deaths, soon from fifteen to -twenty, once the enemy had got the range and given up wild firing at -random—an average which grew smaller as the besieged were taught to -be more cautious in exposing themselves.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> Six weeks passed before -the diary of the chaplain's wife can record, for once, a day without -a single funeral. Death was busy everywhere in various forms. Men -were more than once buried beneath the ruins of houses crushed by the -storm of shot. Delicate women panted for air in crowded cellars, and -sickened amid the pestilential stenches that beset every corner of the -entrenchment, or despairingly saw their children pine away for want -of proper nourishment. The poor sufferers in hospital would sometimes -be wounded afresh or killed outright by balls crashing among them. An -amputation was almost certain death in that congregation of gangrened -sufferers, increased hour by hour. There were daily duties to be done -always at the peril of men's lives, and spots where no one could show -himself without the risk of drawing fire. "Many a poor fellow was shot, -who was too proud to run past places where bullets danced on the walls -like a handful of peas in a fry-pan." One building, called "Johannes' -House," overlooking the defences as it did, was long a thorn in the -side of the besieged, from the top of which a negro eunuch, whom they -nicknamed "Bob the Nailer," was believed to have shot down dozens of -them by the unerring<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> aim of a double-barrelled rifle that gave him -such grim celebrity.</p> - -<p>The native servants soon began to desert, adding to the troubles of -masters whose pride and practice had been to do nothing that could -be helped for themselves. Then the younger Martinière boys were told -off to take their place in the cramped households, set to perform the -menial services looked upon as belonging to the lowest caste. They -attended the sick, too, and were of especial use in defending them -against an Egyptian plague of flies which assailed the entrenchment, -as well as in pulling punkahs to cool fevered brows. All these -school-boys, whose terrible holidays began so unseasonably, took their -turns in washing, grinding corn, bringing wood and water, besides -general fetching and carrying at various posts, while some dozen of -the oldest stood guard, musket in hand, or helped to work the signals -on the tower—a service of no small danger, as the movements of the -semaphore drew a hot fire; and, what with the clumsiness of the -apparatus and the cutting of the ropes by shot, it took three hours to -convey the order for evacuation of the Muchee Bhawun.</p> - -<p>Though their post seems to have been an exposed one, just opposite -Johannes' House, where that black marksman stationed himself, and -where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> the enemy were literally just across the street, the school-boys -had throughout only two of their number wounded, while two died of -disease. Mr. Hilton, whose narrative has been already quoted, can -tell of more than one narrow escape, once when a spent cannon-ball -passed between his legs; again when a fragment of shell smashed the -cooking pot from which he was about to draw his ration; and another -time he was assisting to work the semaphore on the roof, when a shell -burst so near as to disgust him with that duty. He did manage to get -hurt in a singular manner. A badly-aimed shell from one of their own -batteries fell into the court-yard where he was sitting, and in the -wild stampede which ensued he stumbled over his sister and cut his knee -on a sharp stone. This wound ought to have healed in a few days, but -constant hardship had thrown him into such a bad state of health, that -it festered and kept him in pain for more than two months, under the -terrible warning that his leg might have to be amputated if he did not -take care of it.</p> - -<p>Before this accident he had entered into his duties as a soldier with -rather more zeal than discretion. The boys trusted with arms, used, it -seems, to take ten or twenty rounds to the top of the house, and fire -through the loop-holes at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> whatever seemed a fair target. Fed on stews -of tough beef and coarse <i>chupatties</i>, the hand-cakes of the country, -their mouths watered at the sight of pumpkins and other vegetables -growing in Johannes' garden, just beyond the line of their defences, so -near yet so far out of reach; for the Sepoy marksmen were always on the -watch to shoot any one who exposed himself here. Seeing they could not -get these gourds for themselves, the lads found amusement in shooting -at them to spoil them at least for the enemy. But this sport was soon -interfered with. One boy having been wounded by a rebel lurking in -the sheds opposite, Hilton and a comrade, named Luffman, went up to -the roof to get a shot at the fellow. While they were firing from a -loop-hole protected by a basket full of rubbish, another boy came out -to join them with a fresh supply of ammunition; then their attention -being for a moment diverted to him, the Sepoy over the way saw his -chance for an aim. His bullet struck Luffman's musket, glanced along -the barrel, and lodged in the lad's left shoulder. This accident drew -on the young marksmen a severe reprimand from the Principal, and their -supplies of ammunition for promiscuous shooting were henceforth cut off.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hilton makes no complaint on his own<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> account; but Mr. Rees, an -ex-master of the Martinière, who has also given us an account of the -siege, says that the boys were rather put upon in his opinion. He -describes them as going about "more filthy than others, and apparently -more neglected and hungry." Up till the end of June they had been able -to draw supplies of food and clean clothes from the college. Now they -were reduced to what they had on their backs, a serious trial in the -Indian climate, and had to do their washing for themselves as best -they could. The Martinière was in the hands of the mutineers, who -had wreaked their wrath by digging up poor General Martin's tomb and -scattering his bones.</p> - -<p>One honourable charge these youngsters had. There was a store of wines -and spirits in the garrison, which some of the soldiers broke into, and -were once found helplessly drunk when called to arms on a sudden alarm. -After that, the liquor was guarded in the Martinière post, till it -could be disposed of so as to do least mischief.</p> - -<p>The women, who in private houses or in the underground vaults of the -Residency were kept out of danger as well as possible, had their share -of toils, to which some would be little used. Many found enough to -do in looking after their own ailing families. Others distinguished -themselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> by zeal in tending the sick and wounded. The wonder is that -the diseases which had broken out from the first did not sweep off the -whole community, pent up in such unwholesome confinement. Fortunately, -in the course of a few days, a heavy shower of rain fell to wash away -the filth that was poisoning them. This was the opening of the rainy -season, on the whole welcome, yet not an unmixed blessing. The climate -of India runs always to extremes; so glare and dust were exchanged only -for the enervation of a perpetual vapour-bath.</p> - -<p>In heat and wet, by night and day, every able-bodied man must take -weary spells of watching and working, and at all hours be ready to -run to his post on the first sign of danger. Nearly fifty guns had to -be served. Officers and men, civilians and soldiers, black and white, -laboured side by side, a tool in one hand, it may be said, a weapon in -the other. At the quietest intervals, they had to be repairing their -defences, shifting guns, carrying stores, burying the bodies of putrid -animals. Constant false alarms kept them harassed before they had -completed their works. For hours together the enemy sometimes went on -shouting and sounding the advance, without showing themselves, so that -all night the defenders, exhausted by the day's toil, might still<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> have -to stand on guard. Yet, overwrought as they were, small parties would -here and there dash from their lines to spike a gun or drive away the -occupants of some annoying outpost.</p> - -<p>On our side there were many instances of daring prowess, but few of -cowardice and shirking, as is testified by Lady Inglis. "As an example -of brilliant courage, which to my mind made him one of the heroes of -the siege, I must instance Private Cuney, H.M. 32nd. His exploits were -marvellous; he was backed by a Sepoy named Kandial, who simply adored -him. Single-handed and without any orders, Cuney would go outside our -position, and he knew more of the enemy's movements than any one else. -It was impossible to be really angry with him. Over and over again -he was put into the guard-room for disobedience of orders, and as -often let out when there was fighting to be done. On one occasion he -surprised one of the enemy's batteries, into which he crawled, followed -by his faithful Sepoy, bayoneting four men, and spiking the guns. If -ever there was a man deserving the V.C., it was Cuney. He seemed to -bear a charmed life. He was often wounded, and several times left his -bed to volunteer for a sortie. He loved fighting for its own sake. -After surviving the perils of the siege, he was at last<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> killed in a -sortie made after General Havelock's arrival."</p> - -<p>Three weeks passed thus before the besiegers, swarming soon in tens of -thousands around them, took courage for a general assault. The signal -was an ineffectual explosion of a mine against the Redan battery; -then from all sides they came pouring up to the works under cover -of their cannon. But here every man was at his post to receive them -desperately, many believing that their last hour was come. Some of the -wounded had staggered out of hospital, pale and blood-stained, to lend -a weak hand in the defence. The whole enclosure became quickly buried -in sulphureous smoke, so that men hardly saw how the fight went in -front of them, and still less knew but that their comrades had been -overwhelmed at some other point, as well they might be, and whether at -any moment the raging foe might not break in upon their rear. Again and -again the Sepoys were urged on, to be mowed down by grape and musketry. -Here they got right under our guns, driven away by hand grenades, -bricks toppled over upon them, and whatever missiles came to hand; -there they brought ladders against the walls, but were not allowed to -make use of them. At one point, led on by the green standard of Islam -in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> hands of a reckless fanatic, they succeeded in bursting open a -gate, only to block up the opening by their corpses. Four hours the din -went on, under the fatal blaze of a July sun; but at length the enemy -fled, leaving some thousands fallen round the unbroken walls, within -which a surprisingly small number had been hurt.</p> - -<p>This repulse put new heart into the victors, so much in need of -cheering; and their spirits were soon raised still further by news -of Havelock's army on its way to relieve them. They were not without -communications from the outside world. An old pensioner named Unged -several times managed to slip through the enemy's lines, bringing back -messages and letters which were not always good news. Thus they had -learned the fate of their kinsmen at Cawnpore; and their own temporary -elation soon passed away under continued sufferings and losses.</p> - -<p>The day after the assault, Major Banks was shot dead. Others who -could be ill-spared fell one by one, every man placed <i>hors de -combat</i> leaving more work to be done by his overstrained comrades. -Then there were dissensions among the remaining leaders. The English -soldiers, made reckless by peril, sometimes gave way to a spirit of -insubordination, or disgraced themselves by drunkenness. The Sepoys -could not be fully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> trusted. The enemy, there was reason to fear, had -spies within the place to report its weak points and the embarrassment -of its defenders. A proof of this was that they had ceased firing on -the hospital when some native dignitaries, held as prisoners, were -quartered there in the lucky thought of making them a shield for the -sick. It was hard on those hostages, who had to take their share of the -general want and peril. The rations of coarse beef and unground grain -were found insufficient to keep the garrison in good case; and before -long these had to be reduced, while the price of the smallest luxury -had risen beyond the means of most. If a hen laid an egg it came as a -god-send; a poor mother might have to beg in vain for a little milk for -her dying child. What the English soldiers missed most was tobacco; -and when some of the Sikhs deserted, they left a message that it was -because they had no opium. The priceless Crown Jewels of Oudh, and the -public treasure guarded in the Residency, were dross indeed in the eyes -of men longing for the simplest comforts. How yearningly they fixed -their eyes on the green gardens and parks blooming among the towers of -Lucknow! And Havelock did not come to fulfil their hopes, soon dashed -by news that he had been forced to fall back on Cawnpore, to recruit -his own wasted forces.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span></p> - -<p>At the beginning of August, our people had heard heavy firing and the -sound of English music in the city, which brought them out cheering and -shaking hands with each other on the tops of the houses, eager to catch -the first sight of their approaching friends. That night they slept -little, and rose to be bitterly disappointed. The rebels tauntingly -derided this short-lived joy, shouting over the cause of yesterday's -commotion. They had been saluting the boy crowned as puppet-king of -Oudh. Their bands, indeed, were often heard playing familiar tunes, -taught them in quieter days, and always wound up their concerts with -"God Save the Queen!" which must have sounded a strange mockery in -those English ears. Once it was the turn of the English to make a -joyful demonstration, firing off a general salute on a report of the -fall of Delhi, which turned out false, or at least premature.</p> - -<p>On August 10, the Sepoys delivered another assault, but were more -easily beaten off this time. It began by the explosion of a mine, -which threw down the front of the Martinière post, ruining also -some fifty feet of palisading and other bulwarks on each side. The -assailants wanted boldness to master the breach thus made; but they -lodged themselves in an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> underground room of this house, from which -they had to be expelled by hand-grenades, dropped among them through a -hole in the floor, and they got no further within the quickly-restored -defences. At first, it is said, they could have walked in through an -open door, which Mr. Schilling and his boys had the credit of shutting -in their faces. The School would all have been blown up, but for the -good fortune of having just been called in to prayers in an inner room. -Three soldiers had been hurled by the explosion on to the enemy's -ground, but ran back into the entrenchment, unhurt, under a shower of -bullets.</p> - -<p>The Sepoys' fire was kept up as hotly as ever, though at times they -seemed to be badly off for shot, sending in such strange projectiles as -logs of wood bound with iron, stones hollowed out for shells, twisted -telegraph wires, copper coins and bullocks' horns; even the occasional -use of bows and arrows lent a mediæval feature to the siege.</p> - -<p>Their main effort now seemed directed to the destruction of the walls -by mining. Here they were foiled, chiefly through the vigilance of -Captain Fulton, an engineer-officer, who took a leading part in the -defence, only to die before its end, like so many others. In the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> ranks -of the 32nd, he found a number of old Cornish miners, with whose help -he diligently countermined the subterranean attacks. Now the burrowing -Sepoy broke through into an unsuspected aperture, to find Fulton -patiently awaiting him, pistol in hand. Again, a deep-sunk gallery -from within would be pushed so far, that our men blew up not only the -enemy's mine, but a house full of his soldiers. The garrison had always -their ears strained to catch those muffled blows, which announced new -perils approaching them underground; then, as soon as the situation and -direction of the mine could be recognized, Fulton went to work and the -dusky pioneers either gave up the attempt or came on to their doom.</p> - -<p>Once, however, they did catch the watchers at fault. At the corner of -the defences called the Sikh Square, the warning sounds were mistaken -for the trampling of horses tied up close by—a mistake first revealed -by an explosion which made a breach in the works, overwhelming some of -its defenders and hurling others into the air, most of whom came off -with slight hurt. The Sepoys rushed on, but did not venture beyond the -gap they had made, while some time passed before our men could dislodge -them. One native officer was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> shot within the defences, the first and -last time they were ever penetrated till they came to be abandoned. -Of nearly forty mines attempted, this was the only one that could be -called a success.</p> - -<p>Several unhappy drummers, buried among the ruins, cried lamentably for -assistance; but the risk of going to their assistance under fire was -too great. A brave fellow did steal forward, and with a saw attempted -to release one of the men held down by a beam across his chest, but the -Sepoys drove him back when they saw what he was at. These half-buried -lads had all died a miserable death of suffocation or thirst, if not -from their injuries, when towards nightfall a party of the 32nd, -shielding themselves behind bullet-proof shutters, advanced to -recapture the lost ground at the point of the bayonet, which they not -only did, and barricaded the breach with doors, but, while they were -about it, made a dash forth to blow up some small houses that had given -cover to the enemy.</p> - -<p>This was one of several gallant sorties, in another of which Johannes' -House was blown up, and the redoubtable "Bob the Nailer" killed in the -act of exercising his deadly skill from the top of it. But his place -as a marks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>man was taken by a brother negro of scarcely less fatal -fame; and the enemy always expressed their resentment for these attacks -by fresh bouts of more furious bombardment. Once, they had nearly -destroyed a vital point of our line by piling up a bonfire against the -Bailey Guard Gate; but Lieutenant R.H.M. Aitken, the burly Scot who -held this post with his Sepoys, rushed out and extinguished the flames, -under a rain of bullets, before much mischief could be done.</p> - -<p>By this time the inmates of the Residency, from looking death so -hard in the face, had grown strangely callous both to suffering and -to danger. Men now showed themselves indifferent before the most -heart-rending spectacles, while they coolly undertook perilous tasks -at which, two months ago, the boldest would have hesitated. Children -could be seen playing with grape-shot for marbles, and making little -mines instead of mud-pies. Women took slight notice of the hair-breadth -escapes that happened daily with them as with others. "Balls fall -at our feet," says Mr. Rees in his journal, "and we continue the -conversation without a remark; bullets graze our very hair, and we -never speak of them. Narrow escapes are so very common that even -women and children cease to notice<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> them. They are the rule, not the -exception. At one time a bullet passed through my hat; at another, I -escaped being shot dead by one of the enemy's best riflemen, by an -unfortunate soldier passing unexpectedly before me, and receiving the -wound through the temples instead; at another, I moved off from a place -where, in less than the twinkling of an eye afterwards, a musket-ball -stuck in the wall. At another, again, I was covered with dust and -pieces of brick by a round-shot that struck the wall not two inches -away from me; at another, again, a shell burst a couple of yards away -from me, killing an old woman and wounding a native boy and a native -cook, one dangerously, the other slightly—but no; I must stop, for I -could never exhaust the catalogue of hair-breadth escapes which every -man in the garrison can speak of as well as myself."</p> - -<p>Still, their hearts could not but grow heavy at times, especially as -the feast of the Mohurrem drew near, when Moslem zeal might be expected -to stimulate its votaries to more desperate fury. Desertions went on -fast among the servants, and it was feared that, if relief came not -soon, the Sepoys would go over to their mutinous comrades, who daily -tried to seduce them with threats and promises. Some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> native Christians -and half-castes, of whom better might have been expected, did run away -in a body, only to be butchered by the fanatics among whom they so -faithlessly cast their fortunes. A third of the Europeans had perished; -the rest were worn with sickness and suffering, but they had not lost -an inch of ground.</p> - -<p>It was no fault of Havelock if he still lay at Cawnpore, forty miles -away. Once and again he had advanced, beating the enemy every time -they ventured to face him; but after two pitched battles, in which -this fearless General had already had six horses killed under him, and -several minor combats, the country-people rising up about him in fierce -opposition, cholera also decimating the ranks, his losses were so heavy -that he could not yet hope to force a way to Lucknow, much less through -the narrow streets, where every house might be found a fortress.</p> - -<p>Now reinforcements were being pushed up from Calcutta; and at the end -of August, the besieged had a letter promising relief in twenty-five -days. "Do not negotiate," was Havelock's warning to them, "but rather -perish, sword in hand." So they meant to do, if it came to that, rather -than fall alive into the power of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> such a cruel and treacherous foe. -Meanwhile, there was nothing for it but to hold out doggedly till their -deliverer could gather strength to reach them.</p> - -<p>On September 5 the enemy tried another assault, which was more of a -failure than ever. Evidently, on their side, they were losing heart. -And at last, on the night of the 22nd, Unged, the trusty messenger, -rushed into the entrenchment under fire, with news that Havelock and -Outram were at hand. The latter's noble generosity here is one of his -best titles to fame. He came to supersede the General who had so long -strained every nerve in vain; but, knowing how Havelock had at heart -the well-deserved honour of relieving Lucknow, the "Bayard of India," -for the time, waived his own right to command, serving as a volunteer -till this task should have been accomplished. In this, Sir James Outram -afterwards judged himself to have done wrong, as putting sentiment -before duty.</p> - -<p>Two days of suspense followed, every ear within the Residency bent -to catch the sound of the cannon of the advancing army. On the third -day, the welcome din drew nearer, clouds of smoke marked the progress -of a hot battle through the streets, and, as a hopeful sign, routed -natives<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> could be seen flying by hundreds, their bridges of boats -breaking down under a confused mob of horsemen and foot-passengers, -camels, elephants, and carriages. Havelock had forced the Char Bagh -bridge of the canal, and was working round by its inner bank, to turn -along the north side of the city, the ground here being more open. -But all that long day lasted the doubt and the fear, as well as the -joy, for our troops, their entrance once won into Lucknow, had to make -a devious circuit about the most thickly-built quarters, and after -all blunderingly fought their way, inch by inch, through the streets -into a narrow winding road that led to the Residency. It was not till -nightfall those strained eyes within could, by flashes of deadly fire, -see the van of their countrymen struggling up to the riddled buildings, -where—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Ever upon the topmost roof our banner of England blew."</p></blockquote> - -<p>The struggling progress of the column is described, in a letter home, -by Mr. Willock, a young civilian, who had volunteered to share its -perils.</p> - -<p>"The fire from the King's Palace, known as the 'Kaiser Bagh,' was so -severe that we had to run double-quick in front of it, as hard as we -could; and a scene of great confusion<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> ensued when we halted—guns and -infantry mixed up, soldiers wandering in search of their companies, and -the wounded in the dhoolies carried here and there without any orders. -We had been there about half-an-hour when the Second Brigade joined -us, passing in front of the palace, emerging from a narrow lane close -to it. Here they had to pass under the very walls, while the rebels on -the walls hurled down stones and bricks, and even spat at our fellows, -a fierce fire being kept up from the loop-holes. After a little time -order was re-established, and after a fresh examination of the map, the -column was drawn up, and we started again. It was cruel work—brave -troops being exposed to such unfair fighting. What can men do against -loop-holed houses, when they have no time to enter a city, taking house -by house? In fact, we ran the gauntlet regularly through the streets.</p> - -<p>"After we passed the Palace, our men were knocked down like sheep, -without being able to return the fire of the enemy with any effect. -We passed on some little way, when we came to a sudden turning to the -left, with a huge gateway in front, and through this we had to pass, -under a shower of balls from the houses on each side. The Sikhs and 5th -Fusiliers got<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> to the front, and kept up a steady fire at the houses -for some time, with the hope of lessening the enemy's musketry fire, -but it was no use. Excited men can seldom fire into loop-holes with -any certainty, and we had to make the best of our way up the street, -turning sharp round to the right, when we found ourselves in a long, -wide street, with sheets of fire shooting out from the houses. On we -went, about a quarter of a mile, being peppered from all sides, when -suddenly we found ourselves opposite to a large gateway, with folding -doors completely riddled with round-shot and musket-balls, the entrance -to a large enclosure.</p> - -<p>"At the side of this was a small doorway, half blocked up by a low mud -wall; the Europeans and Sikhs were struggling to get through, while the -bullets were whistling about them. I could not think what was up, and -why we should be going in there; but after forcing my way up to the -door, and getting my head and shoulders over the wall, I found myself -being pulled over by a great unwashed hairy creature,<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> who set me on -my legs and patted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> me on the back, and, to my astonishment, I found -myself in the 'Bailey Guard!'"</p> - -<p>The scene then ensuing has been often described—the garrison pressing -forward with cheers of welcome and triumph—the rough Highlanders -suddenly appearing through the darkness among the ruins they had fought -so many battles to save—their begrimed faces running with tears in -the torchlight, as they caught up in their arms the pale children, and -kissed their country-women, too, in that spasm of glad emotion; even -the ladies ready to hug them for hysteric joy—the gaunt, crippled -figures tottering out to join in the general rejoicing, now that for a -moment all believed their trials at an end. That picturesque incident -of a Highland Jessie, first to catch the distant strains of the -bagpipes, appears to be a fiction. But bagpipes were not wanting; and -one of the defenders, strolling over as soon as he could leave his own -post, hardly able to believe the good news true, tells us how he found -dancing going on to the music of two Highland pipers—a demonstration, -however, soon put a stop to by Havelock's orders.</p> - -<p>Havelock had cause to think this no time for dancing. While the common -soldiers might exult over their melodramatic victory, the leaders<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> -knew too well at what a cost it had been won, and what dangers still -encompassed them. Not all the little army of two thousand five hundred -men had pushed through on that memorable evening. Nearly a fifth part -of them were lost in the attempt. Neill had been shot dead, with the -goal already in sight. Outram himself was hurt. It had been necessary -to leave most of the wounded on the way, many of whom, deserted by the -natives who bore their litters, suffered a horrible fate, massacred -or burned alive while their comrades were making merry within the -works. Part of the relieving force bivouacked all night on the road -outside, where in the confusion a lamentable affair occurred, some of -our faithful Sepoys at the Bailey Gate being attacked in mistake by the -excited new-comers.</p> - -<p>Only two days later, the rear-guard, hampered by the heavy guns, -could join its commander at the Residency; and even then a force, in -charge of baggage and ammunition, was left besieged in the Alum Bagh, -a fortified park beyond the city, which henceforth became an isolated -English outpost.</p> - -<p>The relieving army had been hurried on at all risks, under a mistaken -belief that the garrison was in immediate straits of famine. It turned -out they had still food to last some weeks, even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> with so many more -mouths to fill, an unreckoned store of grain having been found heaped -up, by Lawrence's foresight, in the plunge-bath below the Residency. -Means of transport, however, were wanting; and Outram, who now assumed -command, could not undertake to fight his way out again with the -encumbrance of a long train of non-combatants. Much less was he in a -position to clear the city, still occupied by the enemy in overwhelming -numbers. All he could do was to hold on where he was, awaiting the -arrival of another army now on the march.</p> - -<p>It was a relief and not a rescue over which so much jubilation had -been spent. It came just in time, now that the fall of Delhi had set -free a swarm of Sepoys to swell the ranks of the Lucknow besiegers. -The mere sight of their countrymen, and the sure news they brought, -was enough to put fresh spirit into the defenders, who, by the help of -such a reinforcement, no longer doubted to hold the fortress that had -sheltered them for three miserable months, with the loss of more than -seven hundred combatants by death and desertion.</p> - -<p>Here, then, the siege entered upon a second period, the characteristic -of which was an extended position occupied by the garrison. Now that -they had plenty of men, they seized some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> of the adjacent palaces, and -pushed their lines down to the river-bank. Like men risen from a long -sickness, they stretched their legs on the ground that for weeks had -been raining death into their enclosure. There must have been a strange -satisfaction in strolling out from their own half-ruined abodes, to -examine the damage they had wrought among the enemy's works, at the -risk of an occasional shot from his new posts, as the Martinière boys -found when they let curiosity get the better of caution.</p> - -<p>Some of these youngsters soon managed to run into mischief. A few -days after the relief, being sent out to pick up firewood among the -<i>débris</i>, they stole a look where still lay the mutilated corpses of -Havelock's wounded men murdered so basely, then rambled into one of -the royal palaces—a labyrinth of courts, gardens, gateways, passages, -pavilions, verandahs, halls, and so forth, all in the bewildering style -of Eastern magnificence, where it was difficult not to lose one's way. -Here a general plunder was going on, and our people, even gleaning -after the Sepoys, could help themselves freely to silks, satins, -velvets, cloth of gold, embroideries, costly brocade, swords, books, -pictures, and all sorts of valuables. In some rooms were nothing but -boxes full of gorgeous china, ransacked so eagerly that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> floors -soon became covered a foot deep with broken crockery. Others of the -besieged pounced most willingly upon articles of food, especially on -tea, tobacco, and vegetables, which to them seemed treasures indeed. -For their part, the Martinière boys ferreted out a store of fireworks, -and must needs set off some rockets towards the enemy. One of these -dangerous playthings, however, exploded in their hands, kindling others -and setting fire to the building. The boys scampered out without being -noticed, and took care to hold their tongues about this adventure, so -that it was not ascertained at the time, though strongly suspected, on -whom to lay the blame of a conflagration that went on for several days. -The former King of Oudh who built this costly pile, little thought -how one day its glories were to perish by the idle hands of a pack of -careless school-boys.</p> - -<p>The trials of the garrison were by no means over. Sickness continued -to make havoc among them for want of wholesome food, especially of -vegetables, the best part of their diet being tough artillery bullocks. -The smallest luxury was still at famine price. The cold weather -drawing on found many of these poor people ill-provided with clothing. -One officer had gained asylum here in such a ragged state, that he -was fain to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> make himself a suit of clothes from the green cloth of -the Residency billiard-table. All were heartily sick of confinement -and anxiety. Yet nearly two months more had to be passed in a state -of blockade, the enemy no longer at such close quarters, but still -bombarding them with his artillery, and keeping them on the alert by -persistent attempts to mine their defences.</p> - -<p>They were now, however, able to do more than stand on the defensive, -making vigorous sallies, before which the Sepoys readily gave way, and -held their own ground only by the weight of numbers. Good news, too, -cheered the inmates of this ark of refuge. All round them the flood -of mutiny seemed to be subsiding. Delhi had fallen at length, while -they still held their shattered asylum. Sir Colin Campbell was coming -to make a clean sweep of the rebel bands who kept Oudh in fear and -confusion. The heroes of Lucknow knew for certain that they were not -forgotten by their countrymen. They could trust England to be proud of -them, and felt how every heart at home would now be throbbing with the -emotion, which the Laureate was one day to put into deathless verse.</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Men will forget what we suffer and not what we do. We can fight—<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>But to be soldier all day and be sentinel all through the night!<br /> -Ever the mine and assault, our sallies, their lying alarms,<br /> -Bugles and drums in the darkness, and shoutings and soundings to arms;<br /> -Ever the labour of fifty that had to be done by five;<br /> -Ever the marvel among us that one should be left alive;<br /> -Ever the day with its traitorous death from the loop-holes around;<br /> -Ever the night with its coffinless corpse to be laid in the ground.<br /> -</p> - - -<hr class="tb" /> -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -Grief for our perishing children, and never a moment for grief;<br /> -Toil and ineffable weariness, faltering hopes of relief;<br /> -Havelock baffled, or beaten, or butchered for all that we knew.<br /> -Then day and night, night and day, coming down on the still shattered walls,<br /> -Millions of musket bullets and thousands of cannon balls—<br /> -But ever upon the topmost roof our banner of England blew."<br /> -</p> - - - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="ph3">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> The author has gone over the ground, noting its features -on the spot; but for refreshing his memory and making all the positions -clear, he has to acknowledge his obligation especially to the pictures -and plans in General McLeod Innes' <i>Lucknow and Oude in the Mutiny</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> This "great unwashed hairy creature" appears to have -been "Jock" Aitken, in whom, as his kinsman, the author must own to a -special interest. A monument to him now stands by the post he guarded -so well.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></p> - -<p class="center">LORD CLYDE'S CAMPAIGNS</p> - - -<p>Sir Colin Campbell, soon to earn the title of Lord Clyde, had arrived -at Calcutta in the middle of August, as Commander-in-Chief of an army -still on its way from England by the slow route of the Cape. He could -do nothing for the moment but stir up the authorities in providing -stores and transport for his men when they came to hand. All the troops -available in Bengal were needed to guard the disarmed Sepoys here, and -to keep clear the six hundred miles of road to Allahabad, infested -as it was by flying bands of mutineers and robbers. But if he had no -English soldiers to command, there was a brigade of sailors, five -hundred strong, who under their daring leader, Captain William Peel, -steamed up the Ganges, ahead of the army, to which more than once they -were to show the way on an unfamiliar element.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p> - -<p>In the course of next month, arrived the troops of the intercepted -China expedition, a detachment from the Cape, and other bodies coming -in by driblets, who were at once forwarded to Allahabad, part of the -way by rail and then by bullock-trains. A considerable force of Madras -Sepoys, more faithful than their Bengal comrades, was also at the -disposal of the Government, and helped to restore order in the country -about the line of march, still so much agitated that reinforcements -moving to the front were apt to be turned aside to put down local -disturbances. Sir Colin himself, hurrying forward along the Grand Trunk -Road, had almost been captured by a party of rebels.</p> - -<p>On November 1, he was at Allahabad, from which his troops were already -pushing on towards Cawnpore, not without an encounter, where the Naval -Brigade won their first laurels on land. Two days later, Sir Colin -reached Cawnpore, and at once had to make a choice of urgent tasks. -To his left, the state of Central India had become threatening. The -revolted Gwalior Contingent Sepoys, in the service of Scindia, had -long been kept inactive by their nominal master; but after the fall of -Delhi, they marched against us under Tantia<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> Topee, the Mahratta chief -who had carried out the massacre at Cawnpore, and now comes forward as -one of the chief generals on the native side. This army, swollen by -bands from Delhi, approached to menace the English communications on -the Ganges, if it were not faced before our men turned to the right for -the relief of Lucknow. The question was, whether or not to deal with -Tantia Topee at once. But Sir Colin, misled like Havelock by a false -estimate of the provisions in the Residency, decided at all risks to -lose no time in carrying off the garrison there, even though he must -leave a powerful enemy in his rear. Over and over again in this war, -English generals had to neglect the most established rules of strategy, -trusting to the ignorance or the cowardice of their opponents. Yet -Tantia Topee showed himself a leader who could by no means be trusted -for failing to improve his opportunities.</p> - -<p>Leaving behind him, then, five hundred Europeans and a body of Madras -Sepoys, under General Windham, to hold the passage of the Ganges at -Cawnpore, the Commander-in-Chief marched northwards to join Sir Hope -Grant, awaiting him with a column released from Delhi; and the combined -force moved upon the Alum Bagh, still held by a detach<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>ment of Outram's -force. From this point they were able to communicate with the Residency -by means of a semaphore telegraph erected on its roof, worked according -to the instructions of the <i>Penny Cyclopædia</i>, which happened to be in -the hands of the besieged. Native messengers also passed to and fro, -through whom Outram had generously recommended the relieving army to -attack Tantia Topee first, letting his garrison hold out upon reduced -rations, as he thought they could do till the end of November. He -had thus furnished Sir Colin with plans of the city and directions -that would be most useful to the latter as a stranger. But it seemed -important to give him some guide fully to be trusted for more precise -information as to the localities through which he must make his attack. -A bold civilian, named Kavanagh, volunteered to go from the Residency -to the camp, on this dangerous errand, by which he well-earned the -Victoria Cross.</p> - -<p>In company with a native, himself dyed and disguised as one of the -desperadoes who swarmed about Lucknow, Kavanagh left our lines by -swimming over the river, re-crossed it by a bridge, and walked through -the chief street, meeting few people, none of whom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> recognized him for -a European. Outside the city, the two companions lost their way, but -were actually set right by a picket of the rebels, who here and there -challenged them or let them pass without notice. Before daybreak they -fell in with the British outposts, and at noon a flag on the Alum Bagh -informed the garrison of their emissary's safe arrival.</p> - -<p>On November 12, Sir Colin reached the Alum Bagh, where he spent one -more day in making final arrangements; then, on the 14th, he set out -to begin the series of combats by which he must reach a hand to our -beleaguered countrymen. His army, with reinforcements coming up at the -last moment from Cawnpore, numbered some five thousand men and fifty -guns, made up in great part of fragments of several regiments, the -backbone of it the 93rd Highlanders, fresh from England, and steeled by -the Crimean battles in which they had learned to trust their present -leader. These precious lives had to be husbanded for further pressing -work; and in any case he naturally sought a safer road than that on -which Havelock had lost a third of his force.</p> - -<p>One looking at the map of Lucknow might be puzzled to explain the -circuitous route taken by both generals from the Alum Bagh<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> to the -Residency, which stand directly opposite each other on either side -of the city, some three or four miles apart. Running a gauntlet of -street-fighting was the main peril to be avoided. Then, not only should -the approach be made as far as possible through open suburbs, but while -the Residency quarter is bounded by the windings of the Goomtee to -the north, the south and east sides are defended by the Canal, a deep -curved ravine, in the wet season filled with water. Instead of forcing -his way, like Havelock, over its nearest bridge, Sir Colin meant to -make a sweep half-round the city on the further side of this channel, -taking the rebels by surprise at an unexpected point, as well as hoping -to avoid the fire of the Kaiser Bagh, a huge royal palace, which was -their head-quarters, and commanded the usual road to the Residency.</p> - -<p>His first move was to the Dilkoosha, a hunting palace with a walled -enclosure, which he fortified as a depôt for his stores and for the -great train of vehicles provided to carry off the women and children. -The same day he seized the Martinière College close by, and pushed -his position towards the banks of the Canal, from their side of which -the enemy made hostile demonstrations. Next day was spent in final -arrangements<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> and in repelling attacks. By ostentatious activity -in that direction, the Sepoys were led to believe that they would be -assailed on the English left; but on the morning of the 16th Sir Colin -marched off by his right, crossed the bed of the Canal, dry at this -point, gained the bank of the river, and penetrated the straggling -suburbs upon the enemy's rear, with no more than three thousand men, -the rest left posted so as to keep open his retreat. A small force -this for a week's fighting, under most difficult circumstances,against -enormous odds, where a way must again and again be opened through -fortified buildings!</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus08.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> <span class="smcap">The Kaiserbagh, Lucknow.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Ruins of the Residency, Lucknow.</span><br /> - -Page 204.</p> - -<p>The line of march lay along narrow winding lanes and through woods and -mud walls, that for a time sheltered our troops from fire. The first -obstacle encountered was the Secunder Bagh, one of those walled gardens -which played such a part in the operations about Lucknow and Delhi. -Its gloomy ruins stand to-day to tell a dreadful tale. The approaches -had first to be cleared, and the walls battered by guns that could -hardly be forced up a steep bank under terrible fire. In half-an-hour, -a small hole had been knocked through one gate, then, Highlanders and -Sikhs racing to be foremost in the fierce assault, the enclosure was -carried, where two thousand mutineers were caught as in a trap. Some -fought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> desperately to the last; some threw down their arms begging -for mercy, but found no mercy in hearts maddened by the remembrance of -slaughtered women and children. "Cawnpore!" was the cry with which our -men drove their bayonets home; and when the wild din of fire and sword, -of shrieks and curses, at length fell silent, this pleasure-garden ran -with the blood of two thousand dusky corpses, piled in heaps or strewn -over every foot of ground. We may blame the spirit of barbaric revenge; -but we had not seen that well at Cawnpore.</p> - -<p>The advance was now resumed across a plain dotted by houses and -gardens, where soon it came once more to a stand before the Shah -Nujeef, a mosque surrounded with high loop-holed walls, that proved a -harder nut to crack than the Secunder Bagh. For hours it was battered -and assaulted in vain, the General himself leading his Highlanders to -the charge. In vain the guns of Peel's Naval Brigade were once brought -up within a few yards of the walls, worked as resolutely as if their -commander had been laying his ship beside an enemy's. In vain brave -men rushed to their death at those fiery loop-holes, while behind -them reigned a scene of perilous confusion, the soldiers able neither -to advance nor retreat among blazing buildings and deadly missiles.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> -The narrow road had become choked up by the train of camels and other -animals, so that ammunition could scarcely be forced to the front. From -the opposite side of the river, the enemy brought a heavy gun to bear -upon the disordered ranks. Our batteries had to be withdrawn under -cover of a searching rocket-fire.</p> - -<p>For a moment Sir Colin feared all might be lost. Yet, after all, what -seems little better than an accident put an easy end to this desperate -contest. At nightfall, a sergeant of the 93rd, prowling round the -obstinate wall, discovered a fissure through which the Highlanders tore -their way, to see the white-clad Sepoys flitting out through the smoke -before them. Our men could now lie down on their arms, happy to think -that the worst part of the task was over.</p> - -<p>Next morning, the same laborious and deadly work went on. Other large -buildings had to be hastily bombarded and a way broken through them, -in presence of a host strong enough to surround the scanty force. -But this day the amazed enemy seemed to have his hands too full to -interfere much with our progress. Parties had been thrown out towards -the city, on Sir Colin's left, to form a chain of posts which should -cover his advance and secure his retreat. Meanwhile, also, the garrison -of the Residency were busy on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> their side, with mines and sorties, -pushing forward to meet the relieving army, who spent most of the day -in breaching a building known as the Mess House. This was at length -carried, as well as a palace beyond, called the Motee Mahal, by gallant -assaults, foremost in which were two of our most illustrious living -soldiers, Lord Wolseley and Sir Frederick Roberts.</p> - -<p>Between the relievers and the defences of the Residency there now -remained only a few hundred yards of open space, swept by the guns of -the Kaiser Bagh. Mr. Kavanagh appears to have been the first man who -reached the garrison with his good news; then Outram and Havelock rode -forward under hot fire to meet Sir Colin Campbell on that hard won -battle-field, over which for days they had been anxiously tracing his -slow progress.</p> - -<p>This relief may seem to fall short of the dramatic effect of -Havelock's, though it has grand features of its own, and from a -military point of view is a more admirable achievement. To many of the -beleaguered it brought a sore disappointment, when they learned that -their countrymen had come only to carry them away, and that, after all, -they must abandon this already famous citadel to the foe they had so -long kept at bay by their own strength—the one spot in Oudh where the -English flag had never been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> lowered throughout all the perils of the -rebellion. Inglis offered to go on holding the place against any odds, -if left with six hundred men and due supplies; but Sir Colin, while -admiring his spirit, was in no mind for sentiment, aware that not a -man could be spared to idle defiance. At first he had been for giving -them only two hours to prepare their departure. A delay of a few days, -however, was won from or forced upon him by the circumstances to be -reckoned with—days to him full of anxious responsibility, and for his -men of fresh perils.</p> - -<p>On Nov. 19, a hot fire was opened against the Kaiser Bagh, the enemy -thus led to believe in an assault imminent here. Under cover of this -demonstration, the non-combatants were first moved out in small groups -behind the screen of posts held through the suburbs, all reaching -the Dilkoosha safely. At midnight of the 22nd the soldiers followed, -the covering posts withdrawn as they passed, and the whole force -was brought off without the loss of a man, while the Sepoys blinded -their own eyes by continuing to bombard the deserted entrenchment. -The garrison were naturally loth to leave it a prey to such a foe, -who could neither drive them out nor prevent them from marching away -before his face. They had to abandon most of their belongings to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> -plundered, the army being already too much hampered by its train. -The public treasure, however, was carried off, and the Sepoys so far -disappointed of a prize they had striven in vain to wrest from these -poor works. The guns also had been saved or rendered unserviceable. It -was trying work for the women, their road being at some points under -fire, so that they had to catch up the children and make a run for it; -then, once behind safe walls again, they must wait two or three days in -suspense for husbands and fathers, who might have to cut their way out, -if the Sepoys became aware what was going on.</p> - -<p>Among the first to leave were the Martinière boys, whom we have left -out of sight for a time. Some of these juvenile heroes, however, had -been too eager about getting away. The elder ones, who carried arms, -forgot that they were numbered as soldiers, and must wait for orders -before retiring. Next day they had a sharp hint of this in being -arrested and sent back under escort to the Residency, where a bold face -of defence was still maintained, the enemy to be kept in ignorance of -our proposed retreat. We may suppose that the young deserters were -let off easily; and, on the day after, Hilton and another boy, having -satisfied military punc<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span>tilio, obtained an honourable exit by being -sent off in charge of two ponies conveying money and other valuable -property belonging to the College. On the way they came under fire of -an enemy's battery across the river, and a shot whizzed so near that -the ponies ran off and upset their precious burden; then the boys, -helped by some of Peel's sailors, who were replying to the Sepoy fire, -had much ado in picking up the rupees and catching their restive -beasts; but, without further adventure, once more reached the camp -at Dilkoosha, where, with plenty to eat, and the new sense of being -able to eat it in safety, they could listen to the roar of guns still -resounding in the city.</p> - -<p>The final scene is described for us by Captain Birch, who had -throughout acted as aide-de-camp to Inglis:—"First, the garrison -in immediate contact with the enemy, at the furthest extremity of -the Residency position, was marched out. Every other garrison in -turn fell in behind it, and so passed out through the Bailey Guard -Gate, till the whole of our position was evacuated. Then came the -turn of Havelock's force, which was similarly withdrawn post by -post, marching in rear of our garrison. After them again came the -forces of the Commander-in-Chief, which joined on in the rear of -Havelock's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> force. Regiment by regiment was withdrawn with the utmost -order and regularity. The whole operation resembled the movement of a -telescope. Stern silence was kept, and the enemy took no alarm. Never -shall I forget that eventful night. The withdrawal of the fourteen -garrisons which occupied our defensive positions was entrusted to -three staff-officers—Captain Wilson, assistant Adjutant-General; the -Brigade-Major, and myself, as aide-de-camp. Brigadier Inglis stood at -the Bailey Guard Gate as his gallant garrison defiled past him; with -him was Sir James Outram, commanding the division. The night was dark, -but on our side, near the Residency-house, the hot gun-metal from some -guns, which we burst before leaving, set fire to the heap of wood -used as a rampart, which I have before described, and lighted up the -place. The noise of the bursting of the guns, and the blazing of the -rampart, should have set the enemy on the <i>qui vive</i>, but they took no -notice. Somehow, a doubt arose whether the full tale of garrisons had -passed the gate. Some counted thirteen, and some fourteen; probably two -had got mixed; but, to make certain, I was sent back to Innes' post, -the furthest garrison, to see if all had been withdrawn. The utter -stillness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> and solitude of the deserted position, with which I was so -familiar, struck coldly on my nerves; I had to go, and go I did. Had -the enemy known of our departure, they would ere this have occupied our -places, and there was also a chance of individuals or single parties -having got in for the sake of plunder; but I did not meet a living -soul. I think I may fairly claim to have seen the last of the Residency -of Lucknow before its abandonment to the enemy. Captain Waterman, 13th -Native Infantry, however, was the last involuntarily to leave; he fell -asleep after his name had been called, and woke up to find himself -alone; he escaped in safety, but the fright sent him off his head for -a time. As I made my report to the commanders at the gate, Sir James -Outram waved his hand to Brigadier Inglis to precede him in departure, -but the Brigadier stood firm, and claimed to be the last to leave the -ground which he and his gallant regiment had so stoutly defended. Sir -James Outram smiled, then, extending his hand, said, 'Let us go out -together;' so, shaking hands, these two heroic spirits, side by side, -descended the declivity outside our battered gate. Immediately behind -them came the staff, and the place of honour again became the subject -of dispute between Captain Wilson and myself;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> but the former was weak -from all the hardships and privations he had undergone, and could not -stand the trick of shoulder to shoulder learned in the Harrow football -fields. Prone on the earth he lay, till he rolled down the hill, and I -was the last of the staff to leave the Bailey Guard Gate."</p> - -<p>On the 23rd all were united at the Dilkoosha; but here the successful -retreat became overclouded by a heavy loss. Havelock, worn out through -care and disease, died before he could know of the honours bestowed -upon him by his grateful countrymen, yet happy in being able to say -truly: "I have for forty years so ruled my life that, when death came, -I might face it without fear." Under a tree, marked only with a rudely -scrawled initial, he was left buried at the Alum Bagh, till a prouder -monument should signalize his grave as one of the many holy spots -"where England's patriot soldiers lie."</p> - -<p>There was no time then for mourning. Leaving Outram with a strong -detachment at the Alum Bagh, to keep Lucknow in check, Sir Colin -hurried by forced marches to Cawnpore, where his bridge of boats -across the Ganges was now in serious danger. As the long train of -refugees approached it, they were again greeted by the familiar sound -of cannon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> telling how hard a little band of English troops fought -to keep open for them the way to safety. The city was in flames, and -a hot battle going on beyond the river, when Sir Colin appeared upon -the scene, not an hour too soon, for his small force here had been -driven out of its camp into the entrenchment covering the bridge. "Our -soldiers do not withdraw well," an observer drily remarked of this -almost disastrous affair.</p> - -<p>Next day, he crossed the Ganges to confront Tantia Topee with less -unequal force. Before doing anything more, he must get rid of his -encumbering charge, some of whom had died in the haste of that anxious -march. On December 3, the non-combatants were sent off towards -Allahabad, on carriages or on foot, till they came to the unfinished -railway, and had what was for many of them their first experience -of railroad travelling. As soon as they were well out of danger, on -December 6, was fought the third battle of Cawnpore, which ended in a -disastrous rout of the rebels.</p> - -<p>This victory could not be immediately followed up, owing to want -of transport, the carriages having been sent off to Allahabad. But -Sir Colin now felt himself master of the situation, with also the -"cold weather," as it is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> called by comparison, in favour of English -soldiers, and laid his plans for thoroughly reconquering the country, -step by step. We need not track all his careful movements, which lasted -through the winter, and indeed beyond the end of next year; it would be -a too tedious repetition of hopeless combats and flights on the part -of the enemy, hiding and running before our forces, who eagerly sought -every chance of bringing them to bay. The dramatic interest of the -story is largely gone, now that its end becomes a foregone conclusion. -So leaving Sir Colin and his lieutenants to sweep the Doab, we return -next spring to see him make an end of Lucknow, which all along figures -so prominently in these troubles. It was here that the rebellion died -hardest, since in Oudh it had more the character of a popular rising, -and not of a mere military mutiny.</p> - -<p>The Commander-in-Chief would have preferred to go on with a slow and -sure conquest of Rohilcund, letting Lucknow blaze itself out for the -meanwhile; but the Governor-General urged him to a speedy conquest of -that city, for the sake of the prestige its mastership gave, so much -value being attached to the superficial impressions of power we could -make on the native mind. As it was, Sir Colin thought well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> to wait, -through most of the cold weather, for the arrival of reinforcements, -in part still delayed by the task of restoring order on the way. -Then also he was expecting a slow Goorkha army under Jung Bahadoor, -the ruler of Nepaul, who, having offered his assistance, might take -offence if the siege were begun without him. The newspapers and other -irresponsible critics attacked our general for what seemed strange -inaction. Indeed, he was judged over-cautious by officers who with a -few hundreds of English soldiers had seen exploits accomplished such as -he delayed to undertake with thousands. He at least justified himself -by final success, and none have a right to blame him who do not know -the difficulty of assembling and providing for the movements of an army -where every European soldier needs the services of natives and beasts -of burden, and every animal, too, must have at least one attendant.</p> - -<p>It was not till the beginning of March that he set out from Cawnpore -with the strongest British force ever seen in India—twenty thousand -soldiers, followed by a train fourteen miles long; camels, elephants, -horses, ponies, goats, sheep, dogs, and even poultry, with stores and -tents; litters for the sick in the rear of each regiment; innumerable -servants, grooms, grass-cutters, water-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span>carriers, porters, traders and -women—a motley crowd from every part of India; and over all a hovering -cloud of kites and vultures, ready to swoop down on the refuse of this -moving multitude and the carnage that would soon mark its advance. As -it dragged its slow length along, moreover, the army now unwound a -trail of telegraph wire, through which its head could at any moment -communicate with his base of operations, and with Lord Canning, who had -made Allahabad the seat of his Government, to be nearer the field.</p> - -<p>Yet such a force was small enough to assail a hostile city some score -of miles in circuit, holding a population estimated at from half a -million upwards, and a garrison that, with revolted troops and fierce -swashbucklers, was believed to be still over a hundred thousand strong. -Their leaders were a woman and a priest—the Moulvie, who at the outset -became notorious by preaching a religious war against us infidels, then -all along appears to have been the animating spirit of that protracted -struggle; and the Begum, mother of a boy set up as King of Oudh. This -poor lad got little good out of his kingship; and even those in real -authority about him must have had their hands full in trying to control -his turbulent subjects.</p> - -<p>But there was some military rule among the rebels, and during the -winter they had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> diligent in fortifying their huge stronghold. A -high earthen parapet, like a railway embankment, had been thrown up -along the banks of the Canal, itself a valuable defence, now rendered -impassable where Sir Colin crossed before, with trenches and rifle-pits -beyond; inside this a line of palaces connected by earthworks formed -a second barrier; and the citadel was the Kaiser Bagh, a vast square -of courtyards crowned by battlements, spires and cupolas, gilt or -glaringly painted—a semi-barbaric Versailles. This, though it had -no great strength in itself, was put in a position of defence. The -chief streets were blocked by barriers or stockades, and the houses -loop-holed and otherwise turned to account as fortifications wherever -the assailants might be expected to force their way. Still, after the -exploits again and again performed by handfuls against hosts, there was -no one in our army who now for a moment doubted of success.</p> - -<p>As they approached that doomed city, the English soldiers were greeted -by the cannon of the Alum Bagh, where all winter Outram, with four -thousand men, had coolly held himself in face of such a swarm of -enemies. On March 4th, Sir Colin was encamped in the parks about the -Dilkoosha, from the roof of which he surveyed the wide prospect of -palaces and gardens before him, while his outposts kept up a duel of -artillery<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> and musketry with the Martinière opposite, where the rebels -had established themselves. He soon saw the weak point in their scheme -of defence. They had omitted to fortify the city on its north side, -supposing this to be protected sufficiently by the river, the two -permanent bridges of which were a long way up, beyond the Residency, -and approached on the further bank through straggling suburbs. Here, -then, the enemy not being prepared, was the best place to attack; and -though before more resolute and skilful opponents, it would be counted -rash to separate the two wings of an army by a deep river, under the -circumstances, this was what Sir Colin resolved to do. A pontoon-bridge -was thrown across the Goomtee, by which, on the 6th, Outram crossed -with a column of all arms, to encamp near Chinhut, the scene of our -reverse under Sir Henry Lawrence.</p> - -<p>The next two days were spent in pushing back the enemy, who had soon -discovered Outram's movements; and by the morning of the 9th, he had -established himself on the left side of the river, with a battery -enfilading the rear of the first defensive line running from its right -bank. Just as the guns were about to open fire, it appeared that the -rebels had not stayed for any further hint to be off. On the opposite -side<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> could be seen a detachment of Highlanders waiting to carry the -abandoned wall. Shouts and gestures failing to attract their attention, -a brave young officer volunteered to swim over the river to make -certain how matters stood; and presently a dripping figure was seen on -the top of the parapet, beckoning up the Highlanders, who rushed in to -find the works here abandoned to them without a blow. The Martinière, -close by, was carried with almost equal ease, the Sepoys swarming out -like rats from a sinking ship; and thus quickly a footing had already -been gained in those elaborate defences. Before the day was over, we -held the enemy's first line of defence.</p> - -<p>For another two days, the operations went on without a check, Outram -advancing on the opposite side as far as the bridges and bombarding -the works in the city from flank and rear, while Sir Colin took and -occupied, one by one, the strong buildings, some of which, already -familiar to his companions in the former attack, were found still -tainted by the corpses of its victims, but this time gave not so much -trouble. Jung Bahadoor now arrived with his Goorkhas, enabling the line -of assault to be extended to the left. Two more days, Sir Colin sapped -and stormed his way through fortified buildings on the open ground -between the river and the city, choosing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> this slow progress rather -than expose his men to the risk of street-fighting. On the 14th, the -third line of works was seized, and our men pressed eagerly forward -into the courts and gardens of the Kaiser Bagh, which at once fell into -their hands with some confused slaughter.</p> - -<p>This rapid success came so unexpectedly, that no arrangements had been -made for restraining the triumphant soldiery from such a wild orgy -of spoil and destruction as now burst loose through that spacious -pleasure-house. The scene has been vividly described by Dr. Russell, -the <i>Times</i> Correspondent, who was an eye-witness—walls broken down, -blazing or ball-pitted; statues and fountains reddened with blood; dead -or dying Sepoys in the orange-groves and summer-houses; at every door -a crowd of powder-grimed soldiers blowing open the locks, or smashing -the panels with the butt ends of their muskets; their officers in vain -trying to recall them to discipline; the men, "drunk with plunder," -smashing vases and mirrors, ripping up pictures, making bonfires of -costly furniture, tearing away gems from their setting, breaking open -lids, staggering out loaded with porcelain, tapestry, caskets of -jewels, splendid arms and robes, strangely disguised in shawls and -head-dresses of magnificent plumes. Even parrots, monkeys, and other -tame animals were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> made part of the booty. One man offered Dr. Russell -for a hundred rupees a chain of precious stones afterwards sold for -several thousand pounds; another was excitedly carrying off a string -of glass prisms from a chandelier, taking them for priceless emeralds; -some might be seen swathed in cloth of gold, or flinging away too -cumbrous treasures that would have been a small fortune to them. This -wasteful robbery broke loose while the din of shots and yells still -echoed through the battered walls and labyrinthine corridors of the -palace. Then, as fresh bands poured in to share the loot, white men and -black, these comrades had almost turned their weapons on each other -in the rage of greed; and, meantime, without gathered a crowd of more -timid but not less eager camp-followers, waiting till the lions had -gorged themselves, to fall like jackals upon the leavings of the spoil. -To this had come the rich magnificence of the kings of Oudh.</p> - -<p>Amid such distraction, the victors thought little of following up -their routed enemy, whose ruin, however, would have been overwhelming -had Outram, as was his own wish, now crossed the nearest bridge to -fall upon the mass of dismayed fugitives. Sir Colin had given him -leave to do so on condition of not losing a single man—an emphatic -caution, perhaps not meant to be taken<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> literally; but Outram, whom -nobody could suspect of failing in hardihood, interpreted it as keeping -him inactive. Thus a great number of rebels now made their escape, -scattering over the country. Many still clung to the further buildings, -which remained to be carried. Even two days later some of them had -the boldness to sally out against our rear at the Alum Bagh, and the -Moulvie, their leader, did not take flight for some days. But, after -the capture of the chief palace, the rest could be only a matter of -time.</p> - -<p>By the end of a week, with little further opposition, on March 21, -we had mastered the whole city, to find it almost deserted by its -terrified inhabitants, after enjoying for almost a year the doubtful -benefits of independence.</p> - -<p>The British soldiers were now lodged in the palaces of Oudh, and might -stroll admiringly through the ruins of that wretched fortress which, in -the hands of their countrymen, had held out as many months as it had -taken them days to overcome the formidable works of the enemy. Their -victory was followed up by a proclamation from the Governor-General, -that in the opinion of many seemed harsh and unwise, since, with a few -exceptions, it declared the lands of Oudh forfeit to the conquering -power. The natural tendency of this was to drive the dispossessed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> -nobles and landowners into a guerilla warfare, in which they were -supported by the rebels escaped from Lucknow to scatter over the -country, taking as strongholds the forts and jungles that abound in it. -Nearly a year, indeed, passed before Oudh was fully pacified.</p> - -<p>After sending out columns to deal with some of the most conspicuous -points of danger, Sir Colin moved into Rohilcund, his next task being -the reduction of its no less contumacious population. On May 5th, a -sharp fight decided the fate of Bareilly, its capital. Then he was -recalled by the Oudh rebels, growing to some head again under that -persistent foe the Moulvie. But, next month, the Moulvie fell in a -petty affray with some of his own countrymen—a too inglorious end for -one of our most hearty and determined opponents, who seems to have had -the gifts of a leader as well as of a preacher of rebellion.</p> - -<p>Again may be hurried over a monotonous record of almost constant -success. The troops had suffered so frightfully from heat, that they -must now be allowed a little repose through the rainy season. With -next winter began the slow work of hunting down the rebels, in which -Sir Hope Grant took a leading part. By the spring of 1859, those still -in arms had been driven into Nepaul, or forced to take shelter in the -pestilential,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> tiger-haunted jungles of the Terai, while throughout -Hindostan burned bungalows were rebuilding, broken telegraph-posts -replacing, officials coming back to their stations; and the machinery -of law and order became gradually brought again into gear, under the -dread of a race that could so well assert its supremacy.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE EXTINCTION</p> - - -<p>It has been impossible to note all the minor operations in this -confused war, and the isolated risings of which here and there we have -caught glimpses through the clouds of smoke overhanging the main field -of action—a mere corner of India, yet a region as large as England. -Thrills of sympathetic disaffection ran out towards Assam on the one -side, and to Goojerat on the other; up northwards into the Punjaub, as -we have seen, then through the Central Provinces, down into Bombay, and -to the great native state of Hyderabad, where the Nizam and his shrewd -minister Salar Jung managed to keep their people quiet, yet reverses on -our part might at any time have inflamed them beyond restraint.</p> - -<p>Among the protected or semi-independent Courts of Rajpootana and -Central India there were serious troubles. Scindia and Holkar, the -chief Mahratta princes, stood loyal to us; but their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> soldiery took the -other side. The most remarkable case of hostility here was that of the -Ranee or Queen of Jhansi, a dispossessed widow, who had much the same -grievance against the British Government as Nana Sahib, and avenged it -by similar treacherous cruelty. She managed to blind the small English -community to their danger till the Sepoys broke out early in June with -the usual excesses; then our people, taking refuge in a fort, were -persuaded to surrender, and basely massacred. After this version of the -Cawnpore tragedy on a smaller scale, the Ranee had seized the throne of -her husband's ancestors, to defend it with more spirit than was shown -by the would-be Peshwa.</p> - -<p>The whole heart of the Continent remained in a state of intermittent -disorder, and little could be done to put this down till the beginning -of 1858, when columns of troops from Madras and Bombay respectively -marched northward to clear the central districts, and rid Sir Colin -Campbell of the marauding swarms that thence troubled his rear. The -Bombay column, under Sir Hugh Rose, had the harder work of it. Fighting -his way through a difficult country, he first relieved the English who -for more than seven months had been holding out at Saugor; then moved -upon Jhansi, a strongly fortified city, with a rock-built citadel -towering over its walls.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Ranee was found determined to hold out, and on March 22nd a siege -of this formidable fortress had to be undertaken by two brigades of -European soldiers and Sepoys. At the end of a week, they in turn -became threatened by over twenty thousand rebels, under Tantia Topee, -advancing to raise the siege. Fifteen hundred men, only a third of them -Europeans, were all Sir Hugh Rose could spare from before the walls, -but with so few he faced this fresh army, that seemed able to envelop -his little band in far-stretching masses. Again, however, bold tactics -were successful against a foe that seldom bore to be assailed at an -unexpected point. Attacked on each flank by cavalry and artillery, -the long line of Sepoys wavered, and gave way at the first onset of -a handful of infantry in front. They fell back on their second line, -which had no heart to renew the battle. Setting fire to the jungle in -front of him, Tantia Topee fled with the loss of all his guns, hotly -pursued through the blazing timber by our cavalry and artillery.</p> - -<p>Next day but one, April 3rd, while this brilliant victory was still -fresh, our soldiers carried Jhansi by assault. Severe fighting took -place in the streets round the palace; then the citadel was evacuated, -and the Ranee fled to Calpee, not far south of Cawnpore. Sir Hugh -Rose followed, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> soon as he could get supplies, defeating Tantia -Topee once more on the road. Our most terrible enemy was the sun, -which struck down men by hundreds; the commander himself had several -sunstrokes, and more than half of one regiment fell out in a single -day. Half the whole force were in the doctor's hands; hardly a man -among them but was ailing. The rebels knew this weak point well, and -sought to make their harassing attacks in the mid-day heat. The want of -water also was most distressing at times; men and beasts went almost -mad with thirst, when tears could be seen running from the eyes of -the huge elephants sweltering on a shadeless plain, and the backs of -howling dogs were burned raw by the cruel sun.</p> - -<p>But the work seemed almost done, and in confidence of full success Sir -Hugh Rose did not wait for the Madras column, which should now have -joined him, but could not come up in time. At Calpee, the arsenal of -the rebels, were the Ranee and Rao Sahib, a nephew of the Nana. This -place also was a picturesque and imposing fortress that might well have -delayed the little army. But the infatuated enemy, driven to madness -by drugs and fanatical excitement, swarmed out into the labyrinth of -sun-baked ravines before it, to attack our fainting soldiers; then they -met<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> with such a reception as to send them flying, not only from the -field, but from the town, and their arsenal, with all its contents, -fell an easy prey to the victors. This march of a thousand miles, -though so briefly related, was distinguished by some of the finest -feats of arms in the whole war.</p> - -<p>The Madras column, under General Whitlock, had meanwhile had a less -glorious career. After overthrowing the Nawab of Banda, it marched -against the boy-Prince of Kirwi, a ward of the British Government, -who was only nine years old and could hardly be accused of hostility, -though his people shared the feelings of their neighbours. His palace -fell without a blow. Yet its treasures were pronounced a prize of the -soldiery, and the poor boy himself became dethroned for a rebellious -disposition he could neither inspire nor prevent. This seems one of the -most discreditable of our doings in the high-handed suppression of the -Mutiny.</p> - -<p>Leaving Whitlock's men with their easily-won booty, we return to Sir -Hugh Rose, who now hoped to take well-earned repose. At the end of May -he had already begun to break up his sickly force, when startling news -came that the resources of the rebels were not yet exhausted. Tantia, -Rao Sahib, and the Ranee had hit on the idea of seizing Gwalior, and -turning it into a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> nucleus of renewed hostility. Scindia marched out to -meet them on June 1, but a few shots decided the battle. Most of his -army went over to the enemy, who seized his capital with its treasures -and munitions of war, and proclaimed Nana Sahib as Peshwa. The alarming -danger was that under a title once so illustrious, a revolt might -still spread far southwards into the Deccan through the whole Mahratta -country.</p> - -<p>Without waiting for orders, broken in health as he was, Sir Hugh Rose -lost no time in starting out to extinguish this new conflagration. By -forced marches, made as far as possible at night, he reached Gwalior -in a fortnight, not without encounters by the way, in one of which -fell obscurely that undaunted Amazon, the young Ranee, dressed in -man's clothes, whom her conqueror judged more of a man than any among -the rebel leaders; the Indian Joan of Arc she has been called, and -certainly makes the most heroic figure on that side of the contest. -On June 19, her allies made a last useless stand before Gwalior. The -pursuers followed them into the city, and next day its mighty fortress, -famed as the Gibraltar of India, was audaciously broken into by a -couple of subalterns, a blacksmith, and a few Sepoys. The character of -the war may be seen, in which such an exploit passes with so slight -notice; and these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> rapid successes against mighty strongholds are a -remarkable contrast to the vain efforts of the mutineers to wrest from -us our poor places of refuge.</p> - -<p>Tantia Topee was followed up beyond Gwalior, and once more defeated -with the loss of his guns, a matter of one charge, over in a few -minutes. But that by no means made an end of this pertinacious rebel, -who for the best part of a year yet was to lead our officers a weary -chase all up and down the west of Central India. Through jungles and -deserts, over mountains and rivers, by half-friendly, half-frightened -towns, running and lurking, doubling and twisting, along a trail of -some three thousand miles, he found himself everywhere hunted and -headed, but could nowhere be brought effectually to bay. Here and there -he might make a short stand, which always had the same result; and the -nature of these encounters may be judged from one in which, with eight -thousand men and thirty guns, he was routed without a single casualty -on our side.</p> - -<p>The great object was to prevent him getting south into the Deccan and -stirring up the Mahrattas there to swell his shrivelled ranks, and -this was successfully attained. As for catching him, that seemed more -difficult. But at length he grew worn out. Such followers as were left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> -him slunk away to their homes, or split up into wandering bands of -robbers; the toils of the hunters closed round their slippery chief, -fairly driven into hiding. Betrayed by a rebel who thus sought to make -his peace with our Government, he was at length laid hands on in the -spring of 1859, to be speedily tried and hanged, the last hydra-head of -the insurrection.</p> - -<p>For murderers like those of Cawnpore there was no pardon. But English -blood ran calmer now, and wise men might talk of mercy to the misguided -masses. The Governor-General had already earned the honourable nickname -of "Clemency Canning," given in bitterness by those not noble enough -to use victory with moderation. At the end of 1858, the Queen's -proclamation offered an amnesty to all rebels who had taken no part -in the murder of Europeans. This came none too soon, for the ruthless -severity with which we followed our first successes had been a main -cause in driving the beaten enemy to desperation, and thus prolonging a -hopeless struggle.</p> - -<p>It must be confessed with shame, that not only in the heat of combat, -but in deliberate savagery excited by the licence of revenge, and with -formal mockeries of justice, too many Englishmen gave themselves up -to a heathen lust for bloodshed. Hasty punishment fell often on the -innocent as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> well as the guilty, meted with the same rough measure to -mutinous soldiers and to those whose crime, as in Oudh, was that of -defending their country against an arrogant and powerful oppressor. The -mass of the natives could hardly help themselves between one side and -the other; and if they did sympathize with their own countrymen, was it -for the descendants of Cromwell, of Wallace, of Alfred, to blame them -so wrathfully?</p> - -<p>Heavy could not but be the punishment that visited this unhappy land. -Not a few of the mutineers were spared in battle to die by inches in -some unwholesome jungle, or slunk home, when they durst, only to meet -the curses of the friends upon whom they had brought so much misery, -and to be at a loss how to earn their bread, pay and pension having -been scattered to the winds of rebellion. The sufferings of the civil -population, even where they had not risen in arms, were also pitiable; -and if hundreds of homes in England had been bereaved, there would be -thousands of dusky heathen to mourn their dear ones. The country was -laid waste in many parts; towns and palaces were ruined; landowners -were dispossessed, nobles driven into beggary among the multitude of -humbler victims, whose very religion was insulted to bring home to them -their defeat. A favourite mode of execution<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> was blowing prisoners away -from the mouth of guns, through which they believed themselves doomed -in the shadowy life beyond death; and where they came to be hanged, -the last rude offices were done by the eternally profaning touch of -the sweeper caste. The temples on the river-side at Cawnpore had been -blown up, as a sacrifice to the memory of our massacred country-people. -The mosques and shrines of Delhi were thrown open to the infidel. -Immediately after its capture, there had even been a talk of razing -this great city to the ground, that its magnificence might be forgotten -in its guilt.</p> - -<p>The old king had paid dearly for that short-lived attempt to revive the -glories of his ancestors. Tried by court-martial, he was transported -to Rangoon, where he soon died in captivity. Certain other potentates -were punished, and some rewarded at their expense, for varying conduct -during a crisis when most of them had the same desire to be on the -winning side, but some played their game more skilfully or more luckily -than others. Nana Sahib, the most hateful of our enemies, escaped the -speedy death that awaited him if ever he fell into British hands. He -fled to the Himalayas with a high price on his head, and his fate was -never known for certain; but the probability is that long ago he has -perished more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> miserably than if he had been brought to the gallows.</p> - -<p>The Power which had set up and pulled down so many princes became -itself dispossessed and abolished through the upheavings of the -Mutiny. In England, it was felt on all hands that such an empire as -had grown out of our Eastern possessions, should no longer be left -under the control of even a so dignified body as the East India -Company. The realm won by private or corporate enterprise was annexed -to the dominions of the British Crown; and on Nov. 1, 1858, the same -proclamation which offered amnesty to the submissive rebels, declared -that henceforth the Queen of England ruled as sovereign over India.</p> - -<p>In 1877, Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress at Delhi, amid an -imposing assemblage both of actual rulers and of gorgeous native -potentates bearing time-honoured titles, who thus fully acknowledged -themselves vassals of the Power that in little more than a century had -taken the place of the Great Mogul.</p> - -<p>Our rule in India has now become marked by a feature almost new -in the history of conquerors. We begin to recognize more and more -clearly that we owe this subjugated land a debt in the elevation of -her long-oppressed millions. With this duty comes a new source of -danger. By the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> very means we take here to raise up a sense of common -welfare, and through the destruction of those petty tyrannies that -hitherto held apart the elements of national life, we are teaching the -agglomeration of races to whom we have given a common name to look on -themselves as one people, still too much differing from us in interests -and sympathies; and it is to be feared that their growth in healthy -progress does not keep pace with the hot-headed and loud-tongued -patriotism of some who, in the schools of their rulers, have learned -rather to talk about than to be fit for freedom. Though such noisy -discontent is chiefly noted among the classes least formidable in arms, -while the more warlike seem not unwilling to accept our supremacy, -if ever another rebellion took place, we should have to deal with a -less unorganized sentiment of national existence, and perhaps with the -deeper and wider counsels, for want of which mainly, we have seen how -the Mutiny miscarried, that else might have swept our scanty force out -of India. On the other hand, in such a future emergency, we should have -the advantage both of the improved scientific arms, so decisive in -modern warfare, the use of which we now take more care to keep in our -own hands, and of those better means of communication with the East, -gained within the lifetime of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> our generation. In less than a month, we -could throw into India as many English soldiers as, in 1857, arrived -only in time to stamp out the embers of an almost ruinous conflagration.</p> - -<p>In any case, the conscience of England has set up a new standard to -judge its achievements—by the good we can do to this great people, and -not by the gain we can wring from them, the honour of our mastery must -stand or fall.</p> - -<p>The work of education may well be longer and harder than that of -conquest. The conduct of our countrymen here causes yet too much shame -and doubt in thoughtful minds. But when we see the spirit in which many -of India's rulers undertake their difficult task—the patient labours -of officials, following the pattern of men like Outram, Lawrence, -Havelock, the devotion to duty that often meets no reward but an early -grave—we take hope that their work may after all weld into strength a -free, prosperous, and united nation. And though we wisely forbear to -force our faith upon these benighted souls, it rests with ourselves -in time, through the power of example, to win a nobler victory than -any in the blood-stained annals of Hindostan. Missionary teachings can -little avail, if Christians, set among the heathen in such authority -and pre-eminence, are not true to their own lessons of righteousness. -Standing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> beside that proudly-mournful monument which now crowns the -ridge of Delhi, and raises our holiest symbol over the once-rebellious -city, every Englishman should be inspired to a braver struggle than -with armed foes, that, mastering himself, he may rightly do his part -towards planting the Cross—not in show alone, but in power—above the -cruel Crescent and the hideous idols of an outworn creed!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="APPENDIX" id="APPENDIX">APPENDIX</a></p> - -<p class="center">CHIEF DATES OF INDIAN HISTORY</p> - - -<table summary="dates" width="85%"> -<tr><td>Alexander the Great's Invasion of India</td><td> <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 327</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Slave Kings of Delhi</td> <td align="right"><span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 1206-90</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Tamerlane's Invasion</td> <td align="right">1398</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Vasco de Gama's Voyage </td><td align="right">1498</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Baber founds the Mogul Empire</td> <td align="right">1526</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Akbar's Reign</td> <td align="right">1556-1605</td></tr> - -<tr><td>East India Company Incorporated</td> <td align="right">1600</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Sivajee becomes King of the Mahrattas</td> <td align="right">1674</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Death of Aurungzebe</td> <td align="right">1707</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Nadir Shah plunders Delhi</td> <td align="right">1739</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Clive's Defence of Arcot</td> <td align="right">1751</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Battle of Plassey</td> <td align="right">1757</td></tr> - -<tr><td>War with Hyder Ali</td> <td align="right">1780</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Trial of Warren Hastings</td> <td align="right">1788-95</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Storming of Seringapatam </td><td align="right">1799</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Battle of Assaye</td> <td align="right">1803</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Overthrow of the Mahrattas</td> <td align="right">1818</td></tr> - -<tr><td>First Burmese War</td> <td align="right">1824</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Capture of Bhurtpore</td> <td align="right">1827</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Lord William Bentinck's Governorship</td> <td align="right">1829</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Disasters in Afghanistan</td> <td align="right">1841</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Conquest of Scinde</td> <td align="right">1843</td></tr> - -<tr><td>First Sikh War</td> <td align="right">1845</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Second Sikh War</td> <td align="right">1848</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Conquest of Pegu</td> <td align="right">1852</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Annexation of Oudh</td> <td align="right">1856</td></tr> - -<tr><td>The Sepoy Mutiny</td> <td align="right">1857</td></tr> - -<tr><td> Outbreak at Meerut</td> <td align="right">May 10 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> The Mutineers seize Delhi</td><td align="right"> May 11 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> General Anson marches against Delhi</td> <td align="right">May 25 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Mutiny at Lucknow</td> <td align="right">May 30 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> <span style="margin-left: 2em;">" " Cawnpore</span></td> <td align="right">June 4 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> <span style="margin-left: 2em;">" " Jhansi</span></td> <td align="right">June 5 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> <span style="margin-left: 2em;">" " Allahabad</span></td> <td align="right">June 6 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Battle of Budlee-Ka-Serai</td> <td align="right">June 8 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Panic Sunday at Calcutta</td> <td align="right">June 14 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Mutiny at Futtehgurh</td> <td align="right">June 18 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Massacre at Cawnpore</td> <td align="right">June 27 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Sir H. Lawrence defeated at Chinhut</td> <td align="right">June 30 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> English Retreat into Agra Fort</td> <td align="right">July 5 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Havelock advances from Allahabad</td> <td align="right">July 7 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Nana Sahib routed before Cawnpore</td> <td align="right">July 16 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Mutiny at Dinapore</td> <td align="right">July 25 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Storming of Delhi</td> <td align="right">Sept. 14 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Surrender of the King</td> <td align="right">Sept. 21 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Havelock's Relief of Lucknow</td> <td align="right">Sept. 25 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Sir Colin Campbell marches to Lucknow</td> <td align="right">Nov. 9 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Residency of Lucknow evacuated</td> <td align="right">Nov. 22 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>Tantia Topee defeated at Cawnpore</td> <td align="right">Dec. 6 </td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" align="right">1858</td></tr> - -<tr><td> Lucknow finally taken</td> <td align="right">March 21 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Taking of Jhansi</td> <td align="right">April 3 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Battle of Bareilly</td> <td align="right">May 5 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Battle before Calpee</td> <td align="right">May 22 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Scindia defeated by the Rebels</td> <td align="right">June 1 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> Gwalior taken</td> <td align="right">June 19 </td></tr> - -<tr><td> The Queen's Proclamation</td> <td align="right">Nov. 1 </td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" align="right">1859</td></tr> - -<tr><td> Tantia Topee taken</td> <td align="right">April 15 </td></tr> - -<tr><td>The Queen proclaimed Empress of India</td> <td align="right">1877</td></tr> -</table> - - -<p class= "center" style="margin-top: 5em;">THE END</p> - - -<p class= "center" style="margin-top: 10em;"> -<span class="smcap">Richard Clay & Sons, Limited,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">London & Bungay.</span><br /> -</p> - - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF THE INDIAN MUTINY ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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