Chapter VII (2)

The whole country was now up in arms, and that vast empire that had taken us 100 years to build up, was shaken to its foundations. But it was held with a tenacious grasp by men whose heads had been screwed on right, backed by those who had been worked up to a state of madness or desperation by the fiend-like deeds of the brutes whom previously we had drilled, fought side by side with, and pampered, while they had looked upon our kindness as a sign of weakness. The revolt was spreading with rapidity. Cantonments all over the country were in flames. Benares, the holy city, was in a blaze. But the Mutineers had a very short life of it there. That noble, brave man, Colonel Neill, dropped in upon them with a portion of his Madras Fusiliers--the present 103rd Fusiliers--and at once put them to flight. The troops in Benares were the 37th N. Infantry, a Sikh regiment, and the 13th Irregular Cavalry. The odds were heavy against our men--1500 against 500--and they had just come in from a long march. But the dreaded "Gorahs" (English soldiers) were too many for them. Troops were now being fast pushed up the country. Although the heat was something terrible--it was over 100 degrees in the shade--the excitement kept our men up. The following regiments were moving up country by road and water as fast as they could: 64th, 78th Highlanders, and 84th--all shaping for Allahabad. But none of them arrived in time to save the unfortunate officers of the 6th N. Infantry. The Mutineers had been playing a double game, and had deceived all their officers, whom they butchered without the slightest show of mercy. It was a bloodthirsty act. All, or nearly all, the officers of that unfortunate regiment were assembled at their mess-house on the 5th June, 1857, when they were shot or bayoneted by the very men whom they had so lately commanded. These officers had put implicit confidence in their men, they having only a few days previously presented a petition to the Government requesting that they might be led against the Mutineers at Delhi; but they and the 3rd Oude Irregular Cavalry murdered all they could lay their hands upon, and pillaged the city, shooting or cutting down all who stood in their way. A noble young hero--a boy--here stood forth in brightest colours. I will give the account as it appeared in the native papers, as it is too good to be abridged. When the wretched 6th N. Infantry and 3rd Oude Irregular Cavalry mutinied at Allahabad and murdered their officers, an ensign only 16 years of age--a Mr. Arthur M. H. Chuk--was left for dead amongst the rest. He escaped in the darkness to a ravine, and, although desperately wounded, contrived to get up into a tree; but on the fifth day he was discovered, and dragged by the brutal sepoys before one of their leaders, to have what little life there was left in him extinguished. There he found a Native Christian, being tormented and tortured in order to induce him to renounce the Christian faith. The firmness of the poor Native was giving way, under the tortures that he, poor thing, was undergoing. The young officer, after anxiously watching him for a short time, cried out with a loud voice, "Oh, my friend, come what may, do not deny the Lord Jesus." Just at that moment the gallant Colonel Neill, with his Madras Fusiliers, dashed in among them, and thus saved the Native Christian. But the young martyr had passed beyond the reach of human cruelty. He had entered into rest--that rest that is prepared for all those who are faithful to the end. Reader, what a glorious end for one so young!

Colonel Neill had come just in time to save the Fort of Allahabad, as the only Europeans there were a few invalid Artillerymen. All the non-military were at once armed, and formed up as militia, determined to fight desperately for their lives. The gallant Colonel was resolved to give the enemy no rest, and, with 200 of his Fusiliers and a few guns, he made Allahabad a little too hot for them. Reinforcements were now coming up the country as fast as possible. A column was quickly formed to be pushed on to Cawnpore. In the meantime, horrible accounts kept coming in from all parts of Bengal. Jhansie was lost; the men, women, and children, had all been massacred. They made a noble stand in a little fort, as long as they had any food; but at last had to give in for the want of provisions. They evacuated the fort under a faithful promise that their lives should be spared; but as soon as the rebels had got their arms from them, they set to and tied them to trees, subjecting both male and female, old and young, to treatment too horrible to mention--deeds such as have no equal except at Cawnpore. I am sorry to have to record that the "Ranee," Queen of Jhansie, was at the head of this rising, and this fiend in the form of woman is believed to have stood by and given the order to slaughter our poor defenceless women and children, after they had suffered worse than death itself. Nowgong and Saugor were gone, and all that could not escape were shot down. Some of the officers managed to escape with their lives by riding night and day to Agra.

(MORNING OF 17TH JULY, 1857).

_Black spots on ground and pillars represents Blood._]

NANA SAHIB AT CAWNPORE.

All eyes were now directed to Cawnpore and Lucknow. Sir H. Wheeler was at the former place with the 1st Light Cavalry, 53rd and 56th, two batteries of Artillery, some Oude Irregular Cavalry, and some 500 or 600 of Nana Sahib's troops--this gentleman being supposed, up to the present, to be loyal to our Government. All the reliable forces that Gen. Sir H. Wheeler had consisted of a number of officers who had made their way as Fugitives from other stations and the officers of the above-named regiments, together with detachments from the following regiments that had been pushed up country: a few of the Madras Fusiliers, about 60 men of the 84th, and a company of the 32nd from Lucknow. His whole force consisted of about 250 fighting men, including officers, with whom he had to protect no fewer than 520 defenceless women and children. Had it not been for these poor creatures he would have cut his way through to Allahabad. Being compelled to retire to his intrenchments, he defended himself against a host, although cut off from all communications. The rebels first thought of marching off to Delhi, to join with those who were trying to exterminate the Feringhees. But the wily Nana Sahib persuaded them to return to Cawnpore first, and to destroy all the English in that place--old and young, rich and poor, all had to die. In order to induce them to do so, he promised double pay if they would only fight for him. They at once marched back and summoned the General to surrender or die. The Nana at once attacked the intrenchments, but was driven back with terrible slaughter. They then brought up heavy guns and opened a destructive fire upon them. Numbers of the poor women and children were killed, but our men peppered them pretty well. They came on repeatedly to try and take the works, but the rifle, so much despised by them, threw death and destruction in their ranks. The heat was something fearful, and as our poor women had no shelter from the scorching rays of the sun, a number of them were stricken down by it to rise no more. They were the most fortunate of the whole. Many were cut to pieces with shot and shell. One poor woman sat nursing her twin boys, but a few months' old, when a round shot from the enemy took off both her arms, and killed her two dear little ones. The agony of that poor mother, no pen can describe. At times the air was full of shells bursting in all directions, but still this noble little garrison held out, and repeatedly drove their assailants back. Our people did not forget the bayonet, and all those rebels who were more daring than the rest got it with a vengeance; they soon began to get tired of it, and wanted to be off to Delhi.

All who fell into Nana Sahib's hands met with a horrible death. He was told by more than one lady that their countrymen would avenge all this useless slaughter, for none ever before were known to kill women and children. But this brute was beneath all feeling. On the 12th of June, some 126 fugitives from Futteghur--men, women, and children--were dragged before this monster, and were ordered to be cruelly murdered in cold blood. Day after day rolled on, and Gen. Wheeler nobly held out, although the host around him was being daily augmented, and all were panting for the blood of the Feringhees. Almost every day poor fugitives from other stations, not knowing that Cawnpore was in the hands of the rebels, came rushing into the very jaws of death; the men were at once shot down, while the poor women were reserved for a fate worse than death at the hands of a mob, who were now in a state of madness on account of the noble stand that a mere handful of men were making. Some of the poor defenceless women begged hard for the lives of their little ones; but the order had gone forth that every man, woman, and child of European blood had to die, and every device that could be thought of to work upon the poor deluded natives to deceive and animate them to the most fiend-like deeds, was carried out. The following is a copy of one of the false proclamations that this arch-fiend--Nana Sahib--had posted up all over the city of Cawnpore:--

A traveller just arrived in Cawnpore from Calcutta, states
that, in the first instance, a Council was held to take into
consideration the means to be adopted to do away with the
religion of Mohammedans and Hindoos by the distribution of
cartridges. The Council came to this resolution: that, as
this matter was one of religion, the services of seven or
eight thousand European soldiers would be necessary, as
50,000 Hindostanis Would have to be destroyed, and then the
whole of the people of Hindostan would become Christians. A
petition, with the substance of this resolution, was sent to
the Queen Victoria, and it was approved. A Council was then
held a second time, in which English merchants took a part,
and it was decided that, in order that no evil should arise
from mutiny, large reinforcements should be sent for. When
the despatch was received and read in England, thousands of
European soldiers were embarked in ships as speedily as
possible, and sent off to Hindostan. The news of their being
dispatched reached Calcutta. The English authorities there
ordered the issue of the cartridges; for the real intention
was to Christianise the army first; and this being effected,
the conversion of the people would speedily follow. Pigs'
and cows' fat was mixed up with the cartridges; this became
known through one of the Bengalese who was employed in the
cartridge-making establishment. Of those through whose means
this was divulged, one was killed and the rest imprisoned.
While in this country these counsels were being adopted, in
England the vakeel of the sultan of Roum sent news to the
sultan that thousands of European soldiers were being sent
for the purpose of making Christians of all the people of
Hindostan. Upon this the sultan issued a firman to the king
of Egypt to this effect:--'You must deceive the Queen
Victoria; for this is not a time for friendship, for my
vakeel writes that thousands of European soldiers have been
dispatched for the purpose of making Christians the army and
people of Hindostan. In this manner, then, this must be
checked. If I should be remiss, then how can I show my face
to God; and one day this may come upon me also; for if the
English make Christians of all in Hindostan, they will then
fix their designs upon my country.' When the firman reached
the king of Egypt, he prepared and arranged his troops,
before the arrival of the English army at Alexandria, for
this is the route to India. The instant the English army
arrived, the king of Egypt opened guns upon them from all
sides, and destroyed and sunk their ships, and not a single
soldier escaped. The English in Calcutta, after the issue of
the order for our cartridges, and when the mutiny had become
great, were in expectation of the arrival of the army from
London; but the great God, in his omnipotence, had
beforehand put an end to this. When the news of the
destruction of the army of London became known, then the
governor-general was much afflicted and grieved, and he
lamented. In the night, murder and robbery; in the morning,
neither head upon the body nor crown upon the head. The blue
sky makes one revolution; neither Nadir nor trace of him
remains.

Done by order of the Peishwa Bahadoor.--_13 Zekaida, 1273_
_Hijra_.

But this treacherous murderer of women and children soon began to find out his mistake. He had a mere handful of men in front of him, but even these he could not subdue. He moved about Cawnpore in great pomp, having now under his command a strong force of disloyal troops that had been well drilled by us, and often led on to victory.[16] And these poor deluded creatures believed that our ray (or reign) in India was over, and all that they had to do was to destroy us, root and branch, and "all the yellow-faced, narrow-minded people would be sent to hell." But the heroic defence that Gen. Wheeler was making in an old open intrenchment, exposed to a burning sun in June, nearly drove this black-hearted coward mad. This little band of heroes held out until the 26th of June, repulsing with great slaughter all attempts to defeat them by force of arms, when, having nothing to eat or drink, Gen. Wheeler accepted the Nana's terms of peace, and laid down his arms, having received a faithful promise that not a hair of their heads should be touched, but that the General and his officers, all his men, the women and children, should be sent on to Allahabad in boats, and they _were_ all taken down to the boats, but here a crime was committed that stands unparalleled in the annals of Indian history. The party arrived at the water's edge, and embarked in large country boats, each sufficient to carry forty or fifty people. Then a wholesale butchery commenced. As they put off, masked guns opened upon them with grape, canister, shot and shell, together with volley after volley of musketry. Some of the boats took fire, and many of the women jumped into the water, in order to avoid being burnt to death; then the Sowars (Cavalry soldiers) waded in and cut the poor things down! There were fifteen boat loads, consisting mostly of helpless wounded men, women, and children. About 115 women and children escaped this massacre, to be tortured for a few days more, and then to receive treatment worse than death.

THE MASSACRES.

The few men who escaped, including General Wheeler, were dragged ashore and thrown into prison Some of the women could not, and would not, be separated from their husbands, exclaiming "If my husband is to die, I will die with him." That fiend Nana ordered his soldiers to separate them, but it could not be done except by killing them. The minister or chaplain requested permission of Nana to pray with them. It was granted; his bonds were partially loosened, and, as soon as he had ended, the whole were shot down, those who gave signs of any life remaining being cut and hacked to pieces with swords. After this the women and children were taken to Nana Sahib's house, which was afterwards the scene of a fearful massacre. They were kept here until the defeat of Nana Sahib's troops by the army under Sir Henry Havelock, and subsequent investigation revealed the horrible fact that, immediately upon the result of the action becoming known to Nana Sahib, the whole of the women and children detained by him, with such other Europeans as could be found secreted within the city, and several Bengalese residents who had become obnoxious to the Mohammedans by their connection with the Europeans, were put to death under circumstances of revolting barbarity. The courtyard of the building in which the women and children had been confined appeared to have been the principal scene of slaughter; and, when entered by our men, it was covered, to the height of two inches, with blood, and with the tattered remains of female apparel. The walls, too, were covered with splashes of blood, and on one of the pillars the victims of the fell deed had written in letters of blood--"Avenge us, fellow-countrymen." But there was no need for this exhortation. Our men were already fully aroused, and were determined to exact the utmost vengeance. Of upwards of 200 innocent and helpless women and children that had been confined in the Subada Kothee, not one remained alive at the close of that day!

THE WELL AT CAWNPORE.

SACRED TO THE PERPETUAL MEMORY OF

A GREAT COMPANY OF CHRISTIAN PEOPLE,

(TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHT), CHIEFLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN, WHO NEAR THIS SPOT
WERE CRUELLY MASSACRED BY THE FOLLOWERS, AND BY ORDER, OF THE REBEL NANA
DHUNDER-PANT, OF BYTHOOR, AND CAST (THE DYING WITH THE DEAD) INTO THE
WELL BELOW, ON THE 15TH JULY, 1857.]

The following description of the scene which met the horrified gaze of our soldiers, when they entered the city, I take the liberty of transcribing:--"Accustomed as those stern men had been to scenes of blood and the devastating ravages of war, the sack of towns, and the carnage of the battle-field, the spectacle that now met their gaze unmanned the strongest in the ranks. Before them lay a paved court, strewn with the wrecks of women's clothing and children's dresses, torn and cut into ragged and bloody fragments, as if hacked from the persons of the living wearers! Gory and dishevelled tresses of human hair lay trampled among the blood that had yet scarcely congealed upon the pavement! Exclamations of horror subsided into deathlike stillness, as the men rushed across that slippery court into the building before them. Traces of brutal violence, of savage and ferocious murder, told in each apartment the fearful history of the preceding night; but not one living being was there to disclose the awful secret yet to be revealed, or indicate the spot in which the survivors (if any there were) of an evident massacre had taken refuge. At length the fearful truth was realised; a huge well in the rear of the building had been used by the murderers as a fitting receptacle in which to hide their martyred victims from human eyes; and here, yet reeking with blood, stripped of clothing, dishonoured, mutilated, and massacred, lay the bodies of 208 females and children of all ages--the dying and the dead festering together in that hideous well! There lay the hapless mother and her innocent babe; the young wife and the aged matron; girlhood in its teens, and infancy in its helplessness--all--all had fallen beneath the dishonoured tulwars of the Mahratta destroyer, and his fierce and cowardly accomplices in crime. Upon the walls and pillars of the rooms in which this astounding act of pitiless barbarity had been perpetrated were the marks of bullets, and of cuts made by sword-strokes--not high up as if men had fought with men, but low down, and about the corners, where the poor crouching victims had been cut to pieces! On those walls, in some places nearly obliterated by the blood that yet clung congealed in all directions, were discovered short scraps of pencil-writing, and scratches upon the plaster. In one apartment was a row of women's shoes and boots, with _bleeding amputated feet_ in them! On the opposite side of the room, the devilish ingenuity of the mocking fiends was shown in a row of children's shoes, filled in a similar way!"

One deed of heroism that has been recorded deserves mention here. A daughter of General Wheeler's was taken off by a sowar and put into his house along with his wife, near the church. This girl remained till nightfall; and when he came home drunk and fell asleep, she took a sword and cut off his head, his mother's head, two children's heads, and his wife's head, and then walked out into the air; and when she saw other sowars, she said, 'Go inside and see how nicely I have rubbed the rissaldar's feet.' They went inside, and found them all dead. She then jumped into a well and was killed.

THE RE-CAPTURE OF DELHI.

A noble band, in spite of the terrible heat, had marched down from the hills, where they had been located to screen them from the intenser sun of the burning plains, and Mr. Pandy soon found out his mistake. This little force--but a mere handful of men--confronted them twice just outside the city of Delhi, and gave them such a thrashing as they little expected, which caused them to bolt into the city to get behind its ramparts. At this time (May, 1857), the population of Delhi (without the mutineers, who flocked there in thousands) amounted to 200,000. The British Empire trembled on that ridge in front of Delhi in the early part of June, 1857. The supremacy of Britain was held in the hands of 3,000 grim-faced men, who had made up their minds that if India was to be torn from our grasp, _they_ would not live to tell the tale. All honour to them! Night after night, day after day, week after week, and month after month, they fought to uphold the honour of Old England; yea, I say, they fought, as it were, with their shrouds around them, against a host of murderers who were thirsting for their blood. It is but right that this small force of heroes should be enumerated, for they were the first to grapple with the enemy, so confident of victory and exulting in their strength. They consisted of the 6th Dragoons or Carabineers, two squadrons of the 9th Lancers, six companies of the 60th Rifles (the 75th), 1st Bengal Fusiliers (the present 101st Fusiliers), six companies of the 2nd Bombay Fusiliers (the present 102nd Fusiliers), the Sirmoor Battalion Ghoorkas--noble little fellows; and about 30 guns of various batteries of Bengal Artillery. This little band was afterwards augmented by the 8th, 52nd, 61st, and 104th Fusiliers, and a number of loyal Native troops from the Punjaub.

THE DELHI FIELD FORCE.

The last man and gun had been sent by Sir John Lawrence from the Punjaub. Not a sword or bayonet had as yet reached them from England, although thousands were on the way. It was not the first time, however, that our highest martial interests had been safely left in the hands of a Norfolk man. Britons will for ages to come be justly proud of the name of Wilson--the name of a respected Norfolk family. The whole force that Sir Archdale Wilson had now under his command amounted to 8748. It was do or die. If Delhi was not taken, and that at once, the whole of India would have to be re-conquered. The Punjaub was tottering; and, unless we could prove to Sikhs, Ghoorkas, Punjaubees, and Afghans, that we were the descendants of their conquerors, they would turn their arms against us. Thus it was time for Britons to "strike home." The enemy was gaining strength and confidence every day, whilst our ranks were being rapidly thinned by cholera, sunstroke, and the continual attacks of the Mutineers. But on the morning of the 14th September, 1857, the storming columns of attack were formed up, and our batteries thundered forth the summons to the murderers of defenceless women, whilst the sword of justice was just about to plunge itself into their cowardly hearts. After a short address from their noble leader the columns dashed forward--all being left to the bayonet, as it had often been before--and in our men went, shoulder to shoulder. The enemy was ready, and fought like demons, for they knew well that they were fighting with halters around their necks. But the bloodthirsty brutes could not withstand British pluck. In some cases, when they found that they had to confront our men, they fought with desperation; in other cases they threw down their arms, and had the audacity to beg for mercy! A thrust of the bayonet was the immediate and only answer. But as a rule the enemy fought with desperation from house to house, and had to be hunted out of their hiding-places with cold steel. For seven days and nights this unequal contest lasted--a handful of men against a host,--but on the 20th our proud old flag was once more floating over the whole of Delhi--this guilty city was again in our hands. But what a scene presented itself! We had lost some of the best blood of Britain. Poor Nicholson was no more, and out of our small force we had lost, from the 14th to the 20th, 64 officers and 1680 non-commissioned officers and men.

The following return will be of interest. It shows the
strength, with the number of the killed and wounded of the
Delhi field force up to the final capture of the city by Sir
Archdale Wilson, Bart., K.C.B. 20th September, 1857:--

=================++=========+=================++=================+======
|| | KILLED. || WOUNDED. |
||Strength,+-----+----+------++-----+----+------+------
|| Sep. 14,| | | || | | |Grand
CORPS. || '57 |Off- |Men.|Total.||Off- |Men.|Total.|Total.
|| | irs.| | || irs.| | |
-----------------++---------+-----+----+------++-----+----+------+------
STAFF. || 36 | 4 | ..| 4 || 9 | ..| 9 | 13
Artillery || | | | || | | |
(including || | | | || | | |
Natives)[17] || 1350 | 5 | 69| 74 || 24 | 245| 269 | 343
Engineers || | | | || | | |
ditto[17] || 722 | 5 | 38| 43 || 20 | 66| 86 | 129
6th Dragoons or || | | | || | | |
Carabineers[17]|| 223 | 1 | 18| 19 || 2 | 49| 51 | 70
9th Lancers[18] || 391 | 1 | 36| 37 || 3 | 94| 97 | 134
4th Irregulars || | | | || | | |
(disarmed)[18] || 178 | .. | ..| .. || .. | 3| 3 | 3
1st Punjaub || | | | || | | |
Cavalry[19] || 147 | .. | 4| 4 || 2 | 27| 29 | 33
2nd " " [19] || 114 | .. | 2| 2 || 1 | 14| 15 | 17
5th " " [19] || 107 | .. | 7| 7 || 1 | 16| 17 | 24
Hodson's || | | | || | | |
Horse[19] || 462 | 1 | 20| 21 || 4 | 87| 91 | 112
8th King's || | | | || | | |
Foot[19] || 322 | 3 | 24| 27 || 7 | 129| 136 | 163
52nd Light || | | | || | | |
Infantry[19] || 502 | 2 | 36| 38 || 5 | 79| 84 | 122
60th Rifles[17] || 590 | 4 | 109| 113 || 10 | 186| 196 | 309
61st Foot[19] || 402 | 2 | 30| 32 || 7 | 120| 127 | 159
75th " [18] || 459 | 5 | 79| 84 || 14 | 194| 208 | 292
1st Bengal || | | | || | | |
Fusiliers || | | | || | | |
(European)[18] || 427 | 3 | 95| 98 || 11 | 210| 221 | 319
2nd Bombay || | | | || | | |
ditto[18] || 470 | 4 | 79| 83 || 6 | 156| 162 | 245
Sirmoor || | | | || | | |
Battalion || | | | || | | |
Ghoorkas[17] || 612 | 1 | 118| 119 || 4 | 237| 241 | 360
Kumaon ditto[18] || 560 | 1 | 90| 91 || 5 | 183| 188 | 279
Guides Cavalry || | | | || | | |
and Infantry[19]|| 585 | 7 | 88| 95 || 16 | 235| 251 | 346
4th Sikh || | | | || | | |
Infantry[19] || 414 | 3 | 48| 51 || 10 | 116| 126 | 177
1st Punjaub || | | | || | | |
ditto[19] || 664 | 6 | 78| 84 || 11 | 189| 200 | 284
2nd " [19] || 650 | 2 | 51| 53 || 6 | 113| 119 | 172
4th " [19] || 641 | 1 | 19| 20 || 4 | 86| 90 | 110
1st. Belooch || | | | || | | |
Batt.[18] || 422 | 1 | 17| 18 || 4 | 75| 79 | 97
Pioneers || | | | || | | |
(unarmed)[18] || 320 | 1 | 36| 37 || 2 | 142| 144 | 181
-----------------++---------+-----+----+------++-----+----+------+------
Grand Total || 11770 | 63 |1191| 1254 || 188 |3051| 3239 | 4493
-----------------++---------+-----+----+------++-----+----+------+------

The head of the rebellion, though not severed, had now received its death wound. Stern justice had overtaken many of the fiends. Gallows were erected at every station, and were daily claiming some of those much-pampered gentlemen, who had boasted that they would destroy us root and branch. A terrible day of reckoning had dawned; reinforcements in thousands, by the end of 1857, were landing in almost all the ports of India; and Mr. Pandy soon found to his cost that the Russians had not destroyed the whole of the British army. The first Crimean Infantry regiment that had the honour of grappling with the murderers was one of the noble regiments that had led the stormers at Sebastopol (the 90th). But they were soon supported by others. The enemy appeared to be struck with wonderment as to where all the men were coming from. The people generally had not thrown in their lot with the Mutineers; but they, too, were filled with surprise and awe.

DISARMING REGIMENTS AT PESHAWUR.

Retribution was fast setting in, and summary judgment had overtaken them in a number of places. At Ferozepore and Peshawur an example that struck terror into their inmost soul was made of some of the would-be murderers. The 37th and 45th Native Infantry, with the 10th Native Cavalry, were stationed at the former place, with our 61st regiment, the latter being very weak. The three regiments fought the 61st for the magazine, but got a good drubbing. They were confronted, and, with the assistance of a battery of Artillery, were disarmed. The ringleaders were then selected, tried by court-martial, and sentenced to death, which sentence was carried out at once--some of them being hung, others being blown from the guns; while their countrymen were marched up, disarmed, and compelled to witness the awful scene.

At Peshawur there was a strong force kept, it being situated just at the mouth of the Khyber Pass. The lawless hill-tribes are ever ready to pounce upon and destroy any unfortunate Feringhee who happens to fall in their way, and it was well to guard against any mischance here. In the month of May, 1857, things had come to such a pass that the Natives refused to supply our people stationed in the cantonment with the necessaries of life (or, in other terms, we were boycotted), and it was discovered by our authorities that every man, woman, and child, of English extract, was sentenced to die on the 23rd of May. The Native force in cantonments consisted of the 21st, 24th, 27th, 51st, and 64th Bengal N. Infantry, with the 5th Light Cavalry, and six batteries of Artillery--most of the guns being manned by Natives. Five other regiments were stationed in forts close by, with swarms of Mohammedan fanatics who were thirsting for the blood of the hated, but dreaded, Feringhees. It was known that the chiefs of the hill-tribes were in communication with our pretended friends, the Mutineers, for they believed that all was ripe. The other regiments were to have come in to help to exterminate every Christian in and around the station. In the ranks were found a few who, in the midst of the general wreck, were faithful--faithful unto death--and came out as bright and shining lights, although of the same creed and caste as the bloodthirsty Mutineers. These few were as true as steel, and loyal to the backbone; some of them divulged the whole plan, and thus our people were ready for the rebels. To confront this force we had two regiments of Infantry, and two batteries of Bengal Horse Artillery, manned by Europeans. The Infantry consisted of the 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers (or Faugh-a-Ballaghs), and the 27th (or Inniskillen Fusiliers). Our people were not going to wait to receive the first blow, but boldly went at them. The cantonments of Peshawur are very much scattered. An order was issued that all regiments--both European and Native--were to parade on their respective private parade grounds at a certain time, for the General's inspection. The 27th and 87th paraded accordingly, with their rifles loaded with ball. One regiment took the right and the other the left, and confronted the regiments of would-be murderers. An order was then read to them that they had proved themselves traitors, and were no longer fit to be entrusted with arms. The European officers with the colours, and the Native Christians that were in their ranks, were then ordered to fall out and join our people. The Mutineers were next ordered to pile arms and take off their accoutrements; and, being marched away from their arms, our people at once advanced and took possession. Thus their teeth were drawn. They were all disarmed in the same manner, with the exception of two regiments. The 51st were confronted by the 87th, and refused to give up their arms. The 87th at once went at them, and destroyed them to a man--it was all done in about twenty minutes. The bodies were then cast into a well. The 50th Native Infantry[20] would not yield, but boldly offered to fight it out. They at once got a volley into them, and the bayonet did the rest. Some of them escaped for a few days, having fled into the hills; but a reward of ten rupees (£1) per head was offered, and we soon had them all. Thus the whole of the Native force in the valley of Peshawur was disarmed in one day.

AN EXECUTION PARADE.

Sir Sidney Cotton was determined to make an example of some of these would-be murderers, and for the information of the reader I here attempt to describe an execution parade. It was truly an imposing scene: all the troops in garrison, both European and Native, armed and disarmed, loyal and disloyal, were drawn up on parade, and formed up carefully in three sides of a square, but so arranged that any attempt on the part of the disloyal to rescue the doomed ringleaders from the hands of justice would be met with a terrible slaughter. The guns that were intended to be used to execute the traitors were drawn up, with their muzzles pointing towards the blank side of the square; thus:--

The prisoners, under a strong European guard, after marching around the inside of the square, were formed up in rear of the guns; their crimes and sentences were read aloud to them, and at the head of each regiment; the first batch of ten or twelve were then marched up to the guns and their arms and legs tied--their arms being fastened to the wheels of the gun, and their backs placed against the muzzle, so that they could not move--and at a word or signal from an artillery officer the whole were launched into eternity. A horrid sight it was: a complete shower of human fragments--heads, arms, legs, and all parts of the body, being hurled into the air--and when the smoke cleared away there they lay, Hindoos and Mussulmen all mixed together. Ten or twelve more were then marched up to the guns, and in about two minutes the same horrible scene was repeated; and so it continued until all who had been sentenced met their doom. It makes one's blood run cold to recall the scene, but the horrible atrocities committed by these fiends left no room for pity in our hearts. A look of grim satisfaction could be traced on the gunners' faces after each salvo. But far different was the effect upon the Native portion of the spectators; their black faces grew ghastly pale at each salvo--as they gazed breathlessly upon the awful spectacle, they trembled from head to foot like aspen leaves, while some of them turned all kinds of unnatural hues. This is the only death that a Native dreads. If he is hung, or shot by musketry, he can have the funeral rites required by his religion; but by such a death as this he knows well that he will be blown to a thousand pieces, and that as Mussulmen and Hindoos are all mixed together there is no chance of his ever reaching Paradise. It likewise had a wonderful effect upon the Peshawur Natives and the Hill tribes that were looking on at a short distance; they became very civil. All kinds of things were brought and offered for sale to the Sahib-logs or Gora-logs (gentlemen, lords). Everything that these cringing cowards could do was done in order to regain our good opinion; for they suddenly found out that the Feringhee ray (English reign) was not all over. We had turned the tables upon them. The news flew across the mountains, and the Afghans flocked in thousands to offer themselves to fight for us if the Sahib would only go with them. They ranged themselves by the side of Hodson, Probyn, and Watson, and did good service throughout the Mutiny, and afterwards in China, and have proved themselves, under good guidance, first-rate soldiers.

The following will prove what can be done by determined pluck:--Meean-Meer was occupied, in the early part of May, 1857, by three strong regiments of Native Infantry, viz., the 16th Grenadiers, the 26th and 40th, and the 8th Light Cavalry. A part of our 81st was stationed there; they had two strong detachments out, one of three companies at the Fort of Lahore, and one or two companies at Umritsa. In 1856 they had suffered heavily from cholera, and could barely muster 300 men under arms. There were two batteries of Artillery in the station, and General Corbett, backed by Sir John Lawrence, was determined to disarm the whole Native force, or die in the attempt. It had been decided that all Europeans in and around the station had to die on the evening of the 14th May. A ball had been announced to come off on the night of the 13th, and all the _elite_ among the European residents, both military and civil, attended. All was kept quiet, but our people were on the alert. On the morning of the 14th, a grand field-day was to take place, and every man out of hospital was to attend. In accordance with orders, all ball ammunition was taken from the men and deposited in a place of safety, and twenty rounds of blank cartridge issued to all hands, except the 300 of H.M. 81st, and the two batteries of European Artillery, who were served with plenty of ball ammunition, and the Artillery with plenty of grape, and when the Native regiments arrived on parade they found the 81st formed in line, with Artillery at intervals, and as many artillerymen as possible, mounted to act as cavalry, formed up on either flank. The guns were loaded to the muzzles with grape, and the port fires lit. All was in readiness. There were about 490, all told, against near 4,000, for the Natives were up to their full strength. The 16th Grenadiers were the finest set of fellows I ever looked at, and had the reputation of being the best fighting regiment in the East India Company; but the determined front that was shown them by that thin red line was too much for them. The order was read by the Brigade-Major. They stood panic-stricken as the word "Ready" rang out from the General. It was too much for them; their black hearts quailed. In accordance with orders they piled their arms and took off their accoutrements. The Cavalry next dismounted and took off their swords and laid them down. They were then ordered to retire, and our thin red line at once advanced and took possession, threw the arms into carts, and sent them off to the Fort of Lahore. Our people could then go home to breakfast, for they had earned it. Not a drop of blood had been shed, although the crime committed by the Mutineers was of the deepest dye. The letters they had written to their comrades at Delhi had been opened at the post-office, and it was quite clear that they had intended to murder every European, sack the treasury and the fort, and walk off with the booty. One can fancy the dismay of their friends in the fort, for on that very day they were to have been relieved by a wing of a Native regiment from the cantonments; but to their utter dismay a strong party of Europeans were marched in, the wing that was inside was ordered to parade at once, and, being confronted, they were challenged to give up their arms or take the consequences. As the word "Ready" sounded along the line our people got their arms and at once kicked them out of the fort and encamped them under the guns, that would have made short work of them if they had not kept a civil tongue in their heads. Had the gentlemen at Meerut been confronted in like manner, the Mutiny might have been avoided, and hundreds of precious lives would have been spared. But then our officers in the Punjaub knew their work, and were not going to be caught napping; if they had to die they were going to die as soldiers--sword in hand--and show the enemy a determined front to the last. It was this evident resolution that made the Mutineers quail before them.

GALLANTRY OF THE LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT.

Through all the annals of war there is nothing to surpass "Intrepidity so superb" as that which gave occasion to the 10th Lincolnshire Regiment, at Benares, for conduct that was exceptionally gallant. At the breaking out of the Mutiny, the 10th Loyal Boys were stationed with the 37th Native Infantry, a Sikh Regiment, and an Irregular Cavalry Regiment, with one battery of European Artillery belonging to the Company's service, commanded by Captain (now General) Olpherts V.C. The 37th broke out into open mutiny and were ordered to give up their arms, but instead of obeying the order they fired into the 10th, killing and wounding several men. Our men immediately advanced against them, with the Sikhs and Cavalry behind them as a support; when all at once our pretended friends made up their minds to throw in their lot with the 37th, depending upon their numbers. The Sikhs then opened fire upon the poor old 10th, and the Cavalry got ready to charge them. It is under such circumstances that the British soldier comes out in his true colours. Then was seen the boldness and bravery of the sons of Britain, whom nothing could daunt or dismay. They instantly grappled with the black-hearted villains. The front rank went at the 37th and routed them; the rear rank turned about, and with a headlong charge routed the Sikhs and Cavalry from the field, Captain Olpherts mowing them down with grape from his guns, which they had not the heart to charge at and take. I am happy, however, to record that in the midst of all there was a "silver line" running through the darkness, for some of the Sikhs and Cavalry boldly came out from the midst of their treacherous comrades and proved their fidelity by ranging themselves under our banner and fighting against their own deluded countrymen. Lincolnshire is justly proud of the 10th, for no regiment was ever before placed in such a desperate situation, or ever came out of an encounter with such glory. All honour to the old 10th! The honour of England was in their keeping in this instance, as much as it was in ours (the 7th Royal Fusiliers), on the heights of Alma, and both regiments knew well how to hold it. It was with them death or victory!

FREDERICK GUSTAVUS BURNABY.

(Killed at the Wells of Abou Klea, January 17, 1885.)

Facing the foe in the front of the battle,
Falling where all the fight's fiercest was fought,
Lulled to his slumber by musketry's rattle:
This was the sleeping that he would have sought!

Weep not for him in the hour of his glory!
Weep not for him: he has gone to his rest!
Weep not for him who has crowned his life's story;
Weep for ourselves who have lost of our best!

Heart of a lion and heart of a woman--
Tenderness passing all words to portray;
Bravery, boldness, and strength superhuman--
This is the hero we weep for to-day.

Thoughtful for others, himself never sparing,
Restless when resting, and eager to roam,
All the world over was field for his daring:
Asia and Africa--both were his home.

Deep 'neath the sand of the desert he's lying;
Proudly old England low over him bends;
While this the epitaph sad hearts are sighing--
"Bravest of soldiers and noblest of friends!"

Then weep not for him in the hour of his glory!
Weep not for him: he has gone to his rest!
Weep not for him who has crowned his life's story;
Weep for ourselves who have lost of our best!