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bathe almost lost bis seat , and palled up . I had almost done so , too , but pushed along and he fell behind . I now thought I should reach , the' fort , but -was disappointed . _ Seeing some more men ahead of me , I turned to the sight , and took a pull at my horse . I now saw that my wound was bleeding , and having lost my shako , must have been a pretty figure . I went across the khets for some half a mile to get rid of the city , when I came upon a load- I asked a villager where it went to ? He said to Lahore ; but it turned out to be " Wuzeerabad . I pushed on at a hand gallop some five miles , when , the sun . getting warm , I pulled up . I tried to persuade someone to give me a turban ; they all said they had
only one , and were not fools enough to . give it me , so I pushed along again . On passing a village , an old man rushed out , and began potting at me with a pellet bow . I did not mind this , but on looking back thought I saw two troopers coming after me . This -was rather a nuisance , as my light arm was now quite stiff , utterlyuseless , and painful . So , having been sparing my horse , I put him out again , and did not draw rein for some eight miles . I tlien went on more slowly , all pursuit having stopped . Some sixteen miles from Sealkote , coming on a police thanah , pulled up to get water , and have my wound looked at , as it was now very painful . I got off , and the men mustered round me , and were as kind as could be . I found now the bullet had entered
about two inches below , and gone about an inch above the elbow-joint . How it escaped the bone I don ' t know . Having been bound tip as well as it could be , and having drunk some water and washed my horse ' s mouth out , I went on to Wuzeerabad , accompanied by the head man , who bad made me a sling and given me a turban . I pushed along , and after a good deal of pain managed to reach Wuzeerabad at eleven a . m ., having started from Sealkote at half-past four . My nag was completely done up , having come a good thirty miles . " A lady -writes that the men who mutinied at Sealkote , though they murdered their officers , protected the ladies and children , and saw them safely into the fort .
Several writers concur in . saying that the outrages and cruelties committed on . our countrymen and countrywomen—more especially the latter—together with their children , are too ghastly and revolting ever to appear in print , or to be communicated in letters . Some details , however , have found their way into the daily papers which we cannot prevail on ourselves to reproduce . Our soldiers and officers are described as furious . They talk but little on the subject ; but , whenever it is mentioned , it
produces , says one writer , " a stern compression of the lips and a fierce glance of the eye , which show that , when the time comes , no mercy will be shown to those who have shown none . Can you wonder , " he adds , " that we feel more like fiends than men ? Our fellows have crossed their bayonets , and sworn to give no quarter . " Let us hope , however , that , even under their great provocation , our men will not consider themselves justified in committing similar atrocities to those committed by the natives .
A . correspondent of the Daily Ne-ws states that , "incredible as it may appear , it is nevertheless a fact that a mercantile house in Calcutta has actually sold a thousand Minie" rifles to the natives , and that no attempt has been made by the local government to check the sale which is still proceeding . This intelligence comes from a highly respectable firm in Calcutta , and may he relied upon . " Other houses , it is affirmed , have also joined in this infamous traffic . Etom Sangor we learn , under date June 28 th , that " all the ladies and children are 6 afe in the fort . " The same writer , dating July 16 th , says : —
. '' Remember we are in the fort , making ourselves stronger every day . All Europeans ! We aro provisioned for many months—medical stores , doctors , everything we can possibly want , and we will hold it against all comers , ¦ with God ' s help . We have hanged all tho mutineers and rebels we captured , and all is quiet . " A frightful tragedy is thus described in a letter from JhanBi : — 11 It is all true about poor Frank Gordon . He , Alick Skene , his wife , and a fow Peons managed to get into a small round tower when the disturbance began ; tho
children and all the rost were in other parts of tho fortaltogether sixty . Gordon had a regular battery of guns , also revolvers ; and he and Skeno picked off the rebels as fast as they could fire , Mrs . Skene loading for them . Tho Peons say they never missed once , and before it was all over they killed thirty-seven , besides many wounded . Tho rebels , after butchering all in tho fort , brought ladders against tho tower , and commenced swarming : up . Frank Gordon was shot through tho forehead and killed at once . Skeno then saw it waa of no use going on any more , so ho kissed his wife , shot hor , and then himself . "
" Hardlyhad we turned our backs on the station ere it was taken possession of by the Umjheerra people . 1 suppose they were at first too busy plundering to think of us , and we continued to push on . In the afternoon we had got about fifteen miles away , having travelled over shocking roads . Our cattle were quite knocked up , and we were obliged to halt . Happily for us the spot which we had reached -was in the state of a petty chief called the Rajah of Jabwa . About an hour after we had halted , we were overtaken by a party sent in pur ^ suit of us from Bhopawur . We gave ourselves up for lost , but Lieutenant Hutcbinson and myself prepared to sell our lives as dearly as we could . Fortunately , we were well armed , having five guns between us . Our
resolution probably deterred the villains from making an open attack upon us , for they knew we should » u all likelihood knock over some of them . They thought we should endeavour to escape as soon as it got dark , and , in the hope of killing us without any risk to themselves , the scoundrels took up their position about a quarter of a mile in advance , at a very difficult and broken part of the road , -where the jungle came down to the edge on both sides , and afforded them every facility for their murderous purposes . This we only discovered next morning , hut in the meantime , knowing that there were more than a dozen of them , horse and foot , we every moment expected their attack . Fatigued as we were , Lieutenant Hutchinson and myself kept watch all night , hour and hour about , each awaking his companion ( if he slept ) at the slightest cause for alarm . You may
imanv ! S Cre < ^ ' « OQlddo » ° thing , tot , rather than fly , he charged them by himself . He fired four barrels ltoTin Srr ^ ? tW ° > throwingThe emp ' y horfi T the 1 face of mother , and knocking him ofFhk rol ed hn ? ann £ V Ctarged ful 1 tU ? at him ' " 3 rolled mm and Bis horse over . He got up with no weapons and , seeing a man on foot coming at him to hk Sm ? u ° n " ' 'Si ?" " ^ K iQside Ills -wort , a £ hit h » m full m the face with his fist . At that momect he was cut down from behind , and a second blow vS have done for him , had not Tombs , his captain tie finest fellow in the service ( who had been in bis' tent when the roAv began ) , arrived at the critical moment and shot his assailant . Hills was able to walk home though his wound was severe , and on the road Tombs saved his life once more , by sticking another man who attacked him . If they don ' t both get the Victoria Cross , it won ' t be -worth having . "
An officer- in command at Agra thus relates his escape from that city with his wife : — "As soon as I got out into the road I was joined by H'Kellar and Eyves ( 12 th ) , who had just escaped from Jhansi , and we were regularly hustled down to parade by crowds of Sepoys , who put their arms between our legs and the saddles , as much as to say , ' Do not attempt to bolt . ' Before we got a hundred yards we sustained three volleys from men not fifteen yards off , but were not touchedTh
gine how dreadful a night the poor ladies passed ; indeed , few of our party will be disposed , I fancy , ever to forget it Nothing but jungle all round , one miserable hut within sight , belonging to some dak runners , deserted again by the few people who accompanied us so far from Bhopawur , and a band of assassins at hand thirsting for our blood—where could we look to for aid but to Him whose merciful hand did shield us in that hour of danger ? I told you that we had just entered the state of the Rajah of Jabwa . A Bheel , who had observed what was going on , carried intelligence to the nearest town , a small place called Para , of the invasion of the Umjheerra people . Firing at the insult , a party started from Para to drive them away . Just as the grey of tho morning appeared , we had the pleasure of being rescued by them ; and thus did God raise up instruments for our delivery when death seemed near at hand . But had the villains
. e fourth volley saluted us just as we pas 3 ed the head of the Grenadier Company , one ball of which shot my poor charger right through the heart . He fell dead on me , and I had the greatest difficulty in extricating myself , expecting a bayonet in my back every moment . In getting from under him I tore off my boot , so proceeded to parade without it , as retreat was hopeless . After we got into the light cavalry lines the firing was very brisk , and we all thought it was all over with us : but a merciful Providence watched
over us , and . not a ball hit us . Those who were mounted were then able to get off , made a rush for it , crossed the river , and made straight across country for Agra , leaving me in this delightful predicament . Just at this moment three Sepoys caught hold of" me , and said they would try and Bave me . They threw off my hat , tore off my trousers and the remaining boot , covered me as well aa they could with my horse-cloth , which my groom had brought along with us * and , putting me between the two , tho third walked in front , and wnat between knocking up one man ' s musiet whose bayonet was just at my back and declaring I waa one of their wives , we got through all the sentries and crossed the river . They then wanted me to make the best of my way o , saying that the chances were ten to one that my wife was killed by that time , but I told them plainly I would not try to escape without her . After a great deal
not been auoh cowards , nothing could have saved us , if they had attacked us in the night . This fresh party carried us to Para , and were civil enough at first , but towards evening , : for some reason or other , they began to get very insolent and commenced plundering us . We saw our position had but little improved , and we prepared again to sell our lives as dearly as could be . But just as things appeared to be getting desperate a party arrived from Jabwa , ten miles away , sent by the chief to our rescue as soon as he had heard of our being at Para . They carried us to Jabwa that same evening , and we reached the town early in the morning , having rested for some hours on the road . The young chief , who is a verv
of persuading they took me down the banks of the river ( the opposite side of which was regularly lined with sentries to prevent escape ) till we came opposite our house , where they set me down , and one man said , ' Now I will go and bring your wife to you if she is alive ; ' so off he went , and after about twenty minutes of the most agonizing suspense , dear M and I inet again . But how ? As beggars , turned out of house and home , and without a farthing in the world ; no clothes but those on our backs ; and in this plight we commenced our journey , deeply thankful for our escape ; Imt in despair at leaving our homes and the little things that made it clear to us—all your likenesses hung up , our nice books , my dear old violin , and all our plate , glas 3 , clothes , papers , even our money and fetterseverything we hud in the world . My own guaid at the house robbed the bearer of the money T gave him to do
pleasing-looking boy of sixteen or seventeen , received us very kindly . The managing authority , however , is an old lady , who is , I believe , grandmother to the chief , and by her directions everything that could be done for our safety or comfort waa effected . To protect us , however , was as much as she could do , for there were a number of Arabs and men of that class in the employ of the chief , and these fanatics loudly demanded our surrender that they might put us to death . The family themselves aro Rajpoots , and had fortunately a number of Rajpoot retainers about them . To these they assigned our protection , and faithfully did they execute their trust . "
Another contrast to the general rule of native treachery is related by Mr . John P . Gubbins , brother of the judge of Benares , who thus writes to the Times : — " Rajah Soorut Sing , a Sikh chieftain , who waa living at Benares under a slight surveillance at the time of the mutiny , and who was on intimate terms with my brother , used his exertions successfully to keep a company of his countrymen steady who wore on guard at the Mint , where all tho ladies and children were collected , and has sinco proved himself so bravo and true that the Europeans have subscribed 100 / ., in order to present him with a handsome sot of UTearms .
TThat he could for M : hfir wntHi And r . hiiin . which irnat he could for M ; her watch and chain , which she had in her hand , were taken from her also . I must say tho three Sepoys with us behaved splendidly . Seeing poor M—— was unable to walk , they tied my horsecloth in a sort of bag fashion on to a muslcct , put hor into it , and placing the butt and muzzle on their shoulders , carried her in this way seven miles till wo reached the Residency , by which thno I could hardly put my feet to the ground , from walking barefoot over the thorny ground . " The Memorial Borddais makca the following appeal to the French people : — " All Christian hearts , without distinction of nationality , -will sympathize with tho Bufferings © f their brethren in Bengal , and in tho other provinces where the rebellion prevails , and will bo ready to come forth to their aid .
" It may also bo pleasing to you to know that tho murder of poor Moore was speedily avenged . Tho villages were bumf , and sixty or more of tho inhabitants , who had threatened to como down on Benaros with 5000 men , cut to pieces . " An engineer , writing from the camp before Delhi on July 12 th , says : — " I must toll you of a noble action of Hills , of tho Artillery . Ho was in my term at Addiscomlje , and one of
But wo Frenchmen , who in recent and different calamities —especially at tho time of the earthquake In Martinique , and at tho time of the inuiulaLioud of I 860 , received such substantial proof of English sympathy— wo who fought and Buffered side l > y side with tho English in the late Crimean war—vc hold it as our duty to bo the first to eoino forward to offer hel p to those of our friends and allios who arc in misfortune . " Wo therefore express tho wiaix that a public subscription may bo opened without delay to receive the gifta of those who arc desirous of giving a proof of their sympathy for tho unhappy victims of tho Indian insurrection . " At tho head of thi » list wo doubt not will appear the nnmos of the moat august personages and of the highest
my greatest friends . Three daya ago , ho was on picket with his two-horso artillery guns , when tho alarm was sounded and an order sent him to advance , given under tho impression that the enemy were at some distance . Ho was supported by a body of Carbiniers , eighty , I believe , in number . He advanced about one hundred yarda , while his guns were being limbered up to follow , and suddenly canio on about ono hundred and twenty of tho enemy's cavalry close on him . Disgraceful to any , tho Carbiniers turned and bolted . His guna
Tho officers here alluded to wore Captain Skene , Superintendent of tho Jhnnai district , and Captain Gordon , Assistant Superintendent . A letter from an officer who , together with somo others , and several ladies , fled from Indoro on the breaking out of the mutiny there , givca another ]> xoof of tho good fpth of Ilolkar , tho Mahrattachief *> f Indoro and tho neighbouring country . Tho writer atatcs : —
Untitled Article
84 * THE LEADER . [ No . 3 S 9 , September 5 . 1857 .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 5, 1857, page 844, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2208/page/4/
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