BEGUMBAGH, AN EPISODE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1140, 1 April 1870, Page 3

BEGUMBAGH, AN EPISODE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY

(From Christmas number of " Chambers' Journal."} CHAPTEB XI. An hour of council, and then another— our two leaders not seeming to agree as Jto the extent of the coming danger. Challenge from the west roof : i. . -■ . t " Orderly in sight." " ;"./, Sure enough, a man on horseback riding very slowly, and as if his horse was dead, beat. _ " Surely it isn't that poor fellow come back, because his horse has failed? He , { ought to have walked on," said Captain ; Dyer. , , ; " Same man," said Lieut. Leigh, looking through his glass ; and hefore very long, the poor fellow who had gone away at day-, break rode slowly up to the gate, was admitted, and then had to be helped from bis horse, giving a great sobbing groaa as it was done. . "In here, quick !" I said, for I thought I heard the ladies' voices ; and we carried him in to where Mrs. Bantem was, as usual, getting ready for dinner, and there we laid him on a mattress. " Despatches, captain," he says, holding up the. captain's letter to Colonel Maine. " They didn't get that. "" They were too many for me. I dropped one, though, with my pistoj, and cut my way through the others." .-. .- ,.-.' . - .. , : As he spoke, I untwisted his leather .^ swdrd-knofc, which was cutting inio lus>^ wrist, for his hacked and blood-stained' •. • sabre was hanging from his hand. '" Wouldn't go back into the scabbard," he said faintly ; and then with a harsh gasp: " Water— water 1" ! He revived then a bit ; and as Captain' Dyer and Mrs. Bantem between, them • were attending to, and binding up his wounds, he told as how he had been set upon ten miles off, and been obliged to fight his way back ; and, poor chap, he had fought ; for there were no less, than ten lance-wounds in his arms, thighs, and chest, from a slight prick up to a horrible gash, deep and long enough, it seemed to me, to let out half-a-dozen poor fellows* souls. Just in the middle of it, I saw Captain Dyer start and look strange,for there was a shadow came across where we were kneeling ; and the next, instant he was standing between Miss Boss and the wounded man. " Pray, go, dear Elsie ; this is no place for you, ' I heard him whisper to her. " Indeed, Lawrence," she whispered, "am I not a soldier's daughter ? I ought to say this is no place for you. Go, and make your arrangements for our defence." I don't think any one but me saw th© 7 look of love she gave him as she took' sponge and lint from his hand, pressing it as she did so, and then her pale face lit up with a smile as she met his eyes ; the next moment she was kneeling by the wounded trooper, and in a quiet firm way helping Mrs. Bantem, in a manner that made her, poor woman, stare with astonishment. " God bless you, my darling," she whispered to her, as soon as they had done, and the poor fellow was lying still — a tossup with him whether it should be death or life ; and I saw Mrs. Bantem take Miss Ross's soft white hand between her two great rough hard palms, and kiss it just once. ,i "' " And I'd always been abusing, and running her down for a fine madam, good for nothing but to squeak songs, and be looked at,' Mrs. Bantem said to me, a little while after. "Why, Isaac Smith,, ; we shall be having that little maid shewing next that there's something in her." . " And why not ?" I said gruffly. "Ah, to be sure," says she, with a comical look out of one eye ; " why not ? But, Isaac, my lad," she said sadly, and looking at me very earnestly, " I'm afraid there's sore times coming ; and if so, God in heaven help those poor bairns ! Oh, if I'd been a man, and been there !" she cried, as she recollected -what the trooper had told us ; and she shook her fist fiercely, in the air. It's what I always did say : soldiers' wives have no business to have children ; and it's rank cruelty to the poor little things to bring them into the world." Mrs. Bantem then went off to see her patient, while I walked into the court, - wondering what would come next, and whether, in spite of all the little bitternesses and grumbling, everybody, now some of the stern realities of lite were coming npon us, would shew up the bright side of his or her nature; and somehow I got very hopeful that they would. I felt just then that I should have much liked to have a few words with Lizzie Green, but I had no chance, for it was a busy time with us. Captain Dyer felt strongly enough his responsibility, and not a minute did he lose in doing all he could for our defence; so that after an anxious day, wifch nothing more occurring, when I looked round at what had been done in barricading and so on, it seemed to me, speaking as a soldier, that, as far as I could judge, there was nothing more to be done, though still the feeling .would come home to me that it. was a great place . ■- for forty men to defend, if attacked by any number. Captain Dyer must have seen that, for he had arranged to have a sort of citadel at the north end by the gateway, and this was to be the last refuge, where all the ammunition and food and no end of chatties of water were stowed down in. the great vault-place, which went under this part of the building and a good . deal of the cdiirti" Then the watch was set, trebled this time, on roof and at #in» - - dow, and we waited impatiently for themorning. Yes, we all of us, I believe, waited impatiently for the morning, when ' I think, if we had known all that was to come, we should' have knelt down and prayed for the darkness to keep on hour after hour, for days, and weeks, and months, sooner than the morning should hove broke as it did upon a rabble of black . faces, some over white clothes, some over the British uniform that they had disgraced ; and as I, who was on the west roof, heard the first hum of their coming, and caught the first glimpse of the ragged column, I. gave the alarm, setting my teeth hard as I did so ; for, after many years of soldiering, I was now for the first time to see a little war in earnest. Captain Dyer's first act on the alarm being given was to double the guard over the three blacks, now secured in the strongest room he could find, the black nurse being well looked after by the wo- i men. Then, quick almost as thought, every man was at the post already assigned to him ; the women arid children were brought into the corner rooms by the 1 gates, and then we waited excitedly for what should follow. The captain now ordered me out of the little party under a sergeant, and made me his orderly, and so it happened that always being with or about him, I knew how matters were going on, and was always carrying the orders, now to Lieutenant Leigh, now to this sergeant or that corporal ; but at the i first offset of the defence of the old place, "-,?. there was a dispute between^ captain and ' ; : lieutenant; and I'm afraid it was main* ' tained by the last out of obstinacy, :and; ; just at a time when there should havfc; * been nothing but pulling together, ftfr $M?f *•; sake of all concerned. Imustsay,thougf^|ft>;* that there was right on both sides. * ''■ ; -' JI Lieutenant Leigh put it forward as Hiii^

opinion that,' short of 'men 'as were, it was ,fplly four enemies under the samV^oof, who 1 were likely' at any time to o 4 Yer.pow.e,r,|;b.e,, one.br, two sentries placed oVertnem; while, i£ there was nothing to fear in that way,: iherewas .still the necessity of. shortening our defensive forces by a*ctffipl#of faluable^men.:^ . £ * s sfliitSft©Aia-ypti dpiyith them; then P" saia ; 'Gaptain?Dyerir J '.'Set them at liberty;" said Lieutenant LeigH. \ . ; ' ; '■'''''' P"^ grant allyou say, in 1 the first place," sai'd*tlief ? captain ; ; ''but our retaining them is a sheer necessity." ... * l *WK^P*'said Lieutenant Leigh, with a f skeer";^and I^must'jsay that at first I held with him i "Because," said .the. captain sternly, M 'if"%& iet' tnem'* at liberty, we increase our 7 dtiemies* £ower, not merely ihtkii,' "but jwith scoundrels who catif£^el'tHem : the',?allekt information of pii^deYencesV pyexl anpVabpve that of which I am afraid Kthey are already possessed. The master will not bear further discussion . -rlae^t'.' Leighj, go how to your post, and do^oto fluty #>' the test of your power." . f '£ieU^ Eeigh;did '. ; Tnot like this,' and h^frqwiied ;' bid; "Captain Dyer was his superior, officer; ; ,and ; it : was his duty to pbewis.-of 'c-tarse he did;. ' was such, that, say, a hundred men ykth a'field-piece" could have kriocke'd'a 'witfg in, and then carried us by ass'a^jlJljw'ifcfit'ase;; but though our enemies were Ju^l two hundred and fifty, and many pfi^filiii"drUled;spldiers, pieces you may say^bf'4:grekt'inacbihe ! , fortunately for us there was Tip one to put that machine together, And l 'seVit ixi motion.; We sboti found that '6u(ij for; instead, of making the best of things, and taking possession of buildings — sheds and' huts r— =• here and there,<fr6m whiifih to anhoy us, they came ufrin^am6b.l» the gate, and one fellow on a%fej9~>ja ! iiatiVe chief, he seemed to be — gaye jttis^sw6rd a ;wave, and half-a-dozen so^afs.irptrad liim did the same, and then tK6y-.<palled feus to surrender. [Oaptajji "layer's i orders i were to act entirely pn'fche^ defensive; and to fire no shot i^yfe^i^^fffdetkt^ayiag/^epa to com-' n^ence!fips|ilitiesV j : , , "'For/' said- h©/ speaking to all the men, " it.jnay. be a cowardly policy with such a mutinoiisf set mifront; of Viis, but we have the women and children to think of ; therefore^ oi^&ty'is'fo hold' the foe at bay, arfd wK^n w^dp fire, to make every shot tell. Beating them^oißF is,' l fear, impossible, b.ut we may keep them out till help comes.- / " • \ — :.. . •

I' Wduldtf^iti be. advisable, sir, to try att^'sefe'd r pffan:pth.er'r despatch;?" I said; "iher&d the "trpppefc's horse." *' WBere P/ >o saidCaptain.Dyer, with a smiled - "That* has - already been thought ofjvSmitK,; ;/ : aod;S6rgeaftt Jones, the only good' npra^an^e' have, went off at two o'clp^kj;an^by ttos time is, I hope, out of ddnger^MJobd .Heavens ! what does that mfeati P'Y'he s^id, J using his. glass. 'It 1 waS.fc'dribus that I should have thought 1 of J B\fclx i' thing, just then, at a time\when four sowars led up Sergeant Jdnes'£ied ! by k piece Pf rbpe to one of their saddle-bows, while the trooper's horse was beTMd.?';; :'■:'■ f :."''.'- '''■..- ." '■ ' CSpt'aitf Dyer Jwould not show, though, tha^jae'wa^put'oii^bj'the^failure of that hop^6::?h^/pnly' passed; the word for the mfilr t^'s^M'fitm^and then sent me with a '^ey^e^fp Maine, requieting ~s&i every 'pfoe might keep right a^iy. from. th© : /n;indows,. as the enemy tw%nl r qpen^re^any,sme. He was ; qmte right, for jjist as I knocked at Mrs^Maipe's dp©]?^ regular squandering, ic'atterifi^ .and you could hear •; tie /bullets striking the wall with a sha^^at ? bringing:dp^n;shpwers.of white lime-dusfc and powdered stone. , I found J^rs.'Msiine seated on the floor with /heil ; children] pale and'trembling, the little' things the while laughing and playing''BVey'spme pictures. Miss Boss was lea^itfg'Pverher sister, and Lizzy Green was waiting to' give the children something* else' ivhen they were tired of the pictures. ' „ As; the rattle of the musketry began, it was^soon plai^ enough to see wno had the stoutestr hearts; but I seemed to be notidMg!;n6thing, though I did a great deal, and'Tisteiied to' ;Mra. . Bantem's voice in the jnext room, bullying and scolding a . woman ;fcr crying. <mt loud and upsetting ev^rpr|)ody else;. : Fgfma my message, and then Miss Ross astedme if any ; one was hurt, to which I answered as Cheerfully as could be that we^wWre ; all-right as yet j, and then taking myself^ off, Lizzy Preen came with me to the door, and ,'J hfeld out my hand to say "gppd f bye,";fpr;a:knew;it was possible I might nevieT-'see her again. . She gave me ber;hsnjd, and sa|d \'\ i&ood bye," in a Mtering '4pri of it .seemed to me thajtlshe; shrank from me. The next instant, tKojigh^; there was the rattling crash of tjfe firing, ind '. I knew, now that our men/ yi^i e r answering., ■ ."•'•-

As:l went down into the court-yard, 1 foand the smoke rising in puffs as our inen fired over the breastwork at the mob coining at the gate. : ; Captain Dyer in the thiek/df;it the while, going from man to man, warriingthem to keep themselves out of sight, and to aim low. '^Takecare of yourselves, my lads. I valudieverjione of you at a hundred of tboseblack scoundrels.— Tut, tut, whose that down?" • 'IGorppral Bray," says some one. •£Here; Emson, Smith* both of you lend a haadilierV^'^e'll make Ban tern's quar-tergiJhospitaL^-Now then, look alive, ambulance party." W&were about lifting the poor fellow, wno^nad sunk down behind the breastwork; iJall: doubled up like, hands and knees head down ; but as we touched Jiimp;:he'istrfiightened himself out, and loofceWup ;<at Captain Dyer. "ffoa t I»uch me yet r " he says in a whiter;-: «< My stripes for some one, captainji jDo for Isaac Smith there. Hoorav !' ' he say¥<faintly j and he took off his cap mth^ne ! handi gave it a bit of a wave— « f Grdd^ave the Quee"-^- r "&m*to& : carefully ' 'to the empty XtortnfcMoti south! side," says Captain Dye* sternly) " and ihake : haste back, my lads '"Moments are'precious." "Vll'&bHhati with Private Manning's wife, says a voice; and turning as we tohft our dead comrade, there was W<lWP in K Mrs; Banfc em, and another^* • lers , wlfe ? ** nd she then said a few wqßs .w° the £ a P toi . n^ ; V " &me ?" : a&p Captain Dyer. •« Wrier? of au no , ur ago* sir," says Mrs^Bantein'; and #en tome: "Poor trooper, 'lsaac 1";^ :.-, :. ; -. . "Another man hetfe, says Capt. Dyer. — " TJTp.^notyoß,. Smith. — Fill up here, Bantem.p-X' ,X..'-\ .J-- - ".'■"'■ Jb^Bantem parted his hand to his wife, and t^oic i.He $ead,cofporal's place, but not easily^J/o^^MreaMes, . wJ|O was next man, was &jmg iato ifc,;wKeii Captain Dyer orderßapniback.i , = " s'sucli aigfuelj better chance of dyagpingvypn^f.^!?^ jmounted chaps, sir,"liays^oasies. grumbling, ! ; . . "^pldiypnijtoiigue, sir, and; go back to and|h^ £ |^k^|hi^ '^[easles: kept on loading | and^apjg^ r ra^^pg'- v do^".his,p^foidge's we*© expecting an as-

sault, but none came, for the mutineers fell fast, and did not seem to dare to make a rush while we kept up such practice. Then I had to go round and ask Lieut. Leigh to send six more men to the gate, and to bring news of what was going on round the other sides. I found the lieutenant standing at the window where I caught Clmuder, and there was a man each at all the other four little windows which looked down at the outside — all the others, as I have said, looking in upon the court. The lieutenant's men had a shot now and then at any one who approached ; but the mutineers seemed to have determined upon forcing the gate, and, so far as I could see, there was very little danger to fear from any other quarter. I knew Lieutenant Leigh was not a coward, but he seemed very half-hearted over the defence, doing his duty but in a sullen sort of way ; and of course that was because he wanted to take thelcadnowheld by Capt. Dyer ; and, perhaps it was misjudging him, but -I'm afraid just atthat time he'd have been very glad if a shot had dropped his rival, and ho could have stepped into his place. Captain Dyer's plan to keep the rabble at bay till help could come, was of course quite, right; and that night it was an understood thing, that another attempt should be made to send a messenger to Wallahbad, another of our corporals being selected for the dangerous mission. - The fighting was kept on, in amon-and-off way till, evening, we losing several men, but a good many falling on the other side, which made them more cautious, and not once did we have a chance of touching a man with the bayonet. Some of our men grumbled a little at this, saying that it was very hard to stand there hour after hour to be shot down ; and could they have done as they liked, they'd have made a sally. Then came the night, and a short consultation between the captain and Lieut. Leigh. The mutineers had ceased firing at sundown, and we were in hopes that there would be a rest till daylight, but all the same the strictest watch was kept, aud only half the men lay clown at a time. Half the night, though, had not passed, when a hand was laid upon my shoulder, and in an instant I was up, piece in hand, to find that it was Captain Dyer. ." Come here," he said quietly ; and following him into the room underneath where the women were placed, he told me to listen, and I did, to bear a low, grating, tearing noise, as of something scraping on stone. " That's been going on," he said, " for a good hour, and I eaii't make it out, Smith." " Prisoners escaping," I said quietly. "But they are not so near as that. They were confined in the next room but one," he said in a whisper. " Broke through, then," I said. Then we went— Captain Dyer and I — quietly up on to the roof, answered the challenge, and then walked to the edge, where, leaning over, we could hear the dull grating noise oucp more ; then a stone seemed to fall out on to the sandy way by the palace walls. It was all plain enough ; they had broken through from one room to another, where there, was a window no bigger than a loophole, and they were widening this. " Quick, here sentry," said tho captain. The next minuto the sentry hurried up, and we had a man posted as nearly over the window as we could guess, and then I had my orders in a minute : " Take two men and the sentry at their door, rush in, and secure them at once. But if they have got out, join Sergeant Williams, and follow me to act as reserve, for I am going to make a sally by tho gate to stop them from the outside. I roused Harry Lant and Measles, and they were with me in an instant. Wo - passed a couple of sentries, and gave the countersign, and then mounted to the long stone passage which led to where the prisoners had been placed. As we three privates neared the door, the sentry there challenged ; but when we came up to him and listened, there was not a sound to be heard, neither had he heard anything, he said. The next minute the door was thrown open, and we found an empty room ; but a hole in the wall shewed us which way the prisoners had gone. We none of us much liked the idea of going through that hole to be taken at a disadvantage, but duty was duty, and running forward, I made a bold thrust through with my piece in two or three directions ; then I crept through, followed by Harry Lant, and found that room empty too; bnt they had not gone by the doorway which led into the women's part, but enlarged the window, and dropped down, leaving a large opening — one that, if we had not detected it then, would no doubt have done nicely for the entrance of a strong party of enemies. " Sentry here," I said ; and leaving the man at the window, followed by Harry Lant and Measles, I ran back, got down to the court-yard, crossed to where Sergeant Williams with half-a-dozen men waited our coming, and then we were passed through the gate, and went along at the double to where we could hear noise and shouting. We had the narrow alley to go through —the one I have before mentioned as being between the place we had strengthened and the next building : and no sooner were we at the end, than we found we were none too soon, for there, in the dim starlight, we could see Captain Dyer and four men surrounded by a good score, howling and cutting at them like so man}' demons, and plainly to be seen by their white calico things. "By your left, my lads, shoulder to shoulder — double," says the sergeant. Then we gave a cheer, and with hearts bounding with excitement, down we rushed upon the scoundrels to give them their first taste of the bayonet, cutting Capt. Dyer and two more men out, just as the other two went down. It was as fierce a fight that, as it was short ; for we soon found the alarm spread, and enemies running up on all sides. It was bayonet-drill then, and well we shewed the practice, till we retired slowly to the entrance of the alley ; but the pattering of feet and cries told that there were more coming to meet us that way ; when, following Captain Dyer's orders, we retreated in good formin the other direction, so as to get round to the gate by the other alley, on the south side. Ana now for the first time we gave them a volley, checking the advance for a few seconds, while we retreated loading, to turn again, and give them another volley, ■which checked them again ; but only for a few seconds, when they came down upon us like a swarm of bees, right upon our bayonets ; and as fast as half-a-dozen fell, lialf-a-dozen more were leaping upon the steel. We kept our line, though, one and all, retiring in good order to tho mouth of the second court, which ran down by the south side of tlie palace ; when, as if maddened at the idea of losing us, a whole host of them came at us with a rush, breaking our line, and driving us anyhow, mixed up together, down the alloy, which was dark as pitch ; but not so dark but that we could make oufc a turban or a calico cloth, and those bayonets of ours were , tised to some purpose. Half-a-dozen, times over I heard the

captain's voice cheering us on, and shouting : " Gate, gate ! " Then. I saw the flash of his aword once, and managed to pin a fellow who was making at him, just as we got out at the other end with a fierce rush. Tiien I heard the captain shout " Rally ! " and saw him wave his sword ; and then I don't recollect anymore, for it was all one wild, fierce scuffle— stab nnd thrust, in the midst of a surging, howling, maddened mob, forcing us towards the gateway. I thought it was all over with us, when there came a cheer, and the gate was thrown open, a dozen men formed, and charged down, driving the niggers back like sheep ; and then, somehow or another, we were cut out, and, under cover of the new-comers, reached the gate. A ringing volley was then given into the thick of the mutineers as they came pouring on again ; but tho next moment all were safe inside, and the gate was thrust to and barred : and panting and bleeding, we stood, six of us, trying to get our breath. " This wouldn't have happened," says a voice, "if my advice had been taken. I wish the black scoundrels had been shot. Where's Captain Dyer P " ' ■ There was no answer, and a dead chill fell on me as I seemed to realise that things had como now to a bad pass. " Where's Sergeant Williams ?" said Lieutenant Leigh again ; but it seemed to me that he spoke in a husky voice. " Here !" said some one faintly, and, j turning, there was the sergeant seated on the ground, and supporting himself against the breast-work. "Any one know the other men who went out on this mad sally ?" says the lieutenant. " Where's Harry Lant P" I says. There was no answer here either, aud this time it was my turn to speak in a a queer husky voice as I said again : " Where's Measles ? I mean Sam Bigley." " He's gone, too, poor chap," says some one. "JN"o, ho ain't gone neither," says a voice behind me, and, turning, there was Measles tying a handkerchief round his head, muttering the while about some black devil. " I ain't gone, nor I ain't much hurt," he growled ; " and if I don't take it out of some on 'em for this chop o' the head, it's a rum un ; and that's all I've got to say." " Load," says Lieutenant Leigh shortly ; and we loaded again, and then fired two or three volleys at the niggers as they came up towards the gate once more ; when some one calls out : " Ain't none of us going to make a sally party, and bring in the captain?" " Silence there, in the ranks 1" shouts Lieutenant Leigh ; and though it had a bad sound coming from him as it did, and situated as he was, no one knew better than I did, how that ib would have been utter madness to have gone out again ; for even if ho were alive, instead of bringing in Captain Dyer, now that the whole mob was roused, wo should have all been cut to pieces. It was as if in answer to tho lieutenant's order that silence seemed to fall then, both inside and outside the palace — a silence that was only broken now and then by the half-smothered groan of some poor fellqw who had been hurt in the sortie — though the way in which those men of ours did bear wounds, some of them even that were positively awful, was something worth a line in history. Yes, there was a silence fell upon tho place for the rest of that night, and I remember thinking of the wounds that had been made in two poor hearts by that bad night's work ; and I can say now, faithful aud true, that there was not a selfish thought in my heart as I remembered Lizzy Ctivom, any more than there was when Miss lJoss came uppermost in my mind, for I knew well enough that they must have soon lnvm u of the disaster that had befallen our little parly.

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