AN EPISODE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 106, 10 January 1880, Page 4

AN EPISODE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY.

Ore flay, m one of tJie cnoloaed buildings r:^; T iifirow, a pr?at nj.iTHber of prisoner^ '■■w v- :» kcrt, henrij nil Sepoys.' "After t.^ie f. "t 1 l:fV ivpre all l.vo.nght into the ofScor 'c •:jiin»nHiug my regimwit, and m the re ' "ring .the order cijoto tlmt they should »• be shot." It 'chanced that ib was my >•: n tn_c<vrmna?>d the. firing pnr : ty.' I n«ked t. 'C prisoner* their names and i*egimefit. A' % f^r hearh-s; some five ov sis, one Pepoy pu -:l he belonged to tlie— — regiment, ■which «■•.« *1 1 a? my con, hnri been m. lof conno a Ju'd him if Iv lisd known my son, Annut.ee ,K.'..!M, of the ligtit company. He nn«\vored i.liat war. his own namej bub .thif being- a ' re\ y common name, and having always ii^dgincd that my son, as I had nefer Keard irr.nt him, must have diei of the Sdnde f ever, it did not at £r3t strike me; hut «!ic!>. he informed me that lie came from Tillowee, my heart leapb m my mouth. t <\usl.l he be my son? There wa? . no «V»nbt of if. for lie gavo itiy name as his isiil;or. nnci he fell dov.n at my feet, imp4ov'ibjV my pardon. He, "vrith all the other men Li iitb regiment had nmiinierl, nnd hipl gone to Lupknow. Once the deed was done yhtt was *he to -do.? Whei'e was he go tp if he harl ever been inclined to escape ? At 4 o'clock m the day the prisoners were all i. ? : b^ shot, and I mu=t be my son's executiwi:eer. Sueh -is fttte.! I went to the Major and rpqae3te't] ; thsat I might be 'r("4iefed fi'bTn fh is duty as d Very gre.it i.iTn 1 ; but he wne Tery angi'y, and shidJie nrou'r! bring me to n cnurfc-marh'al f.>r trying' to shirk .my duty ; he would not 1a 1 :^-e I was a f-.iitTiful servant to toe XnjHsJv Q mwtienfc" — he was s»re my heart S 1 :; 0 : m Ts-ilify with t!ie 'mutineers — he 'vDuld- not hear me any longer. "' At tiffs my 'f -e < ;»i2=i as a father ' git the better of ]i;;\ Kucs I burst into a fioofl of ti-irs. I tolcl 'Isiur 1 i: w;iiilil shoot 'every ou? of .t\e pri"f Tier's with'mj own ban., if he ordered me, 3>uM cbnfes'sftd 'that onr of "fh»;m. was my c-.vri son. ''The Major" 'declared" what . I 'urged was only au ex-j.uss to get off shooting ., jay own brofherhood. But. at list his '] ra-f spesaed tou'.'hedj'.'uj'i he ordered my iiahappy j >n Vo be brought before him ohd 'fjiie'.iioned him vcrj sirictiy. I ahull never l>rg't t-Yls fc«>rri ! 'le scchs ; for one moment .j n-jvsr th might or asking- his life to* be Vpared— that. ■'"■ he "did not. deserve. He ; 1 lii}ca-ti < v.eonvinee-3 of tlio truth of iiy shite-jiii-nt. and ordered «ne to lie relieved from this "tiii! j. 'J Went to 'my. tent b.owett-d'onvn-v-iih grief, made worse by the jibes and .1 .m» ! s p >ivre:l on "mjs by the Sikhs, who 'declared I was a ienej[ad^. In {i short time '.I \u^f> khe : 'dit\f\y- Tiller. My son hzi Wceived tie re>va.rd r.f mutiny ! 5e showSd to' feT.V r l»ut l wiutd r.i?hcr he bad bec-n tilled iii* 'faVjfc '\ Tlirou^h the kindness of lhe mnj >i' I was allowed to perform fie f 'rin'eV&l infce orer my misguided son — the colv one of the /prisoners ovt-r w'no'n it was : yerf<nrtri?s; foir t'hfe ve'mainirig bodies were »11 tiirowu to (.He JK-l£;il= and vultures, 1 :}»ad not heard from my son since just after juy r«'tur>^ from shivery. 1 had not seen >.iui since I wor.t to Citbool, and thnsl-met Jjlia i^'iiitkj" untrue to His sal:, \iu «>jie"ri rolelliun against the muster who had fed his itiher and himself. But . finjugh— more is i:n«w?ee?s.iTy. 'He was riot the only one who liiuuiiied ("liter ally he was not alone when Jie motmied). -The majar told me 'afterAvards that be piu^h .bMiwad by the" other officers for allowing the funeral rite jfcj be performed on the rebel. But if 'good ! deads wipe away sing-r-vrhj^h I_ ; bave heard 'eoie sahi'ia' bejieve »s well as we-, do^-his sina • will bd Very white. Bsid fortune never stteiids on the " mercif ul. : — Antobiograjihy cf a Sepoy m " Conteaiporary Review.'