PART I.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1944, 20 December 1884, Page 3 (Supplement)

PART I.

THE MESS HOUSE. Ok all the wars and rumors of wars that have caused English pulses to beat quicker than their wont, and English hearts to throb responsive to the strain that her manhood will have to bear, and that have saddened many an English country home, peihaps none ever created so much excitement during the present centuiy as when in its fifth decade there swept over England an evil wind from the east; the yeai in which the tidings of the great mutiny came home. The record of that tiemendous straggle stands unparalleled m the list of modern wars. It teems with instances of individual biavery, of self sacrifice, of woman's heroism. Delhi, Lucknow, Arrah have all become household words in the language, and will remain so as long as the lace endures. England may well be pi oud of her sons, the captois of Delhi, the defenders of Lucknow and Arrah, her childien eveiy man of them, who doggedly held their own, and biavely bore up the unequal fray, disdaining to know that they weie outmatched, till they snatched success out of the very clutches of despair. ***** Seven o'clock on an August morning, and the btation of Ahgunge, its minarpts, mosques, palaces, and bazaars ; the wateis of the Goomtee, on whose banks it stands, aie all bathed in the hot lftys of an Indian autumn sun. Conspicuous among the many buildings on the river bank is the mess house of theoihceis of theiegimentof Nativelnfantry quaiteied in Ahgunge for the time being, with its spacious veiandahs and cool inner rooms, a fkvonte lesoit after early morning parade and pievious to the evening meal. The honoiable company's 79th regiment of Bengal Native Infantiy weie quaitercd at Ahgunge at the date my story opens, and, in addition, the station boasted the presence of a coips of Inegulai Cavalry, which went by the name of Suttons Sikhs, or Suttons Slasheis, as they weie also termed, they having been raised, drilled and led in many a skirmish by one Captain James Sutton, or Zubindust Jim, as he was nick-named in the service. The 79th were an old corps beai ing on their colors the words Senngapatam, Aracan, Punjab, and Maharajpore. They were commanded by an old colonel, whose hair had grizzled, and whose liver had burned up dm ing a seivice of over forty years in every part of the Bengal Piesidency, and whose faith in the fidelity of his sepoys, his haba luyite, as he loved to call them, was as strong as his faith in his Bible. At the date my stoiy opens all Upper India was m a blaze. Delhi was hotly besieged, Cawnpoie had surremleied to the Nana, and had been letaken by Havelock. Inghs, besieged in Lucknow, was carrying on a despprate resistance, looking for the relief which was slowly, but surely, coming. The troops at the smaller stations had all mutinied, and, after indulging in more or less massacre and plundei, had goneto swell the ranks of the so-called Emperoi of Delhi ; and gum John Lawience, at his post in the Punjab, was sending down the Sikhs to leinforce the scant numbers of the be i"geis of the ancient stionghold of Akbar Aliguiige had up to this untamed quiet. Beyond a few tmall distuibances in the ba/.aais, which, initiated by some ldigious fanatic, had been pioinptlj suppiessed, the cantonment seemed a voiy oasis of peace amid the seething sea of sedition and massacie by which it wassuriounded. The magistrate sat daily m Ins cutcheny, and administered e\en hnnded justice; the distuct Superintendent of Police lan in Ins cattle-stealers and other malofactois as usual. The postmaster sorted his letteis, when the up-countiy mutineers foigot to stop his mail, winch was not often, and the editor of the Ahgunge Gazette brought out the papci as of yoie, and as usual it wss read at i Iwta hau i and commented on by various groups of readers. Colonel Oldboy oidered an occasional paiade of his men, and plajed his rubber of whist after dinner, firmly peisuaded that the very word mutiny was unknown to the bold 79th N. 1., and Captain James Sutton kept his Sikh troopers well on hand, and b»w that their tulwars were kept fcharp inside their leatliei scahb.mls 'ihi (.i^t i n of inegulais placrd more implicit faith in <-h,np cold steel than in the piotestations on oath ot a Poorbeah Biahmm. The morning paiade was just o\ci, and a rush of oflioeis to the mess house on the river bank enbued White-robed and snowy-turlmned Khitmagais weie soon busy suppljing tea and toast to the hungry warriors, who, as they supped their floweiy Pekoe, dived into the columns of the Aligunge Gazette to secuie the " latest intelligence." Jack Dalton, the hero of my story, was a fair sample of one of John Company's subalterns. Jack had been five years in the service, every hour of which he had passed with the 79th, N.I , and during the last twelve months had been promoted from ensign to lieutenant, also, owing to the paucity of captains with the corps, Jack was in charge of a company. He was fond of his profession, and knew his drill and duty thoroughly well, which was more than could be said for his chum, Walter Douglas, who shared his bungalow in the " lines " ; but Walter was but lately out from home, and had not yet thrown off his school-boy habits, among which an innate love of mischief preponderated. Jack was a good-looking fellow enough. He stood some five feet ten inches in his stocking feet, broad shouldered, square chested, and muscular, brown eyed, with dark hair and moustache, his face bronzed by the ardent advances of the Indian sun. He was somewhat reserved and thoughtful in general, though well liked by all his brother officers, by whom he was voted a thorough good fellow. Jack opened the Gazette and was glancing at its contents, when an officer exclaimed, "Heard the news, Dalton ? " " What news, Maitland ? " "They say Havelock's force has crossed the Ganges, and thrashed the Paudies in an action at Oonao." "What's the authority?" "Well, its simply bazaar gup; but you know what a wonderful knack the natives have of picking up news. I believe it will turn out to be trno. "I hope io." " And this will bring old Waris Ali to the front. If he really is hatching any schemes of his own now will be the time when he will have to show his hand." " Old humbug ! I could bet my life he is meditating some nice little piece of treachery." " I think this ball scheme of old Colvin's is a huge mistake at this time, and under such circumstances as the present." " Colvin thinks it a great stroke of policy. It is to show the entire absence of suspicion, and the hearty feeling that exists between us and the Nawab." " Well, I'm much mistaken if, when it comes off, it does not demonstrate something that old Colvin little dreams of. Bet you five gold mohurs to one, Dalton, that the ball brings on the denouement." "I hope to goodness it will. I'm sure I'm sick of this uncertainty. Our fellows are quiet enough, but they are too quiet to my fancy. Depend upon it, they are merely biding their time." "By Jove, Dalton," laughed the other, " don't ventilate those ideas to Colonel Oldboy ; he would faint at the mere idea." Jack Dalton growled out a wish aa to the ultimate fate of his commanding officer, which I trust has never been realised by that distinguished officer of native infantry. " Oldboy is behind the time," said Jack, "ten good years behind it. He should have wound up his service after Sobraon." " Or wound himself up," chimed in Douglas. " Come along Walter, jump on your tat and ride homewards; it's time for a trip, and after breakfast I must go and pay Salaam at the Eesidency." Douglas chuckled. "All right old fellow, I hope you will find the Miisie Baba at home, and that the message will not be darwama bund. * "It is old Colvin I have to see, Master Douglas." " Oh of course, but if the niece is in I suppose you have no objection." "There, come along, and don't stand there chatting nonsense. Time's up."