Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

156

GREAT ANXIETY IN ENGLAND.

I try to persuade myself and those around me that the Commander-in-Chief, before leaving Simla, would have taken ample precautions for the safety of those left behind. But on whom are we to rely at this juncture, with so few European troops available? How we watch daily for fresh tidings!—and unless an intermediate steamer shall have left Ceylon for Suez, it may be days yet ere we learn more.

There is no fear for our Empire in India. If every place in it were in the possession of rebels, in two years we should reconquer the whole with the means at our disposal; but it is the insecurity of those dear to us out there in the meantime that makes so many hearts anxious and apprehensive. Eventually we may, and must, establish greater security and more assured dominion; but it is the present danger to those we love that causes so much pain and suspense.

At the India House they are now taking information and advice from old Indians. A Board is to be appointed to take evidence and receive suggestions from retired officers and others-such a thing never heard of before at Leadenhall Street !

You will see our friend Tucker's letters to the Times; but I much regret to hear that Tucker himself in many quarters is held forth as one of the main causes of the continual lowering of Commanding officers with regiments, and of making them cheap and impotent in the eyes of the men. I heard an influential Director of the High Court assert this in strong language. Tucker will be able to fight his own battles; but I am sorry to hear this now quite general rumour. The Sepoys are much altered evidently from my time in 1815-19, when I was Adjutant of the old 9th (8th at present). But our corps was a very Native one; not a thing occurred in our lines that we did not learn, and the Native officers and men were really all known to us.

LONDON, SUSSEX GARDENS, HYDE PARK, 26th July.

MY DEAR KEITH,-We are in intense, and I need not say most painful, expectation of the arrival of the telegraph intelligence viâ Trieste, of the June mail-not we only, but England, I may say, waiting to hear what will be the result at Delhi, with its wretched, mutinous garrison. There are such conflicting and varying reports in letters from India by the last mail, such accounts of your

NUMBERS OF TROOPS BEING SENT.

167

Army's want of carriage (even of ammunition for the men), of inability to reach or assault Delhi, that it is feared that not only has that city failed to have been carried, but it is dreaded that the insurrection will be announced to have spread on all sidesNative states and outbreaks in our own provinces all adding to the anarchy and turmoil.

Yesterday the mail was due: how we pray that it may tell us that Delhi has fallen, and that its mad contents have risen among themselves and the rebellion so far suppressed and selfcrushed in its main stronghold! But all this is mere agony of conjecture, and a day or two more of its intensity will settle one way or other what we are so painfully waiting to hear. Meantime troops are pouring into screw-steamers and hired transports from every available port to the rescue of India, and, come what may, England is determined, under God's blessing, to save or conquer its Empire in the East. You will probably have from twenty to twenty-five thousand men from here at hand in three months after this reaches you, and some, it is hoped, sooner.

British bayonets will be pushing up in all haste to the rescue. Men of all arms, for the first time, will embark for India-Engineers, Her Majesty's Artillery, Sappers, transport-train, Dragoons, and Infantry; in fact, enough with your other resources to take all the principal places in Upper India, if in the hands of rebels and enemies from without. But meantime, what fearful sacrifice of life, health, and means to those who have to carry out all this work of retribution! So many also, here and elsewhere, will take advantage of our troubles. Even now we cannot send out our war-steamers with the troops-we cannot spare them, or, rather, man them with our small body of naval seamen; while France and Russia are working wonders, to train and have in readiness three or four times our number of men-of-war sailors-and France alone can now, from her system of making all her maritime able-bodied men serve two years each in her Navy, command upwards of one hundred and twenty thousand seamen used to guns and naval tactics, while we have about forty thousand only that we can depend on. True, we have thousands of fishermen and coastmen we can press in on emergency-but useless for three months. Meantime, with Russia at hand, and France-with one man, Napoleon, between us and its probable outbreak against us

168

LETTER FROM LONDON.

you can understand why war-steamers were not sent out by our Government with the troops for India.

Your two last letters are a great comfort to us, and from my heart I thank you for writing them, in all your trouble and confusion. They both came together: one dated 17th May, from Simla, and the other 27th May, from Kurnaul-which you had reached after so hot an express ride in a mail-cart. We pray you may not feel bad effects from the exposure; and deeply, most deeply, do we pray and hope you may be preserved by a merciful God with your dear ones in all the dangers now rife around you all.

Tell Charles Chester, with my love, that I wrote to Lady Eardly Wilmot and told her of his message through you, and have received a thankful reply. I was very glad to hear that he was so active, and that he was your best leader in camp; I always thought he would prove this, and only hope his health will stand by him. We are longing to have F. and the Babas home, and away from such scenes. A letter to a friend of ours, from one of the Simla party, states that the families there were contriving plans to get to Kurrachee and thus home by steamer. Oh, how I hope that some such arrangement may be feasible, and that F. and your children are now on their way to us! India for the next two or three years, whatever the present result, is no place for European ladies with children, and in many places for ladies at all. May God in His goodness preserve and bless you all, and keep you all safe and well.

169

CHAPTER VIII.

SIEGE OF DELHI-continued.

Colonel KEITH YOUNG to his wife.

CAMP, DELHI CANTONMENTS, Saturday, 1st August.

We have had very heavy rain, and for about four hours or more this morning it came down in torrents, quite inundating the country. It has now left off, and the air is delightfully coolso much so that I am wearing one of the nice flannel shirts you sent me, and find it very comfortable: almost every one in camp wears these flannel shirts-I mean the officers, and you see them of all hues and patterns.

There is nothing much to tell you since yesterday. To-day is the grand Festival of the Eed, and the gentlemen in the city commenced early in the morning, and have been amusing themselves all day, firing off their guns and making a great noise. I was told just now that they had also made an attempt to attack us on the left; but it must have been a very slight one, as no one in our camp heard of it till it was over. The whole of the convoy, with the Kemaon battalion, came in this morning; they must have had a sadly wet march for the last two days.

Still no cossid or letter direct from the force coming up; but there was a very good account received to-day from Meerut, from Toony Simpson, about this fight near Futtehpore and the advance of our troops, under Havelock, I fancy, as I see he was at Allahabad on the 1st. It would seem now that there was only one fight after all, according to Simpson's informant, a Native, who says he was present when the rebels ran into Cawnpore chased by our troops, who, after settling matters at Cawnpore and at Lucknow, had gone on to Futtyghur-which by some change of

[ocr errors][merged small]

170

ARRIVAL OF KEMAON BATTALION.

fortune, after having been lost once, had come into our possession again in some unexplained way. From Futtyghur, it was said, the troops were coming straight here; but really nothing seems known for certain about this. Perhaps they may go via Agra, and this is not unlikely; but we must soon know.

The massacres at Cawnpore and Futtyghur are still not cleared up; but they are believed to a certain extent. Simpson says that at Allyghur all is quiet, and that the revenue is being collected for us in the districts at the rate of from fifteen to twenty thousand rupees a day; this speaks more in our favour than almost anything else. It is mentioned that some of the Cawnpore rebels who have arrived in Delhi gave out that the army of Europeans opposed to them was twenty thousand strong; and they describe the regiment that wears petticoats (78th Highlanders) as perfect fiends to fight; while there is another regiment, they say, which has come from Lunka (Ceylon), who are cannibals! This is the 37th. Possibly enough this nonsense is believed by half the people in the city.

You would have noticed that one of the late papers in mentioning Oude said that all at Salone were safe, having gone to Allahabad. George Hall tells me that this is the station where his wife's sister was, so I trust to find that no harm has befallen her. Mrs Goldney, too, has escaped; but no tidings of her husband.

We have at last left the
I was sorry to leave the

Mactier and I are just going to have our frugal tiffin—a bit of toast and a glass of wine and water. We sometimes, but very seldom, treat ourselves to a sandwich; but I never go to the mess now to have a regular tiffin, as some do. Artillery mess and joined the Staff one. Artillery, but it is a long way to go these dark, rainy nights; and the Staff mess is not a stone's-throw off. It seems a very fair one, but rather too many members-some twenty and more sit down to dinner.

Tiffin over, and nearly half-past three, so I must think of finishing this, as there is no chance of the dâk coming in. Mactier sends his kindest regards, and says, 'It's a weary, weary world,' and wishes to know what your opinion is on this point!

(Diary) 1st August.-The large convoy and Kemaon battalion came in this morning, and a precious row they made, commencing at about three. They had a terrible drenching, poor fellows;

« AnteriorContinuar »