DELHI IN THE HANDS OF THE MUTINEERS. 17 killed, and the place in a state of siege. It seems most extraordinary, for at Meerut there are only three Native Infantry regiments. They must have attacked the European soldiers as they were coming out of church, getting between them and their arms; or else, perhaps, our troops had marched over to defend Delhi, leaving Meerut at the mercy of the Native Infantry regiments. There has been no news since from Meerut. No dâk came in yesterday either from Delhi or Meerut, which is a bad sign. Late last night (we only heard of it this morning) a message came from Delhi saying that all the regiments there had turned against their officers. The magazine on the banks of the river was blown up, it seems, by one of our sergeants, who sacrificed himself to prevent all the ammunition from falling into the hands of the Sepoys. We hear that Mr Frazer, the judge, is killed. Captain Douglas, Mr Beresford (Civil Service), Colonel Ripley, who commanded one of the Native Infantry regiments, and other officers have all been killed-murdered. Is it not dreadful? The Chief is going down to Umballa to-day-Colonel Chester, Colonel Becher, and Captain Norman go also-together with his personal Staff. Keith, I am thankful to say, has not to go down; at least he has received no orders as yet. This is no time for Judge-Advocates, but for summary vengeance. It is said that all the city of Delhi have risen, with the King at their head, and that the Sepoys have joined them. The ladies and the children in the city have been murdered; those in cantonments have escaped to Kurnaul, and are now on their way to Umballa. Government will now, too late, see the folly of leaving a large Native city like Delhi without any British troops, with the magazine-I believe the very largest in India -in the heart of the city. Of course they have taken that, and seized upon all the arms. I hear that there is a general feeling among the Natives that our Government is trying to make Christians of them by these unclean cartridges, and by mixing with their attar (flour) beef and pig's bones finely ground. Some months ago I was sending some whole wheat to a little mill on a stream a short distance from Simla to be ground-it makes such nice brown bread. We had often found our bread gritty with dust. My ayah, when she heard that I was sending this wheat, asked me to send some for 18 ACCOUNTS FROM MEERUT. her also, as there was a report in the bazaar that all the flour was mixed with the bones, finely ground, of cows and pigs. I laughed at her, and said, 'Ayah, what nonsense! Who says so?' She replied, 'It is quite true; all the bazaar people say so.' I thought it meant merely that the bunniahs (merchants) did it to increase the weight of their flour. Friday morning, 15th May.-I went yesterday to see poor Mrs Nicoll. She was in great distress. She says all her hope for the safety of her husband rests on not having seen his name among those killed. She had heard nothing of or from him. The Bechers also are in great distress. Colonel Becher's only sister married Mr Hutchinson, a civilian at Delhi: they can get no tidings of them. Yesterday another message came from Meerut, better on the whole than was expected. The two Native Infantry regiments had turned upon their officers, and killed several-among others Major Macdonald of the 20th, his wife, and three children. We saw them constantly when we were at Meerut. The Native Infantry lines are some distance from the European; but directly it was known, the 6th Dragoons and the 60th Rifles marched upon them and soon sent them flying on the road to Delhi. The Carabineers lost six men, and the Rifles seven; but it seems so extraordinary that they did not pursue the wretches and cut them in pieces as they did the little children. General Hewitt's house at Meerut has been burned; also Mr Greathed's (the Commissioner), and several others. Mr Greathed and his wife were saved by their servants, who hid them in the garden. All the British regiments have left the hills, and the Goorkha regiment at Jutogh was ordered yesterday to start early the next morning (this morning, the 15th). At four o'clock yesterday there was a report that they had refused to go, and that they would attack Simla and loot it instead. Our Commissioner (Lord William Hay) and others said it was merely report, and that the regiment was staunch; however, some of the Goorkhas were seen in the bazaar laughing and talking about the Delhi business, and when an Englishman passed he was hissed at. Another report had spread that they intended to go down as ordered, but would join either Europeans or Natives, whichever was strongest. Most of the English here, therefore, became alarmed; a meeting was held at 4 P.M., and it was decided that pickets should be KING OF DELHI PROCLAIMED. 19 placed at distances all along the road. In case of an alarm two guns were to be fired, a signal that all the people were to collect at the Bank, which was to be defended by the gentlemen and tradespeople of the place. There are very few gentlemen now at Simla, as all on leave have been ordered to rejoin their regiments. Thursday passed quietly, but many frightening reports were abroad. The general belief was that the Goorkha regiment from Jutogh would attack Simla that night, so there were meetings at the different houses, and also at the church. Ourselves and about seventy others went to Dr Peskett's. The house looked more like a crowded steamer than anything else. The floor of every room was perfectly covered: there were more than thirty children. None of us could close our eyes all night, we were all listening for the guns; but morning came quite quietly, and now I am writing from our own house. This morning Keith received a long letter from his Deputy at Umballa. All quiet there. He sends copies that have been received of the messages from Delhi and Kurnaul. The King has proclaimed himself as King of Delhi, and all the people have turned against us, and they have been joined by seven of our own Sepoy regiments. Brigadier Graves from Delhi has reported himself to be at Kurnaul with seven other officers, all that are left of the large number that were at Delhi; Captain Nicoll is among the number, also twelve ladies. 2 P.M., 15th May.—I have just returned from seeing Mrs Nicoll and Mrs Cave-Brown. The former has received a letter from her husband, and is very happy; but the poor lady who is staying with her, Mrs Galloway, whose husband is in the Civil Service at Delhi, can hear nothing of him-he, Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, and Mr Hutchinson have not been heard of since the outbreak the only hope is that they have been hidden by some faithful servant in the city. The Chief is blamed. He has not been trained as a soldier, and seems unable to grasp the importance of the situation. When he first received the bad news on Tuesday morning, he ought to have started off at once. Colonel Becher, QuartermasterGeneral, did his utmost to persuade him not to lose any time: but he said no; he would wait for the dâk. What is the use of the electric telegraph if the news it brings is not at once 20 ALARM ABOUT THE GOORKHAS. to be attended to? When the Chief left, Mr Mayne rode part of the way down the hill with him, and begged and prayed him to send up fifty soldiers, and not to leave Simla quite unprotected. He refused, saying he could not spare a single man. Thursday, 21st May.-Soon after I had left off writing on Friday last, Keith, who had been out for some hours to inquire into the state of affairs, came home, and I saw immediately that something was wrong. He said, 'The Goorkhas are up in arms against us; you must start at once for the Bank.' I rushed upstairs to have the children dressed, and ordered two janpans to be ready-one to be taken at once to a friend, Mrs Poulton. When ready, Keith told us to go on immediately and he would follow on horseback. The Bank is about two miles from our house, and the janpan was carried so slowly that I gave up all hope of ever getting there. We met heaps of Natives from the bazaar rushing past us. Some said, The Goorkhas are quite close;' others said, 'They have not yet left Jutogh.' Just as Keith had caught us up, I saw through the fluttering curtains of the janpan some one rushing towards us with a drawn sword glittering in his hand. For a moment I believed it to be one of the Goorkhas. It was Dr Peskett turning back all the janpans. He called out, 'Turn back; it is too late to get to the Bank; the Goorkhas are close by. The ladies had better go to my house; and, come along, Young-Greathed-we must have a stand for it at the entrance to the bazaar!' He was very excited. My first thought was for Keith's pistols, which were in a case at my feet. When I gave them to him I quite thought I was looking at him for the last time, for we knew well that a few men, brave and determined as they were, could not stand for ten minutes against five hundred well-armed Goorkhas. Dr Peskett advised us all (many other janpans had come up) to go down to a little garden-house of his, low down the khud,* as being safer than his house on the mall. Had it not been for the two little sons, I would have followed Keith and the others to see the result. If the Goorkhas had commenced to attack the people, not a soul would have escaped, and we might just as well have died together. Soon after we had reached the little house Colonel Greathed made his appearance, and gave the good news that the Goorkhas, though * A very precipitous bank. |