CHAPTER XII.

SIEGE OF DELHI (continued)—ARRIVAL OF SIEGE-TRAIN.

Colonel KEITH YOUNG to his wife.

CAMP, DELHI CANTONMENTS, Tuesday, 1st September.

The siege-train was to leave Paniput this morning, and say that it arrives on the 4th, a very few days ought to suffice to put the guns and mortars in battery, and then it will not take long to settle the wretched city. The troops-Rifles and Artillery-from Meerut should reach here the same day as the siege-train, as they are coming a short cut by Paniput, instead of by Kurnaul as originally intended. What lots of troops there will be here soon, for the Cashmere contingent is also on its way to this place, and will arrive, I believe, in a few days; and amongst other horrible implements of war there are two 13-inch mortars coming from Umritsur, with a great number of shells-immense, large things -sufficient to demolish the whole of the largest building they may fall upon, and these mortars carry an immense distance. We have nothing here now larger than 8-inch; there are, however, plenty of 10-inch with the siege-train, and these are most formidable in their effects.

There is another letter from Agra to-day of the 27th, but no fresh news, just a recapitulation of what I have told you already, except I do not think I mentioned that Captain Peel, with his Naval Brigade, was bringing up a 68-pounder. What a grand thing it would be if they could get it up to Cawnpore in time to be of use in destroying the wretched mutineers before Lucknow ! Arthur Becher told me to-day that had got some other cause for alarm, having heard that some hill Raja or other had written down to the King of Delhi to ask what reward would be given for murdering all the Europeans in the hills; and also

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LETTER FROM MR BARTLE Frere.

writes, I believe, to Norman, for he told me that the Persians were in full march on Candahar. He is really a wretched alarmist, and it's Arthur Becher's opinion that he ought to be sent away from Simla. Of course the story of the Raja is some concoction of his own; and as to the Persians, accounts have been received of a directly contrary nature, and that they are evacuating Herat.

I am sorry to hear of Mrs Greathed being so unwell. I often see Greathed; he told me of his wife's illness. He and Sandie Robertson are living together; the latter has had a very smart attack of fever, but is recovering.

One of the Peshawar regiments has, you see, 'gone' at last; it must make Mrs P- very anxious.

Mactier is much obliged for the letter you sent; he still calls this a weary, weary' world! I hope Sir Colin Campbell will

make him his surgeon.

(Diary) 1st September.-Contented myself with walking up and down the street, and at work all day at that Feroze pore syce-driver's court-martial. Late in going out, but managed to get as far as the burial-ground to show the mistry the situation of poor Chester's grave; bricks are being collected to build a tomb. A lovely moonlight night.

From Mr BARTLE FRERE to Colonel KEITH YOUNG.

KURRACHEE, 1st September.

MY DEAR KEITH YOUNG,-It was only when I was reading over a second time this very interesting letter from Arthur, of which this is an extract, that I observed the message to you. I have sent the original to my wife, and give you the whole of what he says of the affair at Aboo, in case his letter to you should have miscarried. We have letters a day or two later from Ahmedabad and Deesa, which describe all quiet there and at Aboo; but the dâks from Neemuch and Nussereebad to Deesa had been plundered. Five men of our 12th Native Infantry have been hanged at Nussereebad. The 2nd Cavalry at Neemuch are in a very ticklish state.

You will see by the papers all is quiet again at Kolapoor, and in the south Mahratta country; but there has been partial disaffection and three executions in Maclean's 29th Native Infantry

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at Dharwar, and Jacob has executed a large number of the 27th at Kolapoor. You will not be surprised at Maughan's little failure. All quiet at Joudhpore on the 27th August, and no certain intelligence of the whereabouts of the mutineers.

Is it any use sending you or Mrs Keith Young the Sind papers for the sake of the extracts they give, or can I be of any other use to her or you Yours ever sincerely,

B. H. FRERE.

Extract from a Letter from Mr ARTHUR YOUNG

to Mr BARTLE FRERE, dated Aboo, 22nd August.

Yesterday morning the guard here, who had been joined by some men of the Company at the foot of the hill, commenced firing into Colonel Hall's (officer commanding) house, but luckily without hitting anybody; and Hall got his family out a back way to the Lawrence School, the compound of which adjoins his. I thought the firing was only the unloading of their damp muskets, till a servant of Hall's ran over to tell us to go to the Lawrence School; we found nearly all the residents there, and the whole had soon joined except Mrs Mildmay, and Dr Touch of the 83rd. It was a very foggy morning, and we could see nothing of them, so Hall and I went with six Europeans to try and find Mrs Mildmay, and on getting to her house found it quite empty; but she had been concealed in the Odeypoor Vakeel's house, and came to the School soon after we got back.

Near the Mildmays' house we came upon a party of the Sepoys at the Agency Office, where they were helping themselves to ammunition; but when they came out we could only fire at the place where we heard them. They fired a few harmless shots at us, and went off down the hill where we could not follow them, having left only about eight men to take care of all the families at the School. The men at the barracks could not help us then, as they were attacked by a much larger party, and had also a great number of women and children to protect.

General Lawrence's son was shot in the thigh, but is, I trust, in no danger; Hall's moonshee shot through the arm-and that is all the injury to any of our people, thank God. I don't know how the Europeans in the barracks escaped, for the walls are covered with bullet-marks, and the soldiers were in bed when the great volley was fired. They took one wounded prisoner, who

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WAITING FOR THE SIEGE-TRAIN.

will be hanged, I fancy, to-day. We found a dead tattoo by the office, but the rider escaped, I hear.

I have written to Keith (from whom I heard on the 20th, and enclose his letter) by Deesa and Omercote, as the Erinpoorah line is stopped. I left Erinpoorah on five days' leave on the 20th, and, up to the hour of the mutiny, we all had perfect faith in the loyalty of our men; and we hear for certainty that it all originated here, and at the foot of the hill, so I trust some of our men at Erinpoorah may keep true and save our adjutant and two European sergeants, with the families of the latter, who had, in our fancied security, been allowed to go to Erinpoorah.

There was a Havildar's party of the 17th Bombay Native Infantry over the Commissariat stores near the barracks; they did not join the mutineers, but rendered no assistance, and dressed and loaded without orders. They have been disarmed.

Colonel KEITH YOUNG to his wife.

CAMP, DELHI CANTONMENTS, Wednesday, 2nd September. I haven't a word of news of any importance to give you from here. There are several letters from the city, all telling the same story of divided counsels, internal dissensions, and troops running away. No doubt there is some truth in these reports, but I am become rather sceptical of them; and I fear if we wait here till all the mutineers bolt, or the powder and caps are expended (for this is another cry), we shall have to wait a very long time. Our siege-train, when it is once in our batteries, will have more effect than anything else in changing the state of affairs in the city. I am glad to say it is to be here the day after to-morrow, and the Rifles and other troops come with it, so there will be little delay on its arrival in commencing the grand operations.

Colonel Hogge (do you remember poor Colonel Chester's jokes?) came in this morning, having left the train at Lussowlie, and an escort has been ordered to go out to-night to meet it. Hogge gives a very pleasant account of affairs at Meerut; he says their band plays as usual, and that ladies go out driving on the mall in their carriages.

Poor old General Hewitt! He had a valuable pair of carriage

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horses that he gave upwards of two thousand rupees for, and his coachman walked off with the best of the two a short time ago and rode into Delhi on it.

I mentioned setting about a report that the Persians were in full march to Candahar; by this post he will hear that Arthur Becher got a letter to-day from Captain Lumsden from Candahar, the 15th August, to say that the Persians had actually evacuated Herat, according to treaty. You might tell this to as the news is interesting and very favourable.

Do you remember Mr Lane, the good archer? He is in our camp to-day, and came to call a little while ago on Mactier. His wife, he told me, is at Lahore, but is going home this cold. weather. He is doing duty with the Jheend Raja's troops at Lussowlie, and came in here with a convoy of carts with stores.

came this morning to tell me that he was anxious to get posted to the Guide Cavalry, but at the same time he would not like to stop in the plains long as he was so subject to fever. Just the sort of person for the Guide Cavalry, who have sometimes to be in their saddles day and night in all weathers. I told Daly was a candidate, and he laughed at the idea of such a man being foisted upon him.

Poor Mrs ! How I laughed when I read what she said about no one of our party escaping from Delhi when once we went into it; the general expectation is that there will be little or no loss in taking the place.

What a fearful example appears to have been made of the 51st at Peshawar! I should think that this would have the effect of keeping the 64th and other corps there quiet. I think, from what I hear, that we did not behave very well at Umballa.

Near 4 P.M. Mactier has just got a letter from Agra of 28th August; all well there. No further news from Cawnpore or Lucknow, but all well at both places by the latest accounts.

CAMP, DELHI Cantonments, Thursday, 3rd September.

I got your letter of the 31st August early this morning, and am so glad to find that the Mohurram has passed off without any disturbance; but it is not likely that the Mahomedan population would venture to kick up a row.

Nothing going on since I wrote to you yesterday. The scoun