40

ARRIVAL AT ALLEEPORE.

the school of instruction and can hold their own against any number. Time only will show whether General Barnard or the civilians are right.

(Diary) 3rd June.-Dine last night at the Artillery-pleasant party and good dinner. Have my bed there, and sleep; but there was such a row I made little of it after eleven, and we didn't start till one o'clock. Reach Raie soon after daybreak-find the leading column here. Anxiety for Wilson's joining us; the civilians protest against it, but the move has been positively ordered. Dine at the mess, and very glad after dinner to lie down to sleep. Several men hanged and shot.

CAMP, ALLEEPORE, Thursday, 4th June. Here we are at Alleepore, within ten or eleven miles of Delhi, having arrived this morning at sunrise. We marched with all the baggage in the rear, and with every precaution to be prepared to receive the enemy in the event of their showing themselves on the road; but there was nothing to be seen of them, though a party of Lancers, after our arrival here, went on some four or five miles in advance to look about. We remain here until joined by Wilson's force, expected on the 6th, on which day the siege-train may also be here. It left Paniput this morning.

On our march from Raie we found unmistakable marks of the enemy's proceedings: the telegraph posts down for some six miles and the wire removed, and villages and roadside bungalows in ruins. One dâk-bungalow, however (the one we stayed at), was standing with the roof entire, and several bullock-train wagons, two or three uninjured, were at the door. Many of the villages are full of plunder. At one o'clock this morning I saw a whole lot of things being brought, by some of our people, into camp; they had evidently belonged to some boxwallah-cases of spectacles, dolls, toys, and small penny books: of these I have taken possession of two as 'prize property' for Keith and Arthur.

Your letter of the 2nd June has just reached me on my return from a good breakfast at the Artillery mess-a first-rate beafsteakpie! You may imagine from this I am not very ill-indeed, I never felt better in my life; and though the sun is rather hot, it doesn't affect me. Norman or Chester will write at once

ELEVEN MILES FROM DELHI.

if I get ill, which please God I shall not.

41

Chester tells me to

give you his love; he is a fine old fellow, Chester. Do not be surprised if you are for days without hearing from me. I shall always write; but, as I told you before, the postal arrangements cannot be depended upon.

(Diary) 4th June.-Marched this morning in fighting order; were to have started at one, but it was two o'clock before we were well off-tedious work. The old General very kind with his cold tea, which was very acceptable. Reach Alleepore soon after sunrise, and our tents came up pretty quickly. Eleven miles from Delhi. Fine open plain for a fight, but no enemy to be Very hot day; mess in a garden.

seen.

CAMP, ALLEEPORE, Saturday, 5th June. Nothing from you to-day, but I am not at all anxious, for there is no Simla dâk at all; and everything, I am sure, must be going on well there-at least, there is no reason why everything should not go on well. You must not believe onetenth part of the reports that, I understand, reach Simla. All goes on prosperously here; the 2nd Fusiliers came in this morning, and Brigadier Wilson's force is to join us to-night. Everything will then be ready for the advance on Delhi, and, as I told you before, not a doubt is entertained of an immediately successful result. Disunion is known to exist amongst the insurgents; a party of some three hundred of the Gwalior contingent, who had gone over to the enemy, having sent in word quietly that they are willing to come and lay down their arms and give up their horses on promise of pardon, which will no doubt be accorded them.

Mrs Stafford is living in camp. I saw her husband just now; be is looking well. It is a great pity that she did not go back to Kurnaul. Besides Mrs Stafford there are several other women, wives of patrolling officers here, and I suppose they must all remain now. Stafford told me that Sergeant Larkin's friend, the Quartermaster-Sergeant of the Hurrianas, had escaped, and is now in camp, but he is very anxious about his family, who had left the bungalow and could not be found, and he is consequently ignorant of their fate.

42

BAD NEWs of freSH MUTINIES.

Excellent accounts to-day of the good conduct of the Nusseree battalion at Saharunpore, who are making up for their late misbehaviour by trying to settle the country.

I hope Gowroo continues to behave well: give my salaam to him. The servants with me are behaving very well, and with the assistance of the mess I find the three men I have quite enough. I enclose a letter from the bheestie (water-carrier) to his brother.

The enemy are said to have advanced out of Delhi to within some six miles of this; but, if true, they will not venture farther, as we are all prepared for them, and they would have to fight at great disadvantage. The more they collect together the better, as when Wilson's force arrives there will be nothing to prevent our advance, and it is better that the insurgents should be outside than inside the walls of Delhi. We expect the Guide Corps the day after to-morrow.

(Diary) 5th June.-Very bad news came in during the night: Nussereebad troops mutinied, Muttra treasury looted, and Bhopal Cavalry false; and no despatch from Wilson, who will, I fancy, find the bridge broken at Bhagput. Lots of rumours all day. A storm, with a few drops of rain, cools the air.

CAMP, ALLEEPORE, Saturday, 6th June (1 P.M.).

I write a line to say that all is quiet up to the present hour, and there seems no intention on the part of the enemy of being so foolish as to advance in this direction farther than they now are; and as Brigadier Wilson's force is only about twelve miles off, it has been decided by General Barnard not to move onward until they arrive. Carts and elephants have been sent to help them in, and they will arrive in the course of the night.

Greathed, of the Engineers, arrived an hour or two ago from General Wilson's camp at Bhagput-or, rather, on this side of the river opposite Bhagput. He says the road is quite open beyond Meerut; he himself left Agra only two days ago, having travelled without any molestation on the dâk-cart. So much for the stories in circulation about the disturbed state of the Doab. He mentions that all was quiet at Agra, but after the plunder of the Muttra treasury it was deemed desirable to disarm the Native