Monday, October 19th. No news till the evening, when letters came in from Cawnpore, saying the Delhi force were within five miles of Cawnpore, but were fighting with Gwalior mutineers, and that the 93rd and 23rd Queen's were very near Cawnpore also.
Tuesday, October 20th. My busy day for rations. I also cut out a coat for Charlie's Sikh subadar, and was fully occupied all day.
Wednesday, October 21st. Our wedding day! so I must give full particulars of it. I rose at half-past 6, and had a cup of tea and chupattie and went to my store room and received and weighed the ottah brought in from grinding, and gave out the wheat for the next day; also our daily rations of ottah, rice, grain, onions, and salt; then acted as laundress to myself; at 10 breakfasted, then finished putting the subadar's coat together, cut out and made a black silk neck-tie for Charlie, and he sent me over a lot of rupees to keep for Mr. G——'s estate. I then read till dinner, which was composed of stewed meat, a little rice and dal, and a chupattie and toast and water. After dinner, Charlie came for me, as we were to spend the rest of the day together. I carried over a cup and saucer, teaspoon and wineglass, the subadar's coat, and a book I had borrowed for Charlie. I found he had got a pint bottle ofchampagne—his rations for four days at the brigade mess, as sherry and port were all finished. He, however, would have us finish it at the time, toasting our noble selves and our dear ones at home; he had made me with his own hands some sugee cakes with the remains of some sugee I had intended for him while ill. He had not been very successful; however, the will was good. He then went and begged a little milk from one that had that luxury, and I had been presented with a little sugar for the occasion, and having a little cocoa left of bygone days, I contrived to manufacture a very delicious cup, which Charlie pronounced capital, and we thought of the grand dinner we had eaten at the Barrackpore Hotel that night six years; it was a strange contrast to our half rations in a battered garret, but I don't think it made either of us discontented—only thankful that our lives had been so mercifully preserved through such awful scenes! No one can see the battered condition of Charlie's house—an outpost—without feeling that he has been almost miraculously preserved. He walked home with me about half-past 8, and I went to bed.
Thursday, October 22nd. While dressing this morning, firing was distinctly heard in the distance. No news in!
Friday, October 23rd. Distant firing heard again. About 3 in the morning, a messenger came in without letters; he had been obliged toput them down a well. He said the enemy had captured nine of our elephants at Allum Bagh. The day passed quietly.
Saturday, October 24th. No news! After dinner Charlie came, and I returned with him; and I had no sooner arrived than a 24-pounder shot came in! I took tea with him and afterwards came Captain W—— and they examined a Native who had come in. Captain W—— also came. I returned about 8. I always walk very quickly, both going and coming; but I cannot get over the imaginative sensation of having a bullet between my shoulders.
Sunday, October 25th. The General came and told us he expected the Madras column was close to Allum Bagh; he had received no letters, but a Native had come in. Charlie came to service at 3. The day passed quietly.
Monday, October 26th. Letters had come in, in the night, with capital news; the Delhi column had beaten the Mhow mutineers and taken all their guns, and were coming quickly to us, and that 6,000 troops would be at Cawnpore the 10th of next month and here about the 15th. Still they cut our rations down again—14 oz. of wheat a day for a man and no gram or dal for any one, and a smaller portion of rice, so that we can only have it once a day now. Just before breakfast, as I was sitting in the verandah, Col. Napier[9]came up and chatted with me; he had just been visiting the outposts, and said he had not till then had a full idea of what we must have suffered, and added, "I understand your husband has been acting nobly all through the siege." I scarcely thought till then he even knew my name amongst so many ladies. Col. Napier was on the General's staff. I, of course, said I was much gratified to hear such praise; but I went down to breakfast as happy as a queen, to think dear Charlie was duly appreciated, and to hear his praise from such high quarters. His position has been a most dangerous one—a very exposed outpost—as the walls will show. This was the day for the prize auctions—the property that had been collected from the palaces. I knew that Charlie was going, but had no idea that he intended purchasing; however, while I was in my room, Mrs. C—— came running to tell me he had arrived with a most beautiful Cashmere shawl for me. I ran out, and Charlie threw it into my arms; this seemed one of the bright days of the siege. He came over again for me after dinner, and I returned with him to tea, and just at the time a shell burst in the Compound below his house, but without damage.
Tuesday, October 27th. Letters had come in again during the night, saying the Delhi column was expected at Cawnpore on the 28th. Mr.G—— was mortally wounded at the new battery on the mound behind Mr. I——s' house. Dr. D—— was struck by a piece of shell, as he was walking down to the Ferard Bucksh.
Wednesday, October 28th. Letters came in again during the night, from Cawnpore, saying the Delhi column had arrived, and they had had three fights with the enemy—one near Agra, one at Mynpoorie, and one nearer Cawnpore,—and that they had routed them well and taken their guns; and that by the 7th proximo 2,500 of the troops coming up country would have arrived at Cawnpore; and that, altogether, we should be 8,000 strong. The day passed quietly. I went to tea with Charlie, and while there the enemy commenced a slight attack.
Thursday, October 29th. No news in! A very quiet day.
Friday, October 30th. No news! I went to tea with Charlie; while there a round shot came in and wounded one of the garrison by causing a brick to strike him.
Saturday, October 31st. After breakfast Charlie came and put up my mosquito curtains, as Mrs. A—— and I had the luxury of sleeping away from the party. We had Mrs. F——'s room to ourselves, Mrs. A—— being an invalid. I returned with Charlie and had a delightful morning. I altered a jacket for him; it is astonishing how clever this siege has made me in tailoring, &c. I returned about half-past 3. Everyone thinksit very dangerous my going to his house; but his room is tolerably safe—at all events, as safe for him as me, and it is delightful to have a nice chat together, for we know not how soon we may be parted.
Sunday, November 1st. Commencement of another month of the siege! Where will the 1st of December find us? It is coming to a crisis now. But the Almighty has spared us through so much danger, I trust He will bring us out of it; my hope now is strong! We had a quiet day; no news!
Monday, November 2nd. The enemy threw several shells. I went, notwithstanding, to Charlie's quarters, and had a cosy evening with him. On my return, as were sitting in the verandah, a letter came from Allum Bagh, and the General, after reading it, said, he must tell the ladies the good news. The Commander-in-Chief was to be at Cawnpore this day, and that part of the force was already sent on to Allum Bagh, and that the rest remained to escort the Commander-in-Chief, who, it was conjectured, would push on to Lucknow immediately. The General said he did not like part of the force being sent to wait at Allum Bagh, as it would give the enemy the idea that they were afraid to enter Lucknow. The old gentleman then became very facetious, and asked if we would take the Commander-in-Chief into our mess in the Tye Khana,and other little jokes. I afterwards learnt that the arrival of the troops at Allum Bagh was to be signalled by three salvos of four guns each.
Tuesday, November 3rd. The enemy had been firing tremendously all night, and this day an attack was expected, so all were ordered to remain at their posts; Charlie, therefore, could not come to me. I got Capt. W—— to escort me over to his post, and spent a very pleasant morning with him; I making a cloth jacket. Charlie went with his men for a few minutes to help to put up the semaphore intended for the Residency to telegraph with Allum Bagh; the enemy sent a number of round shot and shell in, during the evening and night.
Wednesday, November 4th. After breakfast, I went over to Charlie's house, escorted by a Sikh whom he had sent. I must not forget to say that in mystore-room I had a very advantageous deal with Mr. S——, 10 lbs. of green dal and 10 lbs. of wheat for 20 lbs. of rice, so that we can have a little rice with our breakfast now, as well as dinner. I made great progress with my cloth jacket, cut out of the surplus part of a habit; no news in! Mr. D—— had both his legs taken off by a round shot, while sketching in the Residency Compound.
Thursday, November 5th. Gunpowder plot. We had an attack during the night, and a great deal of firing, but it was quieter during the day, No news from without!
Friday, November 6th. A messenger had come in and told the General that Manu Sing had gone off with his men to Chinhut. I suppose he wishes to be neutral. I spent the morning with Charlie. A 24-pounder came in and wounded a poor woman by the bricks it dislodged. I completed my cloth jacket, and Charlie gave me some bloodstone buttons for it. In the evening, after Mrs. A—— and I were in bed, Mrs. H—— came in to tell us that a letter had come from Cawnpore, saying 5,000 Infantry, 800 Cavalry, and 36 guns, with 400 of the Naval Brigade, would be at Allum Bagh by the 10th at latest. Glorious news for us prisoners!
Sunday, November 8th. A quiet day—no news! Charlie came to prayers, and I went to tea with him.
Monday, November 9th. Another quiet day! I spent the morning with Charlie.
Tuesday, November 10th. A great deal of firing at Allum Bagh; several considered the four salvos that were fired the signal of the arrival of the troops, but others thought they were only signal guns. Mr. C——, assistant to the Chief Commissioner, had gone out during the night to Allum Bagh, disguised as a Native, and during the morning the General sent word to his wife that his arrival had been signalled. At 8P.M.a tar barrel was lighted at the top of the Residency, for some signal or other, and was answered from the Allum Bagh.
Wednesday, November 11th. There had been a good deal of firing during the night. No news in! A very unexciting day; they tried to work the semaphore, but from some mistake it did not answer.
Thursday, November 12th. I spent the morning with Charlie, arranging and packing our worldly goods; for, if the troops come in, we may be sent off at a moment's notice. We could see the semaphore working famously to-day for full three hours, and afterwards were told that Sir C—— C—— had arrived at Allum Bagh, Mr. C—— was all right there, and they did not intend commencing operations till Saturday the 14th—all glorious news! While I was with Charlie, there was a Native report that the troops were already coming in and the enemy flying, so several officers came to Charlie's to see from the roof of his house whether it was true; it turned out all false. After dinner, Mrs. B—— and Mr. C—— called, the latter I had not seen during the whole siege; he was looking better than I expected to see him, but his knee was much contracted from the wound he received in Cantonments the night of the mutiny. About 7P.M.there appeared to be an attack commencing, but the firing did not last long—however, all officers are ordered to remain at their posts till the troops come in.
Friday, November 13th. I spent the whole morning packing the few worldly goods I haveleft, and the Oude china, for we may very probably be sent off at a moment's notice. After dinner, I went over to Charlie; we had a very quiet day. In the evening, a messenger came in from Allum Bagh but he had lost his despatch, so he was packed off to the Guard-house immediately; for, considering it had been telegraphed from Allum Bagh that the troops would move, without fail, the next morning, this letter might have been of infinite importance.
Saturday, November 14th. The troops moved from Allum Bagh. It was a very exciting day to most people; but somehow or other I felt very tranquil. I spent the morning with Charlie. The troops took possession of the Dil Koosha and Martinière, and by the evening our flag was waving over the latter building.
Sunday, November 15th. The General went out with his Staff at 10A.M., but from some cause unknown to us, neither our troops made any sortie nor the reinforcements any advance. I paid Charlie a visit after dinner.
Monday, November 16th. A most exciting day. The troops moved from the Martinière at half-past 6; we heard the guns firing tremendously. I went over to Charlie about 11A.M.; the roof of his house was crowded with spectators. They had just seen some of our Cavalry and Artillery take two of the enemy's guns, on the road to the Motee Mohul, and plant two of oursin their stead, drawn by grey horses; some of the Lancers were distinguished by their peculiar caps. Our own force, from entrenchments, moved out also from the Fureed Bucksh, and took the Engine House and King's Stables, and all the buildings up to the Nullah. About half-past 12 I went on the roof (or rather stood at the head of the stairs, looking through a hole in the parapet, that had been made by a round shot), and saw the mines[10]sprung, and the batteries firing furiously behind the Chutter Munzel. It was a most extraordinary scene! shells were bursting in the air above them,—fired, I suppose by the enemy,—and every few minutes a new mine was sprung, sending up a thick yellow smoke and dust quite different from the smoke of the batteries. We saw one round shot strike a bungalow, on the banks of the river, and immediately some figures sprung up from the verandah and made off with their bundles of bedding. Many rockets were also fired, which set fire to several buildings, and then volumes of thick smoke and flame arose. At one time a mine was sprung, far out in the distance (conjectured to be some magazine of the enemy); very few were seen running away; every now and then, two or three would swim the river, having first stripped and tied their clothes on their heads. A few ran away in our direction, through Phillips'garden, so Charlie placed a rifleman to pick off any who might be seen flying in that direction. He would not allow more than fourteen on the roof of his house at one time; it was in such a battered condition, it was not safe to have more. It was doubtful even if the concussion from the mines might not shake it too much, so a Crannee and a Sikh were placed to keep too many from crowding up; and when some parties had been long enough, they were sent down, and others took their places. There was always a party of European soldiers waiting to go up: the house stands high, and commands the part of the city our troops are entering. I was quite sorry, when dinner-time came, and I was obliged to leave, for it was the most exciting scene I ever in my life witnessed. I little thought even when I "listed," that I should ever witness a pitched battle, and that my own life should depend on the issue of it: it is, indeed, mercifully ordained that we shall not see into the future. About 6, the General and his party returned. Our troops had got up to the Motee Mohul, on one side, and to the Nullah on the other, so that the two parties were only separated by a few hundred yards.
Tuesday, November 17th. The General and his Staff went out to meet Sir C—— C——. I went over to Charlie, but there was not much to be seen from his house, and there was a 24-pounder in the Dawk Office Compound, just below hiswindow, which, when it fired, regularly blew a blast into the room, much to my annoyance. I returned to dinner; and when the General came home in the evening, he said, as he passed into the house, "Ladies, I have seen the Commander-in-Chief." The communication was now opened with our troops; some of his staff remained talking with us,[11]and we then heard that Col. N——, and Mr. S——, A.D.C., had been wounded. The General had rushed across to the Commander-in-Chief, through a heavy fire. After prayer in the evening, he called Dr. F—— aside, and said a few words to him; and when Dr. F—— came back he said: "All ladies, and the sick and wounded, are to be out of the garrison before to-morrow night, and can only take what they can carry in their hands." It came upon us like a thunderbolt; one felt almost paralysed—so helpless! How were we to go, and what could we take with us? We were told not to name it; out of our own garrison that night, or else I should have gone off to Charlie at once. Several of the ladies sat up all night, stitching things of value into their petticoats, &c.; I sat up a little while, but I got such an internal shivering and spasms with the start it had given me, that I was obliged to go to bed, fearing I might get one of my attacks; of course, sleep was out of the question.
Wednesday, November 18th. I got up at daybreak, and rushed over to Charlie. I found him fast asleep, but awoke him with the news, which he would not believe; however, he got up and gave me all sorts of instructions how to manage, and said he would set off and see if he could contrive anything for me. I went home again to stitch my valuables around me; and, by dinner time he had got me two old men—fathers of Sepoys who had been with us all through the siege—one of whom was to carry a bundle of bedding, and the other my dressing case; our only servant, a punkah coolie, was to carry a tin box: he cheered me with the news also, that he had got leave to accompany me as far as Secundrabagh.[12]So I must walk, having no carriage; however, there came an order that we were not to go till the next day. I was thankful, for I was quite worn out with the preparations. Charlie, also, was quite done up, he had been over so often to help me; and we are none of us very strong; and after all he brought me 2 lbs. of sugar, a great treat, for we had tasted none for weeks. We went to bed all worn out, Charlie sending word, the last thing, that I was to have the Subadar's mare to ride the next day. The Sikh cook was to carry a banghy; so I set to work and packed my little portmanteau with what next I thought I should most like to save (the difficulty was to select), andall these things went off at night with Herah Sing, a Sikh Sepoy in charge. Charlie had given him a note to Col. B——, to take charge of them till I arrived next day; but, the Colonel was killed that very afternoon—so Capt. N——, Assistant Adjutant-General, kindly took charge of them instead.
Thursday. November 19th. Charlie came over the first thing, and said Capt. W—— had lent him a coolie, so I had to pack another box, and as Herah Sing had invested thirty-five rupees in a pony (without orders) for me to ride, I got a side-saddle from Mrs. F——; and then came the news that the Brigadier had cancelled Charlie's leave, as so many had been applying for the same. It gave me a sharp pang indeed, for this may be our parting in India; however, it was no time to give way, so I dressed in all the clothes I could, fearing I might not be able to get my boxes carried on from Secundrabagh. I put on three of each kind of under garments—a pink flannel dressing-gown, and plaid jacket, and then over all my cloth dress and jacket made out of my habit. I then tied my Cashmere shawl round my waist, and also Charlie's silver mug, and put on a worsted cap and hat, and had my cloak placed on the saddle; in my pink dressing gown I had stitched dear mamma's last present to me, and I filled several pockets with valuables also; in two under ones I had all my little stockof jewellery, and my journal, and some valuable papers. I also wore a bustle, in which I had stitched my Honiton lace wedding dress, veil, &c., and two black and white lace shawls; so that I was a pretty good size. At half-past 10, Charlie and Capt. W——, with great difficulty mounted me on my pony,—a very difficult affair dressed and laden as I was and with no spring in me. Capt. W—— and a large party, were in fits of laughter; at last it was accomplished, and Charlie took me out to the Baillie Guard Gate, and there we parted with a shake of the hands, not knowing when we might meet again! My heart was very heavy, but it was no time to give way. Herah Sing led my pony very carefully. At last we came to a part that was dangerous; the enemy commanded it from the Kaiser Bagh, and the musket shots were whistling about, so some soldiers advised my dismounting and walking through the trenches which had been cut for us. I did so; and when I came out at the engine house an officer came forward to meet me and congratulated me and offered his assistance. I said I was waiting for my pony, so he offered me his charpoy to sit on till it came round and sent his Orderly to look for it; at last it came, and he took me through some barracks to meet it, and there attempted to mount me, but of course unsuccessfully. At last, however, with the assistance of a tall soldier and Herah Sing, and a chair, I was got up again, andthen he begged to know my name that he might tell my friends he had sent me on safely, and I asked to whom I was indebted for so much kindness? He said, "Mr. F——, of the Artillery;" and when I named Capt. G—— he said, "Oh! I know G—— very well, and I will be sure to tell him you are all right!" So on I went, steadily, till I came to another dangerous part, when another soldier told me I had better dismount; but I thought of my former difficulties, so I made Herah Sing double the pony across, the balls whistling over our heads. When we got to Secundrabagh, there were the 93rd Highlanders in their kilts and bonnets, and the Naval Brigade with their great guns. I spoke to one of the sailors on a 24-pounder, and asked if there were any place appropriated to the ladies? He jumped off, and said he would show me the way, and congratulated me on getting out of Lucknow, and asked if he could do anything for me? He said his name was Mr. H——, and he belonged to theShannon, and that he might be found at any time at that gun if I sent for him. He then told me of thefight they had coming in, and that 1,842 Natives had been killed in that very garden; the bodies were counted as they were buried: he said they lay in heaps breast high. I took up my position in the corner of a verandah, as it was cleaner than the house. Mrs. B—— was the only lady arrived. Herah Sing drew me some water, and I took outa ham sandwich Charlie had given me in the morning—his own breakfast—for they had had a ham at the Brigade Mess, one that had been kept in store as a treat to be eaten when the relief arrived. While I was eating it, Captain C—— came up and offered to do anything for me; so I asked for a hackery to take on my baggage. He said he could give me camels, but I preferred a hackery as I might be able to sit on it if my pony broke down. He gave me some sherry, and said he would send me some bread and butter—a great treat. He left, and then came Mr. H—— again and asked if I wanted anything, and sent me a loaf of bread. I asked him to get me some ropes, in case my baggage had to go on camels, which he did; and then came Capt. C—— again with his rezie and pillow for me to sit on, and his Kitmagar with bread and butter and cold mutton and a bottle of beer. I ate a little, and then asked him to cut sandwiches for me, of the rest, for night; which he did, and I put them in my basket with the bottle of beer. About the middle of the day came Miss H—— and Mrs. S——; they had walked all the way. About an hour after, came Mrs. H—— and Mrs. B—— and her baby in a buggy; they came to my corner, and our party remained together all day. Every other place was filled with ladies and children, soldiers' wives and Crannies' wives. We were to move on to the Dil Koosha in the evening, which we were glad tohear, for the smells here were intolerable. About dusk they began to make preparations, and the place was one mass of camels, bullocks, carriages and human beings; the same outside, in front of the gateway: so great was the confusion that Capt. C——, who had been ordered to keep the road open, gave it up in dispair, and came and said it was utterly impossible to do so; he had left a string of camels entangled in a ditch, and the road was one mass of entanglement; he was, however, obliged to go off again, and it became pitch dark; and there we were, left to our own devices: how we were ever to get on, none of us could tell. However, at last I decided my best plan was to load my pony with my bundle of bedding, and walk myself, and the rest of my baggage must take its chance; the coolie who had night blindness, and one of the old men, must remain with it, and get Capt. C—— to send it on in a hackery next day. I got a soldier of the 9th Lancers, named Mitchell, to load the pony for me; he was very civil, and did all he could for me: we then sat down in the dark, patiently, till we should get our orders to move; the enemy were out between us and the Dil Koosha, and we were not to go without a large escort, which was to be ready at 8. A little before that time came Capt. E——, to say the enemy were out so strong that no carriages of any kind were to go on that evening, we must hurry with all speed to the Dil Koosha, but must go aroundabout, sandy road, and must run no risk of being hindered by carriages sticking in the sand: as many dhoolies (palanquins for the sick) as could be procured would be in readiness for the ladies, and those who could not get them must walk. Soon after, fortunately, came up Mr. O'D——, who said our only plan would be to go and take possession of empty dhoolies ourselves; so off we set, he dragging us through the entangled mass—far worse than any London mob—and he put us into four dhoolies, nearly all separated. I called to my old man to bring the pony and bundle of bedding, but that was utterly impossible for the time; we waited some time in the dhoolies, and then mine and Miss H——'s were ordered somewhere to the front, but in quite a different direction to what I considered the right road to the Dil Koosha. We heard the enemy firing in the distance: never shall I forget the confusion of that night—the masses crowded together in the pitch darkness; for even when Mrs. B—— had a candle lighted, thinking her baby was dying (its breath having been caught by the cold air), it was ordered to be put out immediately, on account of the number of ammunition waggons. I think we must have started about 9; we went on steadily for some distance, and then some of the advanced guard came riding back, telling the dhoolie-bearers not to speak a word, the enemy were so near; so on we went, nothing to be heard but the tramp ofthe bearers; after a time we were all halted, and not allowed to make the slightest noise, the enemy were so close. After a time, on we went again in silence, a very roundabout way, and when I looked at my watch after our arrival, I found it had stopped at ten minutes past 2. Now, the direct road would only have been two miles. We were kept waiting on our arrival for some time, for they said there was no place ready for us; we were turned back from the house, as there were already 1,100 sick there. After waiting about an hour in the cold, I seized a gentleman who was passing with a lantern, and asked him where we were to go; he pointed to some tents a long way off, and after tumbling over innumerable tent-pegs and ropes we reached them, and lay down on the ground for the night—for it was utterly impossible to find my pony with the bedding—but we got a rizie (quilt) to lie upon, and I put my head on my basket. The tents were so open that I, of course, got a severe cold; however, daylight soon appeared.
Friday, November 20th. As soon as day dawned I went all over the immense camp in search of my pony. I found several ladies had passed the night in their dhoolies; Mrs. B—— fortunately had a small tent of her own, so she went straight off to the commissariat officer and asked him for a place for it, and kindly asked me to share it with her; it was such a luxury, when it was pitched, to getinto it by ourselves, and I had found the pony, with my bedding, so when I was dressed I lay down on it and rested, for I felt quite worn out. We spent the day quietly; in the afternoon, to our great delight, Mr. C—— brought us a packet of overland letters. Oh! the joy of having them once again, and finding all our dear ones at home were well; we had received none for many months. My hackery arrived, just after, with my worldly goods; Capt. C—— had kindly sent them on from Secundrabagh, so that I began to feel more comfortable. We went to bed very early, to recruit our strength.
Saturday, November 21st. I rose early, and took home some newspapers that had been lent me, in one of which was an account of poor Mrs. B——'s murder at Hissar. On our return we drew our rations—bread, meat, tea, sugar, rice, dal, and salt—a bountiful supply: I then sent off the coolie to Charlie with a note, and he sent me back a charpoy (bed) and some other things, so I had no longer to sleep on the ground.
Sunday, November 22nd. A quiet day! But we have no service, although there were six Padres in the camp. In the evening, to our joy, we heard the old garrison were leaving Lucknow, and might be with us that night. Mrs. B—— and I sat up till Davie came and told us they could not be here till the next morning.
Monday, November 23rd. Rose early, andwent out to enquire for our husbands, and found they had arrived, but were kept in a camp, about a mile off. We waited impatiently till 4P.M., when Mr. B—— made his appearance; he said he had waited all day, to ask the Brigadier's leave to come up; but the Brigadier had been away himself all day with his wife; so he set off without leave, and met him just returning. About sunset, in came dear Charlie, limping sadly; he was loaded with a sword, carbine, haversack, case bottle, and a stick to help him along; he had gone on the sick list, for his knee was so bad, he did not feel equal to marching. He had tea with us, and then stretched his bedding outside our tent, under the awning of it, so as to escape the dew; but I longed to give him shelter, it was so cold. We packed all ready for starting, as we were to march in the morning; but the hour was kept secret, on account of the enemy.
Tuesday, November 24th. Charlie called us at 6, thinking we should be off early: however, we did not start till noon. All the ladies were ordered to collect in front of the Commander-in-Chief's tents, when all those who had no private carriages, would be stowed away in covered hackeries: the dhoolies were all kept for the sick. We were late, for Mrs. B—— would notleave in her buggy till the Bheestie was ready to accompany her. I mounted my pony, and we tried, with Charlie's assistance, to make our way throughlong lines of baggage, hackeries, camels, bullocks, &c., &c.; never, I believe, was such a scene! The whole army marched, excepting a few to keep the Dil Kooshe for a short time. There were 1,000 sick carried in dhoolies, and 467 women and children, in any kind of conveyance that could be got for them, added to Sir C——'s whole army, a portion of which consisted of nine batteries: never shall I forget the scene! As far as the eye could reach, on all sides were strings of vehicles, elephants, camels, &c., &c.; and when we were all pitched for the night, our camp extended over seven miles. The dhoolies were all kept for the sick; none were allowed even to ladies who were hourly expecting their confinement: Sir C—— said the wounded men must be first thought of, as they had saved our lives. The dust was overpowering! We went across country to avoid the enemy. Our road was over cultivated fields; such ups and downs! It was a wonder how the vehicles surmounted them. Most of the carriages were drawn by bullocks, as the horses had been too much weakened by the siege to be of any service. Being such tremendous lines, we were frequently stopped by entanglements; and though we had only four or five miles to go, we did not get to our ground till dark. The number of guns with the force added immensely to the number of vehicles accompanying us. As I said before, we had nine batteries, the Naval Brigade included, and theArtillery park and magazine attached is tremendous. There were also innumerable commissariat carts, and many with treasure from Lucknow, the Commander-in-Chief with one division, and General O—— with another. General H—— died this day of dysentery. We heard distant firing all the way, and hoped it was not on the little party left at the Dil Koosha. I could not possibly describe the confusion when we arrived at our encamping ground for the night. I had been obliged to get off my pony, as the sun was so powerful, and get into a hackery, and "squat" down on the straw, like most of the other ladies; but when we got to the ground, we had to hunt about for our baggage, the little we had brought with us. Luckily, Charlie got hold of our baggage hackery, and got down my charpoy for me to sit on; but it was bitterly cold, so that Mrs. B—— took her baby into some officer's tent till her own could be found. We had brought a little bread and meat in a cooking vessel—our day's rations; also tea and sugar. I had purchased some cheese at the Dil Koosha, so Mrs. B——'s Ayah, a Musselmaunee, set to work and boiled the kettle on the ground, and then fried the beef in a little frying pan I had brought, and we had a grand tea: beef, and bread and cheese, and tea with milk and sugar in it. It revived us a little, but poor Charlie seemed quite done up; and poorMrs. B—— had been nursing her baby all day, without taking anything herself. Luckily, up came Mr. B—— with her camels and tent; he had been searching for them: it was soon pitched, and we were in luxury compared with most; for many poor delicate women and children passed the night on the ground, by the side of their hackeries, and the nights are bitterly cold now. The hackeries were too full for all to lie down in them. Charlie put his bedding partly under the awning of some tent, to escape the dew, which is very heavy; and it is very dangerous sleeping in it.
Wednesday, November 25th. We halted—and really needed it. Charlie drew his own rations, and we had all our meals together, and got on very happily though not in great comfort. Mrs. B——'s Ayah did all the cooking for us, and made some delicious pourries for tea. We went to bed at 8, very tired. Charlie slept this night in a dhoolie.
Thursday, November 26th. We expected an order to march, but did not get it; a party of the 8th Queen's and some Engineers went on ahead to repair the Bunnee bridge for us, so we halted this day also.
Friday, November 27th. An order was given for us to march at 7A.M., but just as we had prepared everything for starting we were told we were not to go till after breakfast. About 11 we started, and went about thirteen miles, encamping forthe night two miles on the Cawnpore side of Bunnee. I was very tired with the jolting of the hackery.
Saturday, November 28th. While we were still in bed, came an order to strike tents and be off; it seemed almost more than one could do: we hurried and dressed, and had a little breakfast, and I was in the hackery by 8! We had tremendous work to get out of the crowd of hackeries starting and get into the line, and it was half-past 9 before we really began our march. We heard very heavy firing at Cawnpore all day, so that the Chief ordered us not to halt at Enown, but march the whole way in to the banks of the river—thirty miles—he himself hurried on to Cawnpore, and it was fortunate he did, for the Gwalior mutineers had been there three days; and this day, the 64th Queen's, returning from spiking some guns, lost 7 or 8 officers; indeed, all that went out with them: and an officer of the 70th had to bring them out of action. I jolted on in my hackney from 8 in the morning till 12 at night, the life almost jolted out of me; luckily we had bread and cheese and a bottle of beer with us. Charlie dragged on his weary way, first walking and then in the hackery, but he was quite done up at last; and yet, when we got to the encamping ground, we were two hours more searching for Mrs. B——'s tent: it was 2 o'clock before I got in. Then, of course, our baggage hackery never arrived till late the nextday; so we had to contrive and boil a little water in a lotah, so as to have a cup of tea, and then we lay down,—Charlie outside and I in the tent with Mrs. B——.
Sunday, November 29th. We hoped to be allowed to halt, but an order came that we were to go two miles nearer the river, and to form a very compact camp on account of the enemy. We started again, and got to camp in the middle of the day; had the tent pitched in a nice turfy spot, and were having dinner all comfortably, when another order came that we were to cross the river that night! This was killing work, but we afterwards heard the enemy intended firing on the bridge of boats; luckily, Sir Colin had a battery up close to it, and kept them off. No doubt it was a most anxious time to him—but we did grumble occasionally, as he did not appear to think much of our comfort. Mrs. S—— was confined in her dhoolie while changing ground this morning. At 8P.M.we started—all the baggage hackeries were to be stopped for us ladies to cross the bridge of boats; but in consequence of some of them having "dodged" into the line, it took us eight hours to do the three miles; fortunately, it was a splendid moonlight night; just as we were on the bridge of boats there was a sudden discharge of musketry, which greatly alarmed us. I thought for certain the enemy were going to attack us, but it turned out to be our own men firing in the entrenchment;we happened to have stuck just at the time, and the bridge of boats is so narrow we could not have escaped. I own I was more frightened this night than any time during the siege; however, we got safely to the Artillery barracks, where we were to halt; some very dirty crannies had taken possession before us. However, we lay down on our bedding which we had brought in the hackery with us and slept till 8A.M.
Monday, November 30th. We waited on in misery till the tent came up, which was not till late in the day, and then we found the Bheesti, our factotum, had fever, and could not work; however, Charlie managed to get the tent partly up, when another order came to move to some other barracks half a mile off. In the midst of it all, Charlie contrived to hurt his bad knee against a tent-peg. Some started for these new barracks, and we were preparing, when a counter-order came that we were to wait till morning; so we got our tent up, and slept in it.
Tuesday, December 1st. We took our chota hazree, and then went to our new quarters, where we pitched our tent, and made ourselves comfortable, and we were actually allowed to remain in peace for the rest of the day.
Wednesday, December 2nd. We hoped to remain in peace, and the Brigadier asked Charlie what sort of an appointment he would like; but, unluckily, he was totally unfit for work, and soobliged to decline all. About sunset came an order for us to march that night (we had just returned from visiting General W——'s entrenchments), and no gentlemen were to accompany us but Captains E—— and B——. Charlie had not yet got his sick certificate from Dr. C——, so I was in a sad state of mind, fearing we must now separate altogether. We set to work dividing our clothes, &c., as best we could, but we were both excessively tired. I did not lie down till 12, midnight, and then did so fully dressed, expecting every moment to be ordered off. I had a most distracting headache; however, the night passed on, and we did not move.
Thursday, December 3rd. I woke Charlie at daybreak, and he went off to the superintending surgeon, to see if he would sign his papers, and then was told to come at noon: at noon he went, and did not return till 4, when he said he had got his certificate. I was overjoyed. We marched at 10P.M.; I went in a shigram with a Mrs R——, Charlie seated on the step, and Mr. R—— in front. Charlie guided the blind coolie with my pony all night by holding his stick out to him, and the coolie taking the other end of it. I was more idle, for I slept all night. We went twenty-five miles.
Friday, December 4th. All very fatigued this morning, Mrs. B—— especially. We got a couple of delicious chickens and some eggs fordinner, a treat we had not enjoyed for months. We were ordered to march at 9P.M.Mr. R—— had had fever all day, so I gave up my place in the shigram to him, and Charlie and I travelled in the hackery. We went thirteen miles this night.
Saturday, December 5th. I felt quite stiff and bruised by the jolting in the hackery. We asked Mr. C—— to bring his rations, and we would cook them withours, as he had no servants and got hardly anything yesterday; he says the amount of misery experienced by the wounded travelling in the rough hackeries is hardly credible, and many did not get their wounds dressed or have anything to eat the whole day. There is a sad want of servants and management. We started again at 7P.M., having had our hackery well littered with straw, and went twenty-four miles, not stopping at Futtehpore, which was half way.
Sunday, December 6th. We got to camp about 9A.M.; the tents were pitched in a nice tope of trees. We were ordered on again at 9P.M., and had rather a long march; the last mile of it we turned off the trunk road over a rough track to the railroad, of which we knew nothing, as we both slept, and on awakening found ourselves at the temporary terminus.
Monday, December 7th. We hoped to breakfast before we left the ground; but no, we werepacked into the railway carriages immediately, and then were kept waiting three hours for the baggage to be loaded. Charlie gave up all hope of being able to accompany us, it was such a time before he could find our baggage and get it into the train; but it was done at last. We took three hours getting to Allahabad, stopping once to water the engine, which in this enlightened country is done by coolies with earthen jars—the apparatus not being in order. We luckily had a bottle of porter and some Native biscuits, so we kept up till we arrived at Allahabad at 3P.M., where we met with a most unexpected reception, the whole station being lined with gentlemen and soldiers who turned out for the occasion, and cheered us most lustily; it was almost overpowering. They had done everything they could for our comfort; all sorts of vehicles had been lent by their owners to take us from the station to the fort, where a large suite of the Governor-General's tents, about fifteen in number, had been pitched for us. We shared a double-poled tent with Captain and Mrs. R——; it had one public and two private compartments. It was a great luxury to be quiet by ourselves, after the many months we had been herded together. Captain D—— sent us over a splendid dinner. We met Dr. H—— and S—— H—— at the station; all the former could do was to squeeze my hand and say "Poor thing! poor thing!" Our tents werevery comfortably furnished; so, after taking tea with the R——'s, we went to bed.
Tuesday, December 8th. It was such luxury to be in bed, and have my chota hazree brought to me, after having had to make it for so many months—almost the whole of the siege—and it was such delicious bread and butter! Mr. S——, the chaplain, and some gentlemen, came round to all the tents, early, bringing cakes of soap for us; and the night before all our tents were supplied with oil lamps. We went over to breakfast in the Mess tent—it was the Governor-General's Durbar tent—a most splendid one, and pitched in the centre of our camp; we had a delicious breakfast—coffee, with rich cream. I enjoyed it much, after our siege fare, and was as pleased as a child to get it. We telegraphed to Capt. P——, in Calcutta, to write home, and say we were all safe. Drs. B—— and H——, and Major T—— called. After this, our days passed quietly at Allahabad. Christmas Day, we dined with Capt. J——, of the Fusiliers; and Monday, January 11th, left Allahabad in country boats, to join the steamers at Sirsa, as none of them could come up higher, on account of the shallow water on the Dum-dumma Flats. We had a narrow escape! As our boat was alongside theCharles Allen, another steamer passed, having several Native boats attached to its flat; one came with great force againstours, and every one expected we were done for, as these Nativeboats generally crush up and go down instantaneously. There was a cry, "Save the women and children!" and we were dragged up on the top of the paddle-box by our arms; however, our boat did not go down, or we must have gone with it. Captain F——, of theCharles Allen, afterwards told me he had expected to see us go down, and thought the poor creatures had escaped Lucknow only to meet with another horrible death. We had a pleasant trip down the river, and reached Calcutta on Thursday, January 28th. We slept that night on board, and the next morning took up our abode at 3, Harrington Street—one of the houses prepared by the Relief Fund Committee for the Lucknow refugees, where we found everything provided for us in the most luxurious style.