The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-22 00:00:00

TELE IYDIAN MUTINIES.

RETRIBUTION.
The Aberdeen Herald has published the follow-
ing letter from a soldier of the 78th Highlanders,
to a relative in Perth :
" We arrived at Benares en the 25th June, a
distance of 421 miles, in eight days and nine nights.
On the evening of the 27th June, there were 240
of tie 78th—I was one of them—and 100 of the
Sikhs, and 30 of the sowers, that is, native cavalry,
were sent' from renares in carts, except the hors emen
At 3 o'clock p.m., next day, we wererr divided in
three lots to scoter the country. The division I
was in went to a village, which was deserted. We
were coming back when a gentleman came to us
and said that a village over about two miles was full
of them, and they weee drawn up to give us battle.
We marched, or rather ran, to them ; we got
within 300 yards of them when they ran. We
fired after them, and .shot eight of them. We
were going to the village when a man came
running out to us, and up with his hand
and saluted our officer. We shouted; he was a
sepoy—that is, a native soldier—to seize him.
He was took, and about -twelve more. We
came back to the carts on the road, and an old fat
wan came to us, and wanted to be paid for the vil-
lage we had burned. We had a magistrate with
us ; he found him out of harbouring these villains
and giving them arms and food. Five minutes
settled it ; the sepoy and the man that wanted
tieneey were taken to the roadside .and hanged to a
branch of a tree. We lay on the road all night be-
side the two men hanging. Next morning, we got
up and marched some miles through the fields, the
rain pouring down in torrents. We came to an-
other village, set fire to it, and came back to the
road. By that time, the other divisions were not
idlc. They had done as much as us. When we came
back, the water was running in at our necks, and
coming out at our heels. There were about eighty
prisoners I six were hung that day, and about sixty
of them flogged. After that, the magistrate said
that there was a Holdar that he would give
2,000 rupees to get, dead or alive. We slept
on the road that night, and the six men hanging
beside us. At five o'clock p.m , the bugle
sounded "fall in." The rain came down in torrents.
We fell in, and off we marched up to the knees
in clay and water. We came to a village and set
it on fire. The sun came out and we got dry, but
soon got wet again with sweat. We came to a large
village, and it was full of people. We took about
200, and set fire to it. I went in, and it was all
in dames. I saw an old man trying to trail out a
bed. He was not able to walk, far less carry out
the cot. I ordered him out of the village, and
pointed out the flames, and told him as well as I
could that if he did not he would be burned. I took
the cot, and dragged him out. I came round a
corner of a street or lane, and I could see nothing
but smoke and flames. I stood for a moment to
think which way I should go. Just as I was look-
ing round, I saw a house and the flames bursting
out of the walls, and to my surprise I saw a little
boy about four years old looking out at the
do 'r. I pointed the way out to the old man, and
told him if he did not go I would shoot him. I
ru-thed to the house I saw a little boy at. The door
was by that time in flames. I thought not of my-
se'f ; I thought of the poor helpless child. I
rushed in, and after I got in there was a sort of
square, and all round this were houses, and they were
all in flames ; and instead of seeing the helpless
child, I beheld six children from eight to two years
old, an old dotal woman, an old man not able to
walk without help, and a young woman about 20
ye rs old, with a child wrapped up in her bosom.
I am sure the child was not above five or six hours
old. The mother was in a hot fever. I stood and
la ked; but looking at that time would not do. I
tried to get the little boys to fly but they would
no-. I took the infant ; the mother would have
it ; I gave it back ; I took the woman and her
infant in my arms to carry her and her babe out.
T 1 e children took the old woman and old man. I
took the lead, knowing they would follow. I came
to a place that it was impossible to see whereabouts
I was, with flames. I dashed through, and called
on the others to follow. After a hard fight, I got
tb m all safe out, but that was all. Even coming
through the fire, part of their clothes, that
di I not cover half of their body, was burned.
I set them down in the field, and went in at
at other place. I saw nothing but flames all round.
A little further, I saw a poor old woman trying
to come out. She could not walk ; she only could
creep on her hands and feet. I went up to her,
and told her I would carry her out ; but no, she
would not allow me to it ; but, when I saw it
wv.s no use to put off with her, I took her no in my
arms and carried her out. I went in at the other
er d, and came across a woman about twenty-two
ye in old. She was sitting over a man that, to all
al.pearance, would not see the day out. She was
wetting his lips with some siste. The fire was corn-
in; fast, and the others all round were in flames.
N,.t far from this I saw four women. I ran up to
them, and asked them to come and help the sick
man and woman out, but they thought they had
enoueh to do, and so they tad, poor things ; but,
to save the woman and the dying man, I draw my
bayonet, and told them if they did not I would kill
them. They came, carried them out, and laid them
under a tree. I left them. To h ok on, any one would
have said that the flames were in the clouds. When I
went to the other side of the village, there were about
140 women and about 60 children all crying and
lamenting what had been done. The old woman of
that small family I took out came, and I thought
sh 3 would have kissed the ground I stood on. I
off,-red them some biscuit I had for my day's
rations ; but they would not take it ; it would break
the'r caste, they said. The " assemble" sounded,
and back I went with as many blessings as they
could pour out on anything nearest their heart.
Oat of the prisoners that were taken, the man that
the 2,000 rupees were offered for was taken by us
for nothing. We hanged ten of them on the spot,
ar:d flogged a great many—about 60. We burned
another village that night. Oh, if you had seen
the ten men march round the grove, and see them
looking the same as if nothing was going to happen
to 'hem ! There was one of them fell ; the rope
bloke, and down he came. He rose up and looked
all around ; he was hung up again. After they
we re all hanged, the others were all taken round to
see them. Then we came marching back to the
carts. Left Benares with few on the 6th July, or
rather the night of the sth. We had to turn out
std lie with our belts on. On the 6th we, a num-
btr of 180, went out against 2,000. We came up
close to them ; they were all drawn up in three lines ;
it looked to many for us, lout on we dashed, and in
a short time they began to run. We set fire to a
large village that was full of them ; we surrounded
it, and, as they came rushing out of the flamee shot
tt em. We took 18 of them prisoners ; they were
all tied together, and we fired a volley at them
and shot them on the spot. We came home
that night, after marching 20 miles, and fighting
nearly 30 to 1. In this country, we are told that
we Lad killed 500 of them ; our loss was one man
and one horse killed, and one man and one horse
wounded.

TWO ENGLISH LADIES SAVED BY AN
INDIAN MUSSULMAN.
"An English Lady" writes to a contemporary :
"At a time when the public prints are teeming
with o'er true tales of the treachery, ingratitude,
and cruelties of the Indian soldiery, it will be a
relief to all right-minded people to hear a contrast-
"a, lug story, and oue equally true, of the generosity
and good faith of an Indian Mussulman, a sowar of
th=e Hyderabad. Contingent, to whom I and ano-
thai Exaglish lady owed our safety on the night
of the mutiny of the Ist Cavalry at Aurungabad.
There are few indeed of such tales to break
the monotony of horror of the story of the revolt
of the Bengal army, and it seems an imperative
duty not to hide under a bushel this welcome little
ray of light shining in a dark place.
" On the 12th of Jane, the day preceding the
mores open mutiny of the Ist Cavalry, Hyderabad,
Contingent we beard that some part of that corps
had armed itself on the previous night with the in-
tention of advancing on the cantonment, but that
from the absence of unanimity among the men the
111 %II had been, for the time abandoned. We heard
that they had spoken of murdering their offi-
e ys• These and other reports made us feel very
ul.la5Y ; but in the course of the morning a sowar
o.
the 3d Cavalry, g
Booran Buck.hry.:vhomy d
w e.abad geul 2
named
1 known for some
li Ale time, and wh( se echaracterhad knowit for some
lLtle time, and wh.ae character he
had always re-
svected for its truthfulness
ahnednsetemdplficiity, came to
my husband and ta
hension for his familyd him ,
for he had tcie no appre-
everdy pro-
Vi3ioe for their safety and for th?taofe
a i
Nvls staying with us, to whose husband
he hewas
who
g eatly attached. He said, They shall travel to
A hniednuggur as my family,' and, looking up to
I leaven, he swore by Allah' that he would never
reach that place alive alone. He added, I will
leave my children behind, and if any evil happen
to yours you may destroy them.'
" Ou the evening of that day we thought it pru-
dent to go as usual to the band to avoid the appear-
ance of suspicion, and as it became dusk we ob-
strved some horsemen watching us from a distance,
a'id on going home we heard that some of the
"ar4 of the Ist Cavalry had been in the lines of
the 2d Infantry to inquire which of the houses in
tl!e cantonment were occupied by English officers
(the corp
8 ll'a----.oplyrecently arrived at Aurungabad)
and also to ascertain the state of feeling on the 2d,
and their intended line of conduct should they re-
ceive orders to march towards Delhi. ilea" and
other facts which had come to our knowledge
A creased our anxiety, but faithful Booran Bucloh I