The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-11-28
Incidents in the Siege or Delhi.

| We extract from the letter OF the Delhi
correspondent Of the Illustrated Neus, ex-
tending from the 18th to the 2sth of Au-
gust, some interesting incidents of the SIEGE
| a few days ago, there arrived In our
camp, guised as an Afghan, one of the ma
ny unhappy victims of the late atrocities.-
The young wife of a warrant officer, gentle
and fair, had taken refuge, with her three
children, in the cellar of house to which
| she and one of her aunts had fled for safety.
On the first outburst Of the mutiny, the
husbands of both were absent from Delhi.
Of her babes, the eldest was only four years
old; and she told how patiently they lay till
night, sitting their sobs in her bosom and
how, when morning came, she heard the
footsteps Of men in riot above and around
her, and the tramp of feet on the staircase Of
ber hiding-plsce. A postern door led her
out on the strand, and here she was met by
two Mahometan soldiers, who stripped her
of all she had. She hoped then they would
allow her to flee with her children, but she
was told that she must go before the King.
They dragged her back through the college
garden, under the walls Of the palace
Within was tumu't and scene Of demoniac
orgie, from which even imagination recoils.
\ flash, close enough to scorch her, a sharp
blow, and she fell to the earth, holding in
her arms dying infant, pierced through by
the same bullet which had ploughed its way
through her own side. Faint with loss Of
blood, she long lay there; at last, in baby
tones she so well knew, she heard her little
ones murnur, We vii! come and die with
mamma" and their tiny hands tenderly
nursed her dropping head, as she had of
ten before nursed theirs; but as they crept
round her. savage seized her eldest born
the little throat hardly needed sharp and
heavy a sword-one blow, and the babb!ing
voice was hCshed forever.
There was one yet left her. Cncomplain-
ingly she had pressed closer to the bleeding
mothers bosom, whose glazing eyes were RI
veted on this, her last. Again the stroke
descended-not fatal yet. For six long
hours, Water, water" fainter and fainter
vet, till the little mutilatcd face was hushed
at last. A moulsie had watched her, and
when night closed in, and when all was quiz
ct once more in that noisy place, he came,
Ike the good Samaritan, and poured oil on
her wounds, ard laid her on bed, and car
ried her TO his home. The women OF his
house attended her, and fed and clothed her
as one Of themselves. Slowly strength
came again, and the stream Of life flowed
on, not al. bitter, for she hoped that, though
her children had been taken from her, her
husband mi ht still be living; and she
hopes on, and refuses 10 believe she is utter
ly bereft. She tells of panics in the city
Of the dscoursgement of the Sepoys at
their uniform Ill success. At length the
women of the house obtained leave on a
high festival to 20 to a tomb and pray; and,
veied Noslem, she passed the gates in
their company. Sne had been able to COM
muHicate with some OF our Afghan allies
many of whom pass freely to and from the
city. IL was planned that at dark one of
these should come TO the mosque and guide
her to the camp. They left 1t together
Twice she was nearly discovered by patrols,
but in early morning they found themselves
outside OF our pickets. At first she was
taken for spy, but soon overcaG.e all diff'-
culiies, and was received by the o2e lady Of
our force-a refugee like herself.