Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-01-13
ua gss7 aUe9 From lie Pcys, Of Pdris.
Thrilling Account of the Relief of Lucknow.
CAIcUrrA Thursday. Oct & 1877

-l CALCUTTA, thursday, Oct. ., 1901.
| give you the following account of the reli'
of Lucknow, as described by lady, one Of th
rescued party
On every side death stared in the face no hr
man skill could avert il any longer. We saw tn
moment approach when we must bid farewe
to earth, yet without feeling that unutterabl
horror which must have been experienced b
the unhappy victims at Cawnpore. We wer
resolved rather to die than to YIELD and wer
fully persuaded that in twenty-four hours al
would be over. The engineers had said so, ,ant
all knew the worst We women str0ve to en-
courage each other, and to. perform the light du
ties which had been assigned to us, such as con
veying orders to the batteries and supplying the
men with provisions, especially cups of coffee
which we prepared day and night. had gone
out to try to make myself useful, in company
with Jessie Brown, the wife of q corporal in my
husbands regiment. Poor Jessie had been in 8
state of restless excitement all through the siege
and had fallen away visibly within the last few
days. A constant fever consumed her, and her
mind wandered occasionally, especially that day,
when the recollection of home seemed powerful.
| ly present to her. At last, overcome with IA
tigue, she lay down on the ground, wrapped up
in he- plaid. sat beside her, promising to a.
waken her when, as she said, "her father should
return from ploughiDg." She fell at length into
profound slumber, motionless and, apparently,
breathless, her head resting in my lap. myself
could no longer resist the inclination to sleep, in
spite of the continual roar of the cannon. Sud-
denly was aroused by a wild unearthly scream
close to my ear; my companion stood upright
beside me, her arms raised, and her head bent
forward in the attitude of listening. A look of
intense delight broke over her countenance, she
grasped my hand, drew me towards her, and ex-
claimed-"Dinna ye hear it dinna ye hear it3
Ay, Pm no dreamin', it's the slogan o. the High
landers! We're saved, we're saved - Then
lingng herself on her knees, she thanked God
with passionate fervor. felt utterly bewilder-
ed, my English ears heard only the roar of the
artillery, and thought my poor Jessie was still
ravng; but she darted to the batteries, and
heard her cry necessarily to the men, Courage!
courage bark to the slogan-to the Macgregor,
the grandest Of them a.. Here's help at lastl"
To describe the effect of these words upon the
soldiers would be impossible. For moment
they ceased firing, and every soul listened in in
tense anxiety. Gradually, however, there arose
murmur Of bitter disappointment, and the
wailing of the women who had focked to the
spot burst out anew as the Colonel shook his
head. Our dull lowland ears heard nothing but
the rattle of the musketry. A few moments
more of this death:lke suspense, of this agoniz-
ing hope, and Jessie, who had sunk on the
ground, sprang to her feet, and cried, in voice
so clear and piercing as to be heard along the
whole lne-"Will ye no believe it noo2 The
slogans have ceased indeed, but the Campbells
are comm! Dye hear, dye hearl" At that
moment we seemed indeed to hear the voice of
God in the distance when the pibroch Of the
Highlanders brought US tidings of delverance,
for now there was no longer any doubt Of the
fact. That shrill, penetrating ceaseless sound,
which rose abvoe all other sounds, could come
neither from the.advance of the enemy nor from
the work of the Sappers. No, it was indeed the
blast of the Scottish bagpipes, now shrill and
harsh, as threatening vengeance on the foe, then
in softer tones, seeming to promise succor to
their friends in need Never surely was there
such scene as that which followed. Not q
heart in the residency of Lucknow but bowed
itself before God. All, by one simultaneous inn
pulse, fell upon their knees, and nothing was
heard but bursting sobs and the murmured voice
of prayer. Then all arose, and there rang out
from thousand lips great shout of joy, which
resounded far and wide, and lent new yigor to
that blessed pibroch. To our cheer of "God
save the Queen" they replied with the we'll
known strain that moves every Scot to tears,
"Should auld acquaintance be forgot9" sc. AT
ter that nothing else made any impression on
me. scarcely remember what followed. Jes-
sic was presented to the General on his entrance
into the fort, and at the officers banquet her
health was drunk by all present, while the pi-
pers marched round the table playing once more
the familiar air of "Auld lang syne."