Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-08


hour we were discussing the idea of a
return to Seetapore, when a native wo-
man, whose presence none of US had de-
tected, showed herself TO my cousins
wife. She proved to be a woman who
had been in the lady's employ for several
years, and had left her to get married,
and now lived near the bungalow. She
stated that the soldiery at Seetapore
would rebel on the morrow and sack the
town and slaughter all Europeans, and
that body Of natives over q hundred
strong had that afternoon rendezvoused
within half mile of the bungalow and
then proceeded to point three miles down
the road, where they proposed to stop
and slaughter all Ferringhees seeking to
escape to Lucknow. They had reached
the spot selected by this time, and our
escape by the highway was thus cut off.
This native woman refused to see any
of the men of the party or to speak with
any of the other ladies besides my cons
in's wife, and was gone before we knew
of her warning. No one doubted her
information and for some time we were
unable to decide on a plan of action. It
was finally decided to drive about two
miles, and there make cross-road known
to exist, and thus flank the force gathered
for our destruction. 1t was dark when
we left the bungalow, and we reached
the cross road without adventure. After
passing up this road for mile or two
we began to look for an opportunity to
head to the east again, but. we drove
three miles before we found it. Then it
was blind road leading through a
heavy jungle and over very rough ground.
Had it not been bright moonlight night
we could not have travelled ten rods upon
this route. With everything in our favor
we made, but slow progress, and, after
following the road for about two miles,
we found that it ended at an old quarry,
and beyond this was jungle that one
could scarcely penetrate on foot. Every
body at once realized that we were in a
fix. 1t was now midnight and to return
to the highway was to place ourselves at
the mercy of the first band of marauders
astir. We could not go ahead, and how
were we to remain in that desolate spots
As the Indian wars of America have
furnished unnumbered instances of the
heroism of American women, so did that
outbreak in India prove to the world the
courage of hundreds of English females
of all ages, from grandmothers to maid
ems. As we stood beside the carriages in
that lonely spot consulting as to what
should be done, not a woman spoke a
word to show cowardice or despair. It
was by the advice of Mrs. Roberts that
the horses were detached from the
vehicles, and we sat down to patiently
wait until daybreak should more clearly
reveal our situation. Twice during that
wait tiger came prowling about US, and
just before daylight o great hyena would
have dashed at one of the horses had not
a pistol shot frightened him off.
Daylight bettered our situation some
what. While it at once put an end to
the hope that we could proceed further
with the carriages, it revealed to us half
completed temple, thus far erected out Of
huge blocks of stone, and showed US that
fresh water and plenty Of wild fruits were
at hand. The temple walls had been run
up about ten feet, enclosing square of
q quarter of an acre. There was only one
opening thus far, which was for the main
entrance. At the further end was a di-
viding wall, making an enclosure about
fifty feet across by twenty the other way.
This enclosure also had an opening, and
ss soon as we had made a hasty inspection
of the place, we got the horses and car
riages into the main enclosure, and set
apart the smaller one for the people. The
walls of this part were fifteen feet high,
rising plumb from the earth, and could
not be scaled without ladders, while
there were seven of us with rifles to guard
the archway, which was not much larger
than common door.
q While we were not sure that the
driver could be trusted, he was sent back
to the main road to cover our trail if
possible, and to lie in hiding and pick
up such information as he might. He
had no sooner departed than we watered
the horses, hid them away in the jungle
to forage, got water for the people and
then made a scant breakfast ON some
sandwiches which one of the ladies had
been thoughtful enough to bring along.
There were plenty of wild gourds around
the old ruin, and,in an hour we had ten
gallons of water slowed away for
emergency. 1t was the season for many
wild fruits and roots, and before noon
our commissary department would have
stood siege of four or five days. There
were three children in the party, the old
est only eight and the youngest four, but
not one of them uttered complaint.
Even the youngest seemed to realize the
situation and to have determined not to
add to the anxiety of it in the slightest.
Long enough before noon we heard the
firing of guns from the spot where the
Lucknow highway had been barricaded,
and, as was afterward known to me alone,
over 100 fugitives were slaughtered at
that point that day.
The driver reappeared about 2 o'clock.
He had reached the road and effaced the
wheel and hoof marks just in time. A
palty,on horseback, led by my body SER
want, was out looking for us, and they
did not discover that we had left the
road. From their talk our man learned
that the native soldiery were to revolt that
morning, and that the town Of Seetapore
was to be given up to plunder. The