The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-01-22
Besieged By Mutineers,

tiny delivered ltS HrSI DlO". 1ucie "etS
uprisines and mutinies at various other
places before any one 1T Sultanpcor be-
came seriously alarmed. The faith which
the British had in the native soldlcry
would have been sublime had it not been
blind. The English were in India as in
yaders and despots They had given the
people cause to hate them and hunger
for their lives. The natives were hum
dred to one. Princes had been de-
throned, social customs overturned, and
every Englishman was regarded as stand
inc between the natives and their heaven.
The English knew all this, and yet they
had that blind faith which entails de-
struction Because no rebellion had
taken place, because the natives were
servile and cringiug, all argued that the
outbreaks were caused by few malcon-
tents and would amount to naught.
There were three Americans OF US at
Sultanpoor. We had been hunting in
the Dude territory, and had been in Sui
tanpoor for about three weeks to rest and
plan another trip. We occupied bunga-
low together and had several native SER
wants. Some of these were related to
some of the native police and to members
of the Thirteenth Bengal Cavalry, who
garrisoncd the place. There were not
over fifty white persons altogether at the
station. and three -fourths of these were
women and children. On Sunday, the
9TH of June of that memorable year, l
was lying in my hammock in the shade
of the bungalow. My head was toward
and within two feet of thick hedge
running along the west side of the house.
had been resting for an hour, when
three or four natives crept up on the
other side Of the hedge and entered into
conversation, every word of which l
caught. 1t was announced that the rank
and file were to mutiny within day or
two, and the programme was so carefully
laid that certain men had been detailed to
shoot certain officers, and certain plunder
was to 90 to certain individuals.
The talk continued for a full hour, and
When the c0nspiratoTs withdrew no sane
man could doubt what was to follow.
The tax collector of the district was
civil officer named Strogan, and he occu-
pied a bungalow not over twenty yards
away. After waiting for couple of
hours 1 strolled over there, and when op-
portunity presented itself told him what
/ had heard. He had wife and two
children, and he was as pale as death
when had finished my story. He went
at once to see Colonel Fisher who was in
command of the post, that individual not
only treated his communication with con-
tempt, but sent an insulting message to
me. 1t was to the effect that he wanted
no interference in military affairs by any
Yankees. He intimated to Strogan that
I was probably half drunk, and declared
that he was ready to stake his life on the
loyalty of his men. This did not quiet
the collector, however. When he re-
turned he began packing up his valu-
ables, and that night he made an excuse
to get his family nearer the barracks.
On Sunday evening our native servants
were as servile as dogs. On Monday
morning their bearing was full OF impu-
dence. All noticed it and all were salts
fed that the mutiny was close at hand.
We had canvassed the matter over to see
what we should do. If the garrison re-
belled the odds were fifty to one in their
favor. If they elected to slaughter every
white person pothiag could prevent
them. While they knew us to be Amer
leans, we were "ferringhees," and that
was enough. They would kill us even
for the sake of plunder. We decided
that we stood no show at the station, and
that we must take care of ourselves.
Had we started off on the highway for
Ayoda or Bella we should have been am
pushed or followed. 1t was finally
concluded that we should retreat
to an old ruin about five miles away
spot we had visited the week before
and there wait for the cloud to blow over
or the worst to come. Early Monday
morning, on pretence that we were
going to make surveys and excavations
for the benefit OF history, We secured a
cart, loaded it with provisions, arms and
ammunition, and started off, each of us
mounted on horseback. We closed up
the bungalow and took our servants with
us. They seemed very willing to 60,
but we soon discovered the cause. Or
Monday night all deserted, taking oul
three horses along. They wanted us out
of the way when the mutiny opened
that the garrison might be weakened
Just so much. When through will
those at the station, they would come
and finish u.s. We had not unpacked the
cart before they left, and they were
therefore, in ignorance of its contents.
Our first move on Tuesday morning
was to select place for defence. The
ruins were those of large temple anc
outbuildings, covering about four acre.
of ground. About the centre of thi
space was thickct, with a fine sprin.
of water. From this thickct was opel
ground in every direction for hal
musket shot Most of the blocks o
stone were of uniform size, and tin
three of us could handle them. BY nool
we had enclosed circular space thirty
feet across and five feet high, and hat
placed all our stuff within it. The after
noon we spent in filling the intersticcs il
the wall to make it bullet proof, and il
covering in portion of it. Before nigh
we had fort which we believed VI
could defend against hundred natives
There was no doorway to it, and W
should have only the top Of the wall t