The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-02-12


us could handle them. BY noon we had
inclosed circular space Of thirty feet
across and five feet high, and had placed |
all our stuff within it, The afternoon
we spent in filling the interstices in the |
wall to make it bullet proof, and in COW
ering in a portion of it. Before night
we had fort which we believed we
could defend against hundred natives.
There was no doorway to it, and we
should have only the top of the wall to
guard.
Once or twice during the afternoon
we heard the reports of carbincs on the
highway, half a mile to our left, and
had no doubt that the mutiny had oc-
CURED as planned. We did not, how
ever, deem it prudent to leave our
work to investigate, and it was we'll we
did not. The outbreak occurred early
in the forenoon, just as planned, and
the Colonel was the first victim. He
was shot down by some of the native
officers of the cavalry, and he had no
sooner fallen than they turned upon
their English Captain. Strogan was the
third man killed. He was shot in front
of his own bungalow, as was also ahoth-
er civil officer who was with him. The
anxiety of the mutineers to secure plum
| der permitted the women and children
to find place of safety, and all event
ually escaped to Bella, and from thence
to Cawnpoor. 1t was toward evening of
Tuesday before squad set out in search
of us. Our servants were anxious to
see us murdered for the sake of the
loot to be divided. About dark,
while we were wondering if one of us
| had not better go out after information,
nized it as that of my syce or groom.
| We climbed out of our fort and
went to the edge of the thicket and
answered him, and he soon appeared.
Matters had changed. The slave had
exchanged places with the master. The
fellow was as cool and impudent as you
please. When we asked what had be-
come of the horses he promptly ac-
knowledged to having stolen mine, and
further informed me that had ought to
be very thankful that he did not take
my life as we'll. He informed us of all
that had occurred at the barracks, and
stated that a party had come out to make
terms with us. Being that we were
Americans, and had had nothing to do
with their oppression, they did not
thirst for our blood. If we would sur
render every thing we had we could go
whore we pleased. If not they would
kill us and take what they wanted.
We soon sent the fellow away with an
answer. five escaped from this gang
it would be to fall into the hands of an
other. We should be defenseless and
penniless, and what could we do? We
told him we had decided to fight it out,
and as soon as he disappeared we re-
turned to the fort. The two other men,
bers of the party were Henry Wilds,
Massachusetts man, and George Fish
er, of Ohio. We had then been in India
together for year, and had stood
back to back in many tight places.
Wilds was typical Yankee, good-nat-
ured but courageous; and his long arms
had the strength of horses leg. The
|
not be seen unless one penetrated it a
few yards, The natives simply sup
posed that we were lying close in the
center of the Jungle, and half an hour
after the groom left us about thirty mus
kets began blazing awayat our position.
Some of the balls whistled over us,
others entered the earth, and now and
then one struck the heavy blocks of
stone with dull ring. We took turns
as sentinel, while the other two slept,
and soon after midnight all was quiet.
1t was ten o'clock next morning be-
fore we were troubled again. Then the
members of the old gang seemed to have
been added to, and fifty or more mus
kets kept up a pretty steady fire until
three o'clock in the afternoon. By this
time we ought to have been all shot to
pieces as the bullets had cut through
every foot of the Jungle. The natives
believed it was time to advance and
see. We could locate them by their
loud talk and constant discussions, and
when we found that all had gath
cred on the eastern edge of the thicket
and were about to advance, we climbed
out, crept forward, and lay down behind
| big block of stone to receive them.
They entered the thicket as mob
would have done, and the first three
men sighted were dropped in their
tracks. This caused panic, and they
withdrew, and aside from few stray
shots fired to let us know that we were
! still besieged we were not annoyed I'M
til next morning. Then we heard a
great hurrah, and after a little were
given the information that they had
brought down the two pieces of artillery
from the station to shell us out. They
were very slow in getting to work, and
when they began firing it was plain
enough that they knew nothing about
artillery. OF the first four shells fired,
all went too high and burst far beyond
us. The fifth one burt short and threw
the dirt over our walls. Then we de.
cided to cool their ardor a bit. We
climbed over the walls, got out of the
line OF fire. and crept to the edge Of the
thicket. There we saw mob of over a
hundred natives with the two guns
planted within pistol shot. One OF them
had become disabled by ramming the
J ball down before the cartridge, and the
other was about to be fired. We select
ed three of the gunners, fired together
and they fell dead on the grass. Before
the gang could get out of range we
killed two more and wounded third
Then Wilds ran forward under cover o.
our rifles and spiked both pieces by