The record-union., 1894-07-07
WADING IN POWDER.
An English Officers Fearful Expert
ence in a Rebel magazine.

An English Officers Fearful Expert
ence in "a Rebel Magazine.
| Mr.. Forbes Mitchell, author of 'tRem-
| iniscences OF the Great Mutiny,o found
| himself without an overcoat after one oi
| the battles at Lucknow, and, being una
| bic to sleep for the cold, got up in the
night, went into room of the Shah Nu-
| jeef-where his regiment was encamped-
| took a lighted lamp from its shelf. and
shading it with his hand, walked to che
door OF the great domed tomb, or mosque,
| hoping TO lind coat which some sepoy
in his hurried departure had left behind
| him. He peered inside, and then, hold
ing the lamp high over his head, walked
| i'll till he was near the center OF the
vault.
Here he felt his progress obstructed
! by d black heap four or five feet high,
| which felt TO his feet as if he were walk
| ing in loose sand. He lowered the lamp
and saw instantly that he was up to his
ankles in loose gunpowderi About forty
hundred weight of it lay in heap before
| his nose, while a glance to the left showed
twenty or thirty barrels also full of pow
der, and another glance to the right re-
vealed more than hundred eight-inch
| shells, all loaded with the fuses fixed,
and spare fuses, slow matches and port
! fires lying in profusion beside the shells.
Il took in the danger at a glance he
writes. Here l was uD to my knees in
powder in the very bowels of a maga-
zine with a naked light! My hair liter
ally stood on end. ielt the skin OF my
head lifting my bonnet off my scalp. My
knees knocked together, and despite the
chilly night air cold perspiration burst
out all over me and ran down my face
and legs.
II had neither cloth nor handkerchiefin
my pocket, and there was not a moment
to be lost. Already the overhanging
wick of the Indian lamp was threatening
to shed its smoldering red tip into the
magazine at my feet.
''Quick as thought I put my left hand
under the housekeeping flame and
clasped it with grasp OF determination.
Holding it firmly turned slowly to the
door and walked out with my knees
knocking one against tho other
II felt not the slightest pain from grasp
ing the burning wick till / was IN the
open air, but when L opened my hand
l felt the smart accutely enough. L
poured the oil out of the lamp into the
burnt hand, and, kneeling down thanked
God for having saved myself and all the
men lying around me from destruc-
ton.
Then got up, and, staggering rather
than walking to the place where Captain
Dawson was sleeping, and shaking him
awake told him OF my discovery and the
fright had got
Bah, Corporal Mitchell" was all his
answer. You have woke up out of your
sleep and have got frightened at sbad-
ow,' for my heart was still humping
against my ribs and my voice was trem-
bling"
The upshot of the matter was that on
seeing the Corporars burnt hand and the
powder nearly half an inch thick stick
ing TO his 1eet and damp CATERS. the
Captain was almost as badly scared as
Mitchell himself. The sleeping men
were aroused, the fire was put out as ex-
peditiously as possible, and a sentry was
posted at the door OF the mosque to pre-
vent any one from entering.
As may be supposed Corporal Mitchell
found it hard TO get TO sleep, and he
gives q truly horrible picture of what
passed around him. The frightful scenes
through which the men had recently
passed had produced a terrible effect
upon their nervous systems.
"One man." says he, would COM
mence muttering something inaudible,
and then break out into fierce battlecry
of 'Cawnpore, you bloody murdererv
Another would shout, Charge! Give
them the bayonetp And third, Keep
together, boys; don't fire! Forward, for
ward! If we are to die let US die like
men? Then l would hear one mutter-
ing, %, mother, forgive me and I'il
never leave you again' while his COM
rade would half rise up, wave his hand
and call, There they are. Fire low; give
them the bayonet! Remember Gavin
r,oraf,