The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-08-26

ment depot occupied Oy companies Oh the
Sixth. one of the InVerary Rifles, and
battalion of native foot under Captains
Donaldson and Glare, though but thirty
miles from Delhi, were all unconscious OF
aDy danger til, two days before. a mes
senger on horseback with note from the
officer in command of the eighboring
town of Susi, informing Captain Donald
son that some Of the SeDoys there had
raised cries of disaffection, that large
body of mutineers were reported as march
ing on the place, and therefore the officers
of the Sixth were implored to start with
all speed, and with whatever force they
could muster, to intercept these latter, as,
were thew once 10 coalesee with the dis
affected within the walls. the lives of the
English would in all probability be the
sacrifice.
No time was lost in complying with the
appeal contained in this dispatch, and the
senior captain Oonaldson) thought him.
self showing extraordinary prudence In
deciding not to take the native battalion.
in which, however. he had full confidence.
The regiment marched out to Futterha-
bad an hour before shutdown. leaving be-
hind ii. besides the soldiers wives and
oh ildren and the civilians, an English
sergeant and ten men to overawe % the
native troops; also the young wife of
Captain Clare. with her little baby. two
weeks old.
The overpowsrng heat, dust and noise
| of the dirty litLle town had so affected
| Mrs. Glare in her delicate state of health
that her husband had moved her to a de-
serted MOSQUE about quarter of mile
distant from the depot, and which, stand
ing In a garden thickly overgrown with
palm and tulip trees, made pleasant sort
| of imprOVised bungalow for the invalid.
The fierce day had faded into evening at
| last. the evening of the day after the
departure of the troops, and Mrs. Clare
Law on her couch, her ayah sQuatted on
the floor beside her with her in liant in her
arms and the pnDkan waving with monot-
onous regularity over her head as it was
pulled to and fro by a servant seated on
| the yeranda outside. The croakinc of the
frogs could be heard distinctly from the
pool in the deserted garden below ming
| ling with the sharp 'cheep, ctreep" of the
| lizards and all occasional muTmur from
| the cantonment or the shrill tara" of
the bugle for supper, but it was not to
these customary sounds that Mrs. Clare
was listening as she leaned rather for
ward on her elbow.
"What can it be?" she said at last.
Don't you near II, Leena? Can 1t De the
Sixth returning?
The mem sahib is feverish. Zeeha
hear Messing al all, and the Sahib Clare
| and the Sixth not 60 to come back till to-
morrow"
But we were 10 have heard from them
to-day, and there has been no message.
| Could anything have happened 20 him
| On. no, not that! And yet it is strange,
no one coming near me mis- evening, not
even Mrs. Smyth, as she promised, or
there, Eczema, you must hear thatI
THAT" was audible enough, indeed-a
cry from the cantOnment, something be-
| tween a shrek and shout, aud followed
| by confused hum of many voices.
Soldier got drunk-mad," said Eczema,
| laZly. Sergeant put him in black hole"
''lt is news of some sort from the regi-
ment Eczema, give me the baby and run
up to the cantonment and see what it is.
! and ask Mrs. Smyth to coma back and
stay the night with me. Make haste
Tun! and a the dy clapped her hands
| impatiently Eczema rose with the silent do
cility of her class, and, only waiting 30 lay
the infant by its mother and place tum-
! bier of cooling drink beside her, sped
! swiftly through the low, arched doorway
| and disappeared into the night.
| Left alone Mrs. Clare's anxiety increased.
| The strange rolling SOUND was now plainly
| disJinguishable for the measured tramp of
| soldiers, and that some great excitement
was going on at tile cantonment was more
| and more evident Once shrill cry rose
! family into the air; then came the sharp
'clang of a bell as suddenly suppressed,
! and yet no thought of danger there or to
| herself crossed her.
A step aroused her; quick, noisy step,
coming nearer every moment. Was it her
husband? No; that was no military tread,
but woman'S, and not the smooth. cat
like football of the Hindoo, but one flying
up the garden walk with frantic. al
most clumsy haste. Another moment and
there was a clat:er on the marble steps
another, and the heavy cloth curtain drap-
ing the arched doorway was roughly torn
aside, and a young woman, with a sun
| burned, freckled face, hung round with
tangled reddish elf locks. and lit by pair
of laughing blue eyes. bare arms hugging
| something like a dlngy bundle of rags to
her bosom, herself clad in similar rags of
divers hues, badly covered by an old plaid
cloak. thrust herself into Mrs. Clare's
dainty presencs-the girl nicknameu Irish
Mary" wife of soldier in the Sixth, and
a kind of self-constituted sutler to the
corps.
She seemed beside herself now, for after
a pause for breath she darted to the couch
where the pretty patriclan lady lay and
exclaimed in tones hoarse with excitement:
"Mrs. Clare, dear, is it lynn here ye are, as
If nothin' were dom Get up an fly, for
the love o. heaven. Ochonel Ochone
It's a small chance you'll have, anyway"
Fly where2 From what?" cried Mrs.
Clare, her indignation at the intrusion lost
in establishment as the other, having de-
posted her bundle on the bed, almost Fitted
her TO her feet.
"From murtherin' an slaughterin' an
worse a million times to the ioike O. you
an me!' Mary cried. her rough hands
busy in thruSting Mrs. Clare's little bare
feet into pair of shoes and finging dark
cloak, which happened to be handy, over
her muslin wrapper. ''Shure, an aren't
the sepoy diYils afther entern' the depot.
an our soldiers drugged aforehaud, an no
shot fired to stay thiml Hark TO thin.
dearI There's a cry! Och, hurry. as
you're a Twin womanl There'n not be
wan alive an hour HINGE, nor we, aither, if
| we're not gone from here"
"The sepoys here?" stammered Mrs.
| Clare. "Do you mean our battalion has
risen ?"
IAN have let in couple of hundred
more at Taste. Misthres, near, for Gods
sake, don't gtan' there. There was wan
of ours as wasn't drugged. Sergeant Me
Cam, he was, an the thing / stumbled
over at the gate was the dead BODY of him
hacked thrue an thrue. Shure. an 7
turned straight roun' an niyer STAYED till
| l got here, for knew twas in yer bed We
were an none to purtect ye."
THANK you," said Mrs Clare. family.
| and very pale, but still holding hack
but go yourself. i could not RIM or
walk either far. and Captain Clare will be
back in a few hours now, if he be alive.
and if not IL would rather die here"
| "Die, is ftp" cried Mary, contemntn-
ously. AN dye think would be afther