The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-11-28

I
longer, we would have blown ourselves
up and all gone QUITO life together"
"Show me" said, 'the rooms where
the women and children staid during
these awful months" Then we crossed
over and went down into the cellar of
the residency. With shudder of horror
indescribable entered the cellars
where 699 women and children had been
crowded until the whole room was full.
] know the exact number, for counted
their names on the roll. AS one of the
ladies wrote in her dairy speaking of
these women she said, "They lay upon
the floor fitting into each other like bits
in puzzle" Wives had obtained from
their husbands the promise that the hus-
bands would shoot them rather than
let them fall into the hands of these
desperadoes. The women within the
residency were kept on the smallest
allowance that would maintain life.
No opportunity of privacy, The death
angel and the birth angel touched wings
as they passed. Flies, mosquitoes, ver-
min in full possession of the place, and
those women in momentary eXpecta-
ton that the enraged savages would
rush upon them, in a violence of which
club and sword and torch and throat
cutting would be the milder forms.
Our escort told us again and again of
the bravery of these women. They
did not despair. They encouraged the
soldiery. They waited on the wound
ed and dying in the hospital. They
gave up their stockings for holders of
the grape-shot. They solaced each
other when thcir children died When
husband or father fell such prayers
of sympathy were offered as only wom-
en- can Offer They endured without
complaint. They prepared their own
children lor burial. They were inspi-
ration for the men who stood at their
posts lighting till they dropped
Our escort told us that again and
again news had come that Have
lock and Outram were on the way to
fetch these besieged ones out of their
wretchedness. They had received a
letter from Havelock rolled up in a
Quill and carried in the mouth of a
disguised messenger, letter telling
them he was on the way, but the next
news was that Havelock had been
compelled to retreat. 1t was constant
vacillation between hope and despair.
But one day they heard the guns of re-
lief sounding nearer and nearer. Yet
all the houses of Lucknow were fort
tresses filled with armed miscreants,
and every step of Havelock and his
army was contested-fring from house
tops, firing from windows, firing from
doorwayS.
asked ourfriend if he thought that
the world famous story of a Scotch lass
in her delirium hearing the Scotch bag
pipes advancing with the Scotch regi-
ment was a true story. He said he did
not know but that it was true. Without
this mans telling me knew from my
own observation that delirium some
times quickens some of the faculties
and rather think the Scotch lass in hel
delirium was the first to hear the bag
pipes. | decline to believe that class o1
people who would like to kill all the
poetry of the world and Danish all the
; fine sentiment. They tell us that Whit
tiers poem about Barbara Freitchie was
founded on delusion, and that Long
fellows poems immortalized things
that never occurred. The Scotch lass
did hear the slogan. almost heard il
: myself as l stood inside the residency
while my escort told of the coming or
! of the Seventy-eighth highland regi
ment.
''Were you present when Havelocl
came IMP" asked, for could suppress
the question no longer. His answer
came:
II was not at the moment present, but
with some other young fellows saw
soldiers dancing while two highland
pipers played and / said, What is al
this excitement?' Then we cam,
up and saw that Havelock was in. ant
0utram was in, and the regiments were
pouring in
"Show us where they came in" ex
claimed, for knew that they did no
enter through the gate of the residency
that being banked up inside to keep th'
murderers out. "Here it is, answered
.. my escort. "Here it is-the embrasurt
through which they came"
We walked up to the spot. 1t is nov
a broken down pile of bricks a Gozel
) yards from the gate. Long 9ras> nov
but then a bloodspattered, bullet scar
+, red opening in the wall.
AS we stood there, although the seen,
!, was thirty-seven years ago, saw then
come in-Havelock pale and sick, hu
,, triumphant, and Outram, whom all tn,
! equestrian statues in Calcutta and Eu
!, rope can not too grandly present.
+, what then happened?" said to my
|, escort. "0h," he said, "that is impos
!. sible to tell. The earth was removed
: from the gate, and soon all the army o
relief entered, and some of us laughed
, and some cried and some prayed, ant
some danced. Highlanders so dust GOV
cred and enough blood and wounds OF
their faces to make them unrecogniza
BILE snatched the babes out of thei
mothers arms and kissed them ant
passed the babies along for other sol
diers to kiss, and the wounded mel
: crawled out of the hospital to join il
the cheering, and it was wild jubile,
until, the first excitement passed. thu
story of how many Of the advancing
army had. been slain on the way begai
to have fearful effect, and the story 0
suffering that had been endured in
side the fort, and the announcement t.
!, children that they were fatherless, ant