The Delta independent., 1895-09-04

their wives and children, on their way to
Agra, where were the nearest troops
Mr.. Abclwhite was an obstinate man.
lie had it in his head that the affair
had been exaggerated, and that it would
blow over as suddenly as it had sprung
up. There he sat on his veranda.
drinking whisky pegs and smoking
cheroots, while the country was in u
blaze about him. OF course we stucl.
by him, and Dawson, who, with his
wife, used to do the bookwork and the
managing. Well, one fine day the
crash came. had been away on n
distant plantation, and was riding
slowly home in the evening, when my
eye fell upon something all huddlcd
together ut the bottom of steep
nullah. l rode down to see what
it was, and the cold struck
through my heart when I found
it was Dawson's wife, all cut
into ribbons, and half-eaten by jackals
and native dogs A little further up
the road Dawson himself was lying
on his face, quite dead. with an
empty revolver in his hand and four
Sepoys lying across each other in front
of him. | reincd up my horse, wonder
ing which way ] should turn, but ut
that moment saw thick smoke curl
ing up from Abelwhite's bungalow and
the flames beginning to burst through
the roof. ! knew then that could do
my employer no good, but would only
throw my own life away if l meddled
in the matter. From where l stood
l could see hundreds of the black
fiends, with their red coats still on
their backs, dancing and howling
round the burning house. Some of
them pointed at me, and couple of
bullets sang past my head; so l
broke away across the paddy-ficlds, and
found myself late at night safe within
the walls at Agra.
''As it proved, however, there was no
great safety there, either. The whole
country was up like swarm of bees.
Wherever the English could collect in
little bands they held just the ground
that their guns commanded. Every
where else they were helpless fugi-
tives. 1t was a fight of the millions
against the hundreds; and the cruelest
part of it was that these men that we
fought against, foot, horse and gun
ners, were our own picked troops,
whom we had taught and trained,
handling our own weapons, and blow
ing our own bugle calls. At Agra there
were the Third Bengal Fusilicrs, some
Sillhs, two troops of horse and battery
of artillery. A volunteer corps Of
clerks and merchants had been formed,
and this / joined, wooden leg and all.
We went out to meet the rebels at
Shahgunge early in July, and we
beat them back for time, but our
powder gave out and we had to fall
back upon the city. Nothing but the
worst news came to us from every side
which is not to be wondered at, for IL
you look at the map you will see that
we were right in the heart of it. Luck
now is rather better than hundred
miles to the east, and Cawnporc about
as far to the south. From every point
on the compass there was nothing but
torture and murder and outrage.
THE city Of Agra is great place,
swarming with fanatics and fierce
devil-worshipers of all sorts. Our hand
fil Of meh were lost among the mar
row, winding streets. Our leader
moved across the river, therefore, and
took up his position in the old fort of
Agra. / don't know If any of you gen
tlemcn have ever read or heard any
thing of that old fort. 1t is a very
queer place-the queerest that ever
was in, and / have been in some rum
corners, too First Of all, it is enormous
in size. l should think that the inclos-
ure must be acres and acres. There Is
a modern part, which took all our gar
rison, women, children, stores and
everything else, with plenty of room
over. But the modern part Is nothing
like the size OF the old quarter, where
nobody goes, and which is given over to
the scorpions and the centipedes. 1t is
all full of great deserted halls, and
winding passages, and long corridors
twisting in and out, SO that 1t Is easy
for folks to get lost in 1t. For this rea-
son it was seldom that anyone went
into it, though now and again party
with torches might go exploring.
''Thc river washes along the front of
the old fort, and so protects it, but on
the sides and behind there are many
doors, and these had to be guarded, Of
course, in the old quarter as well as in
that which was actually held by our
troops We were short-hapded, with
hardly men enough to man the angles
OF the building and to serve the guns.
1t was impossible for us, therefore, to
station strong guard at everyone of
the innumerable gates. What we did
was to organize central guardhouse
in the middle of the fort, and to leave
each gate under the charge of one
white man and two or three natives. I
was selected to take charge during GER
tain hours Of the night of small iso-
lated door upon the southwest side of
the building. Two Sikh troopers were
placed under my command, and was
instructed if anything went wrong to
fire my musket, when might rely upon
help coming at once from the central
guard. AS the guard was good two
hundred PAGES away, however, and as
the space between was cut up into u
labyrinth of passages and corridors.