Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-09-05

night the whole sky was alight with
the burning bungalows, and day after
day we had small companies of Euro
peans passing through our estate with
their wives and children. on their way to
Agra, where Were the nearest troops.
Mr.. Abelwhite was al obstinate man.
He 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 a
blaze about him Of course we stuck
by him. and Dawson, who, with his
wife, used to do the bookwort and the
managing. Well. one fine day the
crash came. 1 had been away on a
distant plantation, and was riding
slowly home In the evening. when my
eye fell upon something all huddled
together at the bottom of steep
nullah. / rode down to see what
it was, and the cold struck
through ny heart when I found
it was Dawson's wife. all cut
into ribbons. and half-eaten by jaclsals
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 il front
of him L refined up my horse, wonder
ing which way / should turn, but at
that moment / saw thick smoke curl
ing up from Abelwhite's bungalow and
the flames beginning to burst through
the roof. knew then that 1 could do
my employer no good, but would only
throw my own life away if / neddled
in the matter. From where I stood
I could see hundreds of the black
fends. with their red coats still on
their backs. dancing and bowling
round the burning house. Some of
them pointed at me, and couple of
bullets sang past my head; SO I
broke away across the paddy-feids. 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 a 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-
tivcs. It 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 Fusiliers. some
Silhs, two troops of horse and = battery
of artillery. 4 volunteer corps of
clerks and merchants had been formed.
and this l joined, wooden leg and all.
We went out to meet the rebels at
Shahgunge early in July, and we
beat them back for a 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 If !
you look at the map you viii see that |
we were right in the heart OF IL Luck |
now is rather better than q hundred |
miles to the east. and Cavnpo-e about |
as far to the south From every point |
On the compass there -vas nothing but |
torture and murder and outrage.
The city Of Agra is q great place,
swarnilg with fanatics and fierce |
devil-worshipers of ali sorts Our hand |
LII Ia HIGH were iSsSI 2IlOEI
row. winding streets Our leader /
moved across the river. therefore. and |
took up his position IN the old fort of |
Agra 1 don't know if any of you gem /
tlemen have ever read or heard any |
thing of that old fort It is Ferv |
queer plaee-tbe queerest that ever I |
was IN, and have been in some rum |
corners. too First of all it is enormous /
IN size. should think that the inclos- |
ure must he acres and acres. There is |
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 I
nobody goes. and which is given over to /
the scorpions and the centipedes- II Is
an tull of great deserted halls. and |