Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-08-27

To make long story short, the colonel
recommended me strongly for the post
and, as the work was mostly to be
done on horseback, my leg was no
great obstacle, for / had enough knee
left TO keep good grip on the saddle.
What had to do was to ride over the
plantation, TO keep an eye on the men
as they worked, and to report the
idlers. The pay was fair, 1 had COM
Portable quarters, and altogether / was
content TO spend the remainder of my
life in ndigo-planting. Mr.. Abelwhite
was kind man, and he would often
drop into my little shanty and smoke
pipe with me, for white folk out there
feel their hearts warm to each other as
they never do here at home
We'll, | was never in luck's way
long. Suddenly, without a note of
warming, the great mutiny broke upon
us. One month India lay as still and
peaceful, 10 all appearance, as Surrey
or Kent; the next there were two hun
dred thousand black devils let loose.
and the country was perfect hell. OF
course you know all about il, gentle
men-a deal more than do, very like.
ly, since reading is not in my line. |
only know what | saw with my own
eyes. Our plantation was at a place
called Muttra, near the border of the
northwest PROVINCES Niwht after
night the whole sky was alight with
the burning bungalows. and dav after
day we had small companies of Euro
peans passing through our estate with
their wives and children, on their WAY 10
Agra, where were the nearest troops
Mr. Abclwhite was an obstinate man.
lie had 1T in his head that the affair
had been exaggerated, and thatit 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 stucls
by him, and Dawson. who. with his
wife, used to do the bookwork and the
managing Well, one fine dav the
crash came. had been away on
distant plantation, and was riding
slowly home in the evening, when my
eye FELL upon something all huddled |
together at the bottom of a steep
nullah. rode down to see what
III was, and the cold struck |
through my heart when found |
IL was Dawson's wife, all cut |
INTO ribbons, and alf-eaten by jachs.;.s |
and native dogs. A little further up
the road Dawson himself was living /
on his face, quite dead, with an
empty revolver in his hand and four
Sepoys lying across each other in front
d him. refined up my horse. wonder.
ng which way / should turn. lint at
| 4
ng up from Abelwhite's bungalow and
me names beginning to burst through
ne roof knew then that | could do |
ny employer no good, but would only
'iiroW my own life away if meddled |
u ire matter. From where / stood |
could see hundreds of the black
lends, with their red coats still ON
helr backs dancing and bowling +,
onnd the burning house Some of
mem pointed at me, and a couple of
outlets sang past my head; so l
'roke away across the paddy-felds, and
ound myself late at night safe within
he walls at Agra
"As it proved, however. there was no
'reat safety there, either. The whole
oantry was up like a swarm of bees.
Wherever the English could collect in
title bands they held just the ground
nat their guns commanded. EVERY
.here else they were helpless fugi-
ives 1t was fight of the millions
galnst the hundreds; and the cruelest
art OF 1t was that these men that we
ought against, foot, horse and gun.
ers' were our own picked troops
Vhom we had taught and trained
our own weapons, and blow
1g our own bugle calls. At Agra there
.ere the Third BENGAL Fusihers. some
ikhs' two troops of horse and battery
I artillery. A volunteer corps of