Amador ledger., 1907-06-07
THE SIEGE OF LUCKNOW.

Lucknow. The Sepoy rebellion started
Ia Lucknow in May, 1857. The Euro
pean residents we're pent up in tn
British residency. They included
mere handful of soldiers, and womeI
and children non-com batants. They
were beseiged by an immense fore,
of rebels. After four months they
were temporarily relieved by force
under Outram and Havelock, They
were not strong enough to raise the
siege, but merely added slightly tc
the beseiged garrison. Weeks and
months of hoping against hope, and
odds of % to interviewed. Sir Coliu
Campbell started from Cawnpore, &C
miles distant, with a force of 6oeC
men to relieve the garrison inSeptem
Der. He fought several battles With
vastly superior forces of Insurgents,
and his Crmy was cut down to 1900
He was compelled to return to Gavin
pore to recruit his shattered forces.
In November he started on his final
march with bis HighIanders. Jessie
nro@n, of Scottish birth, caught the
sound OF the bagpipes, amid the roar
OF war, long before the unframed ears
of the others detected the peculiar
sound, and confidently proclaimed
the approach of the salvation army:
oh. that last day in Lucknow fort
We knew it would be the last;
For the enemy's mines crept slowly
in,
And the end was coming fast.
10 yield to that foe meant worse than
death,
So the men and we all worked on
L was one day more of smoke and
roar,
And then it would all be done.
There was one of us-a corporaI's
wife.
A fair, young, gentle thing
Wasted by fever in that long siege,
Her mind was wandering.
She lay on the ground in her Scottish
plaid,
And l took her head on my knee
"When my father comes home from
the plow," she said,
"Ah, please, then waken me.
She lay like child on her fathers
floor,
Where childhood years we're laid.
And the watchdog sprawIs by the half
open door,
And the widows wheel is stayed.
l sank to sleep, and l had my dream,
Of English village and lane,
And garden and wall, when a sudden
scream,
Brought me back to the rear again.
There Jessie stood a-listening,
And then broad gladness broke
All over her face, and she took my
hand,
And drew me near, and spoke
''The Highlanders All, dinna ye hear
Their slogan far AVA;
The McGregor's ah, l ken it we'll
The granoest of them a..
God bless the bonnie Highlanders;
We're saved we're saved" she
cried.
And she fell on her knees and
thanks to God
Poured forth like a full food tide.
Along the battery line her cry
Had fallen among the mep;
They listened, for they we're there to
die
Was life so near them, then.
They listened tor life, but the battle
altar,
And the far off roar,
We're all, and the general shook his
head;
And they turned to their guns once
more.
Then Jessie said, 1.-The slogans done;
But dinna ye hear it moo;
The Campbells are coming-its ne'r a
dream
Our succor has broken through" :"
We heard the roar of the strife afar,
But the pipers we could not hear;
So we Piled our task Of hopeless war,
And knew that the end was near.
But it was not long ere that sound
must be heard
A thrilling, piercing sound
1t was not the noise of the battle afar,
Nor the sappers under ground.
1t was the pipes of the Highlanders-
And now they played "Auld lang
syne;"
1t came to our men like the voice of
God,
And we shouted along the line.
And we wept and kissed each others
hands,
And the womel sobbed in a crowd;
And we all sank down on the ground
where we stood,
And we all thanked God aloud.
On that happy day that we welcomed
them in,
Our men put Jessie first,