16

DEATH OF SIR H. BARNARD.

with an army so differently constituted, he had had no experience at all; and now, within a few weeks after his arrival in the country, he found himself at the head of a force, on a service that was without parallel or precedent even in Indian warfare. General affability and hearty courtesy, stamped him the English gentleman, and won for him the personal regard of the whole force. The brave old man never spared himself when duty called; he never shrank from work nor shunned danger; but palpable inexperience and consequent want of firmness lost him confidence as the head; men regarded him as a friend, but could not look up to him as a general. At length the sense of responsibility weighed him down, anxiety of mind and constant exposure to sun and rain had been for some days telling upon him, and predisposed him to the disease; and, his frame already too severely taxed to bear up under it, he sank after a short six hours of suffering. "Tell them I die happy," was his solemn parting charge to his heart-broken son, who lovingly watched his dying bed.*

General Reed, as the senior officer in the Punjab, and hence provisional Commander-in-Chief, now assumed the personal command of the Delhi field-force.

Allusion has been made to the discovery of treachery among the Poorbeah sepoys in the Irregular Infantry

in estimating the amount of resistance to be expected within the walls, the General is disposed to treat the Pandies as Russians."-GREATHED'S Letters, p. 92.

*ROTTON'S Narrative of the Siege, p. 117.

SUSPICIOUS CONDUCT OF THE IRREGULARS.

17

corps; the camp was now to be startled into a conviction that the presence of the Irregular Cavalry regiments was no less fraught with danger. There were a wing of the 9th Irregular Cavalry, under Captain A. B. Fenwick, from Hosheyarpore; a wing of the 17th Irregular Cavalry, under Captain P. R. Hockin, from Shumshabad; and a wing of the 1st Punjab Cavalry, under Captain W. T. Hughes, so gallantly brought in from Asnee. All three had more or less a Poorbeah leaven the 9th, though most strongly vouched for, really lay under the greatest suspicion, while the 1st Punjab Cavalry stood the highest in favour.

:

All doubt, however, was removed on the morning of the 9th of July. The account of this day's adventure is so lucidly and graphically given by Captain Norman in his official report of the siege, that the reader shall have it in extenso :

"About ten o'clock," he says, " the insurgents appeared to be increasing in numbers in the suburbs on our right, when suddenly a body of cavalry emerged from cover on the extreme right of our right flank, and charged into camp.

"There was a mound on our right on which was placed a battery of three 18-pounders, with an infantry picquet, all facing the Subzee Mundee suburb. To the right of the mound, on the low ground, was a picquet of two horse-artillery guns and a troop of dragoons, the guns being this day furnished by Major Tombs' troop, and commanded by Lieutenant Hills; the cavalry from the Carabineers, and commanded by Lieutenant Stillman. Still further to the right, at a faqueer's inclosure, was a native officer's picquet of the 9th Irregulars, from which two videttes were thrown forward some 200 yards on the trunk-road. These videttes could see down the road B

VOL. II.

18

MUTINEER CAVALRY GET INTO CAMP.

towards Delhi as far as our picquet at the Serai-perhaps 700 or 800 yards, and up the road to the canal-cut, about 200 yards. Across the road were rather dense gardens.

"The place at which the videttes were posted was not visible from camp; and some horsemen in white advancing attracted but little notice, their dress being the same as that of the 9th Irregulars, from which corps the faqueer's picquet was taken.

"Some alarm, however, arose, and the two horse-artillery guns at the picquet were got ready; but the leading cavalry insurgents, beckoning men in their rear, dashed on at speed, and the troop of Carabineers, all very young, most of them untrained soldiers, and only thirty-two in number of all ranks, turned and broke, save the officer and two or three men, who nobly stood. Lieutenant Hills, commanding the guns, seeing the cavalry come on unopposed, alone charged the head of their horsemen, to give his guns time to unlimber, and cut down one or two of the sowars, while the main body of horsemen, riding over and past the guns, followed up the Carabineers, and a confused mass of horsemen came streaming in at the right of camp.

"Major Tombs, whose tent was on the right, had heard the first alarm, and, calling for his horse to be brought after him, walked towards the picquet just as the cavalry came on. He was just in time to see his gallant subaltern down on the ground, with one of the enemy's sowars ready to kill him. From a distance of thirty yards he fired with his revolver, and dropped Hills' opponent.* Hills got up and engaged a man

* Lieutenant Hills appears to be as capable of wielding his pen as his sword. His account of the adventure, written in all the freedom of friendship to an old chum, and published in the Times newspaper, is too good to be lost :-"The alarm went, and off I started with my two guns to a position laid down for them, when, to my astonishment, through an opening on my right, only fifty yards off, dashed a body of cavalry. Now I tried to get my guns into action, but only got one unlimbered when they were upon me. I thought that by charging

GALLANTRY OF TOMBS AND HILLS.

19

on foot, who was cut down by Tombs,* after Hills had received a severe sabre-cut on the head.

"Meanwhile great confusion had been caused by the inroad of the sowars, most of whom made for the guns of the native

them I might make a commotion, and give the gun time to load; so in I went at the front rank, cut down the first fellow, slashed the next across the face as hard as I could, when two sowars charged me. Both their horses crashed into mine at the same moment, and of course both horse and myself were sent flying. We went down at such a pace that I escaped the cuts made at me, one of them giving my jacket an awful slice just below the left arm-it only, however, cut the jacket. Well, I lay quite snug until all had passed over me, and then got up and looked about for my sword. I found it full ten yards off. I had hardly got hold of it when three fellows returned-two on horseback. The first I wounded, and dropt him from his horse; the second charged me with a lance-I put it aside, and caught him an awful gash on the head and face. I thought I had killed him; apparently he must have clung to his horse, for he disappeared. The wounded man then came up, but got his skull split. Then came on the third man-a young, active fellow. I found myself getting very weak from want of breath, the fall from my horse having pumped me considerably, and my cloak somehow or other had got tightly fixed round my throat, and was kindly choking me. I went, however, at the fellow, and cut him on the shoulder; but some 'kupra' (cloth) on it apparently turned the blow. managed to seize the hilt of my sword, and twisted it out of my hand; and then we had a hand-to-hand fight, I punching his head with my fists, and he trying to cut me, but I was too close to him. Somehow or other I fell, and then was the time, fortunately for me, that Tombs came up and shot the fellow. I was so choked by my cloak that move I could not until I got it loosened. By the by, I forgot to say that I fired at this chap twice, but the pistol snapped, and I was so enraged I drove it at the fellow's head, missing him, however. Then, when I got up, Tombs was so eager to get up to a mound near us, that I only picked up my sword and followed him. After being there some time, we came down again to look after the unlimbered gun which was left behind. When we got down I saw the very man Tombs had saved me from, moving off with my pistol (he had only been wounded, and shammed dead). I told Tombs, and we went at him. After a little slashing and guarding at both sides, I rushed in at him and thrust; he

He

* "Tombs' account of the affair of the 9th, when the enemy's horse rode through our camp, was torn up by Colonel Mackenzie. He had omitted to say a word about himself, so Mackenzie gave the General the true version."-GREATHED's Letters, p. 119.

20

REBELS DRIVEN OUT OF CAMP.

troop horse-artillery, which was on the right of camp, calling on the men to join them. The native horse-artillerymen, however, behaved admirably, and called to Major Olpherts' European troop, which was then unlimbered close by, to fire through them at the mutineers. The latter, however, managed to secure and carry off some horses, and several followers were cut down in camp. Captain Fagan,* of Artillery, rushing out of his tent, got together a few men, and followed up some of the sowars, who were then endeavouring to get away, and killed fifteen of them. More were killed by some men of the 1st brigade, and all were driven out of camp, some escaping by a bridge over the canal-cut in our rear. It is not estimated that more than one hundred so wars were engaged in this encleverly jumped aside and cut me on the head, knocking me down-not, however, stunning me, for I warded his next cut when down. Tombs, following him up, made him a pass, and up I jumped and had a slash at him, cutting him on the left wrist, nearly severing it. This made him turn round, and then Tombs ran him through. He very nearly knocked over Tombs, for he cut through his cap and pagrie, but, fortunately, did not even cut the skin. I fancy I am indebted again to Tombs for my life, for although I might have got up and fought, still I was bleeding like a pig, and, of course, would have had a bad chance. One thing, however, if Tombs had not been there the second time, I should have fought more carefully. It was the wish to polish off the fellow before Tombs could get up to him, that made me rush at him in the way I did. I wanted awfully to bone the swords of the men I killed as trophies, but I was getting very faint, and had to come into my tent as fast as I could; but before I got the wound bound up the swords had been looted off. I lost an awful lot of blood, as two veins were cut through; but I fancy it did me good, keeping off inflammation. The wound was a beautiful one, just as if it had been done by a razor. It was four inches long, and down to the skull, a line being left on it; so I had a narrow escape. However, if I live to see the end of these mutinies, I shall have good reason to thank the 'Sowars' for their charge, Tombs's name and mine having been sent up to the Governor-General by the Commander-in-Chief, the latter recommending us 'worthy of the highest honour for distinguished bravery and gallantry.' Both received Victoria Crosses.

"Fagan was writing at the time, and had only a pen in his hand when he started; but he came back with a sword and minié carbine, of which he had relieved a ressaldar of the 8th Cavalry."-GREATHED'S Letters, p. 105.