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FORT MACKESON SECURED.

double march'-and a guard of about twenty-five men rushed at the gate, boned the guard there, and shut the doors. At that moment the garrison men heard on their left flank a neighing of horses, answered soon by neighing in their front; then a sort of jingling of chains was heard on the right flank, which seemed to surprise the gentlemen paraded. The dawning of the day soon showed that it was caused by the mountain-train, escorted by 100 Rifles. The game was now up. There was the fort in the rear, the cavalry in front and on the right flank, and the guns on the left." A roll-call was now held; only one man was missing, but he was the arch-traitor of the party, and was at that very time away in the hills. He was at once given up by the hill chief, and two days after suffered the penalty of his treason. The whole affair was a complete success. Not only was the fort safe-and that without the withdrawal of a single European soldier from Peshawur, for Edwardes had accomplished it with only frontier levies-but, what was of infinitely more importance, at a time when it appeared that the hill-tribes were open to negotiation with the disarmed Poorbeahs, and every hill-chief might not have proved as faithful to us as this one did; it established a spirit of mutual mistrust and suspicion between the two races, and struck a blow at all future similar intrigue.

There was another point on the Peshawur frontier, from which danger threatened during the latter part of this month. Across our border line, on the edge of the Euzofzaie country, is a village called Noringee.

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Here a moulvie, a well-known turbulent character, had unfurled the green flag of the Prophet, and was preaching a crusade against the "Nazarenes.” * On the morning of the 21st of July, the occupants of this little hamlet were just entering on their daily peaceful occupations, the cattle going out to graze, the labourers to their khets (fields), when they suddenly found themselves confronted by a force which had come out from Nowshera and Hotee Murdan.

This moulvie had come too near, and the population were too inflammable for safety; so a small force, three of Brougham's mountain-train guns, and a detachment of 2d Punjab Cavalry, and the 4th and 5th Punjab Infantry, the whole under Major Vaughan, had gone out and presented themselves, as described, at the entrance of the valley. It does not take a borderer long to draw in defence of his hearth and home; a few minutes sufficed to convert each peaceful labourer into an armed soldier, and every hut into a little fortress; out rushed several Ghazees (Mohammedan martyrs), but they were quickly cut down by the 2d Cavalry; and the lower part of the village was soon mastered and set on fire but the remainder still held out desperately. The heat of the sun and flames was become

"The Ghazees came with the moulvie at their head, and planted their standard (embroidered with butchery from the Koran) on the heights of Norinjee. This mountain village was so strongly situated that the police scarcely dared to go near it, and it became a refuge for every evil-doer. Its inhabitauts, about 400 in number, welcomed the moulvie with delight. The holy war seemed auspiciously opened with every requisite-a priest, a banner, a fastness, a howling crowd of bigots, and several days' provisions.”—Col. Edwardes' "Report."

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irresistible, and the force fell back on Sewa, purposing to renew the attack the next morning. That night an express came summoning the 4th Punjabees (Wilde's) off to Delhi. Thus weakened, the force, anticipating a severe struggle, had to wait for reinforcements from Peshawur; these, consisting of two 24-pound howitzers, 150 Europeans, 50 from each of three corps, with Enfield rifles, under command of Captain Barnes of H. M. 27th, 150 of Cave's Sikhs, with a troop of Mooltan Horse under Sultan Jan, joined them on the 2d of August. On the morning of the 3d, the force thus strengthened again made its appearance at the mouth of the valley. This time the villagers were ready for them, and had planted themselves in force at the entrance of the village, expecting as before to be attacked in front. But while the main body were advancing by the direct route, Lieutenant Hoste,* of the 55th N. I., had been detached, with a small party of 87th Fusiliers and 5th Punjab Infantry, with orders to mount the hill by a side-path, which would bring him round to the top of the village. "It was a pretty sight," said one who witnessed it, "to see the hill-side forced. Hoste pushed on rapidly; his reaching the head of the village was the signal for the main body to move on into the lower part of it, while from the opposite hill appeared a party of the 5th Punjab Infantry, sent round with a view to cut off retreat." The enemy at once saw that the force was too strong, and, making

* Who but a few months before had returned to India, rich in experience gained in the Crimea,

THE FRONTIER AWED BY THIS DEMONSTRATION.

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little show of resistance, were soon in retreat. moulvie, of course, was clear away; he and the leading fanatics had gone off the night before; the cattle also, and all valuables, had been removed in anticipation of such a result. The village, however, was utterly destroyed; the loss on our side only seven, that on the side of the rebels about eighty. But still more important was the lesson which it taught them, that Peshawur was strong enough to master above 3000 disarmed traitors, to overawe the city, to hold all the forts, and yet detach a Moveable Column, strong even in Europeans, for border warfare!

*

Thus had passed ten weeks since that fatal May morning which told of Meerut and Delhi; and the Punjab, despite pressure from without, treachery from within, delay before Delhi, and impatience everywhere, was still ours.

* So well did they learn this lesson, that all this portion of the frontier remained quiet until the end of October.

CHAPTER XIV.

[AUGUST 1857.-PART I.]

THE CRITICAL POSITION OF THE PUNJAB STATIONS-THE OUTBREAK

OF THE 26TH N. I. AT MEAN-MEER, AND THEIR ANNIHILATION AT UJNALA-THE EMEUTES OF THE 10TH L. CAVALRY AT FEROZEPORE; AND THE FATE OF THE 51ST N. I. AT PESHAWUR.

IF the quiet which rested on the Punjab in the month of July was deceptive, still more so that which brooded over it in the month of August. There was a lull; but it was the lull that foreboded a coming storm. The clouds were gathering around, the thunder muttered deep and low. Now again was seen the flash: but providentially it spent its force on some isolated point ; the flame was extinguished before it could spread beyond. First Lahore, then Ferozepore, and lastly Peshawur,

* There was a danger, too, though not generally known at the time, which emanated from Subathoo. Under a noble toon tree on the parade-ground of that station stands a small temple of considerable note, where there had resided for many years an old byrajee (priest) named Ram Persaud, of some repute for sanctity, and still more for wealth. He was looked on as a harmless old man, who was known to combine with his priestly functions the cares of a money-lender, but even in those days of general mistrust was never regarded by the authorities with suspicion. One day, however, towards the end of July, a letter was intercepted at the Umballa post-office from this worthy to the chief pundit of the Maharajah of Puttiala, calling upon him, as a most holy Brahmin, to use all his influence to alienate his chief from the "unclean cow-slaying English;" that now was the time to strike the blow; every hill rajah and rana were ready to rise, and

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