to induce his Seikh brethren to desert. He assured them that our defences could not long keep the enemy off: that no succour could possibly arrive; and that, if the place was taken, they would share our slaughter. On the other hand they were assured of receiving high pay and consideration from the mutineers. After some time passed in converse of this nature, Sheyre Singh informed them that a "sahib " was listening, when the emissary at once took to flight. Within the first week after the siege began, the enemy had established batteries all round us; but they were chiefly at first erected on the east side, against the Residency, Bailey-Guard Gate, &c., and against the Cawnpoor battery. Fortunately for my garrison, they only brought one field-piece against us at the beginning; which enabled us to carry on our nightly labours with little molestation from artillery. Their batteries were generally well placed, and very near some guns being put in position within sixty yards of our defences. Where our artillery could fairly reach them, it never failed in soon silencing the enemy's guns; but they were very clever in placing them so that we could bring no gun to bear upon them in reply. Sometimes they kept their gun concealed behind the corner of a building, ran it out, fired, and immediately retired before we could return the shot, pulling back the gun with a drag rope. In other places the gun was kept at the bottom of an inclined plane, to the top of which it was dragged to be fired, when the recoil forced it down the inclined plane again. As soon as the siege began, they commenced making screens along such thoroughfares as were exposed to our fire, made of wooden palisades, placed in a bank of earth; and the roads and pas sages were everywhere intersected by their ditches and traverses. Their batteries were usually formed of strong rafters of wood stuck upright, and deeply embedded in the ground, and strengthened and supported by a bank of earth; a square embrasure being left in the centre for the muzzle of the cannon. : Their fire was generally precise, and seldom went very wide of the object aimed at. object aimed at. But they rarely attempted to batter in breach their object seemed to be rather to drive us from our works where they were preparing to attack: or to destroy life by firing into our buildings when they thought them occupied, and the assault to be unexpected. A large number of their round shot passed over our position altogether, and plunged into the buildings occupied by the mutineers themselves on the opposite side. Sometimes, however, they contrived, by using small charges of powder, to lob in their shot very cleverly inside our defences. And I remember one round shot which just cleared the barricade of tents on the south side of my porch, in its descent; and dashed against the house wall, close to the entrance doorway, at a height not greater than five feet from the ground. Where our cannon could not bear upon the enemy, their batteries were shelled; and three or four shells usually caused a suspension of their firing. Our mortars, 8-inch, were not heavy, and could easily be moved about to the several spots from which it was desired to direct their fire. The ingenuity of the enemy, however, preserved them in their batteries in a great measure from injury by these missiles; for on several occasions upon which sorties were made, it was discovered that they had dug rarrow trenches ten feet deep near their guns, into which they could at once spring and find security when they saw a shell approaching. The mutineers inflicted, as we had reason to believe, great injury upon the people of the city. At night on the 4th of July, and afterwards on one or two occasions, there was a great uproar in the direction of the bazaars, with occasional shots. The natives in our garrison always explained these disturbances by saying that the rebels were plundering the bazaars; and I believe that they were right. CHAPTER XI. CONTINUATION OF THE SIEGE, JULY 9TH TO 31ST. Improvement in Commissariat arrangements.-Grinding the wheat.Severe labours of the officers and men of the garrison.-Conduct of the European privates.-M. Duprat, his history, conduct, and death.Enemy short of ammunition, fire chiefly hammered shot.-Five hundred cannon shot collected within my post.-Prohibition to fire round shot from my post.-Our rifle practice.-Enemy's military music.-Attack on my post on the 14th of July, Lieutenant Lester killed. Grand general attack on the 20th of July; enemy beaten back at all points.-Lieutenant Grant and Captain Forbes wounded at Mr. Gubbins' post.-Attack on the same post again, on the 21st of July.-Major Banks killed.-Dr. Brydon wounded on the same day inside Mr. Gubbins' house.-Arrival of the messenger "Ungud."-He unfortunately leaves without a despatch from Brigadier Inglis.-The Brigadier objects to Mr. Gubbins undertaking the vacant office of Chief Commissioner.-Mrs. Dorin killed inside Mr. Gubbins' house on the 22nd of July.-Ungud's second arrival; he brings a letter from Colonel B. Fraser Tytler.-Good effect of the news brought by Ungud. -Scene of Ungud recounting his news at midnight. He goes out again with despatches.-Gunpowder removed inside our works.Major Apthorp joins my garrison.-List of the several posts-Sortie on the 22nd of July to burn the Goindah lines.-Enemy's mines, at the Redan, at Sago's house, and at the Cawnpoor battery.-The latter destroyed.—A fourth at the Brigade Mess.—A fifth at the outer Seikh square blown up by Captain Fulton and Lieutenant Hutchinson. -Unceasing exertions of Captain Fulton.-Diminution of the numbers and fire of the enemy.-Movements of the enemy in and from the direction of Cawnpoor.-Enemy establish a Garden battery against my post.-Annoyance from their shells; new missiles used by them.Danger from our own shells.-Enemy's shells probably obtained from the Cawnpoor magazine.-Rains continued.-Our communications from post to post improved.-Excessive heat; effluvia; sickness; cholera.-Deaths from cholera.-Lieutenant Dashwood and Mr. Polehampton, from small-pox, Mrs. Thomas, and Mrs. Edgar Clarke.-Great suffering, and mortality among the children.-Annoyance from flies.— Casualties by the end of July; 170 in the 32nd Regt. alone.Mr. Bryson, Lieutenant Arthur, Lieutenant Lewin, and Lieutenant Shepherd, killed.-Also Messrs. Erith and Pigeon, and Mr. Ed. Wittinbaker.-Names of officers who had been wounded. R AFTER the first week the Commissariat arrangements began to work better. The rations were issued from a more protected building, and all were supplied sufficiently well. Little flour was now left, and arrangements were made for grinding our wheat by hand-mills, of which a store had been laid in, in the sheds appropriated to the Commissariat. This was effected by means of our native servants. Some classes of them were excused, and received rations of flour ground by the lower ranks of servants, grooms, grasscutters, &c. These men were paid for their labour, and I lost by their withdrawal for this purpose several of my battery workmen. The better course it seemed to me was that afterwards followed, after we had been joined by Sir James Outram's force, viz. to serve out wheat to the natives, and let them make their own arrangements, which they always can do, to get it ground. We had by this time got rid of all our loose and valueless horses. Besides those retained for private use, and which depended on private resources for their food, fifty of the best cavalry and artillery horses had been selected, and were made over to the Seikh Cavalry in the Seikh squares. The labours of the garrison officers and men were at this time very severe. Besides being exposed during most of the day in guarding against, or repelling the attacks of the enemy, there were night duties of every kind. Cattle died and had to be dragged away and buried; there were fatigue parties every evening for the purpose of burying the dead; the sick and wounded had to be carried to the hospital. Traverses and screens to protect the most exposed thoroughfares were commenced, though little progress had at this time been made with them. Then there |