the chief's artillery fall on it, and we see the matchlock men abandon it before the day closes, and wonder if they will venture to reoccupy it during the night; for now the mess-house and the Motee Munzil only interpose between us and our advancing friends.

We did not on that evening know how terrible a retribution had been wrought by Sir Colin's force upon the mutineers at Sekundur Bagh; or of the temporary check and severe resistance which they had met with at the Shah Nujeef. These are so memorable, however, as to deserve separate mention here. The Sekundur Bagh is a garden of 120 yards square, surrounded by a high enclosing wall of solid masonry. Its gateway faces south, and had been protected by the enemy with new defences, while the top of the wall had been very carefully loopholed. From these a fearful fire of musketry was opened on our advancing troops. Our infantry laid down until the guns, which were brought up within forty yards, had breached a hole in the south-east angle of the wall sufficiently large to allow of three or four men entering abreast, when it was most gallantly stormed by the 93rd Highlanders, who, discharging their rifles once at the enemy's loop-holes, rushed in with the bayonet. The front entrance being opened, the 53rd Foot, 4th Punjaub Infantry, and the detachments of the 90th and other regiments under Major Barnston entered on that side. Once an entrance had been effected the enemy made little resistance, but in most cases threw away their arms and clasping their hands begged for mercy; but none was shown them, and steel and bullet did their work, until two thousand men had been slain, and lay in weltering heaps inside that fatal square. The revolving pistol here displayed its destructive power, and one officer alone who carried two

FF

revolvers destroyed no less than ten of the enemy. About thirty of them eluding their pursuers within, endeavoured to escape by a postern on the north side, but here they were intercepted by a party of the 90th, who let only two or three escape.

The slain were all sepoys, of different mutineer regiments, many belonging to the 71st N.I. On examining their bodies many leave certificates, above forty in number, were found upon them, a fact of much significance; as it fully shows that men who had been on leave at the time of their corps mutinying, and who, therefore, are by some esteemed guiltless, had actually joined the mutineers and been in arms against us. This fact was probably not known to the Government, or these men would not have been permitted afterwards to receive their arrears of pay on the faith of these abused certificates.

Had not the bayonet done here its work so effectually, I doubt not that all the owners of these "tickets of leave" would have presented themselves as so many honest men at Cawnpoor or Benares, and would have received from our unsuspecting paymasters wages for the very days during which they had been fighting against ourselves!

From the Sekundur Bagh, Sir Colin led Major Barnston's regiment of detachments against the Shah Nujeef. Behind a parapet, raised on the massive terrace of this tomb, the enemy were clustered, and poured a frightful fire on a company of the 90th, which got up within fifteen yards of the main building. They could discover, however, no entrance; and both subalterns who commanded it having been wounded, the men fell back behind some neighbouring

**

* Lieutenant E. C. Wynne, Ensign H. Powell.

huts. As Major Barnston was bringing up the rest of his regiment, some of our guns were got into position, and opened on the Shah Nujeef; and one of the first shots fired, which was a shell, wounded Major Barnston desperately. This distinguished officer died of this wound subsequently at Cawnpoor. The guns were now allowed to batter the place for two hours; after which Brigadier Hope was ordered to take it with the 93rd Highlanders. Finding that no breach. had been effected, Brigadier Hope was obliged to send for a heavy gun, which was brought up by Captain Peel, of the Shannon, and was dragged by the sailors and men of the 93rd, under a fearful fire of musketry, close up to the wall of the Shah Nujeef. Here, with the muzzle almost touching the building, the 24-pounder was worked. The dust and smoke were so great, that it was almost impossible to see what was the effect of this cannonade, unexampled except in naval warfare. A breach was made in the outer wall, but there was yet an inner wall, which seemed to present a serious obstacle; and the enemy from the elevated terrace still maintained a fire of musketry, which could not be effectually kept down by the rifles of the 93rd. There was a tree standing at the corner of the Shah Nujeef, close to the building, and at this juncture Captain Peel offered the Victoria Cross to any of his men who would climb it. men immediately ascended the tree up to the level of the terrace, and from this position fired on the enemy. Their names are--Harrison, leading seaman, Lieutenant N. Salmon, and Lieutenant Southwell. The last named fell killed, and both the others were wounded. By this time, however, the enemy, alarmed by the progress of the attack, began to desert the place. Their fire slackened: the Highlanders

Three

rushed in at the breach, and the Shah Nujeef was taken.*

November 17th.-During the night of the 16th, a new battery was constructed in front of the steamengine buildings, in which an 8-inch howitzer and two heavy guns were placed. By nine o'clock, a.m., Havelock and myself were again at our look-out on the Chuttur Munzil, scrutinizing the 32nd mess-house, and the Motee Munzil, to discover what might be the intentions of the enemy regarding their defence. We soon came to the conclusion that the former building was abandoned. The enemy could nowhere be seen about the premises; but, early in the forenoon, a single man approached the chief entrance, and, after cautiously looking in at the venetians, entered, and presently retired again. About half-past nine, the fire of heavy guns in the direction of the Shah Nujeef showed us that the chief's force was on the move. Gradually it drew nearer; and now the bombardment of the 32nd mess-house has begun on both sides, and the 8-inch shells, fired from opposite directions, meet and burst on the devoted house. It must be confessed that our shell practice is the best; for many of the shells from the chief's side burst in the air. The ground around the building is light and sandy. See those shells exploding in it, and throwing up a volume of sand and dust, as from the crater of a mine. part of the enclosure escapes: now a shell pierces the building, and then others plough up the ground beneath the trees and bushes, here, there, and every

No

*This account of the storming of the Sikundur Bagh, and of the Shah Nujeef, was obtained by me from the lips of the two most distinguished actors on these occasions, next to the Commander-in-Chief himself, viz. Brigadier the Hon. Adrian Hope and Captain Peel. Both these officers, after attaining to well-merited distinction, have since unhappily perished in the late campaign.

where; while rockets, the most fearful looking missile of destruction, leaving a long, white, meteor-like wake behind them, fling themselves upon the place. Nothing can live under such a fire; if there lurks a single enemy in the place, we shall now see him fly. But no one issues from the building: it must be, it is unoccupied.

Now, through an opening to our right of the 32nd mess, we distinguish a heavy gun placed in position, with five or six men around it. Their dress arrests our attention. Who are they? Not long are we in doubt: they are the brave sailors of the Shannon; that straw hat forms no part of any military attire. But see! they withdraw from the gun, and enter that low hut near it. It is to avoid. the heavy musketry fire kept up by the enemy from the Tehree Kotee roof. Again they leave their cover, and, rapidly discharging their gun, add its fire to the storm which envelopes the ill-fated mess-house. The day is now waning, when one of our Artillery officers, hot from his battery, comes up to view from the height the effect of the bombardment. We assure him that the building is abandoned. "It is not, sir," is his reply. Again we assure him that we have kept steady watch from an early hour, and that it is empty indeed. "No, sir! it is not," he again declares. "But how do you know?" we inquire. "The art of war teaches me that the enemy must be in it," he replies; and the gallant fellow, who knew not what fear was, again descends to his battery. It is now three, and if the enemy have any men concealed in that massive pile, we shall soon know; for, see! the red coats are approaching: they are moving down in regular order along the road leading from the Shah Nujeef, and now are lost to view. Presently a party