Monday, July 20th. Towards morning the round shot began flying about thickly—two 18-pounders came into Mr. H——'s room while he was dressing; they came in high, and covered him with a cloud of dust: the bricks and mortar fell thick around him, but he escaped unhurt. Soon the attack became tremendous all around us: round shot flying in all directions; musketry on the roof of our house incessant. Strange to say, I never winced or closed my ears; however, I and Miss S——, who was kindly fanning me, decided we had better go down to the Tye Khana. Breakfast, however, all were too much engaged to come to. The attack lasted more than four hours; and they say, at the least, we were surrounded by 4,000; six of their guns were pointed at our house. About half-past 12, Dr. F—— called down to us that it was all right; and one by one the gentlemen came down to breakfast. They said the enemy had been beaten back, with great slaughter: one 32nd Sergeant shot fourteen of them, one had seen twenty killed here, another, thirty there. They opened the attack this day by springing a mine at the Redan Battery, but without harm to us. I continued very faint and weak throughout the day. While dinner was going on, about 5 o'clock, Charlie came over; I was so thankful to see him safe. One more providential escape he has had, and I could not feel sufficiently thankful: a bullet had entered his helmet at the side, gone out at the top, carrying the ventilator with it! He and his Sikhs are in a large house—Mr. O——'s kutcherry—and in a very small verandah, that they occupied during the attack, twenty-two round shots had come in. Charlie said they had attacked with the spirit of Europeans. Some Mussulmen Sowars, carrying a green standard, had tried to cross the stockade, close to his post; the leaders of the party were all killed, and the flag left in the brushwood. At this crisis a plucky man rushed up, and although his right arm was broken by a musket shot, he contrived to extricate it, and carry it off with his left. After that, an attack was made at the same point, by Sepoys, with muskets and bayonets, but also unsuccessfully. Another account Charlie gave of Mr. L——, commanding at our old guard-house—now I——s' post; they had the hardest work to keep it. Mr. L—— considers, at that part alone, 100 of the enemy were killed; so that all agree their loss must have been very great, whereas we had only two killed, and very few wounded: amongst the latter, Mr. E——, of the 32nd, at the Redan, and Mr. H——, 7th L.C. The 13th, at the Bailey Guard, behaved splendidly. This day, Mr. P—— died of cholera; his wound had been progressing nicely, when he was seized with cholera. Towards night, the firing had almost ceased. Mrs. B—— fancied her child had cholera, so we were kept awake the greater part of the night.
Tuesday, July 21st. I rose early, feeling better; while sitting at the door for air, Major B—— called in and chatted with us. Charlie came at breakfast to see how I was, and again at 1 o'clock, bringing me a saucepan of soup and a bottle of port wine to enable me to get up my strength again. Just after he left, the enemy made an attack, principally on Mr. G——s' house, and word was brought that Major B—— had been shot through the head on the roof of the house, and Dr. D—— wounded; the times are awful! Major B—— is, indeed, a loss; a tremendous attack was expected at night, but it passed off quietly; probably, on account of the heavy fall of rain we had. The siege has lasted, now, more than three weeks.
Wednesday, July 22nd. I made the early tea and breakfast; hardly any firing going on. Charlie came over and read some of my journal; after he left, he sent me over a saucepan of soup, and one of his ration biscuits. About 1 o'clock, Capt. E—— came running over from the G——s' for Dr. F——, as Mrs. D—— had been shot through the head as she was sitting in a bedroom just off the G——s' dining-room; her death was instantaneous. In the evening Mr. H—— had nine funerals.
Thursday, July 23rd. The first news in the morning was, that a Native Pensioner had come in from Cawnpore, with tidings that a large body of Europeans were at Cawnpore, and that they had crossed ten guns; they had had three fights with the Nana, and had burnt his house. Every one believes this; and we may expect them by the first proximo. It is glorious news, indeed! The Pensioner was sent off again, with a letter, and only one rupee (as he himself requested); but, if he brings an answer, he is to have 500 rupees, and a double pension for life. The man's name was Ungud. I now have to wash my own clothes, and this morning had a scrimmage for water,—Mrs. H——'s Ayah having had the impertinence to run off with my can of water, after I had had the trouble of bringing it upstairs. Firing, slack to-day; it is supposed many of the enemy have gone to meet our reinforcements. To-day, we spoilt the bridge of boats over the Goomtee, by firing round shot at it. The night was quiet.
Friday, July 24th. A grand scrimmage about the goats and milk for the children. The reinforcements said to be fourteen coss off. A round shot took off a portion of the roof of our house; but, the enemy's fire was generally slacker: a number of them are evidently gone off to meet our troops. Last night, as I was making tea in the store-room, the largest Bandycoot rat ran through that I ever saw, the size of a little pig. At night the Tye Khana was so disagreeable that we were obliged to burn camphor and paper in it.
Saturday, July 25th. My morning duties were rather heavy, having a large number of clothes to wash; and I have always to take up all the water I require, and carry it down again when done—labour that I thought I never could have been equal to, especially in this country. Charlie sent me one of his flannel shirts to mend; the front of it was torn to pieces. He had lent it to an officer of the 48th, who had none, and who, while wearing it, had had a most narrow escape. A round shot had come in and covered him with bricks, which had torn the shirt in the way stated; but he was uninjured. Charlie paid me his daily visit; he had been to Mr. P——'s sale. I told him how badly off poor Mrs. K—— was at the Begum Kotee, no one either to get or cook her rations for her. The day before yesterday her only food had been a few chupattees, and a cup of tea without milk or sugar. The enemy are shelling to-day. They sent one into the Dawk office; it made a hole through the roof, and, falling on the table, smashed it; but luckily, not bursting, it did no other harm. Some of Mrs. P——'s things came round for sale, and I bought a silk dress for twenty-six rupees, as I have lost every one of my own. Mr. T—— came with the order books to-day; it is the first time I have seen him since the meeting in Cantonments. Mr. A—— also came in the afternoon; both seemed pleased to see me again.
Sunday, July 26th. A letter arrived from the Quartermaster-General of the relieving force, saying that two-thirds of the force had crossed the Ganges, and would soon come to our relief; that they had quite demolished the Nana's force, and that they were strong enough to bear down all opposition. Glorious news! The Brigadier sent down an order for all officers to be more watchful than ever, and not to leave their posts. Charlie has to ask leave to come down and see me for half an hour. An attack is expected, as a last attempt from the enemy. Lieutenant L——, of the Artillery, was shot through the head at the Cawnpore battery. He had just stepped aside to escape a pool of water, and was shot from a loop-hole. Mr. H—— was sent for to the G——s' to administer the Sacrament to Mrs. G——, who was dying of cholera; he returned, and we had service in the entrance-hall: in the evening it was held at the Brigade Mess. The enemy was discovered mining, to-day, towards the Cawnpore battery; so we commenced counter-mining: our people could hear the enemy working a little above them. A luckily-thrown shell of ours fell on top of their mine, and broke it in.
Monday, July 27th. There has been a sharp attack during the night, and Lieut. S——, 7th L.C., was accidentally shot by one of the Europeans. Charlie came in for half an hour, soon after breakfast; he had a boil on his knee: he said our mine was progressing well—twenty-seven feet dug. Dr. P—— was very busy all the morning, getting his galvanic battery ready to blow up J——s' house; he has had fever for the last two days. No news from the relieving force, though they said they should send a letter; it is supposed that all the approaches to the city are strictly watched. Charlie said that during the night a plan had been sent out of the entrance to Lucknow, by the Dil Koosha, as it is considered a more practicable route than the regular Cawnpore road. Firing was very slack throughout the day. Mr. H—— had two funerals.
Tuesday, July 28th. My morning duties, including washing clothes, very heavy. No news from the relieving force; firing slack. We left off the Cawnpore battery mine—as the enemy had stopped theirs—and commenced one in the Sikh square, where we found they had also commenced. In the evening our people managed to dig direct into theirs, which we destroyed with a small charge of powder. Col. H——, who has been laid up with a carbuncle all the siege, was much worse to-night. While we were at prayers this evening, there were several volleys of musketry, so there was a call to arms, and Capt. W—— and the gentlemen rushed off to their post. Nothing, however, followed. Col. H—— died during the night; he has been in a small tent, in the garden, all through the siege.
Wednesday, July 29th. I was awoke by a mouse running over my neck, scratching me with its horrid little feet. Still no news! After breakfast I took Miss H——'s duties for her; as, poor girl, she was not in spirits for it. Charlie paid me his half-hour's visit. I am so thankful each day to see him once more. After dinner, just as we came upstairs, guns were heard firing from the Martinière, and upon the top of the house smoke could be seen from two batteries; a regular royal salute was fired—twenty-one guns. All became excited in the greatest degree, considering it was our relieving force; but we were doomed to disappointment. No one knows what it was for; but there is a report that it was in honour of a boy who has been placed on the throne by the soldiery. An attack expected at night; but all was quiet.