Saturday, May 16th. I rose soon after gun-fire, and sent off Charlie's provisions for the day, bread and butter, quail, mango-fool, and a few vegetables, and then sat in the garden and had my coffee; at 7 went into the house and prepared for a visit to the city, breakfasted at 10, and started at 11. I found Charlie had been with Sir Henry Lawrence, who was making admirable preparations in case of a rise here; Charlie said the old man was resting by a watercourse in the garden with quite a little party around him, he telling them all he knew, but advising them to spread the bad news as little as possible; and then consulting with them about precautionary measures, not objecting to a suggestion from even a captain, but catching at anything he thought good. I could see that Charlie felt perfect confidence in him; but I also saw that he thought very seriously of the state the country was in, for his remark was that we were in the position of a man sitting on a barrel of gunpowder. I sat talking with him till 1 o'clock, and then went over to the G——'s, as I had promised to spend the day with them. I found them in an awful state of alarm—talking of these murders at Delhi, and wondering if So-and-So had escaped. Miss N—— had a violent sick headache from the fright. At 2 Charlie came, and at 3 we tiffed; but Mr. G—— was so busy he could scarcely stay two minutes, and all the time was talking of the preparations. The Residency was being turned out to form a place of safety for the ladies and the sick. Charlie had to leave early to superintend arrangements also. About half-past 5 I returned to his quarters, for I longed for a little talk with him before I went home. The heat had been intense all day, and the constant talking about these murders had made me feel quite uncomfortable. Charlie was still with his guards and did not return home for some time, so I lay down quietly on his bed. I felt so nervous that, when he did return, I begged him to let me stay in a chair by him all night. However, he talked and reasoned with me and I got better. He told me two companies of the 32nd Queen's were just coming into the banquetting house, and the sick from the hospital; also a lot of women and children into some rooms under his quarters. He made me a cup of tea and then would not let me stay any longer, as it was getting dusk, and Sir Henry just driving up at the moment, I started, as Charlie had to superintend the arrival of the troops. Just outside the city my carriage had to wait to let a regiment of Irregular Cavalry pass—Captain Gr——'s. They were to be stationed at the Dawk Bungalow between the city and Cantonments, to keep up communication between the two. Instead of going home I drove to the B——'s, for I was afraid of getting nervous again, sitting by myself. They were very glad to see me and again offered me a bed, but after taking ices with them I returned, telling them in case of alarm I should rush over to them, as our bungalows adjoined each other. At home I had another cup of tea, for the heat and excitement gave one intense thirst. About 9 I went to bed, taking care to have an Affghan knife (a kind of dagger) close to me. I started at a few noises, but soon slept soundly, and fortunately heard nothing of an alarm that was given by an artilleryman of Captain Simons'—a Native—that the 13th were up in arms and were going to murder their officers. The Brigadier rode off to the lines and sent for the Adjutant and Captain Wilson, when it was discovered that the report had been caused by the preparations making for a company going off with Captain Francis to the Muchee Bawun. They walked through the lines and saw that all was right, and the Brigadier returned home; but it caused such a panic amongst some of the ladies that several rushed off to the Cantonments Residency and slept there.
Sunday, May 17th. I rose at gun-fire, and after sending off provisions to Charlie, went to church at 6, and while there seven companies of the 32nd Queen's entered Cantonments. I breakfasted at 10, and then finished my overland letters. While writing them there came a note from Mrs. A——, asking me to spend the day and night with them if I felt nervous; but I declined. Sir Henry had forty of our men (the 13th) up as a guard at the Residency, after the false report of them during the night, and told them he was perfectly satisfied with them; that he had been so much pleased with them since he had been at Lucknow that he intended writing to Calcutta and stopping all the Raviel Pindee affair. At 3 I dined, and then lay down intending to go to church, but just before the time there was an immense deal of riding and driving about, and I saw a horse battery gallop off, which I took for the European battery, that I expected something must be up in the city. I wrote off to the B——'s for news, and also sent a note off to Charlie, but I got such a headache with the start that I did not feel fit for church. It proved to be an Oude Irregular battery going off to be stationed at the Dawk Bungalow. The B——'s again pressed me to sleep at their house, although the Padre and his wife (Mr. and Mrs. Harris) were already there. While taking tea about 8, the bearer came in to tell me the subadar of Charlie's company had sent his salaam, and would send up two Sepoys to guard my house at night. I hesitated a little, but agreed at last to have them, thinking I had better not show any want of confidence in the men, although it might be a great risk in these treacherous times. However, I wrote off to Captain W——, asking if he thought they might be trusted? Captain W—— was from home, but the Adjutant wrote and said I need not hesitate—he felt perfect confidence in the men; so they came and I retired to rest, making my usual defensive preparations, and slept soundly.
Monday, May 18th. Rose at gun-fire, and while I was arranging my flowers and taking coffee in the garden, the Adjutant called to see if I were all safe—and then came a note from Mrs. P——, saying she had heard we were to be turned out of our house to make room for the troops—and offering us two rooms. I declined, having received no orders to turn out. The Adjutant had told me the 13th mess-house had been given up to the European soldiers, and that several of the bachelors had offered their houses. About half-past 7 Charlie came home, to my great delight; the Europeans took possession of the mess-house and houses all round us, and we were well guarded: the day passed off without alarm.
Tuesday, May 19th. Charlie rose early, and went off to the lines to see after the Sepoys; on his return we went and took chota hazree (early breakfast) with the A——'s, and heard there that Mrs. Chambers, wife of the Adjutant of the 11th N.I. had been murdered at Delhi by a butcher out of the bazaar; but that the wretch had afterwards been caught by a sweeper, and roasted alive. We are beginning to receive a few reports of the sad massacre, but at present it is not known who have perished or who have escaped; it is true that Mr. Willoughby blew up the magazine at Delhi himself. This morning a bill was found stuck on some posts in the cavalry lines, calling on all good Mussulmen to join in this rise; the cavalry brought it to their officers.[1] After breakfast came a Sepoy to Charlie to tell him that there was a panic in one of the bazaars, and that the people were all shutting up their shops and running away. Charlie went to the Brigade-Major, and soon after we saw Sir Henry drive by, and could see from our drawing-room window that the 32nd soldiers in the mess-house were all armed and accoutred, and a sergeant was stationed at the corner of the house to give the word; but after a time it subsided, and we heard the people were returning to their shops: the officer who had charge of the bazaars had been down with them, trying to make them comprehend that there was no cause for alarm. It originated in a Chuprasee (a Government servant) buying melons; he tried to get more than he ought for his money, which caused a little hubbub, and there being an order now-a-days to take up any one who makes a disturbance in the bazaar, two mounted Sepoys rode up to take him; he rushed off crying out "Shut your shops! shut your shops!" and the poor frightened wretches did it without question; the man was made prisoner, and so it ended. I have only named it to show the state of excitement we were in. While this was occurring, Capt. W—— came in and brought us a budget of Delhi news, written down by the Allyghur magistrate; it is said a party of officers were seen going into Kurnaul, eighty miles north of Delhi; so it is possible they may be fugitives from Delhi—I trust so. Captain W—— also told us that Brigadier H—— was under arrest at Meerut. There must have been great delay and mismanagement there, for the insurgents were in Meerut all Sunday night, burning and murdering, and did not reach Delhi till 4 o'clock the Monday morning. Captain W—— complimented me on my remaining alone in the house during the panic; Charlie also seems well pleased that I have done so. In the evening we took our usual drive; our band was playing at the band-stand, but very few were driving about. We went to bed in peace—Charlie having his double-barrelled gun, loaded with a charge of shot, by the bedside; he says it is more useful than a bullet, for it would disable several, whereas a bullet might miss altogether: my weapon is the Affghan dagger, just suited to me, being neither too large nor heavy. I only trust we may have no occasion to use them, but one cannot be too guarded in these treacherous times.
Wednesday, May 20th. Charlie went off before gun-fire with Captain W—— to the city to see the Muchee Bawun, where Captain F—— is stationed. He is there with two companies of Natives, and there are also two Queen's officers and seventy men, also two guns in position besides field pieces, one to sweep the whole entrance street of Lucknow, the other the iron bridge; and then there are some Oude Irregular troops: an Engineer officer was making the place habitable for them. While there, Sir Henry drove up, and scolded first this one, and then that, and then away again to superintend some other arrangements. The day passed off without alarm. At the band in the evening Charlie went over to the G——'s carriage, and heard that the Sappers (Natives) sent from Koorkee to Meerut, had proved treacherous, but that they had suffered severely for it, for in the same regiment was also a great number of Europeans, who had killed and wounded great numbers of them. He also heard that the Commander-in-Chief was marching down to Delhi, that he was at Kurnaal on the 18th; that he would have eight European regiments, and that he was bringing with him all the officers who had gone on leave to Simlah. Delhi is on the Grand Trunk road from Simlah.
Thursday, May 21st. While Charlie was dressing, just after gun-fire, to go and inspect his company, there came a notice round that all officers were to assemble at Sir Henry's at half-past 6. It was to inform them that he (Sir Henry) had been made Brigadier-General in Oude; that he had all power entirely in his own hands to reward or punish as he should think fit, without appealing to any higher power whatever—the finest thing that could have been done, and we cannot be too thankful for having such a man over us. Last night a light was put into one of our Native officer's huts, but fortunately, it was put to leeward. No doubt the intention was for the fire to be carried to some bungalow; but one of our Sepoys saw it, and ran and pulled it off and smothered it, burning his hands in doing so—but it looked well of the man. The day passed without alarm, but at the band, our Doctor came up to the buggy, requesting us to take his wife and child in for the night, as he said there was going to be a rise. We went home and turned out Charlie's room for her, and placed a bed in it. Just as we were sitting at tea, the servants came running in giving an alarm of fire, and when we went out we saw the flames rising up from, apparently, the next bungalow to ours but one. The wind was high, and lay in the quarter to blow the sparks to us; Charlie sent several of the servants up on our thatched roof, each with a gurra of water. We quite looked for a disturbance now. Charlie took his double-barrelled gun, and told me, if there were any, to take my Affghan knife and escape at the back of the house over the garden wall to the Residency—it is only about four feet. There is only the road between us and the Residency, the garden wall of which is about five feet, but I could manage both with a chain. However, all seemed quiet, and, fortunately, it was the stables of a house which, being tiled, the sparks were not thrown up so high as they would have been from thatch, and in about an hour and a half we saw it subside. Then came the Doctor and his family, in a fearful state of mind. We tried to quiet them, for really we did not fear much now, the fire having passed off without any rising; it was a good sign, and several of our Sepoys had come to see if our house was all right. After arranging Mrs. P——'s room, Charlie and I went to bed; it was past 10, and he was asleep in a few minutes. I listened for a time thinking I heard noises in the Bazaar, but soon fell asleep, and the night passed without further alarm.
Friday, May 22nd. Charlie went into the garden early, just as Sir Henry was passing. Sir Henry called to him, and told him to go and learn all he could about the fire, and whether the Sepoys worked to put it out, and to come over to him at 7, when he would be back from the city. I found my visitors had had a good night, so they dressed and went home, and are to come again to-night. There are fourteen ladies sleeping at the Residency here in Cantonments every night.
Saturday, May 23rd. The day passed without alarm, excepting that in the afternoon I was by myself and heard such a tremendous noise that I was quite frightened. It turned out to be at our mess-house. The Colonel of the 32nd would have the thatched roof well saturated with water in case of fire, and in the midst of it all a fire-engine rattled up from the city (the first I ever saw in India), and in my alarm I took it for a gun.