Monday, June 1st. As soon as it was light, I rolled up my bundle of bedding and went down to find Charlie; he was just going off to Cantonments with Sir Henry, being made Acting Adjutant in the room of Mr. C——, and they have all orders to remain in camp in Cantonments; so I must not expect to see him now. The heat is fearful in tents by day—there are two or three companies of Europeans and some guns, and all the Native troops who remained staunch to us, encamped together; our treasure and regimental colours are saved; the former entirely by Mr. L——'s bravery. One is hearing now of the wonderful escapes some of the officers had that night; the only wonder is that so many escaped; numbers have lost their all. To continue. Mrs. F—— gave me a cup of tea: one's thirst is fearful in this intense heat and excitement; I contrived to send a cup down to Charlie. Poor fellow! he has not undressed at night for more than a week; he went back in Sir Henry's carriage, for his own horse is quite done up. Just as I was wondering where I should find a corner to dress in, Dr. F—— gave us notice that we might go back to his house, for he thought it safer than the Residency, with that crowd; it was perfect paradise to get back again, and I had a lovely bath. I could not do much throughout the day, for I was overpowered with drowsiness; we had no alarms: at night we hardly liked undressing, but I thought it would rest one more, so I put on a thick dressing-gown and placed my bundle ready and fell asleep. We were aroused by a slight alarm, but it ended in nothing. I partly dressed, and lay down again. It was occasioned by a sick man, in his delirium, calling out "Murder!" However, it caused a great commotion, and every one was ordered to arm himself; it only shows what an excited state we are all in.
Tuesday, June 2nd. The day passed quietly. In the evening Mr. C—— paid me a visit, and gave many particulars of that awful night; he is come down on city duty.
Wednesday, June 3rd. The first news we heard from without was the death of the Commander-in-Chief, from cholera, at Umballah; then about 1 o'clock came Major B—— and Mr. P—— to tell the F——'s Dr. F——'s brother had been killed by the insurgents; it was a day of bad news: also poor Captain H——, who has left a widow and seven children, and Mr. B——, a newly-married man. I believe they removed poor Mrs. H—— to Mrs. G——'s before telling her the sad news. As I and Mrs. A—— occupied Mrs. F——'s room, we offered to give it up to her and her husband, but they would not hear of it; we had no further alarm in the city.
Thursday, June 4th. I rose as soon as it was light, to get a little air; the heat is so intense in this house that this is the only breath of air one gets in the day. While sitting in the garden, fifty Europeans of the 84th arrived in dawk carriages, Dr. P—— and Major G—— with them. Major G——'s regiment had mutinied, and they had with difficulty escaped with their lives. Dr. P—— said they expected an attack between this and Cawnpore, so as there were four soldiers to each carriage, two always kept watch outside with their muskets loaded, and the carriages were kept all together. Poor Mrs. F—— was looking out her mourning; it seemed so sad that neither she nor Dr. F—— had a room to themselves. After dinner news was brought that the 41st N.I. at Setapore had mutinied, and that the ladies and gentlemen were flying, so Dr. F—— and Mr. G—— sent off their carriages immediately to meet them; a party of gentlemen had ridden off already, and Dr. F—— and Dr. P—— followed them. At sunset I went over with Mr. C—— to see Mrs. A—— and Mrs. P——; the latter is in great distress for clothing, having lost everything the night of the mutiny, like many others. While I was sitting with them, the fugitives drove in, bringing in news that Colonel B——, the commandant of the 41st, had been shot by his men; his poor daughter was with the fugitives: there were many missing, and it was afterwards known that all living in or near the Civil Lines perished, excepting Sir M—— J—— and his sister, who formerly resided here with their uncle, Mr. C. C. J——, the chief commissioner.
Friday, June 5th. Rose at gun-fire, for the heat is so unbearable I am glad to get up. Several of the 32nd officers joined us while we were sitting in the garden, and the discussion was, why the hanging should be stopped? There has been none the last two days, and before that they were hanging six or eight morning and evening in front of the Muchee Bawun. The day passed without alarm. In the evening, to our surprise, we heard the remainder of the 48th N.I. were ordered to Deriowbad for treasure; of course we concluded it was a great risk for the officers, although they are the Sepoys that remained staunch at the mutiny. It is quite risk enough being with them in Cantonments with only a handful of Europeans. I went over to see Mrs. B——, who is in great distress, having just lost her baby. She told me of her narrow escape the night of the mutiny in the Cantonments; she was down there with all her children, although Sir H. L—— had forbidden ladies to be there at night. She told me, she and the Major were in bed when a Havildar came rushing in, begging her to fly, for the Sepoys were up in the Lines, and immediately after the mutineers came to the house and asked for the Sahib and Mem-Sahib; she fled with her five children, escorted by three friendly Sepoys, first into the servants' houses, but the bullets came whistling so thick that the Sepoys cut a hole in the mud-wall for her to escape at the back. They fled to a village, but the villagers came out and threatened to take their lives if they remained, so they went and took refuge in a dry nullah (a bed of a stream); it was about fifteen or twenty feet deep, so that they had to sit and slide down the bank; the Sepoys lay down on the bank and watched; her poor baby had dysentery, and had nothing on but its night-clothes: no wonder it died a day or two after; but, then, she ought not to have been in Cantonments. She drove up to the city next day, but Sir Henry was so angry with her for having disobeyed his orders that he would not allow her an escort. Mrs. M——, the Pension Paymaster's wife, has lost everything—she says 50,000 rupees' worth of property—for the bungalow was their own, and being stationary at Lucknow, they had everything in the greatest luxury; she had an immense amount of jewellery. Miss N—— spent the day with us.
Saturday, June 6th. Another quiet day. I had a great fright in the afternoon, for a fire was seen in Cantonments. However, I got a note from Charlie, saying all was quiet; the 71st Lines had been burnt down.
Sunday, June 7th. Rose at gun-fire, and went to church with nearly all our party, for Sir Henry said it was quite safe. The church is in the entrenchment. We stayed to the Sacrament, and it was quite comforting. The day passed quietly. Most attended service again in the evening, for there were sentries round the church; but the heat was so extreme I felt unequal to going.
Monday, June 8th. A quiet day. Firing has been heard for two days at Cawnpore. In the evening a Mrs. A——, of the 41st, a fugitive from Setapore, called and gave a description of the mutiny there; and a Mr. V—— came in and reported he had seen the bodies of Mrs. C—— and the two Miss J——'s lying in the road.[4]
Tuesday, June 9th. Another quiet day; no news. I went to see Mrs. A——, who had been very ill, but was better. Mrs. F—— went to several of the ladies from Secroara, who are living in the Begum Kotee (another house in the Residency compound for the accommodation of the ladies) and told me she had seen Mrs. B—— and Mrs. K——; they were without even a change of clothes. I think they came in from Secroara with the Setapore party; Mrs. B—— had not even a change for her baby! They are still going on making our entrenchment stronger and stronger; two 18-pounders have been put in position, for the insurgents have guns at Cawnpore from the Rajah of Bhitoor,[5] who has joined them. We dine now at 4 o'clock, and have tea and ices in the garden in the evening; and, we are in luxury, compared with most.
Wednesday, June 10th. Went into the garden early, and heard that some women and children had been brought in from Setapore in dhoolies (palanquins for the sick) led by a sergeant who had his arm in splinters. They brought a frightful account of the atrocities committed there—too barbarous and inhuman to be mentioned. I sent plates, cups and saucers, &c., &c., to the Secroara ladies, and linen to poor Mrs. B——. We were told, at breakfast, that we must not be alarmed if we heard a great explosion, for they were going to blow up a gateway near us. They are clearing as much as they can, a space around us, to give as little cover as possible for the enemy to fire from, in case it comes to a siege. In the evening, I and several others went over to the Begum's house, and saw Mrs. K—— and Mrs. B——; the place was very dirty, but the room lofty and good. Mrs. F—— brought away Mrs. B—— and four children to our house.