A DASHING EXPEDITION.
On arriving at the cantonments, the party were soon surrounded by the
troops, who had been called under arms at the sound of distant firing,
but had been dismissed again on the arrival of a message to the effect
that the enemy had fled. The news had spread rapidly that some
fugitives had escaped from Sandynugghur, where it was supposed that the
massacre had been general; and officers pressed forward to shake their
hands, and the men uttered words of kindly congratulation and welcome.
The greeting swelled into a cheer as the detachment fell out, and,
scattering among their comrades, told of the desperate defense, and of
the slaughter inflicted upon the enemy by this handful of men. The
fugitives were, of course, taken first to the messroom, Captain Dunlop
being, however, carried off by the surgeon to his quarters, to have his
wound examined and attended to.
It seemed almost like a dream to the worn and weary party, as they sat
down again to a table laid with all the brightness and comfort of
civilization, and felt that they were indeed safe among friends. Many
were the questions asked them by officers who had friends and
acquaintances among the military and civilians at Sandynugghur; and the
fugitives learned that they were, so far as was known, the only
survivors from the massacre. The story of their escape, and the safety
of the girls, was told briefly, and listened to with eager interest;
and very deep and hearty were the congratulations which the boys
received for their share in the history. In return, Major Warrener
learned what had taken place in the last ten days.
The story was not reassuring; tidings of evil were coming from all
parts. As yet the number of stations where risings had taken place was
comparatively small; but the position was everywhere critical. In Agra,
Allahabad, and Benares, the attitude of the native troops and
population was more than doubtful. At Lucknow and Cawnpore every
precaution was being taken, but a rising was regarded as inevitable. In
fact everywhere, save in the Punjab, trouble had either come or was
coming. General Anson was collecting in all haste a force at Umballah,
which was intended to advance upon Delhi--where the ex-king had been
proclaimed Emperor of India--but his force would necessarily be an
extremely small one; and no help could possibly arrive up country for
many weeks. There was therefore only the Punjab to look to for aid.
Happily, the troops of the Madras and Bombay presidencies had so far
remained faithful.
"I suppose you have a good many men from Delhi, civilians and military,
as well as from other places?"
"Oh, yes, we are crowded; every bungalow has been given up to the
ladies, and we all sleep under canvas."
"I intend to ask leave to get up a troop of volunteers," Major Warrener
said; "in the first place to go out and bring in my daughter and niece,
and afterward to do any scouting or other duty that may be required."
"There has already been a talk of forming the unattached officers and
civilians into a sort of irregular cavalry, so I should think that you
will get leave; but it will be a hazardous business to make your way
eighty miles through the country, especially as the mutineers are
marching in all directions toward Delhi."
The next morning Major Warrener obtained permission, without
difficulty, to carry out his scheme; and the news no sooner was known
through the cantonments that a body of irregular horse was to be formed
for scouting and general purposes, and that unattached officers might,
until they received further orders, join it, than the tent which had
been assigned to Major Warrener was besieged by men anxious to join a
corps which seemed likely to afford them a chance of striking an early
blow at the mutineers.
Hitherto, the officers who had escaped from Delhi and other stations,
those who had come in from police duties in isolated districts, and
civilians, both merchants and government officials, had been fretting
that they could not be doing something to aid the great work of holding
India, and punishing those who had murdered their friends and
relations. Major Warrener's Light Horse, as it was to be called,
afforded the opportunity desired, and by the next morning eighty-five
volunteers had enrolled themselves. Some thirty-five of these were
officers, the rest civilians. Many of them had ridden in, others had
driven, so that most of them were already provided with horses. An
appeal was made to the officers of the Meerut garrison, and to the
civilians resident there, to give up any horses they might be able to
spare for the public service, while others were bought from friendly
zemindars. In a week the troop were all mounted, and during this time
they had worked hard to acquire a sufficient amount of cavalry drill to
enable them to perform such simple evolutions as might be necessary.
Major Warrener divided the squadron into two troops, each with a
captain and subaltern; all these officers being cavalrymen, as were the
officers who did duty as sergeants. Thus Major Warrener had the general
command, each troop being maneuvered by its own officers. In the ranks
as simple privates were two majors and a dozen captains--among these
latter, Captain Manners. Captain Dunlop was for the present in the
surgeon's hands; but he was resolved that when the time came for a
start for the rescue of the girls he would take his place in the ranks.
The boys of course formed part of the troop. The uniform was simple,
consisting simply of a sort of Norfolk jacket made of karkee, a kind of
coarse brown holland of native make. Each man carried a revolver, and
sword belt of brown leather. Their headgear was a cap of any kind,
wrapped round and round with the thick folds of a brown puggaree.
Beyond the Norfolk jacket and puggaree there was no actual uniform.
Most of the men had hunting breeches, many had high boots, others had
gaiters; but these were minor points, as were the horses' equipments.
Nothing had been said as to the intended expedition to bring in the
fugitives, as native spies might have carried the news to the rebels,
and so caused a renewed search to be made for their hiding-place. There
was, therefore, a deep feeling of satisfaction, as well as of surprise,
when, on the tenth day after the formation of the corps, the men were
told, on being dismissed from morning parade, that the squadron would
parade for duty at evening gunfire; that each man was to be provided
with a blanket and a haversack, with cooked food sufficient for four
days, and a bag with twenty pounds of forage for his horse, each horse
to be well fed before coming on parade.
Had the route been free from enemies, the distance might have been done
in two long night marches; but it would be necessary to make a detour
on starting, so as to avoid striking the main road, as on the way out
it was all-important to avoid detection, as the enemy might muster in
such strength that their return would be difficult and dangerous in the
extreme. The girls once in their hands, the return journey would be
easy, as they could avoid any infantry, and had no fear of being able
to cut their way through any body of cavalry whom they might
accidentally come across, especially as they would have all the
advantage of a surprise. Half an hour after sunset the squadron rode
out from the lines at Meerut, amid a hearty cheer from the many troops
at the station, who, hearing that Warrener's Light Horse were off on an
expedition against the mutineers, had assembled to see the start. Major
Warrener rode at the head of the squadron, with Captain Kent, who
commanded the first troop, by his side, and behind them came two native
guides well acquainted with the country. These had been dressed in the
uniform of a native cavalry regiment, in order that if they passed any
village and were challenged, they could ride forward and represent the
troop as a body of native cavalry sent out from Delhi on a mission to a
friendly rajah. The precaution was unnecessary. During two long night
marches, with occasional halts to rest the horses, they rode without
interruption. They passed through several villages; but although the
tramp of the horses and the rattle of sabers must have been heard by
the inhabitants, none stirred, for the mutineers took what they wanted
without paying, and were already behaving as masters of the country;
and even thus early the country people were beginning to doubt whether
the fall of the English Raj, and the substitution of the old native
rule, with its war, its bloodshed, and its exactions, was by any means
a benefit, so far as the tillers of the soil were concerned. Just
before morning, on the third day, the troop halted in a thick grove,
having watered their horses at a tank a half-hour before. They had
ridden some seventy miles, and were, they calculated, about fifteen
miles from the place where they had left the girls. It might have been
possible to push on at once, but the day was breaking, and it would
have been inexpedient to tire out the horses when they might want all
their speed and strength on the return journey. Very slowly passed the
day. Most of the men, after seeing to their horses and eating some
food, threw themselves down and slept soundly. But Major Warrener, his
sons, and Captains Dunlop and Manners were far too anxious to follow
their example, for some time. It was more than a fortnight since the
boys had left the ladies, and so many things, of which they hardly dare
think, might have happened since.
"Don't let us talk about it any more," Major Warrener said at last; "we
only add to each other's anxiety. Now, Dunlop, you must positively lie
down; you know Johnson said it was mad in you to get on horseback till
your bone had set firmly, and that it was ten to one in favor of
inflammation coming on again. You have much to go through yet."
[Illustration: AFTER FIVE MINUTES' RIDING, THEY DREW UP THEIR HORSES
WITH A CRY OF DISMAY.]
Gradually sleepiness overcame excitement, and with the exception of ten
men told off as sentries and to look after the horses, the whole party
slept quietly for some hours. It had been determined to start in time
to arrive at the farmhouse before it was dark, as the boys required
daylight to enable them to recognize the locality; besides which it was
advisable to get as far back upon the return journey as possible before
daybreak. The boys were now riding in front with their father.
"That is the wood," Ned said presently. "I know by those three palm
trees growing together in a clump, at a short distance in advance. I
noticed them particularly."
"Where is the house?" Major Warrener asked.
"We ought to see the house," Dick said, and he looked at his brother
apprehensively.
"Yes," Ned said; "we certainly ought to see it."
"You are sure you are not mistaken in the locality?" their father asked.
"Quite sure," the boys answered together; "but the house----"
"Let us gallop on," Major Warrener said, catching the fear which was
expressed in each of his sons' faces.
Five minutes' riding, and they drew up their horses with a cry of
dismay. A large patch of wood ashes marked the spot where the house had
stood. No words were needed; the truth was apparent; the fugitives had
been discovered, and the abode of their protectors destroyed. Their two
friends joined the little group, and the rest of the troop dismounted
at a short distance, respecting the deep pain which the discovery had
caused to their leader.
"What is to be done?" Major Warrener asked, breaking the deep silence.
For a moment no one answered; and then Dick said:
"Perhaps we may find some of the farmer's people in the hut where we
slept, and we may get news from them."
"A capital thought, Dick," said Major Warrener. "We must not give up
hope; there are no bodies lying about, so the farm people are probably
alive. As to the girls, if they are carried off we must rescue them.
Where is the hut?"
A few minutes' walking brought them to it. Even before they reached it
it was evident that it was inhabited, for two or three peons were
squatted near the door. These rose on seeing the group of Englishmen,
but made no attempt at flight. They entered the hut without ceremony,
and Ned and Dick hurried to the side of an old man lying on a heap of
straw, while some females standing near hastily veiled themselves at
the entrance of the strangers.
"Where are the girls? what has happened? are you hurt?" were the three
questions poured out rapidly by Ned, as the boy seized the old man's
hands.
"Is it you, sahibs? I am glad, indeed. I did not break my promise to
come and tell you; but as you see," and he pointed to the bandage which
enveloped his head, "I was wounded, and am still ill."
"But the girls?" asked Ned.
"They have been carried off by the troops of the Rajah of Nahdoor."
"How long since?"
"Thursday, sahib."
"How far off is Nahdoor?"
"Ten miles, sahib."
Major Warrener now took up the interrogation.
"How is the one who was ill?"
"She was better, and was getting stronger again when they carried her
off."
"Do you think they are still at Nahdoor? or that they have been sent
into Delhi?"
"They are still there," the Hindoo said. "I have sent a man each day to
watch, so that directly I got better I might be able to tell you the
truth of the matter. My servant has just returned; they had not left at
three o'clock, and they would be sure not to start after that hour. The
rajah will go with his troops in a few days to pay his respects to the
emperor; he will probably take the _mem_ sahibs with him."
"Thank God for that," Major Warrener said. "If they have not yet been
taken to that horrible den of murder we will save them. I am the father
of one, and the other is my niece," he said to the zemindar; "and I owe
their lives so far to you. The debt of gratitude I can never pay to
you--or to your wife and daughter," he added, turning to the women,
who, their first impulse of alarm over, had now, in the presence of
friends, uncovered their faces, for it is only the higher class of
Hindoo women who closely veil--"for your care in nursing my niece, and
for giving them shelter, when to do so was to risk your lives. This
debt I can never pay; but the losses you have sustained in the
destruction of your house, and the loss of animals, I can happily more
than replace. And now tell me how it happened."
"It was late in the afternoon," the Hindoo said, "when a body of horse
galloped across the field to my door. Their captain rode up to me. 'Are
there any Feringhees hid here, old man?' he asked. 'I have seen no man
of the white race since the troubles began,' I said; and you know I
spoke not falsely. 'I must search the house,' he said; 'there are a
party of fugitives hiding somewhere in this district, and the orders
from Delhi are strict that every Feringhee is to be hunted down and
sent there.' 'You will find no one here,' I said, 'but my women, one of
whom is sick.' 'I must see them,' he said; and he knocked loudly at the
door of the women's room, and ordered them to come out. My wife and
daughter came to the door. 'Where is the one who is said to be sick?'
he said; 'I must see her too.' Then, seeing that he was determined to
enter, the young _mem_ sahib came to the door. The captain gave a shout
of pleasure; calling in his men, he entered the room, and, in spite of
the entreaties of her sister, brought the one who was sick out also.
She was able to walk, but, as we had agreed between us should be done
if discovery was made, she pretended that she was almost at the point
of death. Some poles were got; a hammock was made; and borne by four
bearers, she was carried away, her sister being placed on a horse
closely guarded. As he turned to ride off the captain's eye fell upon
me. 'Ah! old traitor!' he said; 'I had forgotten you!' and he drew a
pistol and fired at me. I know no more; his men put fire to the barn
and granaries, and drove off our cattle and horses. When he had ridden
off my servants--who thought I was dead--by order of my sorrowing wife
carried me here. Happily, however, by the will of Brahma, the bullet,
instead of going through my skull, glanced off, and I was only stunned.
I had lost much blood, but I determined to set out as soon as I could
walk to bring you the news, and in the meantime have had a watch kept
upon Nahdoor."
Major Warrener and his sons thanked the old peasant and his family in
the warmest terms for what they had done, and the former pressed upon
the farmer a sum of money which would cover all the losses he had
sustained.
"Your conduct," he said, "will be reported to the government, and you
will find when these troubles are over that England knows how to reward
those who proved faithful when so many were faithless. Now we will say
adieu. When the war is over the ladies you have so kindly treated will
themselves return to thank you."
In a few minutes the troop was in the saddle again, and directed its
march toward Nahdoor.
On the way Major Warrener questioned his guide as to the strength and
position of the fortress, which lay away from the main road, and had
not been visited by any of the troop--as the major had ascertained
before starting. The account was not reassuring. The guide reported
that it stood on a rock, which rose perpendicularly some eighty or a
hundred feet from the plain; the only access being by a zigzag road cut
in the face of the cliff, with a gateway defended by a gun, and
loopholed walls at each turn, and with a very strong wall all round the
edge of the rock. The garrison, they had learned from the persons at
the farm, was some three hundred strong, the ordinary number of
retainers being at present increased by many fighting men, who had
within the last few days joined the rajah, on hearing that he was going
to march to Delhi to fight under the emperor against the Feringhees.
The troop halted in a wood three miles from Nahdoor; as the guide said
that there was no place nearer where they could be concealed without a
certainty of discovery.
Before morning Major Warrener and his second in command put on native
clothes, which the former bad brought with him, in case it should be
necessary to open communication with the girls, and left the wood with
one of the native guides. The disguises were not meant to deceive close
investigation, and no attempt was made to change the color of the skin,
but they were sufficient to enable the wearers to pass without exciting
suspicion by any one who only saw them at a distance.
When morning broke they stood within half a mile of the fortress, which
answered exactly to the description they had received of it.
Gradually--keeping always at a distance, and availing themselves as far
as possible of cover--they made a circuit of the place, and then
returned to the troop, who were anxiously awaiting their report.
"It is a very hard nut to crack," Major Warrener said to his sons.
"There is no possibility of climbing the rock anywhere, or of attacking
in any way except by the regular ascent. There are eight gateways to be
forced before arriving at the main entrance through the walls. We
should require petards to blow in gates, and ought to have field guns
to drive them out of the gate-houses. I do not say it would be
absolutely impossible, because before now British troops have done what
seemed impossible in India; but the difficulties would be so enormous,
the risk of failure so great, and the loss certainly so crushing, that
I should not be justified in undertaking such a desperate adventure on
my own responsibility, and for my own private ends. We have no right,
boys, to cause the loss of some thirty or forty of these fine young
fellows, even to rescue the girls. An attack by surprise is the only
possibility. At present we don't see the way, but something may turn up
to help us. Failing that, our only plan is to wait till the rajah
starts with his following and the girls for Delhi, and then to attack
them on their way. The drawback to this is that he may not leave for
days, and that at any moment we may be discovered. Besides, there is
the difficulty of feeding the horses and ourselves. Now, boys, you know
as much as I do. Think it over while I have a talk with Dunlop and
Manners."
"Manners is at the other end of the wood, father, half a mile away. We
found, after you had gone, that the main Delhi road ran through the
further skirts of the wood, so Manners suggested to Lieutenant Simmons
that he should go with ten men and hide there, so that they could see
who went along the road and perhaps intercept some messenger between
Delhi and Nahdoor."
"A capital idea," Major Warrener said.
Two hours later Captain Manners returned with his party, bringing in
two prisoners.
"Who have you there, Manners?" Major Warrener asked.
"Two of the rascally Third Cavalry, who mutinied at Meerut. This
fellow, as you see, is a native officer; there were two of them and two
sowars, but they showed fight when we surrounded them, and tried to
ride through us, so we had to shoot two of them. They are bearers of a
letter from the Delhi prince to the rajah. Here it is."
Major Warrener looked sternly at the prisoners, who were still wearing
their British uniform, and then ordered them to be taken away and hung
at once.
"What did you do with the others, Manners?"
"We hid their bodies under some bushes at a distance from the road."
"You must go back," the major said, "with another; take Larkin with
you. You must strip off the uniforms and bring them here."
Half an hour later Major Warrener summoned the captains of his two
troops, and took them into council.
"Nothing could be more fortunate than this capture," he said; "it seems
to clear the way for us altogether. What I propose to do is this: that
two of the best linguists of the troop, with the two native guides,
should dress in the uniforms of these scoundrels. They can then go
boldly in with the letter from the prince. They will of course be well
received, and will stay for the night. The two who go as officers will
be entertained by the rajah, and will learn the plan of the state
apartments; the other two will be made welcome by the retainers. When
all is quiet at night they must steal out and wait on the wall. That
projecting watch-tower that overhangs the cliff on the other side would
be the best. We will be below. Then a rope must be lowered. We have two
long picketing ropes, either of which would be long enough, but they
would be too bulky to carry in without suspicion. Our native guides,
however, will soon tear up some cloth, and twist a rope not much
thicker than string, but strong enough to hold the rope. Then the
string can be twisted round the body without fear of detection, and
when the time comes lowered, with a stone at the end. We shall be below
with a strong rope ladder, made with the picket-ropes and bamboo
staves; and once fixed, we shall be up in no time. I leave it to you to
decide who are the best linguists. They must of course be asked if they
are willing to undertake it. I will speak to the guides. What do you
think of the general plan?"
"Excellent," the officers said. "It might be as well," one suggested,
"that each of the party should have a light rope wound round him, so
that if one, two, or even three could not slip away, the fourth could
still carry out the plan."
Some other details were arranged, and then the officers went to pick
out the two men who could best pass as natives. There was no difficulty
upon this score, for two of the troop, who had for years commanded
large police districts, spoke the language as perfectly as natives, and
these, upon being asked, readily accepted the duty. The work of making
the rope ladders, and the light ropes for hauling them up, was entered
upon, and by sunset all were ready for the expedition.
It was fortunate that they had no longer to stay in the wood, for
during the day five or six natives who came in to gather wood had to be
seized and bound, and it was certain that a search would be set on foot
there next morning. Fortunately a large field of Indian corn bordered
one side of the wood, and from this both man and horse had satisfied
their hunger.
Every detail of the plan was carefully considered and discussed, so
that no mistake could occur; and each of the principal actors in the
piece had his part assigned to him. The two native guides, who had
themselves served as soldiers in native regiments, consented willingly
to perform their parts, and just at sunset the two officers and men
rode off to Nahdoor, bearing the letter from the prince of Delhi to the
rajah.
There was high feasting in Nahdoor that night. The rajah had received
with all honor the officers from Delhi. The letter from the prince had
promised him a high command in the army which was to exterminate the
last infidel from the land. It had thanked him for the capture of the
white women, and had begged him to bring them on with him to Delhi, and
to come at once with his own force. From the officers the rajah had
heard how the mutiny was everywhere a success, and that at Lucknow and
Cawnpore the troops would rise in a day or two and massacre all the
whites. The evening ended early, for the officers from Delhi were
fatigued with their long ride, and being shown into a little square
marble-lined room off the great hall where they had supped, were soon
apparently asleep on the cushions and shawls spread for them. The rajah
retired to his apartments, and his officers to their quarters; and
although for another hour talking and laughing went on round the little
fires in the courtyard, presently these too were hushed, and a profound
stillness fell upon Nahdoor. Then, barefooted, the officers from Delhi
stole out of their apartment and made for the outer wall. As they had
anticipated, they found no one about; beyond a sentry at the lower gate
there would be no watch kept, and they reached the watch-tower on the
wall without the slightest interruption. Here two other figures had
already arrived, and after throwing down some small stones as a signal,
which was answered by a faint whistle, the ropes were lowered without
delay. One of them was soon seized from below, and the others being
also found and fastened to the rope ladder, the weight of which was
considerable, those above began to draw up. Everything succeeded
admirably. One by one fifty men appeared at the top of the wall.
Quietly they made their way down to the courtyard, and broke up into
parties, taking their places at the entrance to the various buildings;
then, all further need for concealment being at an end, a bugle call
sounded loud in the air. It was answered by another down upon the plain
near the gate. The rajah himself was one of the first to rash out. He
was seized and disarmed before he was aware of what had happened.
"Tell your men to throw down their arms and surrender," Major Warrener
said to him, "or we will put you and every soul here to the sword. The
place is surrounded, and there is no escape. Do you not hear our bugles
on the plain?"
It needed not the rajah's order; the garrison, taken utterly by
surprise, and finding the castle captured by an enemy of unknown
strength, threw down their arms as they came out of their quarters.
Orders were sent by the rajah to the men at the various gates on the
hill to come up and lay down their arms, and the sentry at the lowest
of all was to open it to the troops there. A bugler and ten men were
left below, and the rest joined the party in the castle.
Long ere they had arrived, the joyful meeting of the captives and their
friends had taken place. Rose and Kate had awoke at the sound of the
bugle, but had heeded it little, believing that it was only a Sepoy
call. Even the stir and commotion outside had not disturbed them, and
they had lain quiet until they heard a loud knocking at the door of the
women's apartments, followed by screams from the women, and then--they
could scarcely believe their ears--their names shouted in Major
Warrener's voice. With a cry of delight both sprang up, and seizing
shawls, rushed to the door, and in another moment Kate was in the arms
of her father.
"We are all here, dear," he said, after the first wild greeting--"the
boys, and Dunlop, and Manners. Hurry on your clothes, darlings; they
are longing to see you."
The garrison of the castle were all collected in one of the smaller
courts, where twenty troopers, revolver in hand, kept guard over them.
The whole of the arms found in the castle were broken to pieces and
thrown over the walls, and the cannon planted there were first spiked
and then pitched over. The guns on the gates were similarly rendered
useless, and the stores of gunpowder all wetted. The rajah and his two
sons, boys of six and eight, were then told to prepare to accompany the
troops, and warning was given that they would be shot in case an attack
was made upon the force as it returned to Meerut.
"Tell your followers this," Major Warrener said, "and order them to
give no alarm, or to spread the news; for if we are caught your life
and that of your sons will pay forfeit. As it is, you may hope for
clemency. You have as yet taken no part in the insurrection; and
although there is no doubt of your intention, your good conduct in the
future may, perhaps, wipe out the memory of your faults."
It needs not to say anything of the rapturous greeting of the girls and
their brothers and lovers, or the happy half-hour which was spent
together in the great hall while the preparations for the departure
were being made outside. Captain Kent saw to all that there was to be
done, leaving the major free to join the happy party within.
"Are you strong enough to ride, Rose?"
"Oh, I think so, uncle; I have been shamming ill, and they thought I
could not walk; but I am pretty strong, and if I can't ride by myself I
must be tied on to some one else."
"I dare say my horse will carry double," Captain Manners said, laughing.
"Have the women here been kind?" Major Warrener asked.
The girls shook their heads:
"Not very, papa; they have been talking of Delhi;" and Kate shuddered.
The major frowned; he could guess what they must have suffered. He went
to the door.
"Kent, order the women out of the _zenana_ into one of the other rooms.
Tell them that they will all be searched as they come out, and that if
one brings out an ornament or a jewel with her she will be put to
death. Of course you will not search them; but the threat will do. Let
no insult be offered them. Then let Rivers take four men, and go in,
and take all the loot you can find. The jewels we will divide among the
men when at Meerut. Tell off another party to loot the rest of the
rooms, but only take what is really valuable and portable. We cannot
cumber ourselves with baggage. It would serve the rajah right if I were
to burn his castle down; he may think himself lucky to get off with his
life."
The girls pleaded for the women. "We bear them no ill-feeling," they
said. "They are very ignorant; they only acted as they were taught."
"Well, well," said the major, "we will take the jewels alone; they are
a fair loot."
Another hour and the troops were already well on their way on the Delhi
road. The good luck which had attended them so far followed them to the
end. Anxious to avoid an encounter with the enemy, they took an even
more circuitous route than that by which they had come, and on the
fourth afternoon after leaving rode into Meerut, where their arrival
after the long and successful expedition created quite an excitement. A
comfortable house was found for the girls, with some old friends of the
major, who resided permanently at Meerut; as for the major and his
troops, they prepared to accompany the column which was on the point of
marching against Delhi.