Reports began to arise of the disloyalty and insubordination of some of
the native regiments; but at first little notice was taken of the
circumstance, it being believed that the rumours were greatly
exaggerated, and that, if there was anything really in it, the matter
would soon be put to rights by the Government, either by proclamation or
by force of arms. But report followed report and the mutiny continued,
when the massacre at Cawnpore took place, and the affair at Lucknow, and
the horrors enacted at the Star Fort of Jansee, where the officer
commanding, after doing everything that could be done to protect the
unfortunate inmates, just as the mutineers were in the act of bursting
open the gates, well knowing what would be the result should they fall
into the hands of the remorseless natives, with his own hand shot his
wife and child, and then deliberately blew out his own brains. Those who
were captured met a death so horrible and revolting at the hands of and
under the immediate supervision of that incarnate fiend and she devil,
the Rannee of Jansee, the details of which are totally unfit for
publication. Then, and not till then, the magnitude of the danger was
realized.
Mr. Barton, whose health had been on the decline some weeks past, and
whose term of service in India nearly expired, declared that he would no
longer remain in the country, and obtained leave of absence to proceed
to Bombay, in anticipation of finally leaving for Europe. Mrs. Barton,
always nervous, became alarmed for her personal safety, and urged their
immediate departure with much vehemence, and it was arranged that they
should start at once for Rutlaum _en route_ for the sea coast, and that
Miss Effingham should remain and see everything packed up and the
servants sent on, then follow herself and overtake them at Rutlaum,
where they were to make a halt for a few days. Several other families
also left about the same time, for the tide of mutiny and rebellion was
now sweeping like the red pestilence through the whole of the North West
provinces. Mohow, Indore, Meidpoore, Mundasore, Neemuch and other places
of greater or lesser note, had already become the scene of many a bloody
drama and fiendish outrage. In fact, whenever native troops had been
located, ruin and desolation reigned triumphant. Public edifices were
thrown down, Bungalows burned and the Bazaars plundered, while helpless
and unprotected Europeans, irrespective of sex or age, were seized, and
after suffering the most brutal indignities, ruthlessly slaughtered by
the fanatical and blood-thirsty native soldiery.
Goolampore and its immediate vicinity, up to the present period, had
remained in perfect tranquility. The native mind was apparently
undisturbed by the great convulsions that were now shaking, to its very
centre, the supremacy of British power in India; but it was only the
lull before the storm, which was so soon to burst and fall like a
thunderbolt on the hitherto peaceful station.
The Brigade here consisted of the following troops: One troop of
European horse artillery, one regiment of native cavalry, and two
battalions of Sepoys. This force was commanded by a Brigadier of the
Bengal army; but, having been on the staff for many years, was unequal
to an emergency like the present, and such was his belief in the loyalty
of the men under his command, that he refused to listen to the reports
made to him from time to time by his staff, and others well qualified to
give an opinion on the matter, until it was too late and many valuable
lives had been sacrificed.
The evening was clear and calm, countless stars studded the dark purple
vault of heaven. The young moon shed her silvery light o'er lake and
mountain, the atmosphere was no longer influenced by the stifling heat
of the scorching sun; a deliciously cool breeze wafted from the ocean
that rolled into the Gulf of Cambay, and washed the shores of the
Goozeratte, played and rustled among the leaves of the trees and
flowers, imparting to the senses a delicious feeling of relief and
delight.
In a broad and spacious verandah of the cavalry mess house were
assembled a group of officers of different corps. Some stretched at full
length on ottomans, enjoying the music of an excellent band; others
smoking, laughing or chatting on the various events that were passing
around them.
"Listen to me, gentlemen," said a tall, handsome man, about thirty, and
the very _beau ideal_ of a cavalry officer, who had for some time been
leaning over the balustrade of the verandah, quietly puffing circles of
white smoke from his cheroot, and gazing thoughtfully on the moonlit
scene before him, and who had hitherto taken no part in the conversation
that was going on. "This deceitful calm," said he, drawing himself up to
his full height, and advancing to the centre of the group, "will not,
cannot last much longer, and it is high time that something should be
done for the protection of the families of the European Warrant Officers
and staff, Non-Commissioned Officers and others who are residing at
different parts of the station, and who would be the first to fall
victims to the licentious passion and murderous designs of the troops,
should an outbreak ensue before we are re-enforced by more Europeans."
"Right! Major Collingwood is right," exclaimed a Colonel of one of the
Sepoy battalions; "too much valuable time has already been lost. What
the deuce has come to the Brigadier? Huntingdon, of the Artillery,
proposed to him to give an order for the families of the Europeans of
his troop to move at once into the Fort, but he would not listen to him,
stating that there was no necessity for such a course, and that he would
answer for the loyalty and good behavior of the troops under his
command."
"This comes of trusting the lives and property of Europeans in the care
of General D---- and others of his stamp, who from a long association in
a civil capacity with the natives, have become so wrapped up in them,
and so hoodwinked, that they will see nothing, only through the
spectacles provided for them by the native functionaries, who always
toady and flatter their European masters," was the contemptuous remark
of one of the party. The last speaker was here interrupted by the
Brigade Major, who came bounding up the steps of the verandah, three at
a time. "What is the matter, Grey?" enquired several voices at one time.
"Oh! there has been the devil to pay at Headquarters, and no pitch hot,"
was the hasty reply of the staff officer. "Explain yourself, if you
please," said Major Collingwood. "What has taken place?"
"Why Huntingdon, in spite of the Brigadier's refusal to grant
permission, has sent the married people of his troop within the Fort,
and detailed several troopers to man the guns, and put the place in a
state of defence, in case of any sudden rising among the natives.
General D---- became furious when Huntingdon told him what he had done,
and threatened to arrest him. On young Carlton, the new A.D.C., taking
sides with the commander of the artillery, and applauding the act, old
D---- turned upon him like a lion. A violent squabble ensued, which
resulted in Arthur Carlton resigning his appointment on the Staff, and
expressed his determination to rejoin his regiment without delay."
"Well done, Huntingdon. That is a step in the right direction. It is a
pity that the non-commissioned staff of the station could not have been
included," responded several voices; and all praised the plucky way in
which young Carlton had acted, though sorry to lose the services of so
valuable a sabre as Arthur was known to be, especially at a time when
stout hearts and bold riders were necessary to the salvation of the
station.
"Pinkerton, Jones, and others acted wisely in sending their families
away last week; but I do not think it was quite the thing for the
Bartons to leave the pretty Miss Effingham behind to arrange their
household affairs, and then make her way to Rutlaum as she best could.
Who will see her there in safety?" exclaimed the staff Surgeon.
"Oh, as far as that matters, that young lady would, doubtless, have a
score of volunteers to act as her escort, should she require one," said
the first speaker; "but I do not think she would accept such an offer,
nor do I imagine Arthur Carlton would feel obliged to any one in
Goolampore for acting as her guide and protector, while he was at hand
to perform so delightful a service," responded Captain Hopkins, with a
light laugh, "for you must know that he has been a constant visitor at
the Bartons since his arrival, and are they not always to be seen riding
together at the race course and band stand? Why, he is her very shadow."
"Miss Effingham is too fine a girl, and has too much good sense to throw
herself away on a penniless Lieutenant of Dragoons, when she knows that
there are others of high standing in the service who are both able and
willing to offer her an establishment and position in society that he
will be unable to do for years to come," said a grey haired Colonel of
Infantry.
"Phew!" ejaculated a young Cornet. "Sets the wind in that quarter? I
wonder if the pretty Edith will be proof against three lacs of rupees? I
am afraid the A.D.C.'s chances for the lady will soon sink below par;
but there is no accounting for the doings of pretty women, for 'Love
levels rank--lords down to cellar-bears, etc.'"
The parties now began to disperse to their various quarters. No doubt
many were ruminating as to what might be the result of the fracas at the
Brigadiers quarters, just related to them by the Major of Brigade.
The following morning as the Brigadier was preparing to mount his horse
and take his usual ride through the cantonments, the Adjutant of one of
the Sepoy battalions came up at full gallop to where he was standing,
with the, (to him) astounding intelligence that, during the night, a
large body of irregular horse had entered the limits of the station,
visiting the cavalry and Sepoy lines, and had arranged with them to
unite in plundering the Bazaar, seize the guns of the artillery, put to
death all the Europeans that might oppose them, and that the men of his
own corps and those of the other battalion were then in the act of
breaking open the bells-of-arms and taking therefrom the muskets and
ammunition.
"Phew! There must be some mistake, your fears must have misled you. The
men may be somewhat excited. I will go down and reason with them--they
will listen to me, for they know I am their friend"--and the General
turned his horse's head in the direction of the Sepoy lines, requesting
him to follow. The Adjutant replied:
"My instructions from the Colonel were to report the circumstance to
you, then ride to the horse artillery and acquaint Major Huntingdon and
others with it," then, saluting his superior officer, he galloped off.
Bursting with indignation at the conduct of those around him, who, until
the last few hours, were ready to obey without scruple any order, he
might give, the General called his Brigade Major, and ordered him to
ride with him. That officer shrugged his shoulders, but obeyed the
command, and they rode off together. They were soon recognized by the
mutineers. A hurried consultation among the native commissioned and
non-commissioned officers took place. Some Were for arresting the
Brigadier and his Major of Brigade, and holding them prisoners until the
guns and Fort were surrendered to them; others were of a different
opinion, and insisted that the two officers should be put to death. They
argued that delay was dangerous; reinforcements of Europeans might
arrive at any hour, and that nothing would be left for them but to make
a rapid retrograde movement, and advised the immediate looting of the
town. This party, being the strongest and most clamorous, carried their
point; and three Sepoys thereupon leveled their muskets and fired, but
without having any effect, as the bullets flew wide of their mark. But
this was the signal that the irregular cavalry were so anxiously
watching for, and immediately encircled the two unfortunate gentlemen
who, drawing their weapons, prepared to defend their lives to the last.
But what could two men do against a score of fanatical ruffians,
thirsting for the blood of Christians. Some of the troopers fell from
the effect of the bullets from the Brigadier's revolver, and some were
severely wounded by the sabre of poor Captain Grey, but all to no
purpose; they were soon overpowered and literally hewn to pieces by the
sowars of the cavalry who, by this time, had been joined by the
regulars. The party then started off at a canter to the artillery lines,
to secure the guns and open the magazine, if they could but obtain the
key from the ordinance warrant officer, while the infantry made an
attempt to carry the Fort by storm; but having neither guns nor scaling
ladders, they signally failed in their attempt, and suffered
considerable loss from the spherical case and round shot that was hurled
at them from the guns of the fort. The party, to whom fell the work of
plundering the Bazaar, were, for a time, very successful, and numerous
large Bungalows were soon in a blaze.
The party of cavalry, regular and irregular, who were to attempt to
carry off from the magazine such ammunition as they might find, went in
the direction of the place, and on their way intercepted the European
ordnance conductor, who had charge of the keys, which they at once
demanded, but were promptly refused by that officer, who declared he had
them not, and immediately stood on the defensive; but a shot from the
carbine of one of the troopers, brought him bleeding to the earth. A
couple of them dismounted, and with oaths and imprecations, both loud
and bitter, stripped off his uniform in search of the magazine keys, but
they were not to be found. Drawing his creese, one of the villains cut
the throat of the wounded man, nearly severing the head from the body.
The others satisfied themselves by merely spitting upon the naked body.
"It is useless to go on without the keys," said a Havildar of the
regulars. "Let us move off at once to his Bungalow, they must be there.
I know the road, follow me!" and the whole party galloped off and soon
reached the murdered man's quarters, where they halted and dismounted.
The terrified woman, wife of the poor fellow who had just been so
savagely slaughtered, saw them approaching, and judging their
intentions, bolted and barred all the doors and windows, and with her
two young children, mere babes, the eldest being scarcely four years of
age, retreated to a small closet in an inner room, and locked the door.
For some time the troopers, who had now worked themselves up to a pitch
of frenzy, could not effect an entrance: but at length, tearing down one
of the wooden uprights of the verandah, used it as a sort of ram, and
soon battered down the door. Then, with a yell of triumph, rushed into
the house, searched every nook and corner far what they so much wished
to find, smashing and destroying everything that came in their way, but
they were doomed to disappointment. A bullet from one of their holster
pistols blew the lock from the door of the closet, and the poor mother
and her helpless babes were seized and dragged forth by these monsters
in human form. The mother was brutally outraged, and her clothing torn
and stripped from her person. A large empty chest, which usually
contained clothing, caught the attention of one of the number, and a
fiendish thought flashed through his mind, which he communicated to some
of the others, and they proceeded to carry it out. Collecting the broken
furniture, bed linen, etc., they made a large fire and placed the box in
question thereon; then tossed the helpless children into it and
literally roasted them alive in the presence of the agonized mother, who
made frantic attempts to break from her captors, and rescue her
offspring, but it was in vain; they held her firmly until the chest and
its contents were reduced to embers; then two of them plunged their
creeses into her naked bosom, and flung her bleeding body into the fire
to be consumed like those of her children. Other enormities were being
enacted in various parts of Goolampore during the short time the
mutineers remained there. But an act of unparalleled atrocity was
perpetuated on the Postmaster and his wife, who, it appears, had, on the
morning in question, gone to look at their new Bungalow which was in
course of erection in the suburbs, when they were pounced upon by a body
of Sepoys, who were making good their exodus from the station, having no
desire to come in contact with the horse artillery, the booming of whose
guns sounded not at all pleasantly in their ears. These inhuman wretches
dashed at their victims and, after tormenting them almost to madness by
their devilish cruelties, dragged them to a sawpit, where pieces of
square timber, which had been partially cut into planks for building
purposes, lay. The unhappy pair were then bound on two separate planks,
then another plank was placed on the top of each, and tightly bound
together with strips of fine bamboo; the monsters laughing and
gesticulating at what they termed the living sandwiches, dainty morsels
to be offered up as a sacrifice to their Deities. The crowning act of
this fearful drama was at last enacted by the remorseless villains: With
two large cross-cut saws, sawing into two feet lengths the planks which
encased their victims, commencing at the feet of each, and then throwing
the pieces into the unfinished Bungalow, set fire to it, and made off at
the top of their speed along the high road towards Islempoora, a small
village at no great distance, which had been appointed as a rendezvous
for the whole to assemble at, when their bloody work at Goolampore had
terminated.
Major Huntingdon had, early that morning, received private information
of the intended outbreak, and the general plan of the mutineers. He was
therefore prepared for the emergency, and acted accordingly; so that
when the party of horse, accompanied by the Goolandowz (native
artillery) arrived at the artillery lines, they found that the birds had
flown; the gun sheds were empty, and those whom they thought to have
found quietly taking their breakfasts, were, doubtless, then hovering
around, ready to fire upon them at the first convenient opportunity; nor
was there any one on whom they could wreak their vengeance, for the
whole of the families of the Europeans had, by the prudence and
determined conduct of their commanding officer, been removed to a place
of safety within the walls of the Fort, where, but for the obstinacy and
infatuation of General D----, the whole of the Europeans, unable to bear
arms, might have found a refuge ere it was too late. Foiled in their
attempt to capture the guns, without which they knew they could not hold
possession of the town, they turned in the direction of the Bazaar,
which they determined to plunder, then make their way to Islempoora.
They shortly fell in with the Sepoy battalions, which had made the
ineffectual attempt to carry the Fort by assault. Chafing with rage at
their disappointment, they accompanied the cavalry, vowing vengeance on
all the whites or other Christians that should fall into their hands.
But their villainous designs were frustrated, for on the head of the
column of cavalry, wheeling into the narrow road leading to the
principal Bazaar, they beheld, much to their consternation, four of the
guns of the horse artillery, which immediately opened upon them with
grape and canister, which told fearfully among them, as the number of
riderless and wounded horses plainly showed, and the irregular horse,
not being trained to act in concert with the regular troops, the whole
were thrown into confusion, and were unable to reform or advance upon
the guns. By a rapid movement, Major Huntingdon had brought his two
twelve pound Howitzers to play on the Sepoy battalion, with shrapnel,
shell and spherical case, with considerable effect. The native officer
who commanded them deployed his right wing into line, and sent the left
to endeavour to take the artillery in flank or rear. But in order to
accomplish this they had to make a _detour_ to the right, and in so
doing came to grief. The road they had taken led them across the open
plain and in front of the station gun, a long thirty-two pounder. This
movement had been anticipated by the artillery officer, consequently it
was loaded with as much canister as was considered safe, and a Sergeant,
who volunteered, was appointed to take charge, and act as circumstances
might require. A small pit had been dug, in which the Sergeant was
snugly ensconced, and there was nothing to indicate to those passing
within a short distance, that there was anything to be feared from that
quarter; but in this they were terribly mistaken, for at the right
moment the gun belched forth its storm of bullets into the very centre
of the little column of infantry with fearful effect. So unexpected was
the charge that the utmost confusion prevailed, which was considerably
increased by the sudden appearance of about one hundred well mounted
horsemen, acting as cavalry, sweeping down upon them, sabreing right and
left. This party of horsemen consisted of officers of all corps in
garrison, and every other available European that could sit on a horse
or handle a sabre, and had been quietly organized, in expectation of an
event like the present, by Major Collingwood.
Repulsed at all points, the mutineers retreated as fast as possible.
Their infantry, in many cases, mounting in rear of the cavalry. The
artillery limbered up and followed them to the outskirts of the town,
where, as they crossed the deep Nulla leading to the Islempoora road,
the gallant Huntingdon again blazed away at them, reducing their numbers
to a considerable extent; but it was not considered advisable to follow
them any farther. The troop was then divided and the guns sent in
different directions through the station, while the lately improvised
cavalry scoured the Bazaars and other parts, in order to capture any
small parties who might be engaged in the work of plunder or other
destruction.