after his long immersion. He into a by-channel and took the was helped in and on to the ground, from which they were thatched roof, where he crept unable to extricate themselves. into a wet mattress—there had The crowd of armed villagers, been rain after the storm-and who could have produced death fell sound asleep rolled up in and consternation within the its folds. The next morning overcrowded boat if they had he woke whilst it was still desired, remained passive specdark, and discovered that the tators, presently warning them boat had floated off with the that the Kusumkhor men were rise of the river, and was drift- landing to attack them, and ing down without guidance. that if they wished for help

. He at once took charge of the they would pull them off the nairjahim, and rigged up a sail bank and set the boat free.

. with a blanket. Having re- Seeing the men so unexpectpaired the rudder, he steered edly friendly, they accepted the down with a fresh wind behind. offer, and some of the Thakurs He was thus able to put a good swam out to their help, and, distance between him and the pulling them into the channel, pursuing sepoys. When near- moored the boat on their side ing the dreaded village of of the river, confirming their Kusumkhor, he was urged to friendly protestations by supkeep off the main channel and plying them with much-needed follow the sota on the Oudh food. The colonel, taking adside—much against his will and vantage of this unexpected judgment, after the experience good fortune, offered the chief of the previous day. But the a

handsome reward if he disastrous attack off Singhi- would provide a guard and rampur was a warning not to boatmen to take them down be neglected. This time cer- to Cawnpore. tainly the guns of the sepoys

Whilst negotiations were profrom the high banks of Kusum- ceeding, Jones bethought himkhor would not have failed to self of obtaining some food and sink the boat. He had there

He had there- rest in the village for the night, fore to choose the lesser evil. it having been arranged that

The rising river had quick- they should sail next morning. ened the current, and with the He invited Swettenham of the help of the improvised sail the 10th and James of the opium boat sped along the sota, and agency to join him, but both hope rose uppermost that the refused, Swettenham being baddanger would be safely over- ly wounded; so he went off passed in another hour. Un- alone with a Thakur, who gave happily, seeing a large body him some dal and chapattis, of Oudh villagers apparently and an old charpoy to sleep on. awaiting their approach, Jones Like myself, he too was badly

ordered to keep off the blistered by the sun, and the bank as far as possible; and wound on his shoulder had just as they came abreast of festered and become very sore. the village the boat drifted From sheer exhaustion he slept

was

men

were

soundly till awakened at mid- Hardeo Buksh, as the voyage night by the noise of jingling down the river was hazardous ramrods of matchlocks which in the extreme, and it is doubtthe were loading. It ful if it would have been accomproved that some of the people plished without aid. To carry from the surrounding villages out his plan, Hardeo Buksh had collected to loot the boat, enlisted the co-operation of a and the Terah men were arm

brother Thakur who had acing to defend it. Just about quired an evil reputation for the same

time a messenger looting and bloodshed during arrived from Colonel Smith the reign of terror, and had ordering Jones to rejoin, as grown powerful from his daring they about to leave. successes, his renown extending Jones made an effort to rise, for many miles around his but found himself too stiff and stronghold up and down the exhausted to move, and gave

river. The unexpected return up the attempt in despair. of the British and the dispersal A second and third messenger of the Nana's forces had disfollowed, but with no better concerted the freebooting prosuccess; and the boat went off, pensities of Dhama Singh, and leaving Jones behind. Next his position became extremely day, when he

was partially unsafe, for he was hated by all refreshed, the reality of his the villagers on whom he had position dawned upon him, and committed his depredations. he was seized with deep re- Under the circumstances his morse, believing that he had life and property were forfeit, thrown away his only chance and he had nothing to look of life; whereas, under Provi- forward to but an ignominious dence, he was to be the sole death the moment he was survivor of that party, who captured. When, therefore, numbered over seventy souls. Hardeo Buksh proposed to him He lived to march up with the that he should escort the sahebs avenging army under Sir Colin into Cawnpore, he saw at once Campbell and to see Fatehgarh that by that act he would not reoccupied

only save his neck and property The chief of Terah, a benevo- but gain a handsome reward. lently.disposed Brahmin, treated He accepted the charge at once, Jones well, and when the news and did his duty right well, of the reoccupation of Cawnpore taking the boat safely through was confirmed, Hardeo Buksh every danger under the very had Jones removed to Khasow- guns of the rebel camp at rah, where Probyn was staying. Bithur. The rebels, to whom The two eventually escaped he was well known by reputatogether to Cawnpore, where tion, were completely deceived Major Robertson and I were by him. As he pulled past the unable to join them, owing to banks where they crowded in circumstances already narrated. thousands, he was given the The safety of the party was friendly warning to keep well very cleverly managed by off Cawnpore and to beware

over

of the goras ! It was

an clothing-boots, shoes, hats, intensely exciting moment for left in the place as having bethe occupants of the boat. The longed to Colonel Smith's party; steeple of the station was in and a list found, written in sight and safety within reach; the vernacular, confirmed his the army

of the Nana within a evidence that those who had couple of hundred yards; and perished were entirely of that Dhama Singh carrying on a company

numbering friendly greeting with his seventy souls, including ladies acquaintances in the enemy's and children. Out of 300 Eurocamp.

To hear the warning peans, therefore, over threeto beware of the goras was fourths had met with a cruel indeed a welcome parting, and end at Cawnpore. a few hours later they were Whilst there Jones had the safely moored under the guns misfortune to undergo a second of Havelock's intrenchments. siege, when General Windham

The joy of regaining his was outnumbered and driven liberty, and of being once more into the intrenchments by the in the society of his fellow- Gwalior rebels, the enemy numcountrymen, was sadly marred bering over 12,000 of all arms, for Jones when he learnt the equipped with numerous fieldterrible fate of Colonel Smith and a battery of powerful siegeand his party, whom, up to guns. Jones was a compulsory now, he had supposed to have spectator of some most exciting escaped in safety. The boat, artillery fire and the splendid alas ! like that of the first party, practice of the 18 - pounders had fallen into the hands of the and mortars from the intrenchNana under Bithur, Colonel ments. Smith was overpowered and This investment was a most forced to surrender, under the serious matter. The station solemn assurance that the lives had been denuded of troops for of all his companions would be the relief of Lucknow, and respared. It is said that imme- inforcements were arriving in diately their arms were given small numbers by bullockup,

the treacherous ruffian waggons from Allahabad. It ordered all the men, excepting was

feared that Sir Colin Colonel Smith, Mr Thornhill Campbell's retreat from Luckthe judge, and General Goldie, now with the garrison he had to be shot in the presence of relieved would be cut off. Forthe ladies and children. The tunately, there was no means rest were conveyed as prisoners for the enemy to cross the river, to the well-known “slaughter- and a few days later Sir Colin house” at Cawnpore, where marched in and raised the siege. they were all brutally massacred The Lucknow garrison were the night before Havelock en- safely conveyed to Allahabad, tered the station.

and Sir Colin then attacked Jones saw the awful charnel- the rebels and completely shathouse at Cawnpore, and recog- tered their forces, capturing all nised many of the articles of their guns, and in fact broke the back of the rebellion the Kali Naddi affair, leaving throughout the country. Jones the fort in such hot haste that followed the General on the they did not even wait to fire and march to Fatehgarh, acting, as destroy the extensive gun-cara volunteer, in the capacity of riage works, which fell into our guide to a detachment. For hands intact,-a most fortunate this service he was mentioned acquisition at such a juncture. by Lord Canning in his despatch A handful of lighted straw to the home Government, and would have reduced the great received the Mutiny medal. stores of valuable seasoned The force had an engagement timber and the workshop buildwith the rebels on the Kali ings to ashes in a few hours. Naddi, where they were posted This brings my narrative to in a strong position and com

a close.

I have only to add manded the iron bridge across that the friends of Major the Naddi with their guns. It Robertson, in recognition of the was the fugitives of this force trifling service I had rendered who surprised me on the machan him, interested themselves on after they were routed and pur- my behalf and obtained for me sued by Sir Colin. On the fol- a grant of land. I was also lowing day the victors entered awarded the Mutiny medal for Fatehgarh without firing a my services during the siege of shot. The enemy had bolted Fatehgarh. precipitately overnight after DAVID G. CHURCHER.

SOME PROBLEMS OF RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

But yesterday the great party cries out for automatio British public proudly pointed couplings and other things, to our railways as the finest abominable to directors, even in the world. To-day, since we compelling a war-fevered House cannot boast, we grumble, this of Commons to stir from the appearing to us to be the next legislative lethargy of the first best way of emphasising our session, 1900. Seldom has a national characteristics. Each great and erstwhile prosperous of us groans out a separate industry been assailed from so complaint, and each is prepared many quarters at once, nor is with a special and complete it unlikely that the tightening panacea, which, but for the stu- pressure on every side will prepidity-or worse-of directors, cipitate a crisis in the not very would have been long since remote future. adopted. The shareholder, for The causes of the present instance, complains that divi- distress — for such it really dends are steadily dropping, amounts to-originated before despite the boom; and, in the most living railway directors classical parlance of the day, had left school. The reason he ventures to inquire where why Great Britain lags to-day he may expect to come in. is that she led yesterday. It is The trader, by this time grown a pure and simple case of the careless as to his vocabulary, first turning out to be last. freely curses the scarcity of We have been proud pioneers waggons, and protests that in all railway enterprise, and rates are proportioned to delay now we are paying the penalty. . in delivery--the longer you are Our lines were laid long before kept waiting the more you pay any line had had time to prove The social reformer cries out what its value would turn out against the monopolies which, to be. Our original schemes even after receiving commands were cramped by opposition direct from the Fabian Society, which subsequent experience refuse occasionally to carry has shown to be beneath conwell-to-do workmen more than tempt. The opposition has twenty miles each way for the passed away, but its effects obviously ample return fare of remain, apparently irremeditwo pennies. The railway en- able, whatever be our efforts thusiast, who is often a com- to shake off the incubus which mercial traveller and sometimes oppresses us. Foreign nations a journalist, laments in strident watched our experiments, learnt tones the departed glories of the lessons, and leisurely bethe racing days, so exhilarating stirred themselves to build lines while they lasted, but now gone we should like to rebuild the way of much other British ours, had we the chance. The enterprise. Finally, the labour fact is, that to-day we

VOL. CLXVII.-NO, MXV.

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