Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian MutinyFenn, George Manville
History
Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny
Fenn, George Manville
British -- India -- Fiction; India -- History -- Fiction; India -- History -- Sepoy Rebellion, 1857-1858 -- Fiction
There, I am telling you too many horrors. They beat them back step by
step, at the point of the bayonet; and a fierce struggle it was, a long
fight kept up from room to room, for our men were fierce now as the
mutineers, and it was a genuine death-struggle; and the broken window
being guarded, not a man of about a dozen mutineers who gained entrance
lived to go back and relate their want of success.
And can you wonder, when two of those who fought had found their wives
bayoneted Grainger was one of them and when the fight was over, during
which, raging like a demon, he had bayoneted four men, the poor fellow
sat down by his dead wife, took her head first in his lap, then to his
breast, and rocked himself to and fro, crying like a child, till there
was a bugle-call in the court-yard, when he laid her gently in a corner,
carrying her like as if she had been a child, kneeled down, and said
`Our Father' right through by her side, kissed her lips two or three
times, and then covered her face with a bit of an old red handkerchief;
and him all the while covered with blood and dust and black of powder.
Then, poor fellow, he got up and took his gun, and went out on the tips
of his toes, lest he should wake her who would wake no more in this
world.
Perhaps it was weakness, I don't know, but my eyes were very wet just
then, and a soft little hand was laid on my breast, and Lizzy's head
leant over me, and her tears, too, fell very fast on my hot and fevered
face.
I felt that I should die, not then, perhaps, but before very long, for I
knew that my arm was so shattered that it ought to be amputated just
below the elbow, while for want of surgical assistance it would mortify;
but somehow I felt very happy just then, and my state did not give me
much pain, only that I wanted to have been up and doing; and at last
Lizzy helping me, I got up, my arm being bandaged--and in a sling, to
find that I could walk about a little; and I made my way down into the
court-yard, where I got near to Captain Dyer, who, better now, and able
to limp about, was talking with Lieutenant Leigh, both officers now, and
forgetful apparently of all but the present crisis.
"What wounded are there?" said Captain Dyer, as I walked slowly up.
"Nearly every man to some extent," said Lieutenant Leigh; "but this man
and Lant are the worst."
"The place ought to be evacuated," said Captain Dyer; "it is impossible
to hold it another day."
"We might hold out another day," said Lieutenant Leigh, "but not longer.
Why not retreat under cover of the night?"
"It seems the only thing left," said Captain Dyer. "We might perhaps
get to some hiding-place or other before our absence was discovered; but
the gate and that back window will be watched of course: how are we to
get away with two severely wounded men, the women, and children?"
"That must be planned," said Lieutenant Leigh; and then the watch was
set for the night, as far as could be done, and another time of darkness
set in.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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