India -- History -- Sepoy Rebellion, 1857-1858 -- Fiction
In one of the outworks captured from the enemy during the early part of
they siege had been erected a field hospital for the wounded, under
charge of Assistant Surgeon Dracott of the Light Dragoons. Now it so
happened that on the day of the grand attack a party of Seik horse in
attempting to effect a retreat from the town were met by the Dragoons,
and after a severe contest driven back and pursued as far as it was
thought advisable. A number of these fellows turned down a narrow
passage in hopes of escaping into the country at another point less
guarded, and in so doing came suddenly upon the hospital alluded to, in
which there was a considerable number of poor fellows who had been more
or less hurt during the attack. Filled with rage and discomfiture at the
failure of their first attempt, and seeing the place was guarded only by
a small party of Sepoys, for whom they had a supreme contempt--for the
independent yeomanry warriors of Afghanistan and the Punjaub held in
light estimation the hired native soldiery of Southern India. There were
numerous instances on record during the Afghan and Seik wars where the
men of the North were seen, sword in hand, to attack the Company's
Sepoys, beat down or turn aside their bayonets, and with the other hand
drag them from the ranks by their cross belts and slay them. Even when
run through the body they have been known to seize a firm grip of the
musket until they had dealt a fatal blow to their antagonist and both
fall together mortally wounded, so hostile and revengeful were they one
to another when engaged in conflict, creed against creed, for the Sepoys
of the South were, as a rule, Hindoos, while the Seiks and Afghans were
Mahomedans--they conceived the brutal design of destroying the Hospital
and ruthlessly putting to death all they could lay their hands on, in
revenge for the morning's defeat, then escape to the plains beyond the
town. After a few moments' consultation they commenced the onslaught;
the Sepoy guard made but a feeble resistance to these powerful horsemen,
they threw down their arms and fled in haste leaving the poor invalids
to their mercy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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