A MUTINY MEMORY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 48, 15 February 1908, Page 4

A MUTINY MEMORY.

J About the middle of May, 1857, 1 was quietly sleeping in my bungalow, when I was aron-.ed up about daylight to be j told (hat the 55th Regiment of Uengal : Intantry. which 1 had joined from En,<- | land in the previous December, had rei ccived orders to march at once from .\ow-heru. situated between Attock and I'cslutwar, where we were stationed. :o lloli .Murdaii, ill Eusof/.ye, a fort held by the celebrated Corps of Guides. \\ ithin two hour* we had started, and ou arrival at lloti Murdan, some fifteen miles distant, found the Guides under Colonel Daly (afterwards Sir Henry Daly) awaiting our arrival and ready to march. I well remember seeing Quintin j Kattyc. the adjutant, mounted on his line charger Montague, and looking the very model of a frontier officer. Hattye was one of a noble group of soldier brothers, four of whom gave their lives for their country. Quintin Battve was killed at Delhi, lie was fond 'of using Latin quotations, and died with, " Diilce et decorum est pro patria niori" (It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country) on Ins lips. We then, for the first time, heard o! the mutiny of the native troops at Mecrut and Delhi, and knew that the Guides were to march in haste to Lihore to join the movable column that was being formed (here.

Ihe 55th were quartered in the fort with a squadron of the 10th Irregular Cavalry in an outwork. The news of the rising at Mcenit and elsewhere bad a marked effect on our men; but the influence of the colonel, Henry Spottiswoode, who was beloved' by officers and men, and was a grand specimen of the old Bengal officer, was sufficient to Keep them in order, and discipline, though relaxed, was main-

tained to the Inst. One day I obtained leave to ride into Xowshora for the day. Whilst resting m the heat of the day, news came that the guard of the regiment, which was guarding the bridge of boats at Attojk, had mutinied, wan marching towards the station, and that the loth Irregular Cavalry had started to stop them and lake them prisoners. The prisoners, in charge of the cavalry, were halted tor orders on the Cm ml Trunk Road, in roar of the lines of the jijtli, which were occupied by a detachment of that regiment. After wailing for nome time, the prisoners, evidently on a hint from their guard! jumped up and ran towards their"lines! from which a few shots were fired to cover their escape. An English officer of the cavalry ordered his men to cut down the fugitives; one of the men rode out to execute the order, but another man followed him to cut him down, should he do so, whilst no other* moved. Captain C ; senior officer commanding the detachment, and 1, went to the lines, and found that the Sepoys, who were much excited, had broken open the magazine and were serving out the ammunition; but Captain (.' ' s influence was sufficient to make them obey Ids orders, leave the magazine, and fall m. Captain C then ordered me to ride hack to Hoti Murdan and report what had occurred. I had to cro*s the Calm) River io reach Hoti Murdan, but found that the executive engineer had broken up th" bridge of boats, by which the river is usually crossed, on the first alarm. Passing several groups of Sepoys running toward* the river, 1 gallo|wl towards a boat moored on the bank, and managed to get my pony on board, and made the boatman shove off just as the leading group of Sepoys readied the bank and lined it, holding tlieiv musk"ts at the ready: luckily, they did not fire till f was half way across the river, when they fired a few shots, some of which hit the boat. Day by day our men were oettiii" more excited, but still discipline was maintained.

r rememlier after dinner on the evening of May 24th, remarking that it was the Queen's birthday, and, being rather a bumptious young subaltern, ventured to propose Her Majesty's health, adding, " and may the long retain her Indi in possessions," which remark appeared, ro shock our dear old colonel, who was looking very worn. At daybreak on the morning of May 2.5 th 1 was on duty inarching oil the guards, and standing in front of the paraded guards, the men of which had discarded their regimental trousers, and

iring '.' Uhotics," and were very marched off to their respective destina-

•"'He-entering the fort from the parade ground, I went to our "coffee shop," where the officers assembled for their early " small breakfast," and we had not liecn sitting there long when the eolonepal bearer came running towards us-gfISHPf; out that the colonel had •J s Immediately there was ■ the fort, the Sepoys feiwf™ 10 " '." arms, and most \ their ;„„ ™.t ~f i.v-..'"^ i€m began stream'"B fort, and making olf IWSTBs the hi»s »f Swat, some sixteen miles off. I may add here that it was afterwards ascertained that the Hindu Sepoys had been in correspondence with fanatical Mussulmans of Swat, but tlnir subsequent fate was an example and warning to those inclined to be faithless to their salt.

Some 120 men of the regiment rallied round their officers, and soon afterwards the advance guard of a force from Peshawar came in sight, which was the lirst intimation we had of the intention of the authorities to coerce the, regiment, which our colonel had reported as capable of being controlled if left his presence the the men loyaLandJty-tiis' death had prevented thiTfort being held against the -Peshawar force, as would certainly have been the case had not the colonel's tragic death caused the guilty .Sepoys to leave the fort in paiuV. Every Englishmen in thefort owed his life to the gallant old colonel. The fugitives were pursued by the few .of the force from Peshawar that we.'e fit for the work after their long march; prisoners were captured, and more fell by the way, exhausted by the burniu" heat. "J On the following day seven of the prisoners were tried by drumhead courtmartial. The scene was a striking one. In the o(>en, three officers, who formed the court, sat, with the prisoners in j front of them. Other officers, of whom [ I was one, were standing round. The . proceedings were of the most summary character, and the president of the court, | Captain F ,of H.U's 70th Foot, accustomed to the strict forms of procedure of the British service, showed some hesitation in condemning men to death in.such a summary and informal manner; but Major John Nicholson, who had accompanied the force in a civil capacity,/ and who had led the pursuit of tfefi fugitives, was watching the nroceedi"igJ

■RWSfWan, „]i|y thirty-five years of agejj with no military position or aulhoritjfl j standing over the members of the co/rff who were showing signs of indecision, I pointing out in forcible kinguagc/howf . critical the position was. and sity of making a stern exam])/., and haranguing with such ell'ect 'That the . court condemned the seven pi/isoners before them to summary exec/ition. I The sentence was carried Ant the same . afternoon; six men of the 25th Regiment in red coats, and one man of the 10th Irregular Cavalry in whjftc summer uniform, were ranged in 1/Sne, facing a fir- , ing party consisting /half ( ,if British 3 soldiers, and half of Punjabi? of the sth Punjab Infantry. ) s When the volley, ivas fired, all those in red fell; but tlje man in white stood j. erect with the writhing dead by ids y side, and, without moving a muscle, ', waitpil till a reserye firing party t) brought the ghastly scene to a close.

I should add that the wise advice of the commauding-ollioer of the sth Punjab Infantry, now .'General Sir .1. L. Vaughan. K.C.8., that his men should furnish part of the firing party, was l'io first declaration (if loyalty of the Punjabi troops to t/ie British, and that the sth .Punjab livfantry on this occasion gave an example of fidelity to their t'cllow-coiHilmnen, which was nobly fol. lowed during the critical period that succeeded fie events here described.