Page:Earl Canning.djvu/105

Rh be affected by the crisis? the Maráthá Chieftains, through whose dominions ran the other great line of British communication — that which linked Agra and Bombay? Would the Gwalior army be friend or foe, and, if foe, could either line of advance be adequately protected from so well-placed an assailant, aided by such important allies as the Ráni of Jhánsí, burning to avenge her husband's wrongs? How would Holkar's retainers at Indore view the opportunity of striking a blow at their old opponent? What of Bombay, and the South Maratha Country beyond, where elements of mischief were known to be at work? The answer was not long in coming. Within a few weeks of the seizure of Delhi, Oudh and the North-Western Provinces were practically lost. In one great station after another the Sepoys rose, drove out or massacred the Europeans, pillaged the treasury, turned loose the population of the jails, and marched away in triumph to join the rebel army. The Lieutenant-Governor of the Province was locked up in Agra, and expecting every day to be besieged. Allahábád had been saved by a lucky chance and a bold act, and was held by a hastily extemporised garrison. At Lucknow a British garrison was standing grimly at bay, surrounded by an overwhelming force of besiegers. At Cawnpur a handful of English soldiers, and a multitude of non-combatants, lay at the mercy of Náná Sáhib and the huge army that had gathered to his banner. A British force had, indeed, appeared before the walls of Delhi, but only to demonstrate