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Rh conflagration — Oudh, with its dense population, now pledged to the rebel cause — its feudal Chiefs, its impenetrable jungles, its hundreds of strongholds, — and Lucknow in its midst, where Outram and Havelock were held fast-bound by 60,000 rebels. To the north-west, the post of Fatehgarh, one of the most important strategical positions in Upper India, had been seized by a rebel Chief, who was thus master of the Central Doáb. To the north of this again, all Rohilkhand, a rich and warlike Province, was in arms. Its capital, Bareilly, and other large towns, were in rebel hands. The revolted Gwalior Contingent was hovering on Sir Colin's flank, and, within a few miles of Cawnpur, a formidable army was assembled under the banner of Náná Sáhib.

Outram had sent a message to Sir Colin at Cawnpur that the Lucknow garrison could hold out till November 18th, and the problem was how to rescue them before that date and get back before the Allahábád line of communication could be broken by the Gwalior Contingent, or the English reserve, left to hold Cawnpur, be crushed by the Náná's army advancing from Bithúr.

The rebel positions in Lucknow had, it was known, been greatly strengthened since the relieving English force had fought its way across them in the preceding September; but Havelock had lost nearly 1000 men — a third of his entire force — on that occasion, and Sir Colin had now not only to surmount the new obstacles but to bring away a large crowd of non-combatants.