Page:Sir Henry Lawrence, the Pacificator.djvu/169

 CHAPTER XIII

Lawrence's Precautions against Military Disaffection

Meanwhile, before Sir Henry left Rájputána for Lucknow, or had been appointed to it, the general seditious movement that culminated in the Mutiny had begun, and was spreading. But, in his correspondence, he does not appear to allude to it specifically, or otherwise than as a coming to the surface of those undercurrents of discontent that he had always felt and proclaimed to exist. Though the adoption agitation in Rájputána had subsided, the state of feeling there was still somewhat unsatisfactory, but this was largely in consequence of the comparatively degraded tone and lowered character of the Rájput leaders and community. Still, in leaving them, Sir Henry hoped that whatever sedition there might be, and whatever crisis might arise, the influence he had acquired, supported and continued as it would be by his brother George, would keep them loyal and avert misconduct.

But before he actually left, signs of ill-feeling in the army had become apparent, and in addition a sense of expectancy and anxious unrest was beginning to pervade the general community. About this