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166 no prominent or isolated action of his own. But it was after all in Lucknow itself that the last local disturbance occurred, anticipatory of the great outbreak a week later at Meerut, and gave Sir Henry an opportunity for prompt measures.

On May 1 the recruits of the 7th Oudh local Infantry, quartered in the Musa Bágh suburb, refused to bite the cartridges, and, some of them, even to handle them. Their mutinous demeanour did not come to Sir Henry's knowledge till they had seized their arms and the magazine; he then marched a strong force from the Cantonments to their parade-ground, surrounded and disarmed them, tried them by court-martial and meted out punishment (but not of death) to the faulty, and rewards and promotion to the loyal. The inquiry in this case led to the discovery of treasonable correspondence, and put Sir Henry more than ever on the alert, as well as on the track of the local concerted action that was contemplated, but not of any other or general movement.

Although then there was the pressing sense of an impending thunderstorm darkening the political sky, Sir Henry continued without any means of judging of the speed, direction or gravity with which it would burst. But it is quite certain that he realized that the essence of the disturbance would lie with the Sepoy troops, and would affect the tranquillity of the country generally, so that the British community, official and private, must prepare for defence. All