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264 one of which was then bridged. Twenty miles of the road lay through the malarious Terai; while they were liable at any hour to be overtaken and cut to pieces, yet not daring to go faster than a walk, for the poor lady's life could not bear more than the strain it was at that rate enduring—and all this beneath that blazing sun of May!

I leave it to those who may read these facts to imagine, if they can, what must have been that husband's feelings during those thirty-six hours of sympathy and fear! But the dear lady went through it all, reached the foot of the hills, was carried up the remaining eleven miles in a jampan, and was received and welcomed by us with the tender commiseration and respect that were due to one who had gone through such an experience. We hardly dared to hope that she could really survive it, but thought it must kill her and her babe too. But no! a merciful Providence carried her safely through. Her recovery was rapid, and in three weeks after her escape she made her appearance upon the Mall which runs around the lake, looking, though pale, so cheery and grateful as each gentleman she met lifted his hat in homage to one who had drawn so deeply upon our sympathies, and whose appearance again gave us as much pleasure as if she had been a personal friend or a sister of ours.

Had our enemies only followed us up at once, instead of waiting to burn, and plunder, and dispute about rank and methods of action, they could most certainly have been upon us before we were prepared for resistance. But we made good use of the forty-eight hours which their wrangling allowed; and when they reached the foot of the hills our measures were taken, and we stood ready for them—so far as a handful could be ready for a host of Sepoys and Budmashes. With a good glass, from certain points we could catch a glimpse of their out-lying pickets when they pushed up to Julee.

As soon as the last refugee had reached us we held a “council of war,” to see what could be done. The first thing was to ascertain our numbers; so we counted heads, and found that we