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Rh them, 'impudent' falsehoods, that Hastings ordered Markham to place him under arrest.

Early on the morrow Chait Singh was made a prisoner at large in his own palace, with a Sepoy guard placed outside. He sent Hastings a submissive message, but he also despatched some messengers to the royal ladies at Faizábád. Meanwhile his armed retainers from Rámnagar crossed the Ganges, and, aided by the mob of the city, fell upon the Sepoy guard, who, having only unloaded muskets and empty pouches, were soon cut to pieces where they stood. Two more companies marching through the narrow streets were nearly destroyed. Chait Singh himself dropped from a terrace by a rope of turbans into a boat, and was borne in safety to his castle-palace of Rámnagar.

Thus, partly through his own rashness, but mainly through the negligence of his officers, Hastings found himself in a position of extreme danger, in a garden-house garrisoned by thirty Englishmen and a score of Sepoys. But the rabble of Benares had no leader, and troops from the nearest stations were already hurrying to the rescue of a Governor dear to the whole army. Popham brought up a battalion of his Sepoys. Morgan started without orders from Cawnpur. Trusty messengers bore Hastings' orders to Chanár, Mirzápur, and Lucknow. In the midst of anxieties sharpened by risings in Oudh and the murderous defeat of Mayaffre's rush upon Rámnagar on