At this place we got on a once celebrated line of communication, the Deccan Road, now greatly superseded by the railway; and on this at stated intervals were staging bungalows, so that without difficulty we proceeded till we reached Rewah, the capital of the independent kingdom of that name. For the sake of accommodation we did not keep always together, but broke up in twos and threes so as to use the bungalows in turn. When the party I was with reached the staging house at Rewah, we were received by a youngish English officer-looking indeed younger than he really was well dressed, jaunty and amusing, who gave no sort of impression of being in any responsible position, and did the honours of the bungalow as if the poaching of eggs and the currying of fowls were on the whole as important duties as life presented. But this airy and wholly wonderful person was Lieutenant Willoughby Osborne, a young Political, who was performing the astounding feat of keeping Rewah quiet, entirely by himself. A solitary European without a comrade-a soldier, you may say, without a regiment was by sheer force of character overawing the authorities of Rewah.

The King had made off to a jungle fortress at that particular juncture; but shortly before we arrived a Durbar had been held, where the Sudder Ameen, who was a Mahomedan, had spoken against the British Government, and on hearing him (or learning about him, he may possibly not have been present), Osborne insisted on the King putting him under arrest, and was so urgent that his wishes were actually carried out, and the Sudder Ameen found himself in prison. To give the impression of being generally aware of what was going on, Osborne moved about a

D

good deal, travelling hither and thither on the mail cart still remaining in these territories. As he was passing a village on one occasion, a Brahmin, who seemed to be a man in authority, took the opportunity of calling him what may be translated as a "blackguard Feringhee," or "Frank." An ill-fated speech! Osborne stopped the cart, descended, seized the Brahmin, tied him behind with the horse's heelropes, and started again. After a long run of some miles the breathless one was relieved at an uncomfortable distance from his home, with the recommendation to be more circumspect in his language for the future. I hope our company was some gratification, after such anxious solitude, to this brave and remarkable man. His society was certainly most exhilarating to us, giving us increased trust in our cause, and a desire to aid it to the best of our powers.

The rains still held off. One could not but remember how, in former years, one had watched the sky in the overpowering heat for symptoms of coming disturbance, whilst now as great desire was felt that the dry sunshine might last a little longer. It lasted, but the mornings and the evenings were growing overcast, and at length we approached Mirzapore, Bews having given me a seat in his dog-cart, and as we sat there-strange figures wrapt in native blankets-we could scarcely wonder at the rain which descended in torrents, and danced and glinted from its own puddles on the road. On, on-through the streaming streets and under the dripping trees-till we pulled up at the noble old house then occupied by the Magistrate, but afterwards usually the home of the Judge, till, some years later, during my tenancy, it ceased to be so; for the

hungry river gnawed the banks around it, and left it—if more conspicuous-uncomfortable, and only moderately. safe. We were welcomed by St. George Tucker, brother of the gentleman I had parted from in the little garden-plot at Futtehpore. And standing by him, as his Assistant, was a young man whose subsequent brilliant career is known to all-Charles (now Sir Charles) Elliott. I would mention a trifling incident as illustrative of the times. After descending that remarkable Steep which separates the tableland of Rewah from the valley of the Ganges, we reached a staging bungalow, where a native Raja, belonging to the Allahabad district, was awaiting our arrival. Eggs in profusion, plenty of milk, all the vegetables in season; hay for our horses, sweetmeats for our men—all were forthcoming. And I "must write a certificate" to say how we had been welcomed; for of the loyalty of a Prince, who catered for English nomads without even being asked to do so, who could doubt? "Perhaps I would especially remark that the Raja who held this testimonial had warmly espoused the British side." Would you learn the cause of our host's solicitude? Neill had reached Benares!

IV

MAKING FOR HEADQUARTERS

It was Sunday, but we had lost note of time, and were only recalled to the fact when St. George Tucker suggested afternoon church. The little fabric used for Divine service was just opposite his gate, and was of the order of architecture which might be called "gimcrack." It looked as if one so disposed might lift it off the ground, put a pastille under it, replace it and allow the fragrant smoke to issue out of the little steeple. However, as Tucker simply remarked, “devotion was pretty well the only stand-by left." So we, in due course, when refreshed and dried, assembled and heard prayers read.

The position of Mirzapore was peculiar; the Sepoys had not mutinied, and there had been no outbreak in the city. It was said that owing to the suggestions of Colonel Pott, who commanded the regiment-the 47th-and through whose admirable arrangements it was kept at least from open sympathy with the rebel cause, many of the Sepoys who had saved money had lent it out at interest. Neither a sudden break-up nor a rising of the rabble suited, therefore, the views of these men. Still, the feeling was very far from being one of security; recent events at Benares had created great excitement, and there was the chance that the Sepoys might break out from apprehension of attack;

whilst in the city the merchants and bankers were timid and cold-hearted, and there had always existed, beside and around these, a strong element of bad characters. The atmosphere, however, at the Magistrate's house was one of hope and calmness.

We had, of course, to keep our onward progress steadily in view, and hearing that a steamer was expected with troops for Allahabad, it seemed a good plan to secure a passage, and let our horses come after us by road. Our party had gradually dwindled; the ladies were moving South; on others Allahabad had no claim; Mayne had gone back Rewah way, to remain near his own district. But we were still five or six, and being informed that the steamer had arrived, and having made arrangements with our servants, we went down to the river bank. The steamer was duly there, and we went on board, and found it full of men of the 64th Queen's. We were just arranging to stow away our traps, when Major Stirling, who commanded the detachment, came up, and though he was perfectly courteous, yet he remonstrated, strongly enough, against our coming on board. He said the crowding was uncomfortable as it was, that the boat had knocked a hole in her bottom, which had only been tinkered up, that she moved very slowly, and any additional weight, however slight, was undesirable. Macnaghten, excellent fellow as he always was, keeping the goal steadily in view, urged that we ought to persevere, notwithstanding the fact that we were clearly unwelcome. But Bews and I thought that if the boat was so slow, the object of our going in it was in a measure removed, and at last it was decided that we should land again, and at once start by road. And this we