Page:Sir Henry Lawrence, the Pacificator.djvu/193

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184
SIR HENRY LAWRENCE

Lucknow, while the Sepoys there were rising in mutiny, a company of the 84th Foot, which had reached him from Allahábád. Further, it may be noted, as some justification of his view of the feelings of the Sepoys whom he was commanding, that when they did mutiny, they did not at once turn on the officers or the English garrison and community, but moved off towards Delhi to join in the conflict there. It was owing to the solicitation of the Náná Sáhib, and the inducements which he held out to them, that they returned to Cawnpur to join in the attack and take part in the horrors that ensued.

The outbreak at Lucknow was followed by the mutinies at all the out-stations in Oudh itself, as well as in the neighbouring districts. Bareilly and Sháhjahánpur rose on May 31, Sítápur and Azamgarh on June 3, Benares on the 4th, Jaunpur and Cawnpur on the 5th, Allahábád on the 6th, and the rest on the three following days. These mutinies need not be described here. The conduct of the Sepoys varied greatly — from murder and maltreatment in some cases to assisting and escorting officers and families in others. The Tálukdárs and chiefs were most of them helpful, a few were the opposite; among the latter were those of Pudnaha, Mitauli and Dhowrera. The Rájás of Bulrámpur, of Birhar, and Gopálpur; Rústam Sáh of Dera, Hunwunt Singh of Dharupur, Rájá Hardeo Baksh, and the chiefs of Amethi and of all the Baiswára clans, excepting Bábu Rám Baksh of Dundea Khera — all of these, mindful of Sir Henry's