In Times of Peril eBook

The boat had, although many on board had been hit by rifle balls, escaped the first day.  She was crowded, and very low in the water, having on board most of those who had been in the two boats sunk by the enemy.  The next day they were again fired at without effect by artillery, infantry accompanying the boat all day, and keeping up an incessant fire.  On the third day the boat was no longer serviceable, and grounded on a sand-bank.  Then the enemy’s infantry fired so heavily that those still able to carry arms, fourteen in number, made for the shore and attacked their foes.  These fell back, and the handful of Englishmen followed them.  Great numbers of the enemy now came up, and the English took refuge in a little temple; here they defended themselves till the enemy piled bushes at the entrance, and set them on fire.  Then the English burst through the flames, and made again for the river.  Seven out of the twelve who got through the fire reached the river, but of these two were shot before they had swum far.  Three miles lower down, one of the survivors, an artilleryman, swimming on his back, went too near the bank and was killed.  Six miles lower down the firing ceased, and soon afterward the four survivors were hailed by natives, who shouted to them to come ashore, as their master, the rajah, was friendly to the English.  They did so, and were most kindly received by him.

An abundant meal and another good sleep did wonders for the young Warreners, and the next morning they determined to set out to join their countrymen at Allahabad, where they expected to find their father and his troops.  The rajah and their fellow-countrymen endeavored in vain to dissuade them, but the former, finding that they were determined, gave them dresses as native women, furnished them with a guide, and sent them across the river in a boat—­for they were on the Oude side—­with a message to a zemindar there to help them forward.

CHAPTER XI

RETRIBUTION BEGINS.

The zemindar to whom the Warreners’ guide conducted them, after crossing the Ganges, received them kindly, and told them that the safest way would be for them to go on in a hackery, or native cart, and placed one at once at their disposal, with a trusty man as a driver, and another to accompany them in the hackery.  He told them that British troops were, it was said, arriving fast at Allahabad, and that it was even reported that an advance had already taken place.  Nana Sahib would, it was said, meet them at Futtehpore, a place forty-eight miles from Cawnpore, and seventy-five from Allahabad.  As yet, however, none of his troops had reached Futtehpore, which was fortunate, for the main road ran through that place, which was but twenty miles from the point where they had crossed the Ganges; and although they would keep by a road near the river, and so avoid the town, the Nana’s troops would be sure to be scouring the country.  This news decided them not to accept the zemindar’s invitation to stay the night and start the next morning early.  It was still but little past noon, and they might do many miles before darkness.