George Tomkyns Chesney

“ He found the colonel standing on the gravel walk outside the house, apparently to avoid eavesdroppers, talking with Sparrow and Maxwell the doctor. He looked grave and anxious. "I am telling our friends here," he said, when Yorke came up to them, "the result of the council of war held in cantonments this afternoon. It was about as unsatisfactory as such councils always are. It is a thousand pities that Tartar was superseded. General Slough is an old woman. ”

“ Old Slough has decided on a middle course, which will certainly fail, as all middle courses do. One regiment of native infantry is to be sent to Johtuck, nominally to guard the treasure there, in reality to get it out of the way; another is to go to Meharunpoor, for the same reason; the third is to stay here. Of course the sepoys see through this; in fact it is an invitation to them to mutiny and take themselves off. They march for their destination tonight; the Europeans march at two o'clock to-morrow morning, leaving the 80th N.I. behind ”

“ The bushes in the garden near the house should be cut down, so as to destroy cover. The stables are a long way off, but unless they are occupied, and loopholed on the other side, the enemy might collect to any amount behind them and in them. ”

“ We at any rate must stick to our posts, and stand by the nawab, who is really behaving very well, under great temptation to do otherwise, to the last. I have arranged with the people in cantonments that this house shall be the rendezvous. Every house there is thatched ”