artillery immediately dashed forward and cut their line in two. The General could not tell whether the main body of the rebels was to his right (i. e., their rear) or to his left. But as the party on the right might have attacked the baggage, he resolved to deal with them. They were quite panic-struck, and fled to the number of three or four thousand in a northerly direction to the jungles they had just quitted, and where they afterwards dispersed. The leaders had been with the other party in front, and cheerfully accepted the opportunity of effecting an escape while a wing of their army was being thus cut up and scattered. Next day (the 26th), Colonel Beecher, with the 1st Regiment, Beatson's Horse (newly raised), en route from the Deccan to join General Michel, accidentally found himself in close proximity to Tantia, and did not hesitate to attack him-rather a dangerous experiment, but which perfectly succeeded, for his raw levies cut up a number of rebels. During the march to and action at Khoraie, Brigadier Parke had time to reach Basoda, a position which covered the country to the west of the rebels, including Indore, but their road to the south was still quite open. At no time since Tantia Topee was driven out of Gwalior, or indeed since the fall of Delhi, had the Bombay and Madras Governments felt so seriously alarmed as they did on receipt of the intelligence that he had got to the south of all the columns in Malwa, and would cross the Nerbudda in a few days. During the previous year the minor presidencies, which comprise the southern half of India, heard with a terrible interest accounts of the revolt in Bengal, which might some day infect their own territories, but they had hitherto been providentially preserved. When the flag of rebellion was raised by Bengal regiments stationed near their borders, it had always been carried towards Oude and Delhi. At the very commencement of the mutiny, the 1st Bombay Lancers, four hundred strong, were stationed at Nusseerabad, with two thousand Bengal infantry, and a company of native artillery with six guns attached: the Bengal troops

all mutinied at a preconcerted signal, but while they were plundering and burning the cantonment, the lancers detached one party to save the European officers of the mutinous regiments, which they succeeded in doing, while another party made a determined effort to deprive the mutineers of their guns.

To the disaffected districts the Bombay and Madras Governments despatched native troops, who combated not unworthily by the side of their European brethren. But a large proportion of the Bombay population and army are Mahrattas, and it was not desirable their hitherto unshaken fidelity should be exposed to the temptation of a Mahratta leader appearing in the midst of them, with an appeal to their nationality and religion in favour of the representative of a dynasty to which they all looked back with pride.

To the eastward of Bombay lay the broad territories of the Nizam, which, since Oude ceased to be a separate kingdom, was the most turbulent part of India. The capital, Hyderabad, and several of the provincial towns, swarmed with Arabs and Rohillas, mercenaries who were willing to serve any master, and lost no opportunity of fomenting disturbances likely to render their service necessary.

Fortunately for our Indian empire, the reins of government at Hyderabad were throughout the mutinies held by an enlightened minister, called Salar Jung, who steadily adhered to the treaties between the British and Nizam, in spite of all the intrigues going on around him; and on one occasion, when a large mob of fanatics wished to burn the English Residency, he repulsed them with grape-shot. The Nizam's own force, and a contingent paid by him, but commanded by English officers, remained faithful, and did good service when called out during the mutinies.

Between the Nizam's dominions and the Nerbudda lay the Nagpore territory, not many years ago an independent state, but now absorbed in the British dominions. It was into the Nagpore district that Tantia Topee crossed the Nerbudda, about forty miles above Hoshungabad. He di

rected his march by Futtypore and Mooltaee towards the town of Nagpore itself, but a force from that place headed him, and he turned westward, hoping that at the Meilghaut or Asseergurh he could find an unguarded pass through the hills which lay to the south between him and the Deccan. But Brigadier Hill, of the Nizam's Contingent, was watching at the Meilghaut with a large cavalry force. Farther to the west, on the borders of Candeish, in the Bombay Presidency, Sir Hugh Rose made arrangements for preventing the rebels getting into that district, and Tantia Topee never ventured to cross the narrow range of hills which runs near the north bank of the Taptee, parallel to that river and the Nerbudda; although south of the Taptee lay the very territory to which the Nana laid claim as his rightful inheritance.

On the 19th of November the rebels reached the town of Kurgoon, and, finding themselves well ahead of the pursuing columns, halted to refresh, and deliberate on their further movements. General Michel, after the action of Khoraie, soon discovered the route which their leaders had taken. He followed in the same direction, though not precisely in their path. Parke was ordered to Hoshungabad, where the General joined him on the 7th with his cavalry only, the infantry having been left at Bhilsah to recruit.

On the same day the rebels were near Mooltaee, eighty miles southeast of Hoshungabad. The long start they had obtained made it difficult for the General to procure information regarding them, and the local officials knew nothing about the country or roads to the south. Leaving Parke at Hoshungabad, he moved on to Baitool, where matters in this respect were worse than ever, and the maps of the district found very incorrect. Suspecting, however, that the rebels would find a difficulty in getting through the hills to the south, he ordered Parke to march from Hoshungabad to Charwah, and moved himself towards the same point. When Tantia Topee crossed the Nerbudda, the authorities at Indore and Mhow thought he had quitted Malwa for good. But they

VOL. LXXXVIII.-NO, DXXXVIII.

became alarmed when the intelligence arrived of his movements on the south of that river, bringing him again nearer Holkar's capital. Most of the brigade, including all the cavalry, were distributed among the pursuing columns. No danger was apprehended for the Mhow cantonment, which a few infantry could easily hold, supported by the heavy guns which were mounted on a small fort containing the arsenal. A company of infantry could also maintain the Residency at Indore against the rebels in their present state. But if Tantia chose to march on Indore, he could avoid any infantry detachment from Mhow which might try to stop him; and his appearance in the suburbs of Indore-even now, after all his defeats-would probably have compelled Holkar to fly for his life, as Sindiah had done from Gwalior; while Tantia, with a fresh army and fresh artillery, would again unsettle the country, and the whole business of hunting him down have to be commenced anew. Another consideration was, that if the rebels did not recross the Nerbudda, their present course would bring them to the grand trunk road, along which large supplies of stores for Malwa and Rajpootana were constantly passing from Bombay. The telegraph wires would be cut, and postal communication interrupted.

When General Michel was in the wild districts about Baitool, the transmission of orders was difficult and irregular; so Brigadier Edwards, commanding at Mhow, had to make his own arrangements in concert with Sir R. Hamilton, the GovernorGeneral's agent at Indore. He sent a couple of small infantry detachments to watch the fords of the Nerbudda above Akberpore, where the main road crosses the river. On receiving intelligence from these parts that the rebels appeared to be still moving westward, Major Sutherland, with one of the detachments, comprising one hundred men of the 92d Highlanders and one hundred 4th Bombay Rifles, was ordered to cross the river, and to keep the main road clear.

The distance from Akberpore to the Sindwah Ghaut, where the road

:

passes the hills to Candeish in the Bombay Presidency, is forty-five miles. Major Sutherland took up a position at Jeelwana, thirty miles from Akberpore. Tantia Topee, as we have said before, was at Kurgoon, fifteen miles east of Jeelwana, and the same distance from the Sindwah Ghaut and Major Sutherland considered that, if the rebels tried to descend the Ghaut, he would have time to attack them in the defile, or if they passed across the road between Jeelwana and Akberpore, he could prevent them from remaining more than a few hours upon it. The former contingency was not probable, for Sir H. Rose arrived the same day at the foot of the Ghaut.

On the 21st November, Lieutenant Barras arrived at Mhow with a hundred and twenty camels of a camel corps which was being raised at Nusseerabad for the Malwa division. The camels were all Sandneys, or riding camels. They carried the usual riding - saddle for two men, one of whom sits before, the other behind, the hump. For baggagecamels, one man has the charge of two or three animals, and usually walks beside them; but in the camel corps there was a driver to each camel, who took up a soldier behind him.

Brigadier Edwardes ordered fifty men of the 71st and 92d Highlanders to proceed with the camel corps to join Major Sutherland, which they did in thirty hours, the distance being seventy miles. A camel's action is not very agreeable to those unaccustomed to it. This was the Highlanders' first essay, and all suffered severely, but especially the 92d, who were clad in the garb of the Gael. If it is "ill taking the breeks off a Hielandman," it is all the more easy to take the skin off a part of his person which is never turned towards an enemy. "I wunna mount the camel, I wunna mount the camel!" exclaimed more than one gallant Scotchman after a halt. "Weel, if you wunna mount the camel, you'll stay behind and lose your head to the ræbels," retorted Barras; and, partly by threats and partly by coaxing, with the promise of an immediate action after the

journey, when they might avenge themselves on the rebels for their present agonies, the whole came safely and speedily up. On the forenoon of the 23d, intelligence was brought in that a party of rebels were on the road, about six miles north of Jeelwana;-they cut the telegraph wires and plundered several carts; but as Major Sutherland ascertained it was only a detachment which might be sent to create a diversion, he did not choose to fatigue his small party by dislodging them.

The following morning, at daylight, he took a hundred and twenty Highlanders and eighty sepoys to clear the road; both natives and Europeans took it in turn to ride on Barras's camels. On arriving at the place where the telegraph wire had been cut, no rebels were to be seen, but it was ascertained from a few villagers who had been scared away the previous day, and who were now creeping back to their homes, that Tantia Topee, with his whole force, including two guns which he had found at Kurgoon, and a number of elephants, had passed during the night. Their tracks leading westward were easily found, and the pursuit commenced.

The road for eight miles was strewed with articles, taken by the rebels the previous day from some merchants' carts on the main road: several carts had been brought on and abandoned when the bullocks got tired. The soldiers filled their water-bottles with port or sherry, of which there was enough to have stocked a large cellar, but not a man got intoxicated. A cartload of books had been opened by the rebels during a halt the contents were torn up and strewed in a circle, with a Walker's Pronouncing Dictionary left intact in the middle.

After following for eight miles, the enemy were perceived passing through the town of Rajpore. Major Sutherland kept his party as well together as he could-not an easy matter, for the camel-drivers were scarcely organised to act in concert, and the Highlanders were camel for the second time in their lives. By pushing steadily forward, disregarding stragglers and quantities of abandoned baggage and bag

on a

gage-animals along the road, the main body were approached in half an hour. They formed up along a ravine, and Major Sutherland dismounted his men; but before he had them ready to advance, the rebels retired. This delay gave time for the European and native infantry who were not on camels, but had been marching at a prodigious pace, to come up; and as it was evident the rebels must engage shortly, the whole proceeded together for two miles, when the enemy were again descried formed in order of battle on a rocky ridge, thickly wooded, with their two guns pointing down the road. After a little skirmishing, a party of Highlanders, well supported by the native infantry, rushed up the road under a shower of grape and captured the guns, when the rebels precipitately abandoned their whole position. The loss on both sides was trifling. Lieutenant Humfries, adjutant of the 92d, received a swordcut from the commandant of Tantia Topee's artillery, who was killed at the guns-a loss not much felt by Tantia, who never had any more artillery to command.

Major Sutherland pursued vigorously the next day, and at sunset reached the Nerbudda in time to see the rebel force comfortably encamped on the opposite side. They stood to their arms on his approach, and the British (who had now a much clearer view of them than during the previous day's action in the jungle) could scarcely believe that the host of 3000 or 4000 men, who appeared fairly organised and equipped, had fled from 200 men without artillery. To force a passage over the river 500 yards broad was impossible, so the two parties looked at each other till nightfall, and next morning the rebels were gone.

The pursuit was now taken up by Brigadier Parke, who arrived with a flying column of cavalry, mounted infantry, and two guns. The rebels still marched west along the north bank of the Nerbudda, and were approaching Baroda, a large and wealthy town, capital of the Guicowar, one of the richest native princes in India. Here, as elsewhere, there was a large party eager for revolu

tion, and in communication with the Nana. Sir Richmond Shakespear, the Resident, became extremely anxious, for there were only one hundred Europeans and two native infantry regiments in the place, besides the Guicowar's own troops, who were most likely to take the wrong side. From this suspense he was relieved by the vigour of Brigadier Parke. That officer came up with the rebels, after marching two hundred and forty miles in nine days. He threaded a dense jungle for twenty miles during the last night of November, and in the morning attacked the enemy at Chota Oodeypore. The rebels sounded the British advance, and came forward in front and on both flanks. The right flank was first disposed of by Kerr's Mahratta Horse. The rebels then collected their force on the left flank; a change of front was ef fected by the British line,_the_two guns under Lieutenant Heathorn doing good service. The Highlanders cleared some huts in front, and a charge by three troops of cavalry8th Hussars, 2d Bombay Cavalry, and Mahratta Horse-completed the rebels' discomfiture. They were followed and cut up till the remnant dispersed in the jungles.

A few of the rebel horse, in their flight, crossed the road by which Parke had marched into action, and killed a Highlander in a litter, besides several coolies and camel-men. Parke had some trouble in allaying the panic which this occasioned among his followers. The news, with infinite exaggeration, soon spread all over the division. For some time, in the camps and cantonments, the untwallas or camel-men, as they sat by the camp fires, with their camels kneeling in a circle round them—the hattiwallas, or elephant-drivers, as they discussed the flour and sugar which had been issued by the commissariat for their elephants-the ghorewallas, and dooleewallas, and all the infinite families of the genus wallah-had no other topic of conversation than the dreadful massacre of four or five hundred of their brethren with Parke Sahib. Fortunately the alarm soon subsided, when the real truth was known. If an army is a necessary evil to a nation, camp-fo!

lowers are a necessary evil to an army, and a strike among them would be as bad as a sepoy mutiny.

Brigadier Parke was unable to move for some days. His horses were knocked up, and a number of stragglers remained behind, who gradually came in. During the interval he procured fresh supplies for the European troops from Baroda. Tantia collected his scattered force in the dense forests of Banswara, which are inhabited by a wild race called Bheels. This district is bounded on

the south by the Nerbudda, on the west by the fertile province of Goojerat, and on the north and east it extends to where a rise of a thousand feet takes place to the table-lands of Rajpootana and Malwa. The passes, on the last two sides especially, are few and difficult. General Roberts, who commanded the Goojerat division, made arrangements to prevent the rebels entering his district. General Michel (who had returned to Mhow) directed a force from Neemuch, under Major Rocke, to protect Oodeypore, and to overawe Saloombur, the nearest Rajpootana states. Oodeypore is the capital of the province of Meywar, and the seat of government of the first prince in Rajpootana. Saloombur is a dependency of Oodeypore, belonging to the elder branch of the Oodey pore family, whose ancestor surrendered his rights in favour of his younger brother-an act for which his descendants have not felt particularly grateful.

Another column, under Colonel Benson of the 17th Lancers, which had returned with General Michel to Mhow, was pushed forward to the eastern side of Banswara, with instructions to watch the passes into Malwa. The rebels went to Saloombur, but were not admitted into the fort; Major Rocke's column took a position at Bhansra, whence he could march to Oodeypore if threatened, and commanded several of the passes leading northwards. Tantia again turned south to the densest part of the jungle, and it was seriously proposed to surrender. The great majority of the rebels, had they believed in the amnesty proclaimed throughout India to all not proved to be murderers, would have come in

at once, but the chiefs who were murderers persuaded their credulous followers that the amnesty was merely a snare, and that all who fell into the hands of the British were executed without delay. They were cheered at this juncture by the intelligence of Prince Feroze Shah's incursion, and decided on an endeavour to unité their forces with his. During their wanderings in Central India, the rebel leaders always kept up communications with the Nana and other chiefs in Oude. This was effected by messengers called cossids, who go thirty and forty miles a-day for weeks in succession. The cossids are much employed by merchants; they are accustomed to start on long journeys to places they have not before visited, and pass everywhere without question. Tantia Topee took advantage of the privilege which most generals, especially unsuccessful ones, assume, of depicting the aspect of affairs rather more favourably than they deserved. He could write a brilliant despatch after taking the artillery and stores at Jalra Patun, without giving too many details about the trifling affair at Rajgurh, where they were all lost. The Nana and Begum were delighted to cheer their followers with the news of captured towns and hard-fought battles across the Jumna, and the name of Tantia Topee waxed great in Oude. Feroze Shah, a relation of the imperial family, either believed in Tantia's successes, or thought matters had got so bad in Oude that they could not be worse in Central India. He passed the British cordon in Oude, crossed the Jumna, and commenced a rapid march through the Gwalior territory. Sir Robert Napier, commanding the Gwalior divi sion, surprised him with a cavalry force, killed a number of his followers, and took six elephants. Feroze Shah_still pressed on, and arrived near Rajgurh with a thousand men. He lingered there for a few days, either because it was a rendezvous appointed with Tantia, or to get information of the latter's movements. Brigadier Smith put himself in motion from Seronge, when Feroze Shah marched north-west to Indergurh on the Chumbul.