day we advanced from the Alumbagh. Our rifles had in
fact got so foul with four days' heavy work that it was almost
impossible to load them, and the recoil had become so great that the
shoulders of many of the men were perfectly black with bruises. As soon
as our rifles were cleaned, a number of the best shots in the company
were selected to try and silence the fire from the battery in the
Badshahibagh across the river, which was annoying us by endeavouring to
pitch hot shot and shell into the tomb, and to shorten the distance they
had brought their guns outside the gate on to the open ground. They
evidently as yet did not understand the range of the Enfield rifle, as
they now came within about a thousand to twelve hundred yards of the
wall of the Shah Nujeef next the river. Some twenty of the best shots in
the company, with carefully cleaned and loaded rifles, watched till they
saw a good number of the enemy near their guns, then, raising sights to
the full height and carefully aiming high, they fired a volley by word
of command slowly given--_one, two, fire!_ and about half a dozen of the
enemy were knocked over. They at once withdrew their guns inside the
Badshahibagh and shut the gate, and did not molest us any more.

During the early part of the forenoon we had several men struck by rifle
bullets fired from one of the minarets in the Motee Mahal, which was
said to be occupied by one of the ex-King of Oude's eunuchs who was a
first-rate marksman, and armed with an excellent rifle; from his
elevated position in the minaret he could see right into the square of
the Shah Nujeef. We soon had several men wounded, and as there was no
surgeon with us Captain Dawson sent me back to where the field-hospital
was formed near the Secundrabagh, to ask Dr. Munro if an
assistant-surgeon could be spared for our post. But Dr. Munro told me to
tell Captain Dawson that it was impossible to spare an assistant-surgeon
or even an apothecary, because he had just been informed that the
Mess-House and Motee Mahal were to be assaulted at two o'clock, and
every medical officer would be required on the spot; but he would try
and send a hospital-attendant with a supply of lint and bandages. By the
time I got back the assault on the Mess-House had begun, and Sergeant
Findlay, before mentioned, was sent with a _dooly_ and a supply of
bandages, lint, and dressing, to do the best he could for any of ours
who might be wounded.

About half an hour