asperated
at the hard measure dealt out to them before the appointment of Sir
Henry Lawrence as Chief Commissioner. Disbanded sepoys, returning to
their homes in Oudh, swelled the tide of disaffection. Bandits that had
been suppressed under British administration returned to their old work
of robbery and brigandage. All classes took advantage of the anarchy to
murder the money-lenders. Meanwhile the country was bristling with the
fortresses of the talukdars; and the cultivators, deprived of the
protection of the English, naturally flocked for refuge to the
strongholds of their old masters.

The English, who had been lords of Hindustan ever since the beginning of
the century, had been closely besieged in the residency at Lucknow ever
since the final outbreak of May 30th. For nearly two months the garrison
had held out with a dauntless intrepidity, while confidently waiting for
reinforcements that seemed never to come. "Never surrender" had been
from the first the passionate conviction of Sir Henry Lawrence; and the
massacre at Cawnpore on June 27th impressed every soldier in the
garrison with a like resolution. On July 2d the Muchi Bawen was
abandoned, and the garrison and stores were removed to the residency. On
July 4th Sir Henry Lawrence was killed by the bursting of a shell in a
room where he lay wounded; and his dying counsel to those around him
was, "Never surrender!"

On July 20th the rebel force round Lucknow heard of the advance of
General Havelock to Cawnpore, and attacked the residency in overwhelming
force. They kept up a continual fire of musketry while pounding away
with their heavy guns; but the garrison held their ground against shot
and shell, and before the day was over the dense masses of assailants
were forced to retire from the walls.

Between July 20th and 25th General Havelock began to cross the Ganges
and make his way into Oudh territory; but he was unable to relieve
Lucknow. His small force was weakened by heat and fever and reduced by
cholera and dysentery; while the enemy occupied strong positions on both
flanks. In the middle of August he fell back upon Cawnpore.

During the four months that followed the revolt at Delhi on May 11th,
all political interest was centred at the ancient capital of the
sovereigns of Hindustan. The public mind was occasionally distracted by
the current of events at Cawnpore and Lucknow, as well as at other
stations which need not be particularized; but so long as