the 200 women and children. They were hacked to
death with swords, bayonets, knives and axes. Their remains were thrown
into a well. At 2 p.m. Havelock toiled on with a thousand Europeans and
three hundred Sikhs, and without cavalry and artillery, to meet the 5,000
rebels. Failing to silence the enemy's batteries, Havelock ordered a
bayonet charge. Nana Sahib with his followers took flight. He was never
heard from again. The next morning Havelock marched into the station at
Cawnpore, and there found the well filled with mangled human remains. On
July 20, having been reinforced by General Neill, whom he left in charge at
Cawnpore, Havelock set out for the relief of Lucknow.

[Sidenote: The defence of Lucknow]

[Sidenote: Havelock captures Bethan]

The entire province of Oude was in a state of insurrection. The English had
been closely besieged in Lucknow since the last day of May. The garrison
had held out for two months against fifty thousand Hindus. On July 4, Sir
Henry Lawrence was killed by a shell which burst in his room. Two weeks
later, the rebels, learning of the advance of Havelock to Cawnpore,
attacked the Residency with overwhelming force, but the garrison at last
compelled them to retire. By the middle of August, Havelock advanced toward
Bethan with 1,500 men. He met the enemy in force, and overcame him with a
bayonet charge. The Mahratta palace was burned. This ended Havelock's first
campaign against Lucknow. Without cavalry for the pursuit of the enemy, he
fell back to Cawnpore.

During the months which followed the outbreak at Delhi, all political
interest was centred in that ancient capital of Hindustan. Its recapture
was vital to the re-establishment of British sovereignty. In the absence of
railways the British were slow to cope with the situation. Every European
soldier sent for the relief of Delhi from Calcutta was stopped en route. On
June 8, a month after the affair at Delhi, Sir Henry Barnard took the field
at Alipano, ten miles away. He defeated the mutineers, and then marched to
the Ridge and reoccupied the old cantonment, which had been abandoned.

[Sidenote: Defence of Delhi]

[Sidenote: Delhi recaptured]

On June 23, the enemy made a desperate assault, and not long afterward
repeated the attempt. Reinforcements came from the Punjab. The British now
had 8,000 men. With their fifty-four guns they could shell the besiegers.
At last, at 3 a.m. on September 14, three columns were formed for