.

They reached Cawnpore on the morning of the 11th, and learned that
the column had left on the 9th, but was halting at Buntara. Not a
moment was lost. Each man received six days' provisions from the
commissariat stores, and two hours after landing the regiment was
on the march and arrived late at night at Buntara, being received
with hearty cheers by the troops assembled there.

They learned that they were to go forward on the following morning.
Weary, but in high spirits at finding that they had arrived in
time, the regiment lighted its fires and bivouacked.

"This has been a close shave indeed, Mallett," one of the other
captains said, as a party of them sat round a fire. "We won by a
short head."

"Short indeed, Ackers. It has been a race all the way from England,
and it is marvellous indeed that we should arrive just in time to
take part in the relief of Lucknow. A day later and we should have
missed it."

"We should not have done that, Mallett, for the men would have
marched all night, and, if necessary, all day tomorrow, to catch
up. Still, it is a wonderful fluke that after all we should be in
time."

"There is no doubt that it will be a tough business," one of the
majors said. "Havelock found it so, and I expect that the lesson he
taught them hasn't been lost, and that we shall have to meet
greater difficulties than even he had."

"Yes, but look at our force. Sixteen guns of Horse Artillery, a
heavy field battery, and the Naval Brigade with eight guns; the 9th
Lancers, the Punjaub Cavalry, and Hodson's Horse; four British
regiments of infantry and two of Punjaubies, besides a column 1,500
strong which is expected to join us tomorrow or next day.

"I hope in any case, Major, that we shan't follow the line Havelock
took through the narrow streets, for there we cannot use our
strength; but will manage to approach the Residency from some other
direction. We know that it stands near the river, and at the very
edge of the town, so there ought to be some other way of getting at
it. I consider that we are a match for any number of these
scoundrels if we do but get a fair ground for fighting, which we
certainly should not do in the streets of the town."

"I don't care how it is, so that we do get at them," another
officer said. "We have heard such frightful details of their
atrocities as we came up that one is burning to get at close
quarters with them. I suppose we shall go to the Alumbagh first,
and rel