oaches most closely in beauty the incomparable Taj Mahal.
Of red sandstone, with white marble in relief, its windows are recessed
and the lower doors filled in with stone and marble lattice work of
great beauty. The tomb is an octagon and in the central chamber is the
great emperor's cenotaph of plain white marble. Not far away are the
shrines and tombs of many Mohammedan emperors and saints.

Delhi saw some of the fiercest fighting during the mutiny. The
rebellious natives drove the Europeans out of the city, slaughtering
those who were unable to escape. Thousands of mutineers also flocked to
Delhi from Lucknow, Cawnpore and other places. General Bernard, in
command of the English troops that came from Simla, attacked the
mutineers on June sixth and gained an important victory, as it gave the
British possession of "The Ridge," a lofty outcropping of ancient rock,
which was admirably designed for defense and for operations against the
city. Troops were posted all along the Ridge and in Hindoo Rao's house,
a massive building belonging to a loyal native. This building was the
center of many fierce engagements, but it was not until September that
enough troops were collected to make it safe to assault Delhi.
Brigadier-General John Nicholson had arrived from the Punjab and urged
immediate attack on the city. Nicholson was the greatest man the mutiny
produced. Tall, magnetic, dominating, he enforced his will upon every
one. Even Lord Roberts, who was then a young subaltern and not easily
impressed by rank or achievement, records that he never spoke to
Nicholson without feeling the man's enormous will power and energy.
Finally, on September thirteenth, the British guns having made breaches
in the city walls, two forces (one under Nicholson, the other under
Colonel Herbert) stormed the place. The Kabul gate was soon taken, but
the defense of the Lahore gate proved more stubborn. The soldiers
wavered under the deadly fire, when Nicholson rushed forward to lead
them. His great height made him a target and he fell, shot through the
body. A whole week of severe fighting followed before every portion of
Delhi was captured. Nicholson died three days after the British secured
complete control of the city. His death was mourned as greatly as the
death of Sir Henry Lawrence at Lucknow.

The Kashmir, Kabul and Lahore gates at Delhi are interesting because
they were the scenes of many acts of heroism during the mutiny. On the
Ridge a ma