a tremendous fire poured in. Four or five men
fell dead at once, and the poor colonel, who was next to me, was shot
right through the head. Everyone rushed to his sword and drew his
pistol--for we had been ordered to carry pistols as part of our uniform.
I was next to Charley Simmonds as the Sepoys of both regiments, headed
by Subadar Piran, poured in at the windows.

"'I have it now,' Charley said; 'it is the scene I dreamed.'

"As he spoke he fired his revolver at the subadar, who fell dead in his
tracks.

"A Sepoy close by leveled his musket and fired. Charley fell, and the
fellow rushed forward to bayonet him. As he did so I sent a bullet
through his head, and he fell across Charley. It was a wild fight for a
minute or two, and then a few of us made a sudden rush together, cut our
way through the mutineers, and darted through an open window on to the
parade. There were shouts, shots, and screams from the officers'
bungalows, and in several places flames were already rising. What
became of the other men I knew not; I made as hard as I could tear for
the colonel's bungalow. Suddenly I came upon a sowar sitting on his
horse watching the rising flames. Before he saw me I was on him, and ran
him through. I leapt on his horse and galloped down to Gardiner's
compound. I saw lots of Sepoys in and around the bungalow, all engaged
in looting. I dashed into the compound.

"'May! May!' I shouted. 'Where are you?'

"I had scarcely spoken before a dark figure rushed out of a clump of
bushes close by with a scream of delight.

"In an instant she was on the horse before me, and, shooting down a
couple of fellows who made a rush at my reins, I dashed out again. Stray
shots were fired after us. But fortunately the Sepoys were all busy
looting, most of them had laid down their muskets, and no one really
took up the pursuit. I turned off from the parade-ground, dashed down
between the hedges of two compounds, and in another minute we were in
the open country.

"Fortunately, the cavalry were all down looting their own lines, or we
must have been overtaken at once. May happily had fainted as I lifted
her on to my horse--happily, because the fearful screams that we heard
from the various bungalows almost drove me mad, and would probably have
killed her, for the poor ladies were all her intimate friends.

"I rode on for some hours, till I felt quite safe from any immediate
pursuit, and then we halted in the shelter of a clump of t