talion of Sepoys, whose officers reported that they might be depended upon, was despatched with two field-pieces in pursuit of the deserters. They came up with them in the night, surprised them while asleep, made them prisoners, and marched them back to the cantonment.
The officer commanding the detachment having sent forward an express, announcing the precise hour at which his arrival with the prisoners might be expected, Major Munro was prepared to receive them with the troops under arms. He immediately ordered their officers to pick out from the deserters fifty of those who bore the worst character, and who were likely to have been authors of the movement, or chief actors in it. This being done, a further selection of the twenty-four reputed to be the worst men in the fifty was made, and these were immediately brought to a drum-head court-martial, composed of native officers assembled on the spot. They were found guilty of mutiny and desertion, and sentenced to suffer death; the mode of carrying the sentence into effect being left to the direction of the Commander-in-Chief, he ordered them forthwith to be bound to the guns and blown away.
The order was no sooner made known than four Grenadiers represented that, as they had always enjoyed the post of honour, they were entitled to suffer first. Their desire was complied with; the four men who had been bound to the guns were released, the Grenadiers fastened in their places, and executed.
The officers of the native troops in the field then informed the Major that the Sepoys were resolved not to permit any more men to suffer. He immediately directed the four field-pieces to be loaded with grape-shot, and the Europeans to be drawn up with the guns in intervals between them. The officers who had made the communication were commanded to return to the heads of their battalions, and the men were ordered to ground their arms under pain of being fired upon in case of disobedience or attempt at flight. The order was
