Page:The Indian Mutiny of 1857.djvu/107

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The Magazine partially exploded.
81

be laid, communicating with the powder magazine, to be fired only when every other resource should be exhausted. These arrangements had just been made when sipáhís from the palace came to demand the surrender of the magazine in the name of the King of Dehlí. No answer having been returned to this summons, the King, or someone acting on his behalf, sent down scaling ladders. On these being erected against the wall, the whole of the native establishment, climbing to the top of the wall, deserted by means of them, and joined the rebels. These consisted chiefly of the sipáhís of the 11th and 20th N. I. from Mírath. Against these a fire was kept up as long as possible, but the superiority of numbers was overwhelming. Still, a gallant defence was maintained. Nor was it until Forrest and Buckley had been disabled, and defence had become hopeless, that Willoughby gave the order to fire the train. Not one of the garrison expected to escape with his life. But it was otherwise ordered. Scully, who fired the train, and four of his comrades, were never seen again. They certainly perished; but Willoughby and Forrest succeeded in reaching the Kashmír gate. Raynor and Buckley, too, escaped with their lives. The loss of the assailants was far more severe. It has never, I believe, been mathematically computed, but it may be reckoned by hundreds. Nor were the casualties caused by that explosion the most important consequence of it. It was the first reply to the general revolt; it was the first warning to the King and to the sipáhís of the nature of the men whose vengeance they had dared; the first intimation to the; rebels of the stern and resolute character of the Englishman when thoroughly roused. It was the sound of this explosion, occurring about four o'clock in the afternoon, which startled the English officers and sipáhís assembled at the main-guard. It was the sign for action