“Phew!  There must be some mistake, your fears must have misled you.  The men may be somewhat excited.  I will go down and reason with them—­they will listen to me, for they know I am their friend”—­and the General turned his horse’s head in the direction of the Sepoy lines, requesting him to follow.  The Adjutant replied: 

“My instructions from the Colonel were to report the circumstance to you, then ride to the horse artillery and acquaint Major Huntingdon and others with it,” then, saluting his superior officer, he galloped off.  Bursting with indignation at the conduct of those around him, who, until the last few hours, were ready to obey without scruple any order, he might give, the General called his Brigade Major, and ordered him to ride with him.  That officer shrugged his shoulders, but obeyed the command, and they rode off together.  They were soon recognized by the mutineers.  A hurried consultation among the native commissioned and non-commissioned officers took place.  Some Were for arresting the Brigadier and his Major of Brigade, and holding them prisoners until the guns and Fort were surrendered to them; others were of a different opinion, and insisted that the two officers should be put to death.  They argued that delay was dangerous; reinforcements of Europeans might arrive at any hour, and that nothing would be left for them but to make a rapid retrograde movement, and advised the immediate looting of the town.  This party, being the strongest and most clamorous, carried their point; and three Sepoys thereupon leveled their muskets and fired, but without having any effect, as the bullets flew wide of their mark.  But this was the signal that the irregular cavalry were so anxiously watching for, and immediately encircled the two unfortunate gentlemen who, drawing their weapons, prepared to defend their lives to the last.  But what could two men do against a score of fanatical ruffians, thirsting for the blood of Christians.  Some of the troopers fell from the effect of the bullets from the Brigadier’s revolver, and some were severely wounded by the sabre of poor Captain Grey, but all to no purpose; they were soon overpowered and literally hewn to pieces by the sowars of the cavalry who, by this time, had been joined by the regulars.  The party then started off at a canter to the artillery lines, to secure the guns and open the magazine, if they could but obtain the key from the ordinance warrant officer, while the infantry made an attempt to carry the Fort by storm; but having neither guns nor scaling ladders, they signally failed in their attempt, and suffered considerable loss from the spherical case and round shot that was hurled at them from the guns of the fort.  The party, to whom fell the work of plundering the Bazaar, were, for a time, very successful, and numerous large Bungalows were soon in a blaze.