At that time it was the custom for a staff officer, who had charge of any Government property, to have a guard of Native soldiers in charge of his house.  That night it happened that my guard was furnished by the 64th Native Infantry, a regiment with a particularly bad reputation, and which had, in order to give effect to the measures proposed at the morning’s meeting, been ordered to leave Peshawar and proceed to the outposts.  The intercepted letters showed that this regiment was on the point of mutinying, and I could not help feeling, as I lay down on my bed, which, as usual in the hot weather, was placed in the verandah for the sake of coolness, how completely I was at the mercy of the sentry who walked up and down within a few feet of me.  Fortunately, he was not aware that his regiment was suspected, and could not know the reason for the sudden order to march, or my career might have been ended then and there.

Within a week from that time I had started for Rawal Pindi to be ready to join the Movable Column, which was to be formed at Wazirabad as soon as the troops could be got together.  I took with me only just enough kit for a hot-weather march, and left everything standing in my house just as it was, little thinking that I should never return to it or be quartered in Peshawar again.

[Footnote 1:  Place where the arms and accoutrements of Native regiments were kept.]

[Footnote 2:  This name was the origin of the sepoys generally being called Pandies.]

[Footnote 3:  At Meerut, Delhi, and Rurki, and in the Punjab there were: 

British Troops.

MEN.     GUNS.
2 Regiments of Cavalry             1,410
12 Regiments of Infantry           12,624
9 Troops of Horse Artillery        1,017     54
5 Light Field Batteries              415     30
10 Companies of Foot Artillerymen     837
------     --
Total       16,303     84

Native Troops.

MEN.  GUNS.
7 Regiments of Light Cavalry 3,514
14 Regiments of Irregular Cavalry and
Guides Cavalry 8,519
31 Regiments of Regular Infantry }
15 Regiments of Irregular Infantry and } 50,188
Guides Infantry }
3 Troops of Horse Artillery 411 18
6 Light Field Batteries 930 30 (3 batteries had
only 4 guns each)
2 Mountain Batteries 192 14 (1 battery had 8,
the other 6 guns)
3 Companies of Foot Artillery 330
Head-Quarters and 12 Companies of
Sappers and Miners 1,394
------ --
Total 65,478 62

The above figures show the troops at full strength.  There were probably not more than 15,000 British soldiers in the Punjab available for duty in May, 1857.]