At Agra there were the 3d Bengal
Fusiliers, some Sikhs, two troops of horse, and a battery of
artillery. A volunteer corps of clerks and merchants had been
formed, and this I joined, wooden leg and all. We went out to
meet the rebels at Shahgunge early in July, and we beat them back
for a time, but our powder gave out, and we had to fall back upon
the city. Nothing but the worst news came to us from every
side,--which is not to be wondered at, for if you look at the map
you will see that we were right in the heart of it. Lucknow is
rather better than a hundred miles to the east, and Cawnpore
about as far to the south. From every point on the compass there
was nothing but torture and murder and outrage.
"The city of Agra is a great place, swarming with fanatics and
fierce devil-worshippers of all sorts. Our handful of men were
lost among the narrow, winding streets. Our leader moved across
the river, therefore, and took up his position in the old fort at
Agra. I don't know if any of you gentlemen have ever read or
heard anything of that old fort. It is a very queer place,--the
queerest that ever I was in, and I have been in some rum corners,
too. First of all, it is enormous in size.
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