CHAPTER X

THE STRANGE STORY OF JAMIE GREEN

When we returned to Cawnpore, although we had been barely two months
away, we found it much altered. Many of the burnt-down bungalows were
being rebuilt, and the fort at the end of the bridge of boats had become
quite a strong place. The well where the murdered women and children
were buried was now completely filled up, and a wooden cross erected
over it. I visited the slaughter-house again, and found the walls of the
several rooms all scribbled over both in pencil and charcoal. This had
been done since my first visit in October; I am positive on this point.
The unfortunate women who were murdered in the house left no writing on
the walls whatever. There was writing on the walls of the barrack-rooms
of Wheeler's entrenchment, mostly notes that had been made during the
siege, but none on the walls of the slaughter-house. As mentioned in my
last chapter, we only halted one day in Cawnpore before crossing into
Oude, and marching to Oonao about the 10th of February, we encamped
there as a guard for the siege-train and ordnance-park which was being
pushed on to Lucknow.

While at Oonao a strange thing happened, which I shall here set down.
Men live such busy lives in India that many who may have heard the story
at the time have possibly forgotten all about it, while to most of my
home-staying readers it will be quite fresh.

Towards the end of February, 1858, the army for the siege of Lucknow was
gradually being massed in front of the doomed city, and lay, like a huge
boa-constrictor coiled and ready for its spring, all along the road from
Cawnpore to the Alumbagh. A strong division, consisting of the
Forty-Second and Ninety-Third Highlanders, the Fifty-Third, the Ninth
Lancers, Peel's Naval Brigade, the siege-train, and several batteries of
field-artillery, with the Fourth Punjab Infantry and other Punjabee
corps, lay at Oonao under the command of General Sir Edward Lugard and
Brigadier Adrian Hope. We had been encamped in that place for about ten
days,--the monotony of our lives being only occasionally broken by the
sound of distant cannonading in front--when we heard that General
Outram's position at the Alumbagh had been vigorously attacked by a
force from Lucknow, sometimes led by the Moulvie, and at others by the
Begum in person. Now and then somewhat duller sounds came from the rear,
which, we understood, arose from the operations of Sir Robert Napier and
his eng