d
begums for their own safety, but I don't think many of them were
over-thankful for the protection. Major Bruce, with an escort, removed
the ladies the next day, and I took leave of my communicative friend and
the begums without reluctance, and rejoined my company, glad to be rid
of such a dangerous charge.

Except the company which stormed the Doorgah, the rest of the
Ninety-Third were employed more as guards on our return to the city; but
about the 23rd of the month Captain Burroughs and his company were
detailed, with some of Brazier's Sikhs, to drive a lot of rebels from
some mosques and large buildings which were the last positions held by
the enemy. If I remember rightly, Burroughs was then fourth on the list
of captains, and he got command of the regiment five years after,
through deaths by cholera, in Peshawar in 1862. The Ninety-Third had
three commanding officers in one day! Lieutenant-Colonel MacDonald and
Major Middleton both died within a few hours of each other, and
Burroughs at once became senior major and succeeded to the command, the
senior colonel, Sir H. Stisted, being in command of a brigade in Bengal.
Burroughs was born in India and was sent to France early for his
education, at least for the military part of it, and was a cadet of the
_Ecole Polytechnique_ of Paris. This accounted for his excellent
swordsmanship, his thorough knowledge of French, and his foreign accent.
Burroughs was an accomplished _maitre d'armes_. When he joined the
Ninety-Third as an ensign in 1850 he was known as "Wee Frenchie." I
don't exactly remember his height, I think it was under five feet; but
what he wanted in size he made up in pluck and endurance. He served
throughout the Crimean war, and was never a day absent. It was he who
volunteered to lead the forlorn hope when it was thought the Highland
Brigade were to storm the Redan, before it was known that the Russians
had evacuated the position. At the relief of Lucknow he was not the
first man through the hole in the Secundrabagh; that was Lance-Corporal
Dunley of Burroughs' company; Sergeant-Major Murray was the second, and
was killed inside; the third was a Sikh _sirdar_, Gokul Sing, of the
Fourth Punjab Infantry, and Burroughs was either the fourth or fifth. He
was certainly the first _officer_ of the regiment inside, and was
immediately attacked by an Oude Irregular _sowar_ armed with _tulwar_
and shield, who nearly slashed Burroughs' right ear off before he got
p