eady
success, the earliest meeting held by the conspirators, and their
proceedings on and subsequent to their mutiny, from the 1st of June to
the advance of the British force in July. The evidence shows the Nana's
brother, Bala Sahib, to have taken as (if not more) active and prominent
a part as even the Nana himself. There are no traces of any conspiracy
prior to the arrival of the Nana at Cawnpore, on the 22nd of May, 1857,
with the two guns, and 300 horse and foot, for the avowed purpose of
aiding in the maintenance of order. But about that time it would seem
that two sowars, the one named Rahem Khan, of Bishenpore, near Bithoor,
the other Muddut Alee, of Bancla, and in the service of the Nana, were
employed by Bala Sahib to corrupt the fidelity of the troops. The 2nd
Cavalry, already ripe for mutiny, needed but little persuasion." Among
those who perished were the heroic General Wheeler and his heroine
daughter.

In Lucknow, the capital of Oude, Sir Henry Lawrence (brother to Sir
John) maintained a resolute defence, but was wounded in a sortie, and
died of his wound. Colonel Inglis afterwards maintained the defence with
true British obstinacy and intrepidity.

The time at last arrived when the tide of tumult and blood should be
rolled back upon the mutinous garrisons and rebel cities in the southern
parts of Upper Bengal, in Oude, and in Central India. Brig.-gen. Neill,
of the Madras Fusiliers, having with detachments of his regiment been
sent on to Allahabad, restored order and even tranquillity to that
place, as related on a previous page. On the return to India of the
portion of the expeditionary army of Persia, under General Havelock,
that officer was sent on to Allahabad, and superseding Brig.-gen. Neill
in the command, he marched at the head of what forces he could muster,
about 2,000 men, to the relief of Cawnpore. He had to fight his way
thither, displaying extraordinary valour and military genius. With his
small force he conquered Cawnpore, and drove the rebel Nana to Bithoor;
but, alas! the noble garrison of Wheeler was not relieved on the advance
of Havelock: the Nana, driven to despair, perpetrated the wholesale
murder which blackens the page of Indian history with the name of
Cawnpore. Havelock resolved on tracking the murderer to his den: Bithoor
was attacked, and the Nana beaten. Havelock ordered Neill to bring on
all his forces from Allahabad that could possibly be spared, and that
officer took the