y caught sight of the rebels
yelling round the burning building, fully a couple of hundred being
outside; when, not knowing of the sore strait of those within, they had
charged down, driving the murderous black scoundrels before them like so
much chaff.

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But you must not think that our pains were at an end. Is it not told in
the pages of history how for long enough it was a hard fight for a
standing in India, and how our troops were in many places sore put to
it; while home after home was made desolate by the most cruel outrages.
It was many a long week before we could be said to be in safety; but I
don't know that I suffered much beyond the pains of that arm, or rather
that stump, for our surgeon, Mr Hughes, when I grumbled a little at his
taking it off, told me I might be very thankful that I had escaped with
life, for he had never known of such a case before.

But it was rather hard lying alone there in the temporary hospital,
missing the tender hands that one loved.

And yet I have no right to say quite alone, for poor old Measles was on
one side, and Joe Bantem on the other, with Mrs Bantem doing all she
could for us three, as well as five more of our poor fellows.

More than once I heard Mr Hughes talk about the men's wounds, and say
it was wonderful how they could live through them; but live they all
seemed disposed to, except poor Measles, who was terrible bad and
delirious, till one day, when he could hardly speak above a whisper, he
says to me--being quite in his right mind: "I daresay some of you chaps
think that I'm going to take my discharge; but all the same, you're
wrong, for I mean to go in now for promotion!"

He said "now;" but what he did then was to go in for sleep--and sleep he
did for a good four-and-twenty hours--when he woke up grumbling, and
calling himself the most unlucky beggar that ever breathed.

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Time went on; and one by one we poor fellows got out of hospital cured;
but I was the last; and it was many months after, that, at his wish, I
called upon Captain--then Major--Dyer, at his house in London. For,
during those many months, the mutiny had been suppressed, and our
regiment had been ordered home.

I was very weak and pale, and I hadn't got used to this empty sleeve,
and things looked very gloomy ahead; but, somehow, that day when I