192 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



purpose of restoring communications between that 

 place and Meerut. 



In addition to this latter task Hodson was in- 

 trusted with special despatches from General Anson 

 to the officer commanding at Meerut, of whose 

 movements nothing had been heard since the out- 

 break of May 10. 



After arranging matters at Karnal he started 

 for Meerut on May 20 at the head of a troop of 

 Sikh horse supplied by the loyal Rajah of Jhind. 

 Seventy -two hours later he w^as back again in 

 Karnal telegraphing to his chief that " I had forced 

 my way to Meerut, and obtained all the papers he 

 wanted from the general there. These I gave him 

 four hours later in Umbala. The pace pleased him, 

 I fancy, for he ordered me to raise a corps of 

 irregular horse, and appointed me commandant." ^ 



What others thought of this daring ride may 

 be gathered from the following letter, written by 

 an officer in the Meerut garrison : " When the 

 Mutiny broke out our communications were com- 

 pletely cut off. One night, on outlying picket 

 at Meerut, this subject being discussed, I said, 

 ' Hodson is at Umbala, I know ; and I'll bet he 

 will force his way through, and open communica- 

 tions with the commander-in-chief and ourselves.' 

 At about three that morning I heard my advanced 

 sentries firing. I rode off to see what was the 

 matter, and they told me that a part of the enemy's 

 cavalry had approached their post. When day 

 broke in galloped Hodson. He had left Karnal 

 (seventy-six miles off) at nine the night before with 

 one led horse and an escort of Sikh cavalry, and, as 



^ Letter to Colonel Douglas Seaton. 



