FIRST WEEKS OF THE SIEGE OF DELHI. 201 



to those who, I hear, are still skulking in safety at 

 Simla and elsewhere in the hills." 



It was still fondly hoped that the little force 

 which on the first days of June was assembling at 

 Eai would soon make short work of the mutineers 

 in Delhi. "The Meerut folks," writes Hodson on 

 June 2, "have had another fight with the Delhi 

 mutineers, and again beaten them ; but this con- 

 stant exposure is very trying to Europeans. I wish 

 we were moving nearer Delhi more rapidly, as all 

 now depends on our quickly disposing of this 

 mighty sore. I wish from my heart we had Sir 

 Henry Lawrence here — he is the man for the crisis. 

 We are all in high spirits ; only eager to get at the 

 villains who have committed atrocities which make 

 the blood run cold but to think of. I trust the 

 retribution will be short, sharp, and decisive." 



By June 3 Barnard's headquarters joined the 

 camp at Rai, about twenty miles from Delhi. On 

 the 6th the siege-train, which had narrowl}^ escaped 

 seizure on its march from Philor, and had been 

 wellnigh stopped by a swollen river, came up with 

 the main body, then halted at Alipur, a march 

 beyond Rai. Next morning Sir Henry's little 

 force was strengthened by the column with which 

 Brigadier Wilson had successfully fought his way 

 from Meerut. By that time the troops assembled 

 under Sir H. Barnard numbered about 4000 men, 

 nearly all British, and all trustworthy. 



Hodson learned that some 2000 of the rebels had 

 come out of Delhi " and put themselves in position 

 to bar our road. ... I think I am more than 

 appreciated by the headquarters' people. I had 

 barely finished the word when I was sent for by 



