THE STORMING OF DELHI. 259 



To the splendid daring of our Horse Artillery, 

 and the patient courage of the 9th Lancers, Hope 

 Grant's despatch was of course to bear eloquent 

 witness. But his praise was not reserved for them 

 alone. " I have never," he writes, " in the whole 

 course of my life seen so much bravery and so much 

 noble conduct displayed by men as was the case in 

 the brigade I had the honour to command." 



Speaking of the native cavalry, he says : "Nothing 

 could be steadier, nothing could be more soldier-like, 

 than their bearing. The Guide cavalry, commanded 

 by Captain Sanford — a most excellent and useful 

 officer on outpost duty — lost one native officer 

 killed, and one non-commissioned officer and four- 

 teen privates wounded. Lieutenant Hodson com- 

 manded a corps raised by himself, and he is a 

 first - rate officer, brave, determined, and clear- 

 headed. Lieutenant Watson, commanding the 1st 

 Punjab Cavalry, Lieutenant Probyn, commanding 

 the 2nd, and Lieutenant Younghusband, the 5tli 

 Panjab Cavalry, are also most excellent officers. 

 I was afterwards joined by Captain Bourchier's 

 battery, which was of great service, and enabled 

 us to hold our position."^ 



That 600 horsemen, of whom only a third were 

 British, should have sat unmoved for two lono: 

 hours under so fierce a hurricane of lead and iron, 

 was a feat of heroic endurance surpassing the 

 famous charge of Cardigan's Light Brigade upon 

 the Russian guns at Balaklava. And this feat, 

 unlike that other, was rewarded with entire success. 

 It was of vital importance that the enemy in 

 Kishnganj should be held in check while our 



1 Forrest. 



