274 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



have all kinds of bad motives attributed to me, for 

 no man ever yet went out of tbe beaten track with- 

 out being wondered at and abused ; and so marked 

 a success will make me more enemies than friends, 

 so be prepared for abuse rather than reward. For 

 myself I do not care, and I am proud to say that 

 those whose opinion I value most highly think I did 

 well and boldly." 



The able writer in ' Blackwood,' from whom I have 

 before quoted, declares that " a very careful study of 

 existing evidence, as well as personal examination of 

 the locality and distances traversed, lead us to the 

 conclusion that Hodson certainly considered that the 

 success of his enterprise, if not the lives of himself 

 and his men, depended on instant action." 



It must be remembered also that Wilson had 

 distinctly begged him not to bring back any more 

 prisoners, for he " would not know what to do with 

 them." ^ Hodson might, of course, have handed 

 them over to the civil power, if it had not become, 

 for himself and his small escort, a question of slay- 

 ing or being slain. With a bold disregard of fine 

 sentiment and personal responsibility — that bugbear 

 of all weak minds — Hodson proceeded to solve the 

 question in his own masterful and fearless way. On 

 the whole, I think that the impartial reader will be 

 guided to a fair judgment on this matter rather by 

 the concurrent testimony of actual eyewitnesses than 

 by the comments of misinformed or quite unfriendly 



^ Colonel Thomas Seaton of the 1st Bengal Fusiliers was present 

 when Hodson reported to the general that he had information of 

 the princes being at Humayun's tomb, and had asked leave to go 

 and capture them. The general answered, " Go at once and take 

 them if possible ; but for God's sake do not bring them in, if you can 

 help it, for I should not know what to do with them." 



