FROM FATHIGARH TO CAWNPORE. 309 



of anger on his part soon vanished in his pleasure at 

 finding we had brought anything but discredit on 

 'Hodson's Horse.' "^ 



It was not long, however, before Gough was again 

 to lead his men, in concert with Lieutenant John 

 Watson of the 1st Punjab Cavalry, on special 

 service about Miran-ke- Serai, in hopes of frustrat- 

 ing the attempt of the infamous Nana Sahib to 

 escape from Oudh into Central India. 



Meanwhile on January 6 Hodson himself started 

 on a punishing expedition with a brigade com- 

 manded by Colonel Adrian Hope. At Palamau, 

 in the Shamsabad district, a great many rebels, 

 including their leader, had been arrested by the 

 civil police and condemned by the Civil Com- 

 missioner to death. The doomed men, according 

 to Mr Forbes-Mitchell, were marched in batches 

 up to a large tree of the banian species, from 

 whose spreading branches they were hanged, a 

 dozen at a time. On the afternoon of the 6th 

 this dismal work began, and by daylight of the 

 next morning 130 men might be seen hanging 

 from one tree. 



Then happened an incident which Mr Forbes- 

 Mitchell has cited in defence of Hodson from the 

 charges of cruelty and bloodthirstiness afterwards 

 levelled at his hero. " During the afternoon of 

 the day of which I write, Hodson visited the 

 squadron of his regiment forming the cavalry of 

 the Civil Commissioner's guard. Just at the time 

 of his visit the Commissioner wanted a hangman, 

 and asked if any man of the 93rd would volunteer 

 for the job, stating as an inducement that all 



• Old Memories. 



