102 JUNE 



but that did not matter. There were plenty of 

 them, enough to go all round, and each took one. 

 All the Hindoo house-servants, and the Mahom- 

 edan table- servants, the grooms from the stables, 

 the gardeners, the sweepers ; a motley crew ! To 

 see the gentle old Hindoo, who had been the Burra 

 Sahib's personal retainer for twenty years, solemnly 

 looking at his frightful sticking instrument with 

 his one eye, was very funny. He could see very 

 little even with that, so, some time ago, his master 

 had presented him with a pair of spectacles ; which 

 I said was extravagance. Having only one optic, 

 an eye-glass would have been more suitable. An 

 eye-glass under a turban ! It would have been 

 uncommon, to say the least. These glasses were 

 very large, and perfectly round, and made him look 

 like an owl. I don't fancy he would have done 

 much damage to the looters. However, I preserved 

 a serious face, and one and all declared they would 

 sit up all night, if I would give them a little tea 

 and sugar ! My noble warriors ! Certainly they 

 should have something to keep up their spirits with 

 during the siege. So little parcels of tea and sugar 

 were doled out to each man. When we went to 



