LUCKNOW 81 



ing as unconcernedly as at target practice, while 

 Havelock, who was sitting on his horse at the open- 

 ing of the parapet, received a bullet through his 

 helmet. Then drawing his revolver and dropping 

 the Sipahi who had come so near to killing him, he 

 cheered on the men who had closed up behind him 

 and carried the battery at the end of the bridge. 



It was then that the great mistake in the ap- 

 proach to the Residency was made. Outram saw 

 that to push through the streets which led directly 

 to the besieged garrison would be to run a gauntlet 

 of close fire from the rebels who held the houses on 

 each side and were themselves practically protected. 

 He would have made a detour which, as examina- 

 tion later proved, would have enabled the relieving 

 force to make an almost bloodless approach to the 

 Residency. But night was coming on and Have- 

 lock with his fiery spirit could not brook the delay. 

 Outram would gladly have taken command and 

 avoided what he saw would entail unnecessary and 

 terrible slaughter, but it was now too late. The 

 order was given, and at fearful loss the column swept 

 forward through those lead-whipped streets. At the 

 end of a lane a courtyard was entered at whose end 

 was an archway, and here, while sitting on his horse 

 steadying the column, Neill received the bullet 

 from a rebel on the roof which ended his brilliant 



