158 
SAUGOR, C.P.—A STORY OP 1857 . 
said they would not allow the prisoners to be thus dealt with, and set 
them at liberty. It was at the same time reported that the men of the 
same regiment had deprived the European sergeant and gunner and 
gun lascars of their swords and placed a guard over them. On receiv¬ 
ing this report Brigadier Sage sent instructions for Major Gaussen's 
detachment to at once return to Saugor, and ordered another detachment 
out from Saugor to meet it at a certain fordable stream, and there and 
then to receive over charge of Major Gaussen's two guns and bring 
them into Saugor, which was duly effected. It was subsequently 
reported that some men of this second detachment, possibly some 
Sepoys of the 31st Regiment Native Infantry, spread a rumour that 
Brigadier Sage intended blowing away from guns all the men of the 
42nd Regiment Native Infantry of Major Gaussen's detachment on 
their return to Saugor, and this false report had such an effect on the 
men in question that by next morning all of them had disappeared, 
leaving their arms and accoutrements behind. This appears most 
extraordinary, for the 42nd Native Infantry detachment with Major 
Gaussen was said to have behaved quite well. However, the minds of 
the natives of India were so disordered at the time that the most 
impossible and extravagant rumours were implicitly believed, such as 
the Government having caused all the flour in the country to be 
adulterated with bone-dust, and all ghee (clarified butter) to be mixed 
with cow's fat (cows being held sacred by Hindoos) with the view of 
destroying their caste and converting them into Christians. One day 
I had a talk on the matter with a Jemadar (Native officer) of the 42nd 
Regiment Native Infantry on guard duty at the fort, and he ridiculed 
the whole thing and said he was not such a fool as to desert the 
Government and forego all the benefits of further service and pension, 
yet this man went off with his regiment when they mutinied later on. 
I may be wrong, but I presume that the state of affairs near Balabet 
existing in Major Gaussen's detachment, or some other reports received 
by the Brigadier, led him to hold a Council of War, apparently on the 
21st June, 1857; for on the 22nd idem, he sent for me and ordered 
me, in consequence of the decision of the said Council, to at once 
despatch to the Artillery Hill (see Plan A.) 100 muskets and 200 rounds 
of balled ammunition per musket; also, 100 extra rounds per gun for 
Captain Marshall's battery. The Council of War referred to was com¬ 
posed of the Brigadier, the Deputy-Commissioner (Chief Civil Officer 
of the District), the Commanding Officers of Regiments and of the 
Artillery. As soon as I received the Brigadier's orders just mentioned 
I galloped off to the magazine to have them carried out, and as soon 
as completed I hurried back to report the same to the Brigadier. 
When giving me orders for the despatch of the ammunition and mus¬ 
kets to the Artillery Hill the Brigadier had informed me that the 
decision of the Council of War was that in the event of an outbreak 
all officers and other European residents were to at once retire to the 
Artillery Hill where the European battery, the only European soldiers 
in the place, were located. During the interval of my receiving orders 
to send arms and ammunition there and returning to report the execu¬ 
tion of the same, I had arrived at the conclusion that the decision of 
