168 
SAUGOR, C.P, — A STORY OP 1857 . 
recovered from the injury he met with at Balabet Fort. This was the 
only occasion the Brigadier would hear of my leaving the fort, for being 
a cripple himself I was really everything to him within the fort. 
While a detachment of Native Infantry was being collected from can¬ 
tonments to support these guns, another report was received that Col. 
Dalyelks detachment was on its return to Saugor, much to the joy of 
my wife and that of the wife of Captain Marshall, because the latter 
had not been cut off and possibly killed, and because I was not pro¬ 
ceeding on a forlorn hope. Some time during the autumn Brigadier 
Sage received a communication from the Commissioner (head Civil 
authority) at Jubbulpore for the Saugor garrison to retire on that 
station, the why or wherefore and the fact itself were not then made 
known to me. This led the Brigadier to send for me, and on my 
appearing before him he inquired how long it would take me to blow 
up the powder magazine; I replied I could manage it within half-an- 
hour. This reply did not apparently suit the object he had in view 
when asking the question, for he further said, “ Donff you think you 
could do it more effectually if I allowed you a couple of hours ?” I 
replied in the affirmative. He then mentioned that Major Erskine, the 
Commissioner, had suggested the retirement, and that if such were 
carried out it would be necessary, not only to blow up the powder 
magazines, but also to destroy sufficiently extensive portions of the fort 
in order to render its subsequent occupation by rebels, &c. untenable, 
and inquired how long this would take and whether it could be done 
without the matter becoming public. The latter I said was improbable, 
and the work would occupy some days: whereupon the Brigadier 
evidently informed the Commissioner that the proposed retirement was 
utterly impracticable. If it had been carried out, even without the 
preliminary demolition of portions of the fort, the probabilities are that 
many lives would have been sacrificed during the retirement, for we 
should no doubt have been attacked all along the road. 
The moral to be drawn from the manner in which we were saved at 
Saugor during the Mutiny of 1857, also people at other stations, where, 
by the presence and aid of British troops, the authorities were enabled 
to disarm the native soldiery in anticipation of an outbreak, and the 
miserable and untimely end to which some of our fellow countrymen, 
women and children came to, where circumstances did not allow of 
such action; or where officers in command of stations placed too 
implicit confidence in the discipline, good behaviour, and plighted word 
of intending mutineers, as well as the terrible tragedy enacted previous 
to, and during the retreat from Cabul in January 1842, and the late 
disgraceful treachery and massacre at Munipore, is— 
(1.) Never place yourself in the power of an Asiatic—rather fight 
it out to the very last, however hopeless the case may be, 
and do not yield while there is breath in your body and 
strength in your arm to strike a blow. Example, Sir 
Bobert Salehs defence of Jellalabad during 1842 with two 
regiments of infantry (one British and one Native), and a 
Field Battery of Artillery against all the forces of Mahomed 
Akbur Khan, who had immediately previously annihilated 
the Cabul garrison of more than double the strength. 
