All these various articles we spread out on the floor of the room, examining each again and again, and with avaricious thoughts intent, lamenting that we were not allowed to appropriate what would have been to us a fortune. Truly such a temptation to enrich themselves without fear of detection was never till this occasion set before two impecunious subalterns of the British Army. Here, spread out before us, lay loot to the value of thousands of pounds, all our own were we to follow the example of some who had already feathered their nests with much larger amounts, defying those in authority to take the plunder from them. However, such a course could not be entertained for one moment, and, moreover, were we to possess ourselves of all the contents of the jar, there was no secure place of concealment to be found, and unpleasant inquiries and prying eyes would soon have revealed to the world our abduction of the booty.
It is impossible to do more than guess at the value of the plunder acquired on this day. My friend received a reward for the find; as for myself, I will leave it to my readers whether it was possible for weak human nature to resist the temptation of carrying away some few mementos from this miscellaneous collection of treasure-trove. To tell the truth, I must confess that in after times my only regret was that I had foolishly let slip an opportunity of enriching myself which could never recur. We agreed—and in this we were borne out by the prize agent—that £7,000 was the lowest sum at which to compute the loot we had found.
It was my invariable custom to wear as a kammerband or girdle folds of muslin round my waist for the protection of the liver and spleen, and in this I placed the articles I carried away. My friend procured a small cart, in which he deposited the loot and drove to the house of one of the agents, while I, encumbered as I was, with difficulty mounted my horse and rode towards the magazine. I could not but feel nervous and abashed when thinking of the riches concealed about my person, at last working myself up to such a pitch of excitement that I imagined all I met were cognizant of my good fortune; and on entering the gates of the magazine, I fancied I heard one of our men say to his comrade, "Well! that fellow, at any rate, has plenty of loot about him."
Our next great find, though by no means so lucrative as the first, brought a large accession to the prize fund. It occurred to me, through calling to recollection the story of the treasures concealed in the Hindoo idol at Somnath which was broken open by Sultan Mahmoud in the eleventh century, that possibly the same kind of receptacle might disclose a like prize, though on a smaller scale, among the numerous temples scattered through the city of Delhi.
Acting on this idea, we one day entered a small Hindoo temple situated not far from the Chandni Chauk. The shrine was gaudily decorated; but after a prolonged search, we found nothing of any value. A hideous idol stood on a raised structure in the centre of the building, and was soon demolished in iconoclastic style with our hammers. The base of the idol was formed of chunam (a kind of cement), and into this we dug with our small pickaxes. Soon a ringing sound from a blow disclosed a large silver casket imbedded in the chunam, and this, after some little trouble, we extricated from its position. Forcing the casket open, our sight was regaled by a brilliant show of jewels and gold—diamonds, rubies, and emeralds—two of the latter species being uncut, but of great size, pearls larger than any we had yet seen, and gold ornaments of every description, chains, bracelets, bangles, and a few gold mohurs. We were quite alone in the temple, and after feasting our eyes on the treasures and selecting a few objects for our own benefit, N—— took the casket to the prize agent, telling him where we had found it, and recommending a search in such localities, which recommendation, no doubt, was carried into effect among other Hindoo temples in the city.
When first entering a house during our search, we at once made ourselves acquainted with the creed of its former inhabitants. In this there was no difficulty—Korans lying about the floor denoted that the occupants had been Mussulmans, while many indications, such as idols, a different arrangement of the furniture, and other signs with which we became conversant, proved the influence of the rival Hindoo race. There was a very cogent reason for this investigation on our part—the Mohammedans invariably, in secreting their valuables, placed them in the ground under the floors of their houses, the Hindoos, on the other hand, always hid them in receptacles in the walls of the buildings. Armed with this knowledge, we used to sound either the floors or the walls of each house according as the place belonged to one or the other creed; nor in one single instance, as far as I can remember, were we at fault in our diagnosis.
A favourite hiding-place for valuables was behind the staircase, the treasure being concealed in a sort of vault built around with bricks and cement. On one occasion, in the house of a money-changer, we demolished a secret place of this kind and discovered four large bags filled with some heavy metal. Feeling convinced we should find that the bags contained at the least rupees, we opened one, and to our infinite disgust saw that the contents consisted of copper pieces called pice, of which there were many thousands; the bags, however, were taken to the prize agents, but I need scarcely say our hands on that day at least were not soiled by appropriating a portion of the plunder.
On several occasions we succeeded in finding large stores of money, chiefly sicca or native rupees, while in the houses of Hindoos, in portions of the walls which sounded hollow under the blow of the hammer, we, after making a hole sufficiently large for the passage of a hand, constantly brought to light large stores of silver ornaments, consisting of chains, bracelets, etc., amounting in the aggregate to a barrowful. Few houses there were that did not furnish, after a diligent search either in the floors or walls, some articles of value; but on only one occasion after the successful ventures in the two first cases was the amount of loot in any way comparable to that which we obtained on those days.
In a very secluded part of the city, in a large house, surrounded by wretched tenements inhabited by the lowest class, we opened a door, and to our amazement entered a room furnished in the European fashion. This also had not escaped the marauding and destructive hands of parties of plunderers; the furniture was smashed, and the contents of the room strewn about the floor. There were English chairs, curtains, ottomans covered with antimacassars, sofas and broken mirrors, and in the corner a small piano, ruined and destroyed. The house had evidently belonged to some rich native, but who had been the occupant of this boudoir? for such it was—a miniature drawing-room filled with European luxuries, not excepting books and copies of music. Articles of a lady's apparel also lay about, torn in shreds, vases were on the mantelpiece, as well as a small box filled with English fancy needlework. We came to the conclusion that the mistress of this abode must have been a Eurasian lady, probably one of the zenana of the master of the house, who during the exodus from the city had fled with, or been forcibly carried away by, her protector.
A dismal mishap occurred to me in this room. Choosing a comfortable-looking ottoman, I sat down, little dreaming that I had fallen into a trap which would occasion much laughter among my friends for days to come. Feeling a strange moist sensation in a certain portion of my body, I jumped up from the seat, to find, to my horror, that I had plumped down on a quantity of ghee, or clarified butter. A jar of ghee was lying on the floor, and a portion of this horrible mess had been spilt on the seat of the ottoman. I was dressed in white trousers and jacket of the same material, and found, to my intense disgust, that the ghee had left a large patch of colour which no amount of rubbing would eradicate. We were far from our quarters, it was broad daylight, and, to my mortification, I was compelled to walk thus branded through the streets of the city, the laughing-stock of those who saw the plight I was in.
Delhi was celebrated for miniature paintings done on talc, hundreds of which were found at this time. Some were of rare workmanship, portraits of beautiful women and drawings of celebrated buildings, all executed in a style of art peculiar to the craftsmen of that place. We were fortunate, during our search, in coming across the house of one of these artists and disinterring from its concealment a box full of these paintings. They afterwards sold at a good price, and I possessed myself of some twenty of the most beautiful, comprising portraits of Zeenat Mahal, the favourite wife of the King, other ladies of the zenana, and pictures of the Taj and Jama Masjid, besides other mosques throughout India. These oval-shaped miniatures mounted in gold formed most acceptable souvenirs of the city of Delhi, and one in particular, containing the portrait of a lovely Eastern face with head-dress and tiara of diamonds, and strings of pearls round the neck, I was offered £20 for after it had been set in gold by a jeweller at Plymouth. In London, in 1858, there was a great demand for gold ornaments and jewellery from Delhi, so much so that a noted goldsmith offered me the highest price for articles of that description; nor would he at first—till convinced—accept my assurance that I had parted with all my Delhi loot before leaving India.
We were occupied for nearly three weeks in our quest for plunder, engaged in the exciting work almost every day, and seldom failing to find some articles of value. Our last adventure in that line deserves a detailed description, for though the nature of the loot obtained was such that it was useless to appropriate for our own use any of the goods found, still, the value of the plunder increased to a large extent the Delhi prize-money.
We had noticed in the room of the agents piles of kincob, or cloth of gold, worth I fear to say how many rupees a yard. The manufacture of this material was carried on to a great extent in Delhi, there being much demand for the rich and costly fabric among the Princes and nobles of Hindostan. Hitherto in our ramblings through the houses we had only come across a few pieces of this gold brocade; but as luck would have it, on the last day in which I joined N—— in his duties he had received information from a native that a large store of kincob was concealed in the house of a merchant who had dealt in that material.
The man guided us to the house in question; but after searching in every imaginable place, no signs of the gold cloth could be found. From the name of the merchant and certain other well-known indications we felt convinced that his goods were concealed underground, and we commenced tapping the floor of the largest room with our hammers. Presently, in the very centre of the apartment, there came a hollow sound, and digging down about a foot, we found a trap-door. This was lifted, disclosing a wooden staircase leading down to what seemed to us an apartment concealed in Cimmerian darkness. Lighting the wax candles we always carried about with us, we for some distance descended the steps which seemed to lead into the bowels of the earth. The room turned out to be about twenty feet square and ten feet high, and ranged around, piled one on top of the other, were scores of large boxes. One of these we opened, and found it to contain kincob of the rarest kind; others that we looked into were full of the same gorgeous material, and we came to the conclusion that here, spread about, there was a treasure the value of which amounted to a lakh of rupees. Four large carts were loaded with the boxes and taken to the prize agents, the contents selling afterwards for a very large sum.
And thus ended in a most successful find my connection with the loot of Delhi. Though many years have elapsed, the events of those three weeks seem as vivid in my memory as though they had happened yesterday—the brightness of the jewels, the dazzling gold, the nerves wrought to the highest pitch of tension while waiting in eager expectation for the result of a search. These episodes of my life appear more like a fairytale or a legend of the "Arabian Nights" than true history and sober reality. What opportunities of accumulating a small fortune were thrown in my way! The treasure lay at my feet, only wanting to be picked up, and many will say that I was a fool not to take advantage of the prize! I can, however, certainly aver that I showed great moderation in possessing myself of only a small portion of the plunder—the amount I appropriated was but an infinitesimal part of the Delhi prize money. It is very unlikely that Delhi or any other rich city in India will be given over to sack and pillage, during this generation, but the remembrance of the days of 1857, and of the traditional wealth of the country, still exists amongst the nations of the East, and only recently, during the scare arising out of the Russian occupation of Merv, it was stated that the Turkomans, now feudatories of that Empire, cast longing eyes on Hindostan, "where gold and diamonds could be picked up in the streets of the large cities."
During my stay at Umballah I made arrangements with an officer of the Civil Service for the sale of the loot I had brought from Delhi. He entrusted the commission to one of his native writers, who executed the work in a satisfactory manner, though the price I received was hardly equal to the amount I had anticipated. To my friend's wife I gave a filigree gold chain of beautiful workmanship, and of such length that it reached six times round the neck, also a tiara of precious stones, while I also presented some pearls and gold mohurs. There is no doubt that, had I brought the whole of my plunder home to England, the price obtained for it would have been far in excess of what I received at Umballah, but the risk of transportation was too great; I feared, also, the chance of robbery and the anxiety attached to carrying about with me so many articles of value.
INDEX
AFGHANS: their want of bravery at the Siege of Delhi
Ahmed Ali Khan's house headquarters at
Ajmir Gate, captured quarters at
Alipore, advance on
Alma, anniversary of the Battle of
Ammunition, pits dug for scarcity of amount
Army, British: characteristics of the troops instructions on the outbreak of the Mutiny stringent orders dress reception in England delay in paying prize-money instructions against looting promise of prize-money batta in lieu indignation against the decision rescinded appointment of prize agents amount distributed
Army, native: signs of incipient mutiny outbreak at Meerut
Artillerymen, their zeal and devotion at the Siege of Delhi
Badli-ki-Serai, action at
Badmashes, or bad characters
"Bakra Id," anniversary of
Bareilly Brigade, the mutinous
Barnard, Sir Henry, at the Siege of Delhi his victory at Badli-ki-Serai address to the troops death from cholera
Barnes, Mr. George, Commissioner of the Cis-Sutlej States
Belooch battalion, at Delhi
Bengal Army: outbreak of the Mutiny signs of incipient mutiny
Bengal Artillery Corps, record of their achievements before Delhi
Bengal Fusiliers, the 1st, quartered at Umballah
Bhisti, or water-carrier Boileau, Lieutenant
Bombay
Bridge of boats over the Jumna attempt to blow up
Burn bastion, unsuccessful attack on captured
Calcutta Gate
Campbell, Colonel, column under
Campbell, Sir Colin, at the Battle of Chillianwalla
Campbell, Sir Edward, appointed prize agent
Canning, Lord, his decision in regard to the prize-money
Cannons, punishment of blowing away at the mouths of
Cavalry Brigade, stationed near No. 1 Battery their splendid behaviour
C—— d, Assistant Collector at Goorgaon murder of his sister joins the force at Delhi his vengeance on the murderers killed
C—— d, Miss, joins her brother at Goorgaon murdered at Delhi
Chamberlain, Brigadier-General
"Chandni Chauk," or silver street of Delhi
Charpoy, or bed
Chillianwalla, Battle of
Cholera, at Delhi, number of deaths from at Loodianah deaths from
Chunam, or cement
Cis-Sutlej States
Coke, Major in command of the advance on Alipore his corps of Punjab
Rifles, quartered in the Jama Masjid
"Cow House," picket at
Dagshai
Daily Telegraph, proprietors of the their dinner to the surviving veterans of the Mutiny
Deacon, Captain, wounded
Deacon, Colonel
Delhi arsenal in charge of natives arrival of reinforcements buildings Palace of the Emperors vicissitudes riches massacres circumference of the walls the gates number of killed and wounded deaths from cholera arrival of the siege-train preparations for the bombardment trench-work commencement of the siege total force bombardment arrangements for the attack storming columns dispositions of the troops entrance into the city destructive nature of street-fighting advantages gained troops indulge in drink flight of insurgents Palace occupied by troops fall the bridge of boats looting and pillaging discovery of human beings size of the city punishment of natives insanitary condition capture by Lord Lake in 1803 accumulation of vast treasures
Delhi Gazette, editor of the, tortured to death
Delhi, Shah Bahadoor Shah, King of: his capture appearance and dress trial and sentence his sons taken prisoners and shot
Dewan-i-Aum, or Hall of Audience, Delhi
Dewan-i-Khas, Delhi
Dost Mohammed Khan, Ameer, his spies at Delhi
Drink, indulgence in, by the soldiers destruction of liquor
Eclipse, partial, of the sun effect on the mutineers
Edward VII., King, receives the surviving officers of the Indian Mutiny
Elkington, mortally wounded his premonition of death
Fagan, Captain Robert, killed at Delhi his characteristics
Fagan, Captain, appointed prize agent
Ferozepore, port of, in charge of natives 61st Regiment of Foot stationed at signs of disaffection among the sepoys position of the fort cantonment fired explosions destruction of the buildings night attack on measures for the safety incident of the comical night attack trial and punishment of rebels return to
Fishing, amusement of
Flagstaff Tower; view from the
Flies, plague of
Gabbett, Lieutenant, at the attack on the Sabzi Mandi Gardens wounded at
Najafgarh his death
Garstin bastion captured
Gharee, or native carriage
Gharra, or jar
"Ghazi," meaning of the term
Ghee, mishap from
Goojars, or professional thieves
Goorgaon
Goorkha sentry, his treatment of an Afghan
Goorkhas, the Sirmoor battalions of their defence of Hindoo Rao's house appearance and characteristics bravery their wish to enter Delhi
Gore log, or white people
Grant, Colonel, Cavalry Brigade under
Grenadier Company deaths from cholera
Guide Corps, at the Siege of Delhi their assistance to the Cavalry
Brigade
Gwalior insurgents
Hanging, executions by
Hawthorne, Bugler
Hills, Lieutenant, wounded
Hindoo Rao's house defence of attacks on picket at result of the bombardment
Hindoo temple, discovery of treasure in a shrine
Hindoos, their mode of burial method of concealing valuables
Hodson, Lieutenant, in command of a Sikh regiment and head of the Intelligence Department captures the King of Delhi takes prisoners his sons and grandson shoots them
Home, Engineer
Hope-Grant, Brigadier, in command of the Cavalry Brigade
Hutton, Lieutenant, effect of a round-shot
Infantry, 45th Native, orders to attack the fort of Ferozepore defeated set fire to the cantonment start for Delhi
Infantry, 57th Native, orders to lay down their arms their treatment of the officers
Innes, Brigadier-General, in command of the troops at Ferozepore holds a council on the outbreak of the Mutiny instructions to the troops implicit confidence in the loyalty of the sepoys mismanagement of the Mutiny his measures for the safety of Ferozepore
Innes, Dr., appointed prize agent
Jama Masjid, or Great Mosque of Delhi occupied by the troops
Jennings, Mr., murdered
Jhind, Rajah of, joins in the assault on Delhi
Jones, Colonel John, 60th Rifles, in command of the defence of Sabzi
Mandi Gardens mode of conducting operations
Jones, Colonel William at Ferozepore column under
Jugraon
Jumna River bridge of boats over the attempt to blow up a bridge erection of a battery
Kabul Gate
Karachi
Karnal
Kashmir contingent, at Delhi style of marching defeat loss of their guns
Kashmir Gate blown in accumulation of material at
Khaki rang, or dust colour
Khalsa army
Kincob, manufacture of discovery of
Kishenganj, the suburb of ineffectual attempt on ruins of
Koodsia Bagh, No. 4 Battery
Kotah insurgents Kukri, or curved knife
Lahore Gate, attempts to carry unsuccessful attack on captured
Lake, Lord, his capture of Delhi in 1803
Lawrence, Sir John, Chief Commissioner of the Punjab his proclamation to the Sikhs at Lahore
Light Cavalry, the 3rd, mutineers of the, their massacre of Europeans
Light Cavalry, the 10th Native
Longfield, Brigadier, column under
Loodianah, outbreak of cholera at number of deaths from
Loot, the sale of
Looting, the practice of instructions against military maxim for result of systematic method of search discovery of treasure hiding-places
Ludlow Castle, occupied by the rebels No. 2 Battery
Lumsden, Punjab Rifles, killed at the Battle of Najafgarh
Magazine, Delhi, attack on the captured amount of shot and shell
Marseilles Massaks, or inflated sheepskins
Maxim, military
Medals, presentation of
Meerut, outbreak of the Mutiny at
Metcalfe, Sir Theophilus: his house plundered and burnt guides the troops in Delhi
Miniature paintings on talc, style of
Mohammedans: their mode of burial method of concealing valuables
Monsoon, the
Mooltani Horse at the Lahore Gate their appearance and want of discipline
Moore, Lieutenant, wounded
Mori bastion, No. 1 Battery
Moylan, Private, saves the life of an officer
Murree Convalescent Depot
Najafgarh, battle of casualties
Nanglooi
Napoleon the Great, saying of
Neemuch insurgents
Nicholson, General, in command of the reinforcements his powers and skill in ruling the lawless tribes his title of "Nikul Seyn" appearance and characteristics expedition under at Najafgarh, address to the troops column under wounded and death denounces the proposal to evacuate Delhi
Palki ghari, or Indian carriage Paniput, battles of
Pattoun, Lieutenant, wounded
Persia, Nadir Shah, King of, his massacre of Delhi in 1747 Petarahs, or native leather trunks, theft of
Pets, desertion of
Phillour, arsenal in charge of natives
Prize agents, appointment of
Prize-money, distribution of delay in paying
Punjab Rifles, the 4th, attack the magazine
Punjab, the number of native regiments their coolness and intrepidity under fire
Reade, Surgeon, awarded the Victoria Cross
Redmond, Major, wounded
Reed, General, resigns his command of the army
Regiment, the 52nd, at Delhi
Regiment, the 61st: stationed at Ferozepore parade routine of guard and picket duty loss of the silver plate privations and sufferings their comical "night attack" five companies to march to Delhi preparations night marches at Loodianah outbreak of cholera number of deaths at Umballah reach Delhi
Reid, Major, in command of the Sirmoor battalion at Delhi columns under his attack on Kishenganj wounded
Rifles, the 60th Royal, at the Siege of Delhi
Rockets used by enemy
Rohtak, raid on
Sabzi Mandi Gardens picket duty at the attacks on
Salkeld, Engineer
"Sammy House," assault on
Sauer, the bandmaster
Seeson, Mrs., her escape from Delhi
Selimgarh Fort occupied by the troops
Sepoys: signs of disaffection at Ferozepore revolt of infantry and artillery attack the fort of Ferozepore their work of destruction trial and punishment cowardly tactics
Seton, Colonel, wounded
Shah Bahadoor Shah, King of Delhi: his capture appearance and dress trial and sentence
Showers, Brigadier
Shrapnel shell, effect of a
Siege-train from Ferozepore, threatened approach of reaches camp
Sikhs, the their help and loyalty to the British army, characteristics style of marching their coolness and intrepidity under fire
Silver plate of the 61st Regiment, search for its total destruction
Skinner, Colonel Alexander, troops take possession of his house his erection of a church, temple, and mosque
Sumroo, Begum
Sun, partial eclipse of the effect on the mutineers
Tai-khanas, or underground rooms, discovery of human beings in
Talc, miniature paintings on, style of
Taliwarra, suburb of ruins of
Tattah Times, the, article on the delay in payment of the prize-money
Tombs, Major his rescue of Lieutenant Hills at the Battle of Najafgarh
Trench-work before Delhi
Tytler, Mrs.
Umballah force assembled at troops at
Vicars, Adjutant, at Ferozepore on the news of the outbreak of the
Mutiny
Wasps, stings from
Water bastion No. 3 Battery, smashed to pieces effect of the bombardment
Wilde's regiment of Punjabis
Wilson, General, in command of the army result of his stringent orders address to his troops council of war instructions for the final assault orders to prevent drunkenness proposal to evacuate Delhi instructions against looting promise with regard to prize-money
Wriford, Captain, appointed prize agent
Yonge, Lieutenant
Young, Lieutenant, wounded
Zeenat Mahal, portrait of