As soon as the Doctor explained who they were, they were received
with the greatest kindness, and Isobel was at once carried off by
the ladies, while Bathurst and the Doctor were surrounded by an
eager group anxious to hear the state of affairs at Cawnpore, and
how they had escaped. The news of the fighting at Dong was already
known; for on the evening of the day of the fight Havelock had
sent down a mounted messenger to say the resistance was proving so
severe that he begged some more troops might be sent up. As all was
quiet now at Allahabad, where there had at first been some fierce
fighting, General Neil, who was in command there, had placed two
hundred and thirty men of the 84th Regiment in bullock vans, and
had himself gone on with them.
The Doctor had decided to keep the news of the massacre to himself.
"They will know it before many hours are over, Bathurst," he said;
"and were I to tell them, half of them wouldn't believe me, and
the other half would pester my life out with questions. There is
never any occasion to hurry in telling bad news."
The first inquiry of Bathurst and his friends had been for Wilson,
and they found to their great pleasure that he had arrived in safety,
and had gone up with the little body of cavalry. Captain Forster,
whom they next asked for, had not reached Allahabad, and no news
had been heard of him.
"What are you going to do, Rujub?" Bathurst asked the native next
morning.
"I shall go to Patna," he said.
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