Allahabad. As yet, however, none of his troops had reached Futtehpore,
which was fortunate, for the main road ran through that place, which was
but twenty miles from the point where they had crossed the Ganges; and
although they would keep by a road near the river, and so avoid the town,
the Nana's troops would be sure to be scouring the country. This news
decided them not to accept the zemindar's invitation to stay the night and
start the next morning early. It was still but little past noon, and they
might do many miles before darkness.

Before they halted the party had made fifteen miles, and in passing
through a village learned the welcome news that a small English force had
advanced to Synee, some ten miles only beyond Futtehpore. This force had,
it was said, met with little resistance as yet, and the country people
were full of stories of the manner in which the Sepoys and others who had
been engaged with them were, as soon as captured, hung up in numbers.
Already, in the minds of the peasantry, the idea that the British would be
the final conquerors in the strife was gaining ground; and as the whole
country had suffered from the exactions and insolence of the triumphant
Sepoys, and life and property were no longer safe for a moment, the secret
sympathy of all those who had anything to lose was with the advancing
British force.

The next day the party followed the road near the river all day, as they
feared to fall either into the hands of Sepoys retiring before the
English, or of those coming down from Cawnpore. They halted for the night
at a village whence a road ran direct to Synee, which was about eight
miles distant. The villagers repeated that the Sepoys had all fallen back,
and that there would be a great fight at Futtehpore. The English force was
small, but a large body were on their way up from Allahabad.