boys were taken inside a tent, and enjoyed the luxury of a bath, and a
message was sent round to the officers of the regiment, which rapidly
resulted in sufficient clothes being contributed to allow the boys to make
their appearance in the garb of British officers.

A curry and a cup of coffee were ready for them by the time they were
dressed, and these were enjoyed indeed after a fortnight's feeding upon
uncooked grain, varied only by an occasional piece of native bread or
cake. The hasty meal concluded, they accompanied Lieutenant Tomkins to the
general's tent.

They were most cordially received by General Wilson; and omitting all
details, they gave him an account of their having been cut off during a
successful sortie from Lucknow, and having made their way to Delhi in
disguise. Then they proceeded to describe fully the state of affairs at
Lucknow, a recital which was at once interesting and important, inasmuch
as though several native messengers had got through from Lucknow to
General Havelock, as none of them carried letters--for these would have
insured their death if searched--they had brought simply messages from
General Inglis asking for speedy help, and their stories as to the
existent state of things in the garrison were necessarily vague and
untrustworthy.

The most satisfactory portion of the boys' statement was, that although
the garrison were now on short rations, and that all the comforts, and
many of what are regarded as almost the necessaries of life, were
exhausted, yet that there was plenty of grain in the place to enable the
besieged to exist for some weeks longer.

"The great fear is that some essential part of the defense may be