the Rajah had always professed a strong friendship for the English,
but he secretly plotted against them, and, later on, General Wheeler
was compelled to surrender to the Rajah at Cawnpore, and did so
with the understanding that the lives of all in the place should
be spared. Shortly after the surrender the English officers and
soldiers were shot down, and all of the women and children butchered.

The mutiny was now at its height, and for a while it was feared
that British rule in India must cease. The Europeans at Lucknow
were besieged for about three months and were on the point of giving
up, when they were relieved through the heroic march of General
Havelock. Sir Colin Campbell followed, and soon the city was once
more in the complete possession of the British. Oude was speedily
reduced to submission, many of the rebel leaders were either shot
or hanged, and gradually the mutiny, which had cost the lives of
thousands, was brought to an end.

The tale, however, is not all of war. In its pages are given many
true to life pictures of life in India, in the barracks of the
soldiers and elsewhere. A most important part is played by Rujub,
the juggler, who is a warm friend to the hero of the narrative.
Rujub is no common conjuror, but one of the higher men of mystery,
who perform partly as a religious duty and who accept no pay for such
performances. The acts of these persons are but little understood,
even at this late day, and it is possible that many of their arts
will sooner or later be utterly lost to the world at large. That
they can do some wonderful things in juggling, mind reading, and
in second sight, is testified to by thousands of people who have
witnessed their performances in India; how they do these things
has never yet been explained.