When the enemy appeared the only way to reach them in
time was by crossing a swamp. Another troop of rebels unexpectedly
appeared in force, but were put to rout.
A few days later, a similar skirmish occurred, which for a time looked
more serious. Roberts was posted across a road with a squad of men and
two guns. The enemy attacked them with a cross-fire. How he and his
band escaped is a mystery.
During their enforced retreat, Roberts felt a stinging sensation in his
back, but managed to keep going. It was found afterwards that his life
had been saved by the slipping of his knapsack down from his shoulders.
This had been penetrated by a bullet, which had entered his body close to
his spine. Its force had been broken, but the wound was still so severe
as to lay him up for several weeks.
The almost superhuman difficulties which lay in the path of this handful
of Englishmen scattered throughout India, are summed up in a letter by
another officer, Hodson, as follows:
"The whole country is a steaming bog. I keep my health wonderfully,
thank God! in spite of heat, hard work and exposure; and the men bear up
like Britons. We all feel that the Government ought to allow every
officer and man before Delhi to count every month spent here as a year of
service in India.
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