1 Still greater
2 alarm at Um-
3 balla,
4 The alarm well
5 founded had
6 not Sir Harry
7 Smith advanc-
8 ed on Loodi-
9 anah.
10 The 3rd
11 infantry
12 brigade.
13 136 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
14 diate and simultaneous flight of the ladies took
15 place. Some bent their steps towards Meerut,
16 others looked to Saharunpore for refuge, while
17 most of them deemed Mussooree their only place of
18 safety. All, however, turned their backs on Um-
19 balla, and the Sikhs. But this sudden flight could
20 not be accomplished in the usual way, by means of
21 palanqueens; one or two, indeed, might thus find
22 a ready conveyance, but where dozens of persons
23 were concerned, it became necessary to put ponies,
24 horses, buggies, and bylees, into requisition ; and
25 thus along the road they might be seen hurrying
26 onwards, except when—as was often the case—the
27 animals became jaded and would not move. It was
28 amusing to see ladies whipping their ponies, but all
29 to no purpose. We may now smile at the fears
30 which prompted this fugacious movement; but, had
31 Sir Harry Smith not advanced on Loodianah,
32 there is every reason to believe, that the siege
33 train might have been Jost, Loodianah pillaged and
34 burned, the hill stations destroyed, and Umballa
35 and even other places in the provinces sacked and
36 occupied ; so that the movement of the first divi-
37 sion was one of the utmost importance, and not
38 only prevented such sad disasters, but was followed
39 by one of the best-managed actions on record,
40 In order still further to ensure the safety of the
41 siege train, the Commander-in-chief thought it
42 necessary to send the third infantry brigade, com-
43 manded by Brigadier Taylor, towards Dhurrumkote;
44 but it returned to camp on the 30th January.