[From a letter tthe "London Times，" by a lady，the wife of an officer at Lucknow.]
1.On every side death stared us in the face；nhuman skill could avert1 it any longer. We saw the moment approach when we must bid farewell tearth，yet without feeling that unutterable horror which must have been experienced by the unhappy victims at Cawnpore. We were resolved rather tdie than tyield，and were fully persuaded that in twenty-four hours all would be over. The engineer2 had said so，and all knew the worst. We women strove tencourage each other，and tperform the light duties which had been assigned tus，such as conveying orders tthe batteries，and supplying the men with provisions，especially cups of coffee，which we prepared day and night.
2.I had gone out ttry tmake myself useful，in company with Jessie Brown，the wife of a corporal in my husband's regiment. Poor Jessie had been in a state of restless excitement all through the siege3，and had fallen away visibly within the last few days. A constant fever consumed her，and her mind wandered occasionally，especially that day，when the recollections of home seemed powerfully present ther. At last，overcome with fatigue，she lay down on the ground，wrapped up in her plaid. I sat beside her，promising tawaken her1Avert，tturn aside.
2Engineer，an officer in the army，whdesigns and constructs defensive and offensive works. 3Siege，the setting of an army around a fortified place tcompel its surrender.
when，as she said，her "father should return from the plowing."
3.She fell at length inta profound1 slumber，motionless and apparently breathless，her head resting in my lap. I myself could nlonger resist the inclination tsleep，in spite of the continual roar of the cannon. Suddenly I was aroused by a wild，unearthly scream close tmy ear；my companion stood upright beside me，her arms raised，and her head bent forward in the attitude of listening.
4.A look of intense delight broke over her countenance；she grasped my hand，drew me toward her，and exclaimed： "Dinna ye hear it？ dinna ye hear it？ Ay. I'm ndreaming： it's the slogan2 oˊthe Highlanders！ We're saved！ we're saved！" Then flinging herself on her knees，she thanked God with passionate fervor3. I felt utterly bewildered；my English ears heard only the roar of artillery，and I thought my poor Jessie was still raving ；but she darted tthe batteries，and I heard her cry incessantly tthe men，"Courage！ courage！ Hark tthe slogan-tthe Macgregor，the grandest of them a'！ Here's help at last！"
5.Tdescribe the effect of these words upon the soldiers would be impossible. For a moment they ceased firing，and every soul listened with intense anxiety. Gradually，however，there arose a murmur of bitter disappointment，and the wailing of the women，whhad flocked tthe spot，burst out anew as the colonel shook his head. Our dull Lowland ears heard only the battle of the musketry. A few moments more of this deathlike suspense，of this agonizing hope，and Jessie，whhad again sunk on the ground，sprang ther feet，and cried in a voice sclear and piercing that it was heard along the whole line，"Will ye nbelieve it noo？ The slogan has ceased，indeed，but the Campbells are comin'！ Dˊye hear？ d' ye hear？"
6.At that moment all seemed indeed thear the voice of God1Profound，deep.
2Slogan，the war cry or gathering word of a Highland clan in Scotland. 3Fervor，intensity of feeling.
in the distance，when the pibroch1 of the Highlanders brought us tidings of deliverance；for now there was nlonger any doubt of the fact. That shrill，penetrating，ceaseless sound，which rose above all other sounds，could come neither from the advance of the enemy nor from the work of the sappers2. No，it was indeed the blast of the Scottish bagpipes，now shrill and harsh，as threatening vengeance on the foe，then in softer tones，seeming tpromise succor ttheir friends in need.
7.Never，surely，was there such a scene as that which followed. Not a heart in the residency3 of Lucknow but bowed itself before God. All，by one simultaneous4 impulse，fell upon their knees，and nothing was heard but bursting sobs and the murmured voice of prayer. Then all arose，and there rang out from a thousand lips a great shout of joy，which resounded far and wide，and lent new vigor tthat blessed pibroch.
8.Tour cheer of "God save the Queen，" they replied by the well-known strain that moves every Scot ttears，"Should auld acquaintance be forgot." After that，nothing else made any impression on me. I scarcely remember what followed. Jessie was presented tthe general on his entrance intthe fort，and at the officersˊbanquet her health was drunk by all present，while the pipers marched around the table playing once more the familiar air of "Auld Lang Syne."
1Pibroch，a wild，irregular species of music belonging tthe Highlands of Scotland；it is performed on a bagpipe.
2Sappers，men employed in making an approach ta fortified place by digging. 3Residency，the official dwelling of a government officer in India.
4Simultaneous，happening at the same time.
