1857 Necessity for further action--Departure from Delhi -- Action at Bulandshahr--Lieutenant Home's death--Knights-errant -- Fight at Aligarh--Appeals from Agra -- Collapse of the administration--Taken by surprise -- The fight at Agra--An exciting chase--The Taj Mahal The fall of Delhi was loudly proclaimed, and the glad tidings spread like wildfire throughout the length and breadth of India, bringing intense relief to Europeans everywhere, but more especially to those in the Punjab, who felt that far too great a strain was being put upon the loyalty of the people, and that failure at Delhi would probably mean a rising of the Sikhs and Punjabis.

Salutes were fired in honour of the victory at all the principal stations, but the Native population of the Punjab could not at first be made to believe that the Moghul capital, with its hordes of defenders, could have been captured by the small English army they saw marching through their province a few months before.

Even at that time it seemed all too small for the task before it, and since then they knew it had dwindled down to less than half its numbers.

It was not, indeed, until they had ocular demonstration of our success, in the shape of the loot which some of the Native followers belonging to the besieging force took back to their homes, that they became convinced of the reality of our victory.
[Illustration: PLAN TO ILLUSTRATE THE SIEGE OF DELHI, 1857] Sir John Lawrence being painfully alive to the weakness of our position in the Punjab, as compared to the great strength of the Sikhs, on hearing the news of the capture of Delhi, begged General Wilson to send back at once a British regiment as a practical proof that our triumph was complete, and that he no longer needed so many troops.

But though the city was in our possession, a great deal remained to be done before a single soldier could be spared.