There was, however, no fear felt for their safety.

If the scanty original garrison had defied all the efforts of the mutineers, no one doubted that, now that their force was trebled, they would succeed in defending themselves until an army sufficiently strong to bring them off could be assembled.
Not a day was lost at Calcutta.

General Sir Colin Campbell, who was now in supreme command, was collecting a force at Cawnpore.

There he had already been joined by a column which had been despatched from Delhi as soon as the capital fell, and by a strong naval brigade with heavy guns from the ships of war.
All arrangements had been made for pushing up reinforcements as fast as they arrived, and the troops were marched from the side of the ship to a spot where a flotilla of boats was in readiness.

The men only took what they could carry; all other baggage was to be sent after them by water, and to lie, until further instructions, at Allahabad.