A History of Assam c19.27

c19.27

The military force at first consisted of about a hundred up-country sepoys, but the climate was prejudicial to their health and the mortality amongst them was very heavy. Mr. Lindsay accordingly obtained sanction to replace them by a locally recruited Militia corps, which he accompanied himself whenever any difficult task had to be performed. On one occasion, during the Muharram, the Muhammadans in Sylhet rose and set fire to the town in several places. Only fifty of the Militia were on the spot, but with these Mr. Lindsay marched to the place where the crowd had collected and dispersed it, killing the ringleader, who attacked him with a sword, by a shot from his own pistol.