Warrener's Light Horse, as it was to be called, afforded the opportunity
desired, and by the next morning eighty-five volunteers had enrolled
themselves. Some thirty-five of these were officers, the rest civilians.
Many of them had ridden in, others had driven, so that most of them were
already provided with horses. An appeal was made to the officers of the
Meerut garrison, and to the civilians resident there, to give up any
horses they might be able to spare for the public service, while others
were bought from friendly zemindars. In a week the troop were all mounted,
and during this time they had worked hard to acquire a sufficient amount
of cavalry drill to enable them to perform such simple evolutions as might
be necessary. Major Warrener divided the squadron into two troops, each
with a captain and subaltern; all these officers being cavalrymen, as were
the officers who did duty as sergeants. Thus Major Warrener had the
general command, each troop being maneuvered by its own officers. In the
ranks as simple privates were two majors and a dozen captains--among these
latter, Captain Manners. Captain Dunlop was for the present in the
surgeon's hands; but he was resolved that when the time came for a start
for the rescue of the girls he would take his place in the ranks. The boys
of course formed part of the troop. The uniform was simple, consisting
simply of a sort of Norfolk jacket made of karkee, a kind of coarse brown
holland of native make. Each man carried a revolver, and sword belt of
brown leather. Their headgear was a cap of any kind, wrapped round and
round with the thick folds of a brown puggaree. Beyond the Norfolk jacket
and puggaree there was no actual uniform. Most of the men had hunting
breeches, many had high boots, others had gaiters; but these were minor
points, as were the horses' equipments.

Nothing had been said as to the intended expedition to bring in the
fugitives, as native spies might have carried the news to the rebels, and
so caused a renewed search to be made for their hiding-place. There was,