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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 f UN jgNREGISTERED according to the Act of the ProvbcUl oTTh ';!^"^f^^' 5^ JOHN HENRY WILTON, at the Office of the Registrar of the Province of Canada, in ihe year one housand eight hundred and forty-eight. B, i 1 SCENES IW A SOLDIER'S LIFE: BKiire A CONNECTED NARRATIVE OF THE PRINCIPAL MILITARY EVENTS SCINDE, BEELOOCHISTAN, AND AFFGHANISTAN, During 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, and 1843, UNDER GENERALS LORD KEANE, BROOKS, SIR R. SALE, WILI'SIIIRB, POLLOCK, NOTT, ENGLAND, M'CASKILL, AIJD SIR 0, NAPIER. BY J. H. WILTON, AtrraoB of "ethaldi," "the ootoast," "the desbktkrs,*' etc. etc. "Still question'd me tlio story of my life, From year to year ; the battles, sieges, fortunes. That 1 liave pass'd. •1 ran it through, even from my boyish days. To the very moment that he bade nie tell it ; Wherein 1 spoke of most disastrous chances ; Of moving accidents, by flood, and field ; Of hair-breadth 'scapes i' the imminent deadly breach ; Of my being taken by the insolent too. And sold to slavery ; of my redemption thence, And portance in my travels' history ; Wherein of antrea vast, and deserts idle. Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven, It was my hint to speak, such was the process." Shakgpere't Othello. » « » .■ « » , * . • * V *t ' » *« • k • i • • » » * « • > ■ R. JC^l} qv CHALMERS; t^/fTDON, LO^C-MAK AIID COMPANY; ••. ' *»NfeJr VoRK\ B1JRPOB16 ANI> eOMP/iNY. 1848;^ KOJrTHBUt : PrJnfd bj LoTMU. «d Qmo,, 6t. Nleholw SfcTMt. J ■^ . *> '> THESE SCENES IN A SOLDIER'S LIFE AMI MOST KBSPtCTFDLLT INSCRIBED TO COLONEL A. QUQY, M . P. P. lATB adjota:»t oksterai. op MILinA, AS A TOKEN OP THE ESTEEM ENTEBTAINBD FOB HIM AS A losal ^vih\ett, ^Itii?r» <^tate$(matt« ani) i^Unh, BT BIS MOST OBSOICirr AND BVHBUC SBR7A1IT, THE AUTHOK. S6l5a ■*"> I LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Alexander, Sir Jas. Edward A. D. C. to Com.,-in-Chief,. Adams, Major. 28th Regiment, Adamson, Captain ,.2l8t N. B. Fusiliers, Anstay, Lieutenant 20th Regiment, Anderson, Dr Rifle Brigade, Artrick, Q. M. S Rifle Brigade, Adamson, Rev. W. Agar Montreal, Aldridge, Thomas 23rd Fusiliers,... ."..".*.'.*.".* .".' Adamson, J. A Montreal Allen, H., Sergeant. 23rd Fusiliers,...*.*!!.'!!.'.'!!!!.""] Anderson, J. F St. Lawrence Main Street,.... Agassiz, Lieutenant 23rd Fusiliers Abbott, Rev. J Montreal, Ajrres, S. II.. Bank of B. N. A., Q*ue*bw,!!!! Aitchinson, J Standridge & Co., Alloway, R. M The Derries, Ireland Andrews, Captain 28th Regiment Andrews, Mr. Water Street, Manchesier,.... Anderson, Lieutenant, 56th Regiment, Anderson, J Manchester, !!!!!!!!!! Alms, Captain 7oth Regiment !..! Bainbridge, Colonel P. D. Q. M. Genl.. Dublin Blennerhassot, Captain 71st Regiment, H. L. L Bell, Lieutenant 23rd Fusiliers Black, Hon. Judge Vice Admlty. Court, Quebec,.! Barclay, Captain 56th Regiment, . Bainbridge, Mrs. R R. & C. Chalmers ' Bowers, D. A. C. Gen St. Johns Browne, Ensign, 71st Regiment, II. L. I !!' Belden, J Montreal Academy, Blackburn, J. Royal Engineer Department^. Baltour, Lieutenant, Rifle Brigade Broom, Templeton, Notre Dame Street!!!.!!!!!!"* Beer, J., Corporal 23rd Fusiliers Bowers, J., Corporal, 23rd Fusiliers, !.!.."!" Birks, R. 5*^°» J Dorchester Street, Boys, Armourer Sergeant, 23rd Fusiliers, 6 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. |ur; "^^^^^ 23.d FuslHe. Jel'vear.L. 1 23rd Fusiliers. > Burn, Major. •M.Joseph Street,... J grazior, S. Wal Artillery. . J Babington, Mr......' Compain Street,... I Beandage, L.. Commissurittt, ' Betbune, S..., "— • ' Birch, Mr... Advocate,... * S^"^^' J '.'.'.'.*.".'. Provincial S^reUr^sBLnt''' ] Broom, Frs Quebec,.... '''"v » -Uept.,.. j Bali. Shirley'.* ^'*y Bank,.'.' * Banks, G. Dublin,.. I Barnes. WZ:;:;:;;;^ j? ,T«'-k I'iace, London f Barnes, Color Sergeani li'^ ?J^«^t. Liverp^T; Boautflower. Rev.I! i^"^ Koffiment.... i Beachcroft, W ' ^nry, Lancashire,. I ^cket, Mrs. J ^ravesend,... * 5«''\n. cj ■;:;;;;; S'T^^'^'^^«nche'ster J Bowker.T R Market Street Mnnl ' Street. Salfoni; 2 Brooks, S^m.:.' " ?-ton. up^n IrwS Cottl'"^ ? Brode,J. p. Manchester, ""^^^ ^^'tage,.. I Buckley, Edmund.'M.* p ^ejvcastle under Lyme o Bickert'on, jju^;."?.."^' '^''^^f ^V AfanThesfer, . Bames, H...... ... "atManuft ' «"""'«' " p"" ^^a"u:acturer, London i ^f'N. •; ^^^^^^^^t^I-ane, London Byles, Captain I^Jymouth ° ' Bujteel, £ ;; ..-Seth Regiment',.*; J ^a;^:; ::::::.:::•:;:::} Belle vue. l^^^^ci;;^ I Beautflo;er. i:: Jer Captain Lawtf SST' ' Beautflower J."^--; ^l^'/ancasWre.!."'. '^^'' ] I^SiifT'"''— ^^^^ ^^-h^sie;:::;:;;;: } ^'\^- .v.'.*.';.'.': ^"^'•'"ans.Man'c'h'e's'ter"" Chamberlain. Sir TJ H Montreal,... "''"er,.... Campbell. M^jor.AD c''"^'-^^':^ fusiliers';..*;: Croker, Captain...^:; *° *5^ Governor Gene'mi Coston,Lie^utenantc'o'i;;nei '^'^ ^'S'"^-^t,JZ, t''' t^otton. Lieutenant S «« , . Crofts, Lieutenant, ..: ffj Regiment J Cruikshank. D. A. C. Geni l^'^ Fusileers, » Chalmers, R ^' "eni Kingston,. ' cuii;rnghame;*w;A;"M:; ^^^"^r^'-'^-z:::.: ; ^'«t i^g»meut, H. L. I , 1 I 1 2 1 1 I U8T OF BUB8CRIBERB. 1 ! at*?, I I I I 1 I ''a Dept,'..* I 1 I 'on .*.'.' 1 oJ, I 1 I 1 [' 1 Salford, 2 'ottage,.. 1 2 e 2 >don 1 'D 1 1 I •in Cox, 1 Jment,. i 5th Be, 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 •••«•• 1 ••••• 1 Cary, Lieutenant, 77th Regiment. i Garden, Lieutenant 77th Kegiment, 1 Connoliy, J. N. Montreal, ' 1 Connor, Serjeant 77th Regiment Z'" i Cordial, J.^ : ^»ff'« ^'aM Rifle Brigade,... I Crawford, Captain Rifle Brigade I Colman, J Dundas, C. W •••••••• ^ n'^'u-^-r". 23rd Fusiliers, .*.*.' i Campbell, R., junior Montreal, i Crookshank. A Commissariat Staff, Kin«ton; 1 Gary, T. A Montreal, 1 Chester, Captain 23rd Fusiliers i ^l"*f • *^V; 23 St. Nicholas Tolentine St.i 1 Clarke, Mr St. Johns, i Campbell. A. D Montreal, 1 S''f«^' V ""^ ^^' Townsend's, '."1 Collins, J. City & District Saving's Bank, 1 Coote. W. St. Johns, 1 Grossman, C. E Scott, Shaw & Co., l Carter. George Advocate, Montreal, I Cosgrave, R 23rd Fusiliers l C apham, J. H. Quebec 1 C apham, J. Greaves Quebec, * 1 Clark, R. B Quebec, "."' I Carrole, N. G Quebec, ',' 1 Clarke, T.M. Quebec; :::;;:::. 1 Coles, R Quebec 1 Cameron, Lieutenant 26th Regiment l Chetewood, E. J. Dublin 1 LjiarKe, J.-..-.... Solicitor, Manchester, i Clayton, E.F Dublin 1 Cormuck, H Deansgate, Manchester, '. I Cotton, Lieutenant Colonel S 28th Regiment, l Conran, Captain 56th Regiment, '.' l Cox, Captain 56th Regiment 2 ^'^o«»Pio°'P- Bury, Lancashire, 1 Coward, W Bury Bank, Lancashire ; Campbell, Dr 56th Regiment 1 Campbell, Lieutenant 60th Rifles \ Creed, R.. ggc. London & Birm. Railway^ 3 rS!^n^^* e ^^^^ Master, 22nd Regiment, I Cha inor. Sergeant, 17th Regiment 7. ; Chalhnor, Levi. Stanley Street, Manchester,... 1 Dyneley, Colonel, C. B. R. A...CornwaU Terrace, Montreal... 1 Dyde, Colonel J Montreal ... 1 Dilke, Lieutenant W. W. E., 77th Regiment '. !. i ijickens. Lieutenant. 23rd Fusiliers 1 i^areU, Lieutenant Royal Navy, 1 LIST 0*' 8UBSCWBER8. pelHoste, Malor J^»vid«on, Major ^- Q- M. OonornI Rom. Sa?!{S:;:; •'''-•''^'Zl^sr ^•^^•' ' 5»vie», J 20 AfftinSfreet. ' gawson, B 23rd Fusiliers, ^ Jow, Andrewr...'. ^"^ro I^atneStrm ^ 5? Wolden. T.. «» ^t. Josoph Street ' J«rbishire, P. 23rd Fusiliers ^ I>erbishire,J.. Montreal,.. ' ^ I>avies, D.. Montreal, * JaJIas, Rev.'.T.'. 23rd FusiliVri ' ^ans, J. Wanchestor, ' proper, Captain.*.;.' lY^^P!" StreorManciiG8t«r '"'' ! }>udIey.Dr. K .' ^- A. General, D?S'-- »tIoundet Street, A Hos, Jre^; SerjeantV;.;;;; 28thRefffmont?'.'.'.'.' ' 5«minuck, J. • Newcastle under LymeV under Ljrne,.' J S«Jan.'cc;i^rseH;a;v m^.nm:;:!:^'^''^''^^:^! pore, John .^"""^ 22nd Ke^imen * > T? ^.■~--' .' Jfr'^'^stlo under L/me ^arell. Captain :;::;;: ST..?.^'-«^^ Man^ch"; 2 1 o I 1 ^ewhurst, J... 60rh Kiflcs.., 1 |van«, T., Major Gon,r^i-Vr;vI^;fl^,Bn^^^^^^^ %erton Majo'r. " . •'^' ^^- 'I'f, ^^"\Regiraent. Momr'ealoo Evans, Lieutenant... ^/^'' Regiment ''"'^«a^'20 Ivan"; VT"^«'^^«''^nel.'^\*''i1ir^^ £^vang, J. A ;J;*th Ke/^iment,... ■English, D.. Montreal,.. . Eagjeton, Co'rporai'w;: T^J S^'^^'^'^'^'b^rg, fgie, Sergeant J.. ^Srd Fusiliers,.... ^ Evans, Serjeant MaVor of !? fusiliers ;;;; J Edwards,—..... "J"''^- 23rd Fusiliers, ^ Ellerj, Miss,.. Manchester,. * U6T OF SUBSCRIBERS. 9 Bombay,...,! Bombay,.... I Major,'.*.*.".' 1 1 1 1 c::::::::: \ I 1 1 1 I 1 1 •ester,.... i n 1 10 1 P I ?ster, 1 I I 1 I 2 1 2 I 1 1 >ntreal,20 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 ...... I ". I n,.... 2 m,... 1 2 land, 1 I...... 1 1 Ileromg, T Ch., Exchange, ManchMt«r,.« Fleming, Dr. M. 1) Brouehton View. ManoheitM*. Fortune, Quarter Master 23rd Fusiliers, Fojr, Miyor. 71»t Highland L. I Ford, A. J... B. E. Department Florence. J., junior 400 Broadway, New York,.... Fftvy, J 23rd Fusiliers, Ford, P 23rd Fusiliers, Fletcher, J., Q. M. Sergeant 23rd Fusiliers Farrow, J Canal Basin, Famden.G St. Louis Street Fisher, J. C, L. L. D Quebec Frew, J Quebec, Frazer, Dr Biflo Brigade Fazakerley, — Bridgewater St., Manchester,. Foulkes, E Solicitor. Manchester Freeling, Clayton Dublin, Freke, Surgeon R Dublin Freke, W Solicitor, Dublin Farmer, '^T Winchestor House, London,... Greenock, Lord A.F. 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers,... Granville, F., Major 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers,.. _ Gugy, Colonel A., M. P. P De Bleury Street 10 Granthan, Dr. D., 23rd Fusiliers, Grant, Daniel Bury, Lancashire Garman, Rev. N Head Mas. Gram. Sch., Man., Glass, John Montreal, Galway, Lieutenani W., 77th Rpgiment, Gallogher, J 23rd Fusiliers Green, R. J 23rd Fusiliers, Goodrich, C Burlington George, Sergeant 23rd Fusiliers, Gilbert, Color Sergeant 23rd Fusiliers, Gordon, J Montreal, Griffin, Gilbei-t Montreal,. Grant, p Ordnance Department, Quebec, Gillespie, A Ordnance Department, Quebec, Gale, D Quebec Goodfellow, — Water Street, Manchester, Gough, C King Street, Manchester, Goldsmith,— Gravesend, Grettan, Lieutenant Royal Navy, Manchester, Grundy, E TheWylde', Bury,Manche8ter, Graham, Dr Royal Navy, Guise, Lieutenant, Grix, Sergeant Major. 56th Regiment Grundy, Miss..... Bury, Lancashire, Hoghton, Sir H. Bold, (Bart)... London, "ST OP SUBSORIBEKS. 10 '^arria, Colonel ^ ^, HalJoway, CoJonoJ,. ' f?'^'^ ^ "siJiers, . «opton.L:fiufcenant gammond, Lieut goger, JunieC S'«« Bn-feade,:;: f gare. Captain... <-''envii]e ' noffftrth. .Mnjor'c B 5^'^ Regiment,.." | Hare. liev. lij^'^ 26th Kejiment... Hughes, Lieutenam;:;:::: 9^/nV/,^>P'- Har^riei* '£•;• i Hughes LioutonanC. ?;"S^ J^'?^/^^"*,... ....." ^'S' f namilton, J... * H«ney,J ;;;;• Custom House J HoJmot), ,T... Court House ' Haij. J. ,.;;;;;;• • Trinity Hous'e"*..".'.* } Handley, Sergcant^VV.' ^'^^I'T'^ J>epartra;nt; J Hitchcock, Serffeunt j; ^^"^ -"^usilier^^ ' J Hutchins, J. lif ';"' ^^ 20rd Fusiiiers..:;: Harvey A. G f> I'auJ Street,... f gf>wel}. Sergeant. ' Montreal J Howell, Lieutenant.:: of'? S"''^'«''« ."•'::: i Hartley, W M. B P''^ f^usiliers ^ JJeuderson, Peter. Montreal, liar 1% Vor,^. ;;;•;• 36 St. George StreeL 1 1 {j*>'««. M. ;;;;; care of MnLoveridJ; ; Hayes, ~ Montreal ^' * Harris, Charies'" Montreal....*::: ^ Hughe., N. "^t Mr. Philjin* a'^I*^ ^ Hooper, A. C. Montieal,... ., '-•• » Hall, Georffe Quebec '" 1 Hall, G. b! Quebec 1 iS&S,^g5^^^^s;gh:r^"^^^^^^ ' "*' Tx , — » - B ..:; J^V'g street Manchester" Henderson, Rev. J.... ^o^''-'' or, Manchester,. ' *%wood^ T. Manchester * Hutchinson, W:::;:;:;;;; J^T''^-ay, iiancheVter f ^*ooper, J. DuMin, '' * Hulme, — ' ^ankofEnWanH mIU'u * HardcaWj;:::;::;::;:; ^'« s'-Kfi?'*'' J Hargre^ve^fe z:z::t::^,?^''j^^ I LIST OP SUBSCRIBEBS. 11 I S I 4 I I I Jth Keg! I I 1 I 1 I 1 1 1 I I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 /»••••• 1 nent, i •<>•••• 1 1 1 ... 1 1 St, J '' 1 a... 1 • ••• 1 • •ff • 1 >«•• 1 ... 1 ... 1 er, 1 ... 1 B., 1 .. 1 .. 1 Ilardman, E..., Chambers Hall, Bur j.Lancas. 2 Halkett, Miss Craigoe 1 Si I wood Place, Bngh. Sussex, Harris, J. C » Radford, „ Hawker, W. H Plymouth, , Holt, B Bury, Lancashire, Harper, — Solicitor, Lancashire, Harrison, J ...Ir well House, Lancashire, Harrison, Jnc Green Banks, Lancashire,...,.. Hodgson, E. W Leberts & Co., Bradford, Hollond, Dr Philo, Soci., Shef., Yorkshire, Heeny, Color Sergeant 22nd Krgiment, , Hindle, Sergeant Major 60th Rifles, .'. Hogg, Cajptain 90th Rcgiaient .'. Harvey, J. Commissariat. Bombay, fngilby, C. H Lieutenant Royal Artillery,... Isaa^json, J. H Notary, Montreal, Idler, Ernest, Corner of Dorchester Street,. irwin, Corporal 23rd Fusiliers, Ibbitson,H. I Globe Works, Sheffiield,....'.*.. Jones, Captain 23rd Fusiliers Jones, D. Captain 60th Rifles, Jarvis, Judge Cornwall, ,.**.'..' Jane, Assistant Surgeon 71st Regiment, H. L. I., *..". Jarvis, Color Sergeant 77th Regiment,... Johnson, S 23rd Fusiliers, Johnson, James 2 St. Mary Street, Johnson, J. G Montrpal, Jones, George Quebec,...., '„,[', Jackson, G Bridge Street, Manchester,.... Johnson, — Bury, Lancashire, Jerrutt, Frederick 22nd Regiment, .Tones, J. Sergeant :....22nd Regiment, ."] Kerr, Lord Mark A. D.C.tothe Gov. General... Kaye, Alderman Manchester, Kingsford, W , Montreal Khriecoff, Cornwallis Great St. James Street, Koane, a , Ordnance Department, Kinton, J Barclay Place, Keary, Sergeant, 23rd Fusiliers Knapton, oerjeant 23rd Fusiliers Kays, J Gain Street , Kain, C Keith, John Campbell Bryson, Knapp, — DeBleury Street Kelly, Color Sergeant 22nd Regiment, *^«ijvv, -oaj^iaui r\uvvcasueunaerijyrae, Love, Captain 9 1st Regiment, late 60th Rifles, Lawson, Captain 56th Regiment, 12 LIST OP SUBSCHIBERS. Lindsay, Charles t^ . , La Merf, Captain......; .V; .ftrH'^'lvV ■L«e, Josephs iJJ'^" ^'gnlanders,. LancasterrFk Montreal, .7 Lamart, N..... '.*.*.'.*.*.'.'.*.'.'.* S' ^"ffjneer Depa T -^r"'^' p !?.,"• - ;r apartment, Laidly, DC. General... Mon.^T^ ^^epartraent, Lindsej, W. B... Montreal, Lindsay, W.,, "' St. Johns .\\ ' ^Lettle, G.. ,..'.*.* ^^' Johns, [[''[ * Library..."".'.".';;* '•••!* ^'-Antoine Street,*.*. J Lyman, J.. Kine Brigade, J Laggatt, H.;;;.';;; jf^'^'e Dame Street,'.;;; 7 Langslouffh, — . t'S'^^^ ^^ame Street,. , Lay. Alexander;;; -Montreal 'J"' J Large, Sergeant W:;:::Z oZ^T^- Lyons, M., ^^'" Fusihers Leslie, E. S.;;;;;;; Cigar Divan, Montreal Lyons, SamI Montreal, Loveridge, D. ^^^I^ ^ame Street,.. Lamb, J, ; ^t- Mary Street ' Library....^..; -Artist, Montreal,...; * , Lavicount, A.*K * 2^^^^ ^''^J^ery,...;.; : ^evy, -^ i/nibroke Street,.. Low, S ;; Notre Dame Street,." Longmore, M..*;;;;."; ^^^'® ?^ ^he Barrack Master *' Lovis, J <:;'Oiirier Office, '"* Lanauze, Lieutenant.*; fLu'^'^^^'^''^''---'''''^.\'yy.''.'. Lanauze, — ^^^" *^^g'nnent,.... , j^e, Joshua;.*;;;*;; p*' ;;;;;;; , Lyons, John... ^H?.'''^' Lancashire,.... , Lee,-— Dublin, * Lewis, Coionei;;;; ^''''^i'^^^'SbeffieidVYorka'i;-'"" J La Motte, -...;;;;;; g-yal Engineers, Dublin,. !''' Longworth, Sergeant.*.*. f^olton, Lancashire, ;' Macdougall, Sir D M n"\""'lt^ insiliers MaclainS, S r I M^rf;""'-;-^"^^^'' ^^--vice Club ' Maelaine,' Coionei fl ^^"^^^'-United Service Club, .V;" Markham, Lieutenant'cd;nd""30nd'^ Majonbanks. Mrs. Campbell '^rfr ^'"iment Messiter, Lieutenant Cdoner'"olh ff •^'''^'''^^^•' ^'^"^on Munroe, Colonel. '""^'- rj'th liegiment, ' Montizambert, E. ZZZl 49T m"^ ^l^' t'-^' (D"blin;y.;;; ^ Montizambert, C. N A? u "''" ^*- ♦^^"es Street, 1 Morrison, Lieutenant.;;.*;;; ^"^itTv"-- Montague, P. "ovalLngmeers, Macdougall, d"l Montreal, Mackenzie, Dr.*. m'd Montreal -aiann, jjr., M. D ^'''.'r'''^^^*^""^«''Lyme,.. 9 ' Bndgewater Street, Mandir; I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 •••••«......., 1 I 4 1 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 13 Molson, Mrs. Wm Montreal Meason, W. L 71st Kegiment H. L. I, '.'. Mofftttt, Ogilvy Montreal, Macdougall, L Montreal, Maggridge, Lieutenant Royal Engineers J.?.?**^!i^* Royal Engineer Department... Mills, Thomas... Chambly, Murray,. — , Commissariat Department Mostyn, Lieutenant 77th Regiment, Maitland, J. H St. James Street, Montgomerie, H. E Sherbrooke Street, Mess, Sergeants, 77th Regiment,. Monarty, Color Sergeant 77th Regiment, ^usson, J Quebec ManseU, M 23rd Fusiliers JJundy,D Lachine Canal Basin Moore, Sergeant Alfred 23rd Fusiliers Montague, J. M. P Montreal '. JJann, D 3 St. Mary Street, Maffre, J., juni Montreal, Merritt, F Meredith, W. C Advocate Morgan, W Sadler, Montreal !...,!!!!! Merntt, H. S Bank, B. N. A., Quebec, Miller, Lieutenant P. F Royal Artillery, Quebec, Macdougall, John Quebec, Mainwaring, C Whitemore, Staffordshire,.!!!!! Mayes, C Mr. Baines, Clements Lane, Mechanics Institute Bury, Lancashire, Mosley, R Sec, South Western Railway*, Myhns, Captain 26th Regiment, f; J- M. 8th Regiment, Margeson, Lieutenant. 56th Regiment, Murray, Lieutenant Colonel F....17th Regiment, late 60th Rifles Mangnall, — King Street, Salford, Lane.,... Morton, Sergeant 22nd Regiment, Maud, Sergeant W 40th Regiment, M'Gill. Hon. P Donegana's Hotel M'Carty, Lieutenant 77th Regiment, M'Pherson, Duncan Quebec, M'Limont, A. N Quebec, !!!!!!!!!!!!*" M'Dermott, G Newcastle under Lyme,!!!!!!!!! M'Keuzie,— , Beaver Hall, M'Gregor, J Nazareth Street, *.. M'Coy, Jno St. James Street M'Indnfi. M". . Hf^rv^^ — 1 . ,- J .. .-......,,, •■tiii»i««iii tTiVTlLX ceil** •••••••*•««••• X M'Millen, Jas 3 St. Mary Street, !...!!!! 1 M'Gumess, J Montreal, 2 14 LIST OP SUBSCKIBEES. M'Veagh. - - M'Guire, ~. ;;; S-f^^/^nd Regiment, Montreal. 1 Note, M. Genl. Sir W "k* P 'r^*' "^^Jl^f-; 1 Norman. Major. ..^^ ^'^- ^Z2 ?f ^ri"dley & Co.,Lond 3 >^apior, D. C ^^^" K<'giment j Nixon, Lieutenant j'p )^'' Regiment, n.'Ll,',',',',,]] i Nixon, Lieutenant J..."lZ[l'"' f H. E. J. C. Service 1 Norris, Thos.. A ^ otrvice NuttalJ, J... ^"""y. Lancashire, y Newton, Qr. Mas'tti';:;:;; ^^"P; Lancashire :;;;;;; i Oakley, Captain fl'l V/-V"^"' I Ormrod, Jus... ^'Gth Kegiment , O'Noil, J Haliiwell Lodge, Bolton, . '" i Overburjr, Colo^ Se;-g;anV J ^^Ti' ^¥'^ ^'^Soons,.,Z 1 O'Neill. Sergeant J__ o. J I '■■""' 1 Orr,John... :^3rd in&iliers, j ogfien, G. P.;;;:;;;;;; ,^"^rf Dame street, ;;;;;;; i Ordnance Libr— Quebec,, •Jiry. Pritchard frrW"",**: l>ublin, * p^^^^u'"'' ^- ^- ^-f r'^'.-..::^::::::::::;;;: l^aris. Rev. A....." w!^^^^'' ^■^' ^'' M. g! O.* 2 Jassey, Major E. w' W r! u^»"''? ^^^ctory g Potter, Rev.— / :^6th Kegiment , Mips, Lieutenant.:::::: oZh^^'P''''^''''' *::: i pollock. Lieutenant.. p '^ ,*"«^llf -^ 1 Percival, V., Surgeon jj^'^ ^^^t.'ery, Montreal i Pasley. Lieutenant" .' p''^^' Artillery, Montreal } Proctor, T fl^^jai -H/ngineers, j Perry, G. L.....'.,', 23rd Fusiliers ;;;" j Prince, J. Jt. Urbain Street, . Patrick, W.:: JfT^^' "ear Bostoii,...'*.*.* 4 Phillips, J ;;;;;;;;; ^; Jf. General's Department;: 1 Patton, Duncan.... n u ^''^ ^'^^^' Academy,... i Patton, James : Q^^*^^' 1 ^?rk''nson.j :;;; g"j;bec Philipps, J, Lloyd.. -j^uO. Lancashire, ^ Quinn, Major J. !)..,['.','. 1"^,^^ %^' ^h^'*"^' Exchange St. 3 Roper, Sir H -^Srd Fusihers, " j Rushbrook, Cd'onei: *M " P t 1 ^^'^''^^ J^"stice of Bombiy: 1 Ross.Thos... ;J"i itegiraent, j Robert on, E.x:.v;;::;:::- fc::^^!' :.';:: i lingers, W.M. "--"yui Commissariat Department..... 1 LIST OP SUBSCKIBEES. 15 '> Montreal, 1 ••• 1 Co.,Lond. 3 1 rtment,.... i I -»•!.. 1 :e 1 I 1 I 1 ton, 1 >ons, 1 1 1 1 1 1 '\i'.'G."0. 2 2 1 I 1 real i real, i 1 1 1 1 1 4 tment,. 1 1 1 1 ige St. 3 1 mbaj, 1 E\ I 1 It..... 1 Robertson, Mrs. Dr St. James Street i Kowe, Thos.. Royal Engineer Department! 1 Koss, Color Sergeant Rifle Brigade i Riley, Alexander 23rd Fusiliers, ..'.'." y Robinson, J 23rd Fusiliers ."*' i Robertson, D Montreal, " i Ready, J. M., 1 Durham Place, '..,.'.'.['.' l Rapsey, Color Sergcaat J 23rd Fusiliers i Renaud, E. J Montreal, 1 Roberts, Serg^eant, 23rd Fusiliers, *.*.*.*'.*.".'/.'." I Robertson, Messrs 2 St. Paul Street, " l Raffan, J.. careofMr.Mann,3St.Mary8t! I Routh, J., D. A. C. G Montrenl, i Rogers, Rev. E. E St. Helens ."..*.* .*"* i Ross, D. M late 1st Roynls, " i Ready, Captain C D. Q. M. General's Offiee....*.*. 1 Richardson, Robert Quebec, i Roe, F. N Oueb^o' , Raban, Lieutenant 56th Regiment, i Raine, Henry Bury, Lancashire, '.ZZ 2 Ramsay, Lieutenant Fox Maule,56th Regiment, i Robson, Lieutenant 5th Dragoon Guards,..!,'.'.*.'.*.*.'.'.' i Rose, R. J., J. P No wcjiPt'e under Lyme,.... i Ryarie, R.... care of Captain A. Ry arie',!.*;.' 1 Ramsay, Sir Alexander, Bart,. ..of Balmain, .... i Rogers, Sergeant R 56th Regiment, ...' l Ryan, Dr., M. D 56t»i Regiment, '" i Richards,F.C ...Manchester, i Robertson, W. N. City Bank, i J'ce. G St Johns .'.' Sale, M. Gen. Sir R.,K.C B. &c.,Uted.Ser.Club; forLady'sde' Saye and Sele, Lord care ofMrs. Thornton, London, If' T^-'"n Crompton Fold, Bolton Lane. Stopford, Rev. G j Sutton, Lieutenant, 71st Highland, L. T, i btehelin. Captain., Royal Engineers "' i Seymour, R. A Montreal, '„,„',['. 1 ou //' ?"A'": Ordnance Department .'.*.*!.* i bhaddock, Serjeant, 20th Regiment, Kingston, l Sabine, A. F St. Franyois Xavier Street,... 1 Savage, D. Notre Dame Street, i Shipman, J,. Montreal, o I ^r'^xr^r; •• ^^ S'- Urbain Street,...*.*.'.*.';.','; i Smith, W. H 23rd Fusiliers, i Smith, Ferdinand F. Morning Courier, ....'.*;" i Sm»»ie, D Montreal J snnn'°v^« ^°y^^ ^^^^'' Quebec,.'.;.;;;;;;;; i Spong, W.H Q. Master General's Office,... l 16 LIST OF SUBSCKIBEBS. 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 I 1 Stewart, G. Mayor of Quebec, Sealy J Quebec, Skinner, A WAe Brigade, Quebec, Scott, Wra.. Quebec Sterenson, H. E Quebec,.. Sherrier,-, J^^'Jf^fc—; J Supple, J St. P: ul Street I yijj^jy B Shudohill, Manchester, Sloan' J.*..*.*. Manchester, Smith R.P Bank of England, London,.... Smith! J.....*.*.*.*.'.i .Manchester....... Smith 8 Bolton, Lancashire, Smith, Warwick, Oldham Street. Manchester,... Stork 'w Solicitor, Glossop, Stisted, Captain 2ud, or Queen's Royals, Sndlow, J.. Solicitor, Manchester, Sparkes, Lieutenant R. M 86th Regiment Svdnev & Horsman, .Market Street, Manchester,.... Swan, J l^i"ff Street, Manchester, Swaine, Q. Master J ...56th Regiment,.... Schofields, S Oldham, Lancashire,.... Smith R Harewood House, Leeds, Slade,*R^'vVj.*.'. Vicar of Bolton, Lancashire,. 1 Smith, Captain 56th l]?Sl"^^''y''y--'-:"'r: ] Smith, Sergeant J 78th Highlanders, (late 40th.) 1 Tenterden, Lord London....... J Turner, Major General Cork, Ireland.............. } Talbot, Major, A. D. C to Commander in Chief, 1 Tomkins, Captain 77th Regiment,, 1 Taylor, J., O. R. S RifleBrigade^................... Thompson, E Su Franyois Xavier Street,.... Thomas, R 23rd Fusiliers Thomas, J • 23rd 1 usiliers, Thomas, J., P. M..Sergeant 23rd Fusi hers Tuite, Sergeant J 23rd Fusiliers, Townsend, W. A Notre Dame Street Twibyen, — ....-^ Water Works, Turner, Captain Montreal,. Travers ..Custom House, Tipson, Captain, Steamer Iron Duke Tims, F , Quebec Tim8,W Quebec, _:*:-u Functionary, Sir H. Pottinger; Ameers of Scinde; Removal )f 20 CONTENTS. their Body Guards; Substitution of a BriHsh Subsidiary Force; Scinde made tributary to tho British Government; Sir John Koane resumes his March for Cabool; Monotonous life of the Scinde Force; Troops put into Huts; Description of Huts; Bad made Worse; Hospitals crowded; Minora selected as a Sanatorium; Benefit derived thereby; Curious Phenomenon; Boiling Spring; Sacred Alligator Lake; Picnics; Fate of a Dog. CHAPTER III. Improvement of Kurrochie; News from Upper Country of the Capture of Ghuznee ; Cabool; Coronation of Shah-Shooja- ool-Moolk as King of Cabool; Sir T. Wiltshire takes Kelat Return of Sir John Keane's Army; Arrival in Kurrachie Favorable opportunity; Brilliant Staff; Prince Hyder Khan, Presentation of New Colors to the 40th Regiment; Departure of the Cabool Army for Bombay; Wreck of H. M. 17th Rp^t . in the "Hannah"; Dreadful loss sustained by the Corps; Prospects of an Insurrection ; Call upon Brigadier Farquharson to supply Troops; His inability to comply r Despatch of the Right Wing 40th; An Aifghan's opinion of European Power; Preparations for March to Tatta; A slight retrogade step in the story; Embarkation of Troops in the Ship Stalkart, laden with Powder and Camp Equipage; Alarm of Fire at Sea; Expectation of being blown up; Description of Scene; Dis- covery of Cause; Effect Produced; Arrival at Destination; The Murderers of Captain Hand; The Commander of the Party; A Priest hanged; March of the Wing to Googah. Jts beau- ties; Tatta; Embarkation in Boats; Arrival at Tatta. CHAPTER IV. Tatta: Its appearance from the Indus; The River Indus; Its Inundations, like the Nile; Danger of being overpowered b/ the Current; Whirpools; Curious modes of Swimming and Na- vigation ; Description of Jerrick ; dreadful Catastrophe ; Bum- .H^ o. ^*, ni^t/c. u aiivi ltto uiiiurs, joniisn Omcers, by Firing CONTENTS. 21 the Jungle; Impossibility of Escape; Surmise as to cause; Shikarees or Hunting Grounds of Ameers of Soinde; Appear- ance of Hydrabad from Indus; Lucknee Mountains; Pleasure Boats of the Ameers; Description of Workmanship; The Ameers of Scindo; The Power and Scource of Revenue; Lake of Harran; Larkana; Arrival at Bukkur; Conjunction of Troops; Description of Sukkur; Fortress of Bukkur: Its Situation and Employment; State Prisoners; The Prince of Shawl and Grand Vizier of Kelat; Strict Guard on them; Their Treatment and Allowances; Short History of the Prince; Release of the Prisoners; Their Employment by Go- vernment; Ross Bell, Esquire, Political Agent; Captain Bean; Defeat of Lt. Clarke's Force; His Death; Dreadful Loss of Stores, &c.; Awful situation of Troops in Sukkur; Prepara- tions for War; Press for Cattle; Effect of the appearance of British Troops; March of Troops to Shikarpoor; Equipment of the Force; Appearance of Shikarpoor. ' CHAPTER V. DeseriptionofaMarch in the East; Extreme Change of Wea- ther; European Constitution; Young Officers; Their Praise- worthy Conduct; Preparations for Active Service completed; Departure of Force; Destination ; Dadur; The Enemy^; Nusseer, the Youthful King of Kelat; His Mother, Beebee Qunjan; His Uncle, Gool Mahomed; Their Efforts to Anni- hilate Small Forces; Attempt to recapture Kelat; Lieutenant Loveday, Bombay N. L; Massacre of his Force; His life ran- •omed by two Banyans; Becomes a Hostage; His Treatment; Nusseer's unsuccessful attack on Dadur; Three times De- feated; Arrival at Rojan; Fadguing March across the Desert ofScinde; Confidence of Captain Boscawen in his Men; Cer- tainty of British Valour; Enemy Encamped on the other side; Arrival at the Spot; Decampment of the Enemy towards Kunda; Cavalry despatched after them; Movement of Force to Kunda; Appearance of the Enemy; Battle; Description of Scene; Private Jeeiings; General Acknowledgment; My First Battle Field; Prisoners taken; Arrival of Nawab* 22 UUNTENT9. Mahomed Shereave; Sentence passed on Prisoners; Ma- homed's Manner; Anecdote of an English Rifle; Night Alarm; March to Oodana; Want of Water; Encampment on a Barren Plain. CHAPTER VI. Another Retrograde Movement; Interesting Account of one of the Banyans, who ransomed the Life of Loveday; Curious Discovery in the Merchont; Sudden Metamorphosis into a young Englishman; A brief History of his career; March to Kotra; Re-appearance of the Enemy; Straggling Shots; 25th Regt., N. I., left at Kotra; Welcome of the Force at Kotra by the inhabitants; Havoc made by the Insurgents; Situation of Kotra, with the Gundavie Pass; A Blockade; March to Sunnee; A Night's March; Distressing Route; We reach Seran; Mysore; Departure; Sudden Route; Ai rival of Des- patches from Dadur, announcing a Grand Attack on the 2nd November; Necessity of a Reinforcenent at Dadur; Dreadful situation of Troops; Seven weeks on sentry; Orders to force march to Dadur; Detention of Couriers for Guides; The Mysore Pass; Midnight; Description of Pass ; Previous Position ; Sudden Alarm ; Suspicions of Treachery ; Route Intercepted; Discovery of ravine flooded; Impossibility to proceed; Night 1st November; Interrogation of the Guides; Their protestation of innocence; Another very long Route discovered; Determination to proceed ; Troops re-formed; Serious reflection; Miseries of the night; Credit due to the Native Troops; The break of day; Poor progress made; Energetic advancement; Determination to accomplish ; Dadur in sight; And happy welcome. CHAPTER VII. Preparations for Battle; Energy of the little Drummers; Con- junction of the Dadur Forces P'^sUion taken up by Mahomed Shereuve; Captain Boscawen' . "vaxigem.ut; Young Malcolm's Cavalry; The Advance; PosiiVn t^diilovementsof theEuemy; CONTENTS. 18 Difoorery ofaTrick; Sudden Retreat of the Foe; Admirable Practice of our Artilloiyi A Noblo Cavalry Movement; The decampment of the Eutmy ; Retreat into the Bol n Tagg; Vexa- tious Scene; Advance to the Deserted Camp; Appearance of an European Tent; Distressing scene; The Discovery of the murdered body of Loveduy; His last breath; His sor- rant; His situation; Story told by him; Brutal treatment ; Gool Mahomed, the insfigator; Feelings of the Troops; Two of the Enemy f und secref'd; ^Effects of drunkenness; HinU to Soldiers; Dangerous position; Slight wound; Too much sanguinityaf times dangerous; Necessity of implicit obedience in the Eciv.ct; Ability of Commanders; 38 th Regiment, N. I., left in charge of Prize; Encampment; Dadur; Its situation with the Bolun; State of the Troops; Burial of Loveday; Description of British Stronghold at Dudur; The severity of the climate; The effect of the water; Painful malady; Scar- city of Provisions ; Annoyance of the Enemy; Troops always under Arms; Original recipes for cooking; Precaution of Major Boscawen; 38th Regiment ordered up the Pass is weatherbound. CHAPTER VIII. Sojourn at Dadur; The Kotra Force; Nusseer still determined; Lieutenant Chamberlain; Colonel Marshall at Kotra; En- campment of the Enemy near Kotra; Secret Expedition; Silent preparations for Battle; Midnight Surprise; Glorious Victory ; Escape of Nusseer ; Dreadful loss amongst the Enemy; Colonel Stacy at Quetta; His Directions to Nego- ciate ; Unjust liberality of the British ; General Brooks ; A large lorce for further Exploits; Evidence of another War; Assembly of a Grand Army at Sukkur; Its March to Mungal Ka Shier; Left Wing 40th with the Grand Army; Orders for the Right Wing to join Head Quarters; Second Grenadier Regiment left at Dadur; March to Mungal Ka Shier; Arrival at Aji Ka Shier; Route theieto; Night marching; Defile; Arfivalin Cuuip at Midnight; Coraniissanat lost; Bad look- ovX; Camp Surprises; Recollections of Major Clibborn's mishap; \\ i i 1 i 24 CONTENTS. Despfttchfls to Diidur; CoUfotion of a meal; Arrival of a lost fiiond; Conjunction with tho Grand Army; Stato of the Country} l>;.8itiou und Tower of Political Agonts; Demand on KojukforTiibuto; rrc'ri'mpt..ryKofu84l; Attempt at a Broach; Colono! Wilson dtfoated and wounded; Rascally conduct of th« f^opoy a; During Exploit of Mty European Artillery; Serious loss; The Storm; Fall of its Commander, Lieut. Creed. CHAPTEU IX. iiotreatuf Uio Enemy: Possession of the Fort; An attempt at swamping the Camp made; Admirable conduct of the Troops; J»rovention of annoyance; Old Proverb realized; Despatch sent to General Brooks; Reinforcement ordered; Sudden March; Advantages and disadvantages; Threatening thunder storm; Awful prospect; Description of scene; Precarious situation; A dreadful stonn ; Miserable coudiUon of Troops; Anxious prayer fur day; Horrible attacks of Cramps; Indes- cribable prospect; March resumed; Arrival atKojuk; Lossof Cattle, Ac; Plunder of the Fort; Ke-establishment of a Com- misai-iut; Mode of making dry ground; Soldiers never lost tor means; The Enemy disappears; Death of Colonel Wilson; March to Dadur; Preparations for Route through the Passes; Appearance of a suspicious Camp; Destination of 4()th is learned. CHAPTEK X. Arrival at Dadur; Conjunction of Troops; Meeting of 41st and 40U» Regiments; Active J'repai-atious for marching up the Country J Description of ground near Dadur, and the mouth of tho P,uis; March of tho First Division; Road to the - Enti-ance; A Boar Chase, Description of first day's Jlorch; The Sorpoutiae Stream; Soldier's case; Sublime not always pleasing; Second day's Moi'ch; Continuance of the stream; Soldier's bouts; A three milo wade; Fatigue of the dey; Third day; Appearuuco of tho Enemy: Halt at Bobee Naunp«: Capture by the Enemy of Cattlej Rwovery of it; Destruction CONTENTS. 25 of the Rebels; Precautions taken to prevent harrassment; Fourth day; Abi Gaum, or the Region of Hidden Waters; Romantic appearance; Scarcity of firewood; Entire want of Forage ; Fifth day ; Curious appearance ; Awfully grand ; Narrow defile ; Power of defence ; Sixth day ; Narrowness anddangerofthePass; Descriptionof the Mountains; Length of Pass ; Seventh day ; Description of scene ; Beauties of the Valley of Shawl; Comparison; Emerging from the Pass. CHAPTER XI. Arrival at Quetta; Uncomfortable prospects; Scorpions unplea- ' sant companions; Effect of their sting; The venemous Sente- pee ; Determination of Government to treat with Nusseer Khan; Colonel Stacy's endeavours; Quetta and ite appear- ance; The British Residency; Government Stores; Prepara- tions for a long Campaign; A new Corps raised; Arrival of H. M's 41st Regiment; Captain Blood's Artillery; Prospect of taking the Khan; Despatch of a force; Harrassing route; Spies; Forced marches; Wild Goose chase; Sickness; Troops die in great numbers; Another failure; Feeling of the Troops; General Brooks; His unpleasant position; His character; Who was to blame? Peculiarity of situation; Trying circumstances; Forced to make the best of bad; Thunder storm; Miseries in Camp; Unexpected arrival ia Camp; The Prince of Shawl turned Traitor; Dreadful havoc through sickness; Fever, Ague and Dysentery; Hospital Tents crowded; Insufficient accom- moda^'on; Scarcity of comforts; Enormous prices paid for them J Indefatigable exertions of Dr. Mc Andrew and Mr. Xavier, the Apothecary; The probable cause of the sickness; Vast mortality; Death of Ross Bell, Esq. and Lieut. Valiant; K raoval from Command in the Field of General Brooks and Brigadier Valiant; Cause of removal; Sad affair; New Com- manders; Arrival of Nusseer Khar; Levee; Review; Appears ance of winter; Prospect of returning to Quarters; Prepara- tionsj Route changed; General Nott's Despatch; Orders to march to Caudabar; in Affghanistan. 26 CONTENTS. ' 1 Fr 1^ i CHAPTER XII. March to Candahar; The foot of the Goths; The Kojuk Pass- tTL\ K r'"'' '^"'^ Cantonments; Their unfinished T^Hv T 1:T^^^^ ^'''^-> I>-riptionof the City; Tombof the Emperor, Ahmed Shah; Timor Shah- SufterJung; Military fo.e; Vicinity of Candahar; Ghu':!;; mwantof succour, Major McLaren dospatcli d; Is intercepted by the snow; Groat loss; Unfortunate result; Winter sets in- oZLtT '"- ''" '"'"^' ^''' ^^"^«' Appearance of an nlaHf f' Al'^rm-'g prospect; Troops continually under arms; Dreadful news from Cabool; Orders to Evacuate; State of the Ki ^ 7^ I*"' '''^''' Preparations for Battle; The Citv blockaded; Trade suspended; Precautions taken; The Enem; Trt' " '''"'; ^r'"^ '' ""^^'^^ ^'-^^ «^ ^h« Enemy; Tooo ?sr;TroVKii;f^^^^^ CHAPTEK Xm. «a e of the S.ck, M,scrte of Hospitals in India, Condoct of N..ye Servants, Followers cut off, Massacre ^f a Gul »s» of Cattle ,„ consequence, A Defeat, Great loss- IWage prepared, Sad no,vs, The loss of Ghuznee, Tre t^' beveo dajV b.vouacking. Description of Houte, Narr«^ .scape of General Nott, Skirmishes too numerous to det^ H«T^s.ng att^ks, Enemy Cowards, Unsuccessful jourty,' The Return, Attack on the City, Valiant conduc of the ».ck. Bravery of the Troops, Noble conduct of an Ar" Uerv Guard, Treachery of some Native Sentinels. ' CHAPTEK XIV. "nTZ-l" ^"f"!^"' ^""^' "f "S""'-* '"' «"«"«»! A cold niffbtS rest: Our wr.U/%.v.^ :_ *!-. .. . ' " ■ ~" -"^v lu. ui« ciiji Appearance of the [i - CONTENTS. 27 >juk Pass; Je Desert; unfinished iription of lor Shah; GhuKnee tercepted r sets in ; ice of an er arms; lie of the 'he City Enemy »y; 7000 January, •antonment; The Herat Gate; Visit to the scene of death; Discorery of two well known faces amongst the dead; Susjw- don corroborated; Dost Mahomed's remarks; Good Friday of 1842; Smart battle; Awful death of three young soldiers; Disgraceful conduct of their murderers; The old shepherd; Situation of Captain Craigio's force; Killat-I-Gilzie; General England; His advance on Candahar; Route intercepted i Cowardice of Native Troops; Forced to retreat; Enemy victo- rious; Severe loss amongst the Europeans; Probablo cause of defeat; Genera England's second and successful advance; Arrival of a strong reinforcement; Abundance of news; More War; Sad news from the Upper Country; Force despatched to the relief of Killat-I-Gilzlo; Description of route; Can- dahar attacked ; Bravery of young Evans; Another victory; Active preparations for marching; Destruction of Ghrisk; General Nott proceeds up the country; General England down; Candahar is evacuated. Forlorn ndact of Guard; lormous it loss ; Treaty •'arfare; N^arrow detail ; lurney; of the rtillerv A cold of the CHAPTER XV. March towards Ghuznee; Strong force; Extensive supplies required; Difficult to procure; Major Leech, an excellent caterer; So far pretty quiet; Skirmish on the 28th August; Bravery of Lieutenant Chamberlain; Severe affray with 3rd Light Cavalry; Loss of Captain Reeves, and Quarter Master Berry; Indignation of the General; Injudicious conduct; Advice to young Officers; Awful example; Preparations for Battle; Destruction of a fortress; Three prisoners taken; March to Gowine; The enemy our constant companion; Shooms-ood-Dicn Khan, the Commander; Arrival at Gowine; The battle; Bad ground; Captain White's Light Battalion; Anderson's and Blood's Artillery; Narrow escape; Unpleasant discovery; The heat of battle; The charge; The return; The enemy proceed to Ghuznee; March across the Plain of a "Thousand Forts;" The Hazarahs, a friendly tribe; Provisions no longer procurable; Discovery of grain and forage; Doings lit Cahool : Trpnnhorir o* dhiianan. fii'«.,n4^:n.. .,i? /-1«1.,_„1 T>..1 98 CONTENTS. broken, Palmor ,„„„„,, "Jfli^.^ . kerpriL T jl^ .™.tra.n., Awful .ituation, N,„t advances- J hTi ? bor, Attack „„Gh„„,.e, Noble oo„d ctof the ,6 h Tr" MornCof 'J «tJ « T k° ""'"" '""'"g' '" 'ho dark" ^ J..og of the 6th September, .Gl„ri„„, ,i^,. g^.^^ CHAPTER XVI. uwftards Fruit; Preparations for destroying tho Citadel death,'and r^^Z^JTZ^^'^''' '''' '"^"" of. night attack. Short ^r^^X2^r'y:;:r:i ^ CHAPTER ZVII. State of the times; Detail of the unfortunate disasters at CabonI Akbar Khun; The position of the Cantonmenr W o^^^^ retinue; His career an^ hi a Embassador; His the enem; tLT- tt ™"'^''' ^'"'"'"^"S ^'^uation of T^o7:L^;^Z^^J^/^^^-^ -a disposition; Hiscon-Iuct. ThTjr^T ' ^'""''^^ Elphinstone; prospoTcanturonf '^'T'^ Their conduct; Miserable DetermLSn " . TT' '^ '''' ^"^"^^ «-«^« °^^^ting; i^etermination to stand; Overpowered; Forced to retire quioU. CONTENTS, 29 Meeting oftho Envoy and Chieft; Brigadier Sheltonj Britain's honor at stake; State of the King's Palace; Hostile corres- pondence; Proposed meeting between Akbar and the Enemy- Secret development; The meeting; Serious misgivings; The Envoy's life in danger; The seizure; Dastardly conduct of Akbar; Massacre of McNaughten, and capture of his Suite. CHAPTER XVni. The retreat; Fearful prospects; Entrance into the Passes- Treacherous attack; Awful position of the Troops; Situation oftheForce; The dastardly conduct of the Affghans; Akbar'. message to the General; Ladies and families given up as Hos tages; Elphinstone's death; Total annihilation of the Cabool Force; Dr B^^^don's escape; Brief remarks; March to Istaliff: General McCaskill's Brigade arrived; The battle; Victory- Brayery of the Troops; Fighting all over; Unfortunate deaih of Lieutenant Evans; His character; Return to Cabool; Safe ?T\t ?^ prisoners-Ladies Sale and McNaughten; A httle child brought in; Destruction of Cabool ; March through he Passes; Evacuation of Affghanistan; Awful sight in the Defiles; Road strewed with Skeletons; Their appearance, Descnpuon of Route; Enemy hover about; Admirable precau- aT^ ^^ c"'^^^'' Arrival at Tezeen; Jugdulluk; Grand 7 n I J^^/^'""^"^^ Gates; Beautiful valley of Nimla; JeUallabad; Its appearance and destruction. CHAPTER XIX. March through the Khiva Pass; Dhakkah; Destruction of Ah Musjid; March to Jemrood; Almost tlie last shot wounds Lieut. Chamberlain; Favorable prospect; Arrival at Peshawar; Our backs turned to the mountains; General Avitabilo; March through the Punjaub; Description of coun- try; Ferozeporo; Triumphal arch; Lord Ellenborough's Army 64,0U0men; Conjunction of Troops; Christmas Day of 1842.' Shere Singh; Grand parade: Imposing sight; The Durbar- 30 CONTENTS. Breaking up of the Army; General Nolt appointed Resident at the Court of the King of Oude; His parting with his brethren in arms ; The Troops separate. CHAPTER XX Arrival of Stack'sBrigadeinScinde; Sukkur; State of the coun- try; LesUe's Troop of Horse Artillery; Prospects of an.Hher campaign; Sir Charles Napier and the Governor General; Sir CharlesatHydrabadwith2500men; Battle of Mennee; Vict(.ry over 16,000; More War; Stack's Force ordered to Hydrabad; State of Scinde; Some account of its origin and people- Major Outram and the Government; Attack on his residence Noble conduct of the Light Company of the 22d Regiment; The Ameers; Their positions, conduct, and surrender; Ap- proach to Khyrpore; Meer Ali Morad; Sir Charles Napier; Meer Shere Mahomed determined on another battle; His position at Dubba; Enemy muster 24,000; Major Stack en route; His arrival at Hydrabad; The 22nd Regiment; The Emaum Ghur Detachment; Conjunction of Stack's force; 24th March, 1843; Battle of Dubba; Victory gained; State of the Fortress; Prize taken; Departure of the 41st from Kurrachie for England ; Departure of the 22nd for Bombay ; Their recep- tion; Arrival of the 28th from Australia; Sickness amongst Troops; Sufferings of the 78th Highlanders, and 28th Regt.; Awful ravages of the fever and cholera; Dreadful state of Troops in consequence; Scinde established as a Presidency; Sir Charles Napier appointed Governor; A narrow escape;' My arrival at Kurrachie; Hazardous voyage to Bombay; For- tunate again; Remarks on Captain A. A. Nelson, 40th; Mr. Smith; Mr. Harvey; Embarkation for England; Safe arrival* in my native land; Ccnnl^ding remarks. Resident with his ie coun- an other ral; Sir Victory drabad; people; isidence s^iment; r; Ap- STapier; e; His Stack t; The »; 24th * of the prachie rccep- nongs'c Kegt.; ;ate of Jency; scape; ; For- ; Mr. rrival SCENKS IN A SOLDIER'S LIFE. '1i INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. ^^'^^f^^^^^/^^V^r^^^V^^WM^K^^a At the request of numerous friends who have taken a lively interest in my welfare, and as I can- not but appreciate their kindness, I will endeavor to give a few of the very many ups and downs in a Soldier's Life, and, as far as my humble talent will admit, demonstrate the characteristic features thereof, with a view to stimulate the soldier's feel- ings, in pointing out to him how clearly British honor and courage are developed, and how much more honorable a position it is to serve in an army than is generally conceived by those unacquainted with it; to illustrate, by simple description, the precarious situations the soldier is prone to; the praiseworthy fortitude with which he combats them; and t^~ unremitting vigour so universally displayed amo c troops, in all ranks, owing to the nobility oi * icipline, and the much-ad- mired steadiness aua bravery consequent thereon. The various climes in which a soldier, during his career, is obliged to serve, if he be a thinking man, give him an opportunity of contrasting and improv- ing his earlier instructions ; travel teaches him to study men and manners, and is calculated in itself to convey much nrariical knowlpriirft. nnt nfhArwiaa c 84 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. I; 5 M'i to be obtained. The offices he may have to per- form, the difficulties he has to contend with, the glories held ont to lum, the self-denial, the toils of t .0 held, and the pleasures of peace, coupled with the ultimate bright prospect now before the descrv- 'ngsoMier, are all stimulants calculated to raise our army to a pitch that will outvie the world for its ability and respectability; and the soldier will be ooked np to and acknowledged as the instrument by which the glory and protection of our country is so gallantly upheld. It is with this view, to point out the vicissitudes consequent upon the safe keep- ing of Britain's honor, that I am induced to devel- ope the trials and privations suffered by these in- struments. Having been a participator in most of those disas- trous events, so fresh in the memory of my readers as those of Scinde, Beeloochistan, and Affghanistan' during 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841,' 1842, and S' and during the whole time kept a daily Journal' composed of many thrilling circamstances, consi- dered, perhaps, by many, as too trivial for the pub- lic mind, but being connected with the murders as- sassinations, treacheries, &c. &c., of individuals whose near and dear friends, no doubt, are to this day unacquainted with the particulars of them— and as there must be many thousands of such friends, ihey will, periiaps, prove doubly interesting to them as also to the reader geuerally ; and if the brief and simple statement of these facts, from n^r- INTkODUCTORY CHAPTER. 35 sohal observation, will thus tend to aid the Hame, and at the same time give any satisfaction to my friends, I am willing to do my utmost; trusting ' never to be considered as unworthy of their kind- feeling, I shall, in a few chapters, arrange so as to give a plain narration of the principal and most interesting events; and give in them some inci- dents that will, no doubt, induce tl e memory to reflect on their miseries and results — not tbrgetting the murder of Captain Hand, the burning to death of three British Officers, description of the Indus, Hydrabad, Sukher, Dadur, the much-talked-of Passes, the Bolun, Gundavie, Mysore, Kojuk, Te- zeen, Jugdulluk, Gundamuck, Jellalabad, Khiva, Peshawa, the Punjaub ; also, the battles at Dadur, Kunda, Candahar, Baba Walla, Killa Shuk, Kil- lat I Gilzie, Go wine, Ghuznee, Midan, Cabool, Istaliff, Jellalabad, Ali Musjid, Meeanee, and Hy- drabad ; the principal operations of Generals Brooks, Keane, Wiltshire, Sale, Nott, Pollock, McCaskill, England, and C. Napier; the army under Lord Ellenborough; the massacre of the Cabool Army, Sir W. McNaughton, Sir A. Bums ; the prisoners under Shooms ood Dien Khan, and his cousin, Akbar Khan ; Ladies Sale and Mc- Naughton ; the King of Cabool, and the Ameers of Scinde. It is not my intention to enter into any length- ened history of the country, further than will be necessary for the iutroductiou of matters so ma- aa Li INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. terially connected with this narrative as to require such detaii because, were I to do so, it wtld tavo of 1000-but my sole object is to giv>B my kind readers a soldier's simple story, and in such I anner as wUI enable them to see their way ear y-a„d if they will but weigh well such Z cumstances, they will at once discover my object I would also beg to remind my reader, thafin £ »y.ng oyer, the details of 1839, with Sir John - Keanc, is simply because the campaign under him has already ui.dcrgone such a series of description and wou therefore be a mere superfluous s 2: and would hinder the introduction of other incil dents wh.d> have before never appeared in print We find Lieutenant Kyre's_Dr. Atkinson's-Lady Sale s and s seated; and without compass or chronometer thev navigate thciu both fearlessly and expertly It is governed by a Oiiief, called a .(en.edar, who rtiecives a tithe on every camel load of goods which may^be bronghtto the harbour for ex,,ortation, and he Ameers ol Scinde (of whom more hereafter call urn to a cose reckoning of the revenue thus col- lected. I Fish is very plentifid-somc beii>g very larsre • tUey have tbe turbot and soles, lobrters, oysters' crabs, cockles, muscles, and eels ; and / rock salmon, very line, plentiful, and cheap. On our first arrival the natives, probably from fear, shunned us altogether, but, as they are great few days began to venture into our camp, and, find- ing that the Ferringees (|.:uropeaus) were not quite such fearful ogres as they had anticiimted, began to bring in their milk, fruit and Hsh, for .sale. A„!mpl: supply ol tresh provisions was a desideratum to the Army; and as the natives found themselves fairly dealt with, our markets daily became more extended, and the increased supply reducing the price, the demand also increased, to the great satisfaction of all narti^, 11 lias oneu been a subject of surprise to me to see SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. d9 how soon natives of other nations adhere to our systems, that is to say, as far as dealing with you, and will waive many circumstances to win you ; they, amongst themselves, deal most unfairly, and seem to delight in fraud. It will naturally be supposed that the transition from a comfortable barrack to an encampment would be greatly felt by the liluropcans, when thus sudden- ly removed from all the cleanliness of an airy, well ventilated barrack, excellent bedding, and proper nourishing food, to the cold, damp, and ill-regulated accommodation of a tent, which, containing about fourteen square feet, is expected, and indeed does, ac- commodate sixteen soldiers, allowing about twenty- one inclujs in breadth to each for all his domes*- tic purposes. This great change in the soldier's habits, added to the trying effects of the weather, the extra exertion, and, as is too often the case, the deficient supply of food, both as regards quantity and quality, tviuds in no trifling degree to induce disease, and I am sorry to say in our case, no exception to the grand rule could be found. Early in March the cholera visited Kurrachie and its vicinity, and it caused a vast mortality among the Europeans, There is something truly appalling in this terrific and voracious disease. Even now you may be speaking and jesting with a dear friend and an esteemed comrade, and within an hour he may be «l.„__x J. a J T — j.v_ i?„n J? J i— _ aiuiusi uurU^siiguicu uy luu luu uibUcicu, uuu in a mmmmm m f ty IB ' N if'r"- SCENES IM A SOLMEB'8 LIFE. few Tsore short hours, all that is mortal of him will Iwve been consigned to the grave weiTaraXitn^rxi^r^' =»ent, laboured most unremitt nl f„fls !«; mghts conseeutively has he often' L't "a « Elbe If;/' T "°"""«^ ^"'"'='> ^^^iled to itss and IS .kP'"«"*- ""' '" 'h" -no^t fear- less and prawcvvorthy manner, constantly cxnosed h^ .own life to contagion and risk, as well as £ fatigue aud exertion he underwent to sa^ he Ll nval before KuiTachie, that the town was full nf the enemy's forces, but finding that the Europ in felUh air /' ""^ '^'"'^''' '«*'-'«'l before they leu the awkwardness of being driven back nr Z other words, they fairly ran a;ay. ' "' '" Scmde is inhabited by many tribes, each being SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 61 at enmity with the other, maintaining themselyea by plundering one another, and never happy but when engaged in those internal hostilities, and, like the ancient Britons, only uniting against a common enemy. Such being their state of policy it is no great stretch of vanity to say we found ourselves selected by them as an enemy worthy of their con- federating together to work our overthrow. Oar arms were chiefly conciliation and forbearance, but as we severally obtained the friendship of some rival tribe, we aroused the outpouring wrath of another. These angry feelings were fermented and nourished by the Faqueers, of which class there are one or more in every tribe ; this man ofholineas^ they believe, can protect them from danger and misfortune ; he is their priest, he prays for them he interferes in their quarrels, and he possesses an extraordinary influence over them, both for good and evil, being supposed to be especially under the guardian care of Vishnoo, the Preserver. The Faqueers are a set of miserable and disgusting wretches, scarcely human in appearance, and obtain a vast influence over the ignorant multitude from their ascetic devotions, and the self-torturing vows which they impose upon themselves ; the wild beasts are said to respect them ; it may be so, but I should rather be inclined to suspect they have no stomach to make a meal upon any thing half so loathsome. 62 '■S.;» SCK-NES IN A SOLDIEIt'S LIFE. Many of tliesfi wretched specimens of degraded humanity were so embittered against the Europeans that they considered that they were doing the conn- try and their Bett^j a service, if they could pro- cure by any means, and at any cost, the massacre of an European. Those wretches are to be seen in every part of the East ; even the most affluent make much of them ; being buoyed up ivith idohitry and super- stition, they arc in a great measure kept under by them, and it would be tantamount to a curse of fate to scruple to i-elicve them. I have seen them m all the most disgusting forms possible ; they look hideous, and, in fact, are barely human, being to a Christian, the most detestable of all other objects. The advance from Minora to Kurrachie, though now often a subject of merriment to the parties con- cerned, was a tedious and harrassing march to the soldier : having advanced as far up the river in the l)oats as was available, wc entered a little creek, and rowed until the boats were aground, owing to the shallowness of the water : we had stfll a con- siderate distance to march ere we could arrive at the road,-^no not road, track—which led to our des- tined object. No difficulty must daunt a soldiery tko obstacle must prevent his onward progress if there be the most remote prospect of success. And therefore, thus stranded in the middle of a swamp we had no alternative but to attemptto wade through SCENES IN A SOLDI lilt S LlFlS. ^ the saturated mud. Each step in advance occupied several seconds, and the mud, which was black and soft, aftbrding no resistance to our weight, at every step we sank two or three feet deep into the hot- rible mass. It must also be remembered that every man was encumbered with a musket, accouti'ements, and a pouch containing jibout five pounds of am- munition, on the preservation of which depended his hopes of success and safety ; this unpleasant march of one mile and a half occupied nearly nine hours, which, extraordinary as it may seem, will not be apocryphal when it is stated that they crawled along in this quagmire very much in the same style that a ^y jprof]resses in a jar of molasses : some fell at every other step, others actually stuck fast for many minutes at a time ; some were in imminent danger of being entirely and permanently sub- merged ; others, overcome by the exertion, fatigue, and hunger, were on the point of giving up all ex- ertion. The officers, being in precisely the same predicament ? • their men, could scarcely make any exertion to encourage them in their efforts to sur- mount the danger and difficulty in which they were placed: but there is little which the indomitable resolution, courage and perseverance of the British soldier will not eventually overcome ; but what a position to be in, as a preliminary entree into an enemy's country I what an opportunity for a slaugh- ter I At length, after terrific exertions, and Her- I M SCENES I» A SOLDIfiK'g UPK. «le.n laboar, the whole mass once more foand tliemielves safe on terra Jir«,a. TOo danger and toU waa no Hooner passed than it was forgotten Md, regardless of the pressing calls of hunger tkey urged on, impatient of delay, until they ad- Tanced close to the town, which, as has been stated surrendered at their approach. ' If 9 foand ler and 'gotten, liunger, tiej ad- stated, CHAFTER It. Safe arriTal into Camp; Uiicorafortablfl Lodging; Barren Coon- try; Effects of Filth; Position of Camp; Second Grenadiers Kwtive Infftntry ; Maasaore of Captain Hand ; Exploit of Lieutenant Clarke; Desperate Leap down a precipioe; Cry of Ilcvenge; Troops in Cunip; Dust Storms; Miseries thereby occasioned; Force increased ; State of Scinde ; Reserve Force ; Sir John Keane's advance on Cabool ; Humours of capturing Hydrubad; Description of Ilydrabad; Policy of the British Functionary, Sir H. Pottingcr; Ameers of Soinde; Remoral of their Body Guards; Substitution of a British Subsidiary Force; Scinde made tributary to the British Government; Sir John Kcane resumes his March for Cabool; Monotonona life of the Scinde Force; Troops put into Huts; Description of HuU; Bad made Worse; Hospitals crowded; Minor* ittoctod as a Sanatorium; Benefit derived thenby; Curious Phenomenon ; Boiling Spring; Sacred Alligator Lake; ?iCfilc«; Fate of a Bog. Having now performed the duty allotted to them, the men hegan to find time to reflect upon the ne- cessity of immediately providing themselves with some of the creature comforts which nature has rendered imperatively necessary to the well-heing of the hody corporate ; and as no provision could be procured but from the ship, a barrel was filled with pea-soup And sent ashore, and, under existing cir- cumstances, was considered no small luxury by every individual- In the evening, which followed hard upon the dinner hour, pickets were told ofif, 66 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. and sentries were placed to prevent surprise, and the remainder of the forces hivouucked on the sand, and on the tirst dawn of the niornin^r the bugle sum- moned the sleepers from their primitive beds, h hi hdk (%ilkf to prepare the ground for an encamp- ment ; the equipage was speedily disembarked, and having procured camels from the town's-people, the forces proceeded to the appointed spot, which, in a military point of view, was eligibly situated| about two miles north-east of the town, where the tents were pitched in a jungle infested with every Rwture that could lend wiidness to the picturesque ellcct of the martial array, and on which each man had to clear the ground before he could attempt to pitch his tent. The surrounding country ai)peared a wide expanse of dreary barrenness, with here and there a small patch of cultivated ground, througli which the natives turned with zealous care every available stream of water. The little plantations were rich in fruits, and amply repaid the labour and care bestowed mmn tlieni. The insulferable stench and malaria which arose from the tan-pits, and from the decomposition of tlie dead carcases before named, which were heaped around the town, would have beeu, even at that distance, the source of much disease, and, perhaps, death, to the Europeans, had it not been for the perioditfal sca-bneiiis which blew over the country, redoloni of he.ilth, and bearing on their purifying wings the most refreshing balm to the dwellers in the camp, which had occasionallv SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 67 to be moved, in order to prevent the troops suffering from the consequent accumulation of otral— and it may therefore be more easily imagined the trouble and toil the entire rc-Jirrangements required, if oidy even to change the front of the camp^ or move it perhaps five hundred yards. The second Grenadier Regiment of the Native Infantry formed part of our force. The sepoys of this regiment were indeed a fine body of men ; and were witliout exception the finest specimen of native soldiers 1 luid ever seen. Their equipment was very nearly that of our forces ; and they seemed to delight in the life of a soldier. Two of its ollicers, Captain Hand and Lieutenant Clarke, rode out into the country one; day, venturing about thr'^e miles from the camp into the hills. Struck with the beauty of the very romantic scenery which surrounded them, they determined to ascend the to}) of a hill which promised to afford them an exten- sive view, which, after some uiilicuUy, owing to the badness of the road, they succeeded in doing. Whilst enjoying the beauty of the surrounding scenery, which greatly surprised them, they were attacked by a party of one of these infatuated tribes, about six in number, who, instigated by the Faqueer, (Priest,) of the tribe, fired, and shot Cap- tain Hand, who instantly fell from his horse ; they also hit Lieutenant Clarke on the thigh ; Captain Hand's wound was mortal ; when he fell they flew upon him, hacking him most cruelly with their :^^' 68 SCENES IN A SOLDlElt's LIFE. scimitars. Lieutenant Clarkr, seeing all hope of escape for his friend was vain, and very doubtful ih his own case, grew desperate ; he was an eicei- lent and an active horseman, and his charger seemed conscious of his rider's danger, who, with great presence of mind and a courageous heart, clapped spurs to his steed and rushed to the edge of the mountain ; a precipice presented itself; the height was appalling, upwards of eighty feet ; yet it was the only alternative, and he took the leap down the fearful abyss. The horse fortunately found a footing, and furiously galloped towards the camp ; during all this time Lieutenant Clarke's thigh was bleeding profusely, and when he reached the canton- ment he fell lainting from loss of blood. Assistance was instantly rendered, and, as soon as returning consciousness permitted, he related the fate of his friend. The scarcely-completed tale roused the feelings of the troops ; a cry of horror burst from every heart, and a strong party hurried to the spot described by Lieutenant Clarke, and found the body of Capt. Hand dreadfully mangled ; they brought it back to the camp. A coffin was prepared, and in a few hours the body was buried : Captain Hand left a widow, and, I believe, two children, to deplore the loss of a fond and an alTcctionate husband, and a father. Lieutenant Clarke soon recovered from his wound. The sickness shortly afterwards disappeared, still the weather continued very trying. During four J"! SCENES IN A SOLPIBB'S LIFE* 69 months in tbe year the weather is very hot, and for six weeks blows one continued cloud of dust from about eight, A. M., to four, P. M. This moving mass of gravel dust is about twenty-five feet high, and smothers every thing which offers any resistance to the drift. During this disagreeable season the situation of sixteen soldiers in a tent of four- teen feet square must be any thing rather than agreeable, their only defence against this bat* tery of small stones being two folds of cotton can- vas; consequently their flesh, their clothes, their beds, were literally buried in it. Some would cover themselves with their blanket, a'^-d try to sleep away the day ; should they be for one hour in the same position, a casual observer w^ould scarcely distinguish the mass from a mound of earth. The food whilst being cooked, was filled with dust, and when placed upon the dishes, before it could be eaten, would be covered thick with sand ; this, ac- companied with ardent heat, and, its attendant, in- tense thirst, rendered the soldiers' lives very misera- ble. Sometimes, during the blowing of the dust, it would rain, which, combined with the closeness of their small tent, inflicted a misery upon the troops which exceeded any thing described by Beresford in his amusing little work, clever and comprehensive as it is ; and, if the proverbial statement have weight, that a man shall eat a peck of dust during his life, lira aai n ViiiaViol aan\% in o Trooi* T'ho nfinn an An f 1ap« not visit Scinde, as it does India, although periodical 70 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. rains fall, more or less, every year; and in 1839 very severe and heavy rains fell, which did not at all tend to increase the comforts of the campaign- ers in that barren region. The force stationed at Kurrachie, now consisted of Her Majesty's 40th Regiment, 3d Company,lst Bat- tallion E. I. C. Artillery, 2nd Regiment Native In- fantry ,• the whole under the command of Lieut. Col. Valiant, acting Brigadier, which, with an efficient Staff, formed the Scindc Reserve Force. The number amounted to about 3000, with the usual Camp-followers, which generally exceeds that of the Troops ; tlie Commissariat and Ordnance Depart- ments were becoming very strong, and every arrange- ment was fast proceeding for the establishment of a strong force, and all bore the appearance of having soon much to do. Sir John Keane, who was in command of the whole, had marched from the Presidency, and was advanc- ing with a strong army towards Cabool, md the route through Hydrabad. On his arrival at the latter place he halted some days, and there was great spe- culation and rumour in the army, as to whether the town of Hydrabad would, or w^ould not, be attacked. It will be hardly necessary for me to inform my readers, how far public rumour has its effect, for if a mole hill makes its appearance, it soon becomes a mountain, and so it was with the conjectures on this occasion ; more than once the whole forcp was m route to join the attack, nay, had it taken, and Inn SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 71 all settled ; if we believe one half of public rumour, it is the extent of its right. The fortress of Hydrabad is situated about two miles from the right bank of the Indus, and has a citadel of immense strength, commanding on one side the whole country near it ; on the other it is so hemmed in by thesuburbs, that, until they be destroy- ed, full scope cannot be given to its efficiency. The entrance is very strong, and through a well fortified passage, crossing a very deep moat, which surrounds the whole building. The walls of the fortress are built of brick and stone, and are of immense thick- ness ; it is about half a mile square, and contains nearly 1800 dwelling houses; some of them are the palaces of the Ameers of Scinde ; in its interior there is also a very lofty tower, mounted by seventy- six steps to the top, in which are placed four large pieces of ordnance, 84-pounders, of Persian manufticture. A successful attack upon this strong fortress would be a difficult undertaking, and could scarcely be accompFished without a great risk, and probably a great loss. The Ameers being rich, powerful,*and influential, perhaps induced our Resi- dent, Sir Henry Pottinger, to endeavour to over- come the obstacle rather by diplomacy, than by force of arms ; and certainly he decided wisely, for as the Indus presented our only advance into Scinde, it was absolutely necessary that Hydrabad should be neutralized ; the task of attempting to take it by force might have failed, and the British n SCENES IN A SOLDIER^g LIFE. ' 'i 'iV. Army would have been thus effectually checked on their onward march. After a short durbar (con- ference,) the political Aymt, Sir 11. Pottinger, brought the discussion to a favourable issue. It was stipulated that the Ameers of Scinde should become tributary to the British, that they should pay to the E. I. Company an indemnity of twenty- seven Lacs of Rupees, (£270,000,) and that several thousand British soldiers should be supported by them in Scinde, for their protection against all onemioB. Prior to this arrangement the Klian of Kolat, Merab Khan— had been accustomed to furnish these Ameers with troops, he receiv;ag a certain sum, *nd paymg and equipping the men. Of course when the arrangements made by Colonel Pottinger and Sir John Keane were carried into effect, these forces were withdrawn, and replaced by our subsi- diary force. It was also necessary, that, in order to secure our more certain protection, the removal of their hired men should take place at once, and our own armies perform their duties. Besides, there was reason to suppose that the Ameers were, in a great measure, implicated in the up-country matters which compelled General Keane to look before he' leaped. The army then resumed its march, crossing the river forCabool,in the greater security, as they knew they had now a strong and friendly fortress in the rear, which would serve alike to strengthen them, and keep the disaffected in Pfl'pr>iii5,i ohao^. I SCENE3 IN A SOLDI^h'S LIFE. 73 During this time of excitement we yet pursued the dull monotony of camp duty at Kurrachie, still form^ iijg the Reserve Force. In May, Brigadier Valiant was called to Bombay to assume the command of that garrison, and was temporarily succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Spiller, until relieved by Col. Farquharson, which occurred in a few days. Early in June, arrangements were made for "Hutting the Troops," and by the end of July the men took pos- session of them. They were of a very temporary nature, being merely stakes of jungle wood driven into the earth, in the form of oblong rooms, the roof and walls being formed by pieces of coarse India matting stitched together, and covered with turfs, which, from the coarseness of the material, was a very insufficient protection from rain or du^t, and when the former fell in large quantities, which was often the case, the roofing became speedily completely saturated, and poured down upon the men in continued streams of mud, deluging them, their beds, their clothing, and even their food ; but when the fine weather set in, things were comparatively comfortable. Our Ufe of listlessness still continued to wear on, and many and many a time was change prayed for ; the mountain pass, the battle field, the stormy torrent, or the dusty plain, all, or any would have been preferable to the dull tedium of Kurra- chie at that tiipe. Alas! it was to be, and to heighten our anno)^ance, sickness again visited ns ; liiiS tiiTiQ mQ ^COUfgC eajuC ill tuC suapC Qi iCYCF, * i; 74 if *l!lf Hi mn SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. almost as terrible as cholera, and scarcely less fatal ; this fcarfal malady was only preferable, in- asmuch as it ^mvo the medical officers a better chance to arrest its progress, as it was less sudden m Its career. The hospital was crowded, the mcih*- cal officers over-worked, and the men not positively attacked were not in a condition to render any essen- tial service; the wholecountry around Kurrachie, was infected, and as a last resource a kind of sanatorium was erected at Minora, whose lofty situation, and sea-beaten sliore, contained tlie elements of iMialtli, and thither were sent the sick, the invalid, and the convalescent^ and the event justified the judgment and discernment of the proposers of the plan, for though manydied,avery large proportion recovered. This baneful malady having passed away, we again began to look for amusement, or indeed excitement of any kind. It will naturally be supposed that the wonders of nature in our immediate vicinity were among the first objects of interest ; and we made many plea- sant excursions to a very extraordinary phenomenon about five miles from Kurrachie ; it was a tank, or well of hoi water continually boiling and bubbling np, at a temperature of 196 of Fahrenheit, called Muggeer Tank. It was situated near a small lake, which was infested by a great number of alligators! some twenty feet in length; these reptiles were considered sacred, and were attended by a Faqueer, who prayed to them and protected tl SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 75 Parties of pleasure would resort thither, forming very delightful ric-nicR, and would make tea with the water from the boiling tank — and most excel- lent tea it made. One of the amusements of the visitors to this sacred spot was to purchase dogs and goats, to observe the ferocity with which these amphibious godships would devour them. On one occasion when a vciy large party were enjoying ♦' Tho cup which cheers but not inebriates," "at Piresco," among the veneiable trees which shade tiiat silent lake's pellucid shore, a ftivourito little dog, belonging to the Sergeant-Major* of the 40th Regiment, ventured to the margin of the lake to quench his thirst, probably unconscious that it was a temple devoted to a Scindian Deity, or more probably finding its limped coolness more congenial to his then wants, than the contents of the boiling fountain. In a moment the unconscious and pro- fane intruder was attacked, and in an equally short space of time devoured. I could not learn that they had ever attacked a human being. *Thi8 worthy man, S. Snelling, is now Lieutenant and Adjutant of the same Corps, having risen through merit, and in every rank, from the Private to his present, he has ever proved himself an amiable member of society, and a most valuable and zealous servant to his country, and richly deserves all that can be bestowed on him. CHAITER III. ImproTemontofKurrachie} News from Upper Country ofth» Capture of Ghu.nee ; Cabool; Coronation of Shah-Shooia- ool-Moolk as King of Cabool; Sir T. Wiltshire tako. v ' Keturn of Sir John Keane's Army; Arrival in Kurrnchie,' Favorable opportunity; Brilliant Staff; Prince Ilyder Khan- Presentation of New Colors to the 40th llegiment; ])eparture Of the Cabool Army for Bombay; Wreck of H. M. irth Kegt in the "Hannah"; Dreadful loss sustained by the Coins' Prospects of an Insurrection; Call upon Brigadier Farquharson to supply Trqops; His inability to comply; Despatch of the Right Wing 40th; An Affghan's opinion of European Power- Preparations for March to Tatta; A slight retrogade step in the story; Embarkation of Troops in the Ship Stalkart. laden with Powder and Camp Equipage; Alarm of Fire at Sea- Ji^xpectation of being blown up; Description of Scene; Dis- covery of Cause; Effect Produced; Arrival at Destination ; The Murderers of Captain Hand; ThelCommander of the Party A Priest hanged; March of the Wing to Googah. Its beku- ties; Arrival ^t Tatta; Embarkation in Boats; Departure up the Indus. ^ Our Hyes now became much more at ease at Kurrachiej daily improvements were malting to perfect the state of the camp ; a place for landing was formed on the shore of the creek, and two small steamers were sent from the Presidency to ply up and down a small river, to enable the troops to move with ffreater facility nn *ho /..^„«*^ u:-i- SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 77 almost every day was now being called for — ships arriving with stores of food, ordnance, troops and equipage, and adding every thing towards comple- ting the efficiency of the field force ; and by the end of 1839 the arrangements were so much so that Kurrachic was indeed the key t'> Scinde. The natural consequence of these constant arrivals wan the circulation of varieties of rumours ; many a time the hundred tongues of a celebrated babbling old lady of ancient days had destined ns to proceed onwards ; sometimes we were positively going to Hydrabad ; again it was confldently asserted we were to proceed to join the force before Ghuznee ; and another as positively aflSrmed that we were to share in the attack upon Kelat ; but alas ! for our wayward destiny ! there lay the force in Kurrachie, hearing of wars and rumours of wars, but living a life of inactive peace on the inhospita- ble plains of Scinde, surrounded by a treacher- ous foe— and more galling still, doomed to hear in rapid succession of the glorious career of the remainder of the army under Sir John Keane, a few of the Kurrachie force only proceeding with him, and returning soon after to relate the fall of Ghuznee, the conquest of Cnbool and Kelat, and the coronation of Shah Shooja-uol-Moolk as Kingof Aff- ghanistan ; returning with the glories so much prized by the British Soldier — the victory over an enemy. There is sor^ething particularly envious in the ^^:^.j ^e ~ i>_ii.;_i- cj-u? i~ „ i i, n ■, . .-, iiiiiiu ui a liAiiiSii KjUiUiUf J Vfiieu iiC uCarS Oi uVkXm, 78 V' • 'M '!i ■ I et they contain a history, and a sort of gravity, exhibiting the many series of conquests and trials which those who rallied beneath underwent, and at once become a monument, and a relic, and in common with other revered relics, are carefully and warm-heartedly viewed by a soldier, that determine him to go and do likewise. Shortly after, a sufficiency of transport having been obtained. Sir John, and the whole of the field*- division of the army of the Indus, embarked for the Presidency. H. M.'s 17th embarked on board the " Hannah,"andwereonly preserved from the dangers and difficulties of their land undertakings, to be ex- posed to others even more terrific, and disastrous, at sea, for, on their passage from Kurrachie to Bom- bay, they were wrecked, and lost almost every thing except what they had upon their backs, being obliged to leave the vessel to its fate. The Prize Master of the Kelat treasure was enabled, by great risk and exertion, to save some of the more valuable portion SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 83 but the men and oflScers generally were left in a state of almost destitution, and thought themselves fortunate in being able to reach Bombay without loss of life or limb. They were picked up by some passing boats ; and one or two officers, who suc- ceeded jn saving some clothes, shared with their men. What a toil after that of so dreary a march as coming from the upper part of Aflfghanistan I Many of the men, who had succeeded, up the coun- try, in getting valuables, lost their all, and were forced to pocket the satisfaction of getting a new supply of necessaries the best way they could, i - truly the compensation granted for the indemnifica- tion of a loss to the soldier, is little compared with the inconvenience and misery endured in such cases. The compensation granted from government, is far from sufficient to repay the soldier's loss ; be- cause, in such a case the soldier loses his all, his little collections, either in cash or curios. His cloth- ing may from care, be superior, or more extensive than the regulations require, but the allowance to meet the loss barely supplies the stipulated quantity thus is he left to toil afresh for another stock ; the government never consider the privation or suffering in this case, as it would indeed be ex- pected, but the term duty envelopes dl this ; private feelings or suffering, cannot be recognised ; it there- fore remains for those for whom we suffer, to sym-^ pathize. % ' ['■ ;! ]f )^ u\ M ii I :ll m if!!: 84 SCENES lU A soldier's lilPB. But & very short period had elapsed, after th« withdrawing of the main army from the upper pro- vinces, before the chiefs of Beloochistan, embittered at the superiority gained by the British Arms,.de-^ termined to rise, and, if possible, annihilate the few British garrisons then holding the different foris, and posts of communication in that region, placed there by Sir John Keane on his return, to keep the country. The authorities having received intima- tion of the proposed outbreak, directed forces from Ferozepore and Kurrachie to co-operate with the garrisons already in the covkUj, and make pre- parations to carry on the campaign on^an extensive scale. By the advice of, and in compliance with, the desire of the Political Agent, Colonel Farquhar- son was called upon to send the 40th Regiment on emergent service, to proceed in pursuit of Nusseer Khan, son. of Merab Khan, Chief of Kelat, who fell on the stoming of that place by Sir T. Wiltshire, but Col. F. found it impossible fully to comply with the wishes of the political authorities, owing to the very important station Kurrachie had become, and which required a much stronger force to retain it than there was present. But notwithstanding its littleness, he directed the Right Wing of the 40th to proceed, being one-half of his only European Force — and Europeans do not figure very small in an enemy's country, for an Affghan once told me, when asked what he thought of the Feringees (Europeans,) that he looked upon an Affghan to be SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 85 worth fonr Sepahee's, or Sepoys, (native soldiers) and an European to be worth four Affghans. So muchTor our discipline and courage, which have, many a time made an enemy quake at even the thoughts of meeting us. The Right Wing was ordered to Tatta, to emhark in boats and sail up to Sukkur. This was, at all events, a commencement, and promised fairly to be followed up with hard campaigning. A striking incident happened at this time, which, although it may not directly be on the journey up the Indus, yet as it occurred prior to the final arrangement for that expedition, I feel persuaded it will not be considered by my readers unworthy of a place. A despatch duty had to be performed to the Presidency, and being done, the ship " Stalkart" was ordered at Bombay to receive on board a detachment of fifty Eu- ropean Troops, six ofiicers, two hundred foiiowers,and cargo of camp equipage, and ordnance stores, ind v ding about three hundred tons of powder,f or the mag- azines and stores at Kurrachie. We sailed from Bom- bay, and had been about five days on board, wending our way through the unconsci . :.s world of waters, and stemming the trackless deep most peacefully. AH was light and comparatively happy ; the troops en- joying themselves in the merry strain of a song, or tale, on deck ; the natives were, ;^? Is very common with them^ indulging freely ii' sn. iking the hookah and relating their Arabian stories. — The mode of smoking the hookah is, no doubt, well known : it 86 SCENES IN A SOLDIER^S LIFE. S"?'! M J 11 ml is, aiaongBt the common classes of natives, formed of a cocoa nut-shell, many are made of glass, silver, and sometimes gold for the more affluent, and filled with water, with two holes bored in it ; in one is placed a long tube, on the top of which is a bowl to contain tobacco, and is usually half filled with the weed, and filled up with red cinders of charcoal, and a small pipe from the other hole enables the smoker to draw the smoke from the bowl through the water. This certainly makes tlie habit a greater luxury, and far more pleasant than imbibing the essence of tobacco direciiy from the crucible, as it were, and H must be confessed, considering our being so far in advance of Asia, th^:, they gi-eatly excel us in the use of tobacco, purifyirg it through rose or .^ring water, and consequently receiving it cool and free from that oft-complained of burning effect produced by the use of the common pipe or cigar— not that I recommend the practice of smoking at all. The natives being such incessant consumers of tobacco it will not be wondered at, that the accident I am about to relate occurred. It appeared that, owing to the hurry in stowing, boxes of powder, tents, shot, and provisions were all placed Irregularly together, or rather, not proper- ly separated, and it happened that one afternoon as the officer whose duty it was to issue provisions, was getting out more from below, a native close to, let a cinder from his pipe fall down amongst the powder in the hold— it passed between some of the boxes and SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 87 could not be seen ; an alarm waa immediately raised that fire had got among the powder, and the ship was expected every moment to be blown out of the water. Every hand was on deck — some screamed, some prayed ; none knew what was best to be done — each looked for that moment to be his last, and every voice uttered cries of appeal to the Great Giver of life. At such a time, or such a crisis, a million thoughts come into the mind. Every cheek lost its colour, and many clung to the shrouds of the ship, unconsciously, as though *,hat was safer than in the hold itself. There were several females and young children on board, and you may picture the situation cf a mother then. I remember sitting on the step of the gangway, awaiting the looked-for explosion of the powder, and imploring that mercy so bountifully promised and held out to us, wondering what had best be done. — Several minutes elapsed ; it was well known that the powder was covered with pitched canvass, and a wrapper over that, and it was conjectured that the cinder had fired the wrapper, and that it was making its way, mA although no explosion had yet taken place, it was fully believed one would very soon. Never was a scene so horribly depicted, or the career of human life so near its end ! it would bafile all possibility to describe it, and I must, therefore, leave it to be imagined, which no doubt it can be, by my readers, who will naturally like to know the upshot of the affair. We waited for nearly twenty minutes, when 1 p If l*'-^^ 1 f : fl SCENES IN A SOLMER's LIFE. I proposed, ml desperando^ to go down with the Purser, and if possible, discover what was likely to be the result— at first it was negatived ; if a draft was admitted, explosion was certain, but down we »vent, and after removing box after box, we dis- covered the cinder lying on the top of one, and on examimngit, it appeared that when it fell and rest- ed, it (as is usual with charcoal) became immedi- ately covered with a white ash, and thus was almost harmless. I carefully picked up the " leetel " thing that had caused so much uproar, brought it on deck, and found even then, on blowing it, that it revived, and was not harmless; but it was soon hurled overboard, and all hearts leapt for joy. I must say, I was never in so peculiar a predicament in my life,— that is an acknowledgment, although I have been in several disasters at sea, for on my first voy- age to the East, the unfortunate ship I sailed in, the "Morley," w^as twice dismasted, her provi- sions short, and all hands on board, for a conside- rable time, obliged to live upon salt beef, and water, every other kind of provision fore and aft, having been consumed— and in all, in addition to being six months and a half in making the passage from England to Bombay ; which on another occa- sion, in the ship " Forfarshire," we effected in less than 100 days— and the natives, who are naturally black, most certainly depicted an inclination to change colour on this occasion ; and it was the first H .ii SCENES IN A SOLDIEK'S LIFE. 89 time I had ever seen a Black nearly white in the face through fear. We, however, soon got all tranquil, and arrived at the Bay of Minora, and landed at Kur- rachie, with an incident in each of our lives, never to be erased, at all events, from mine, and I think I can venture to say the same for the rest. Before the small force proceeded on the duty al- lotted them, our authorities had not forgottei. the calamity that befel poor Capt. Hand, and had been using every possible means to discover the perpe- trators of so treacherous a piece of villainy. The Chiefs had all been warned that unless the fugi- tives were forthcoming. and that soon, that Government would take other means to find them out. It soon occurred that three of the party were brought in, and were tried by order of the Ameers of Scinde ; and it turned out that the party who attacked the two unarmed men were six infatuated miserable beings who lived in the hills, and were part of the Brahoe Tribe ; and, as usual, were in- fluenced by their Faqueer, who commanded and directed the plan of attack. This despicable object of the Em-opean's wrath was one of the three arrested, and was sentenced to be taken to the spot where he had ordered the murder to be committed, and there to be hanged in the presence of the majority of the troops. And never was the instalment of a revenge more wel- come to those present ; the wretch himself seemed to think nothing of launching into eternity ; the rest were to work in chains for life. The other m SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. three were not discovered, and there is every reason to believe that they, and othvr jjarties of their Tribe, were hired to take every opportunity of an- nihilating small parties, as will be seen by the sneaking unmanly tricks practised on us. The wing, on the 10th August, 1840, marched for Tatta, via Goojun, which was the first day's march, about twelve miles ; the camp was pitched in the centre of a cluster of tall shady trees, with here and there a large Banyan tree, whose noble arms spread and formed a canopy for a hundred- it was bordered by a beautiful lake, whose clear and murmuring streams added much to the plea- santness of the scene, and seemed to lull the soldier to sleep on his cold and flinty couch of war ; the lake hemming in on the one side the loveliest or- chards, and watering the grounds of Goojah, which is the ruin of a once noble place, and even yet has traces left of its Eastern grandeur, and overhung by the lofty Lucknee Mountains, that run, intersec- ted with lovely vales, from Dera, Himaylle, and He- rat. The sun seemed to have lost its power, and shone as it were merely to renovate the air, and add to the magnificence of the view around, which wov!d have done justice to the most choice portfo- lio. But whatever the beauty, or however satis- factory to the mind, the thing is but momentary ; itpasseth,and the campaigner must move on, hoping for change to meet his wishes, and lend its aid to make each scene as lovely as those ah-eady thought SCENES IN A SCii.DlER'8 LIFE. 91 so ; for in such aa that first day's march would make one say, we'd like, <* To live and die in scenes like this, with so. le we've left hehind us." Here, however, as is almost universally the case, it may he truly said, that God ma(1<^ the country and man the town. A more wretched, miserahlc, and filthy combination of mis-called dwellings, it has never been my lot to s. ; no, no! even in Inte- rior India, that region of miserable villages. I left this spot the following day with a silent but heart- felt sigli >i" regret. About one p. m.. on the 15th, we arrived at T{Jtta ; the roads were „Jod but the way was long, and the sun's power intense. Just before we reached the place of encampment many became exhausted from over fatigue and from the effects of the sun's overpowering rays: numbers fainted ; many became sick ; and all suffered more or less. This harassing march was fortunately the last we had to undertake, for some time at all events, us on our arrival at Tatta we found three small steamers, and a number of boats waiting in readiness to convey us up the Indus, and we embarked on board them, the same day. Cap- tain Boscawen, and his company, in the steamers, and the other companies under the command of Capt. Adamson. ^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1^ 2.0 11.25 1^1^ 12.5 ■so ""^ us WUU 11= 14 IIIIII.6 y <^ 7.^ 7. o / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4503 mc \\ V o\ ^^ ^ ^■v ^^ 'l II il II il f i t This mode of travelling is common to the couriers, the fishermen, nml even to those who may occa- sionally require to cross the river. There is ano- ther plan equally strange and more surprising to the European traveller, which is by means of a large earthenware vessel of a globular form, with an opening at the top ; the traveller places this primitive argosy with the opening against his chest and the air contained within it, as sufticient to bear up him and his fishing net, and he boldly swims or sails — I know not which to call it — up and down the river, propelling himself by his legs, and casting his net most dexterously. I have seen few things any where which more excited my won- der than these two extraordinary floats, or buoys, -—for they are nothing more,— and the ease and rapidity with which the navigators darted from point to point was truly wonderful, particularly to the stranger. The natives of the east are most certainly a clever race, and require but to be culti- vated in the higher branches of art, to make th n eminently so. There is one general feeling I ever observed amongst them — which is, the} seldom can be prevailed upon to alter their old plans, although it may be in the clearest possible manner proved to them, the great £.dvantage to be derived from a change — for instance, in cleaning their grain, they never thrash it ; because custom says, let the oxen tread it out, — and they still uphold it — and innumerable other things, of which I shall say SCENES IN A SOLDIER^S LIFE. «r more anon— they adhere most devotedly to the laws of Moses. We passed Jerrick, or Dhyjrik, which stands on a rock, facing the river, and presents a verv formi- dable appearance — this place recalled the melan- choly fate of three oflacers of the grand army, when stationed here, in 1839. They went out on a shooting excursion, and got into the jungle ; they had penetrated a considerable way in, and found themselves completely hid in the underwood and buishes; they suddenly saw a large broad sheet of devouring flame, sweeping onward in the direction in which they wore, somewhat in the form of a half-moon, and each moment it seemed as if some gigantic genii of fire were approaching them, with extended arms, to catch them in their terrible em- brace. On, on it came, cracking, roaring, tl^undcN ing, and stretching far and near for miles, .the ex- tremities now so nearly meeting each other, and at no distance from themselves, that all attempts at escape were utterly impossible ; in the course of a very short time the flames had entirely encircled them, and they all fell victims to the de- vouring elements. One was Doctor Hibbert, the names of the others I forget. It is unknown if this terrible calamity originated in design or accident ; we were inclined to think the former, after poor Hand's affair, and knowing the love they bore us ; although its rapid progress must have been greatly a ■ ! L, 98 6CENE8 IN A SOLDIEB'S LIFE. increased from the long droughts and intense heat which had prevailed for some time previously. The hunting grounds of the Ameers of Scinde, were in the immediate neighbourhood of Hydrabad, to which we were now rapidly approaching ; they are walled for upwards of fourteen miles, lie close to the InduS; and abound in game., being preserved by keepers, called Shikarees, much iU the same way that these matters are managed in England. I am happy to say, however, that game laws there, are very diflferent from those which in Britain are the fertile source of so much cruelty, tyranny and crime. * There is something magnificently sublime in the panoramic scenery of Hydrabad and its environs, where we arrived without accident. We passed close under the termination of a lofty range of mountains which reach to the banks of the river^on the summits of which stand several splendid mausoleums or tombs of the great, the warlike, and the noble t their lofty magnificence, at such an ele- vated position, made them appear to be strikingly grand to the admiring traveller, and renders them an interesting picture from whatever point of view they may be observed. The noble and sublime mountains sweep away far as the eye can trace their swelling mound on both sides of the river; they are intersected by many roads and plains. On the bank of the river stands a range, known as the Lucknee Hills, over SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. which Sir John Kcane led his forces ; and a pain- ful, wearisome, tedious, and dangerous march it was, the road being long, steep, and narrow ; its summit could not be less than 1200 feet above the water. And the road which wound about its sides seemed like some great serpent crawling up its almost precipitous slopes. The pleasure boats of the Ameers are kept in little covers near this place, and being built in a very curious and highly orna- mented style, give a very flattering idea of the taste and skill of the artificers. They are built similar to our ancient state barges, and the work- manship exhibits the great patience they are endowed with. A considerable portion of the work in the saloons is perforated, and whole doors, windows, ceilings, are formed of carved wood, in small pieces, perhaps not more than an inch and a half long, some not a quarter the length, ingeniously joined together, without the aid of composition or glue, other than the fitting of the joints ; the carving is extrejneVj? delicate,. and JHuJsl have taken an immen- sity pi\^j)iot.M«i;ttmk^ib^^^ tools they worKwiih.aresoJudf..; seldom ^n.deed, do we see a carpektii-wittinjoYe-than ttree^^^ tejir eoarse chisel«, a saw, and an adze, which is also his hammer. The Ameers govern the whole of Scinde, and th« larger proportion of Beloochistan, and derive their revenue from an impost laid upon the possessions of every individual in their widely extended domains ; this impost appears to be very oppressive, and also i 100 IP ! SCENES IN A SOLDIEB's LIFE. very rigorously exacted. There are eight Ameers brothers, Meer Shadad Khan, Meer Hosein Ali, Meer Nusseor Mahomed Khan, Meer Mahomed Khan, Meer Sobdan Khan , Meer Roostoom Khan, Meer Ali Morad Khan, and Meer Shere Mahomed Khan. These brothers are divided into the various portions of Terri- tory, having one Rais or head, to whom they look op as arbiter, but they are continually at logger- heads, owing to jealousy in their divisions of power • the turban or crown being allotted to one by right, and the chicanery practiced by these Ameers or Lords of Scinde, will be more fully pointed out m the concluding portion of this narrative, when I have to speak of the conquest of Scinde, in 1843 who resided in and near Hydrabad, in all the luxu^ nous indolence which is so characteristic of the Eastern regions. After leaving Hydrabad we came to Sehwan which is in no wise distinguished from the genera^ htj of Scmdean towns ; its market was abundantly furmshedwith.excellent.fish,^a|ia its .trade seemed to be in a ffourishiflg'siate.; After ^ (ew hours sail up the rivpr /rom thin place, it.opened into a >yide expanse, ^tdch. is . catlei the Lakeiof. Harran -another of these delightful spots the eye loves to rest upon, and the memory to recall; as we saiJed along, Its lovely banks rose at first beautifully, and then as they receded into the distance, swelled mag- nificently until the clouds of the horizon seemed to rest upon the bright clear outline of the deep blue SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 101 summits. The breeze from the shore came redolent, and laden with the perfumed sweets of the wild violets and the indigenous roses; the melodious warblings of the singing birds, as they hopped from sprig to sprig, among the thick branches of the gi- gantic forest trees which formed the undulating foreground ; the waving play of the lofty cedars as they gracefully yielded to the gentle breeze, just permitting the azure tints of heaven sometimes to gleam between them, and gleaming from point to point, the dazzling tints of the bright and refulgent sunbeams, lent a charm to this lovely spot, which fixes it on the mind as one of those efforts of nature, which are created to be once seen, and never for-* gotten. We passed on to Larkana, a place of extensive trade, and in which is held a noble bazaar, and is a mart for all the surrounding country. We made no stay here, but started on to our des- tination, Sukkur, which we reached on the 13^th of September, heartily glad to know that, for the pre- sent at least, our voyage was at the end, for although the banks of the Indus are marked by many and great beauties, the intense heat of the sun, from whose scorching rays we were defended only by a matting roof, prevented us feeling the delight we should otherwise have had in beholding them. Our boats too, being very small and uncomfortable, did not tend to make the passage more convenient or agreeable. On our arrival we found that the 7.02 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. lil' two companies which had preceded us, had all wrived safely, and re-union with them was a source of mutual satisfaction. Our number of sick was now very small, and the prevalent disease was fever, from which India is scarcely, if ever, free. A few days was quite sufficient to render the right wing, now wholly engaged at Sukkur, perfectly efficient for field service. Sukkur stands on the left bank of the river,* Rores on the right, and the fort of Bukkur stands on a small island almost amid channel, and between the two otlier towns ; access to this fort is some- times, owing to the force of the current, very diffi- cult, if not altogether impossible. It is a very desirable position, and, garrisoned by Europeans, h quite capable of offering the most complete resis- tance to any native force ; it had, therefore, been established as a complete arsenal for the accommoda- tion of our forces, and at that time contained an immense store of ordnance, provisions, ammunition, and other apparatus of war. And what was still more necessary, a very large amount of treasure — that oil, without which the wheels of any machine, however perfect it may otherwise be, will not long continue in working order. It also contained the State prisoners, the Prince of Shawl, and the Vizier of Kelat ; the former was taken prisoner when leading his troops to the assistance of the chief of Kelat, and the latter at the storming of that place by Gen. Wiltshire. These being two very influen- SCENES IN A SOLMEn^S LIFE. 103 d all lource : was was free. very lial persons in Beeloochistan, their safe custody was of very great importance to the British Govern- ment, and they were, therefore, kept in close arrest. As in one or two instances lately, means had been found to forward letters and even weapons to them, by f'.eir friends outside, the charge of them was transferred to the Europeans, with strict injunctions that they should be strictly guarded and closely watched, for which purpose two sentries simultane- ously mounted guard over them every two hours, with imperative orders that they must never both have their eyes ofif them at the same moment, that they were to accompany them whenever they moved, and never permit them to make use of any writing materials whatever, or to retain in their possession any knives or any thing else which they could in any manner render available to effect their escape. They were at first allowed one and a half rupees, equal to three shillings each per diem, for their subsistence, but after a time, the allowance was reduced to one and a half rupees for both, which at best, was certainly but a sorry allowance to maintain the dignity of princes, prisoners though they were. They used occasionally to receive small presents, such as a telescope or other small articles of that description. They each had one, and were agree- ably surprised at their powers, as they sat and viewed from the fortress the boats coming up the Indus ; and more than once has the Prince expres- 104 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. sed his anxiety to see Lonedone (Lcndon,) which he' ujed to say must be very great. The prince of Shawl at length became so familiar with our men, that he learned to speak tolerably good English. I gleaned from him that he was a great warrior ; he showed to me, and to many others, eight wounds which he had received in different battles in which he had been engaged, with several hostile tribes. The last was through the hand, from a musket, in a combat near Kelat. He told me, also, that he had a son, who was in command of about 2000 men, formerly belonging to Merab Khan. Mahomed Hassan, the Vizier, wLd bore a very noble and aristocratic appearance, was tena- coiis and proud, was seldom seen to speak to any one, and wore a very dignified air. His beai'd was long and black. He seemed to pride himself much in his hair, had it often dyed; his nails were stained red; being a mark of superiority, and, in short, his gait would at once impress the stranger with his lefty station; he was subsequently released, and sent on a mission with an officer of our service into the Interior of the country; and about the 3ame time the Prince of Shawl was also liberated, and, having entered into terms of amity with the Company's officers, he was appointed contractor for camels and other carriage to the British troops in Beeloochistan and Scinde, receiving an advance of 6,000 rupees, to enable him to carry ou his new office, which he managed with great tact and ability. SCENEK IN A SOLDIBR'S LIFE. 105 There were some other subordinate Beeloochee prisoners in the Fort of Bukkur, who were aftei^ wards also released. The Fort of Bukkur is capable of being rendered one of the strongest in India, and is of very ancient origin ; it is the one mentioned in history as having been taken by Alexander the Great ; but is now, however, fast going to ruin, and some of the walla have actually fallen into decay. Roree on the right bank of the Indus, is very thickly populated, and serves as a great support to Sukkur ; it also fell into the hands of Alexander's pervading power, but was restored to its people. The Fort standing on an island in the centre of the river, speaks much of its commanding situar tion. It contained several hundred houses, and was capable of affording protection to upwards of 20,000 people ; the citadel was of immense strength, and m itself would contain a large army. The Political agent at Sukkur was Ross Bell, Esq., and Captain Bean was his Assistant. Cap- tain Bean is the officer, who, with his lady, encoun- tered such dreadful hardships during the siege of the Fort of Kahun, which he so long and so gal- lantly defended. Lieutenant Clarke, who was wounded at the time Captain Hand was murdered, a brave, but unfortunate, young man, was conr ducting a convoy with succours to Captain Bean, ,«i,rv« !,« xwrna aiianlrprl unH nvftrnowftred : as SOOn TTUC21 XIV TT 5X13 «J;ot*v,'«.i.".» • — • j- - ■■ -- - as he saw himself attacked, he boldly led on his 106 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. ii u > valiant troupe sword in hand, but, with one or twd exceptions, they were all left dead upon the field, yet not until, encouraged by the valorous daring of the unfortunate Lieutenant Clarke, they had made a terrible example of their enemies : a solid mass of dead bodies marked the spot where this heroic young man breathed his last ; in the true spirit of English Chivalry his men fought around him whilst he lived, and covered his remains with their dead bodies when he was no more. The weather in September was excessively hot during the day, the thermometer standing often at 110«>and 115Vin the shade; but we suffered far more severely at night, for the camp being between some chalk hills, which, becoming intensely heated by the sun's rays, retained them till the evening, when they returned as to the atmosphere, rendering it excessively close, sultry and oppressive. In these regions the animal frame recovers in the coolness of the night from the exhaustion of the day; but this unfortunate circumstance prevented all hope of rest or sleep, and induced such a feeling of languor that our food was very often left untasted, or taken in pure desperation. An attempt to eat the smallest portion would at once throw us into a state of the most extraordinary perspiration; to leave it uneaten, left the un-recruited frame in such a state of weakness as rendered it totally incapable of performimr anv of the dntips allnffp<1 +n i* ki^ one could lie down on his mattress without imme- SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 107 diately falling into a state of perspiration, which entirely saturated his bed and bedding, rendering him obnoxious to the severest cold from the most gentle breath of air which might pass over him. To make matters worse, at this hot season of tb« year, a rash very commonly breaks out over every part of the body, marked by small red pimples, filled with water, and attended by a very severe and uncomfortable irritation. This rash is forced out by the great heat, and is sometimes so bad that men who put on a clean shirt at eight o'clock in the morning, after taking it oflf at eleven, to change, were in such a state, from the rash, that large flakes of flesh would come away with it : so dread- fully painful is the burning irritation of this disease, that men often, although conscious that it is at the imminent risk of their lives, would go down to the river and sit up to their neck in it, for the sake of a few minutes of temporary relief. The political functionaries were unremitting in their endeavours to procure troops from all points, and detachments were daily pouring into Sukkur ; the 38th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry arri- ved on the 9th of October, in perfect field order ; the right wing of the 40th that same day received instructions to hold themselves ready for a like duty at the shortest notice. Sukkur now became the scene of active preparation, and everything now -_-~« J.lU« n-nw^nnr-n-nna nf imiTIPdinift WSLT. OOmC WOic Xiic appvycii tiiivi-; •"-•I- *«•• — difficulty having arisen in the procuring of trans- I..: hi! ! ■5# 'J 108 SCENES IN A SOLDIER'S LIFE. port, in consequence of resistance having been offered by the native Chiefs of Roreeto the parties sent out to procure camels and carriages, Major ^orbes then commanding, ordered the Grena- dier company of the 40th, two companies of Sepoys, and two 6.pounder field pieces to proceed at two hours notice into the Roree District to enforce obedience and compliance. The whole party returned the next day, followed by vast numbers of camels, which, it is presumed, were sent in con- sequence of the sudden appearance of the British Iroops, for their march scarcely attained the im- portance of a demonstration, and of enemies they certamly saw none. My experience in the eastern nations has taught me that there is something in Uie prestige of a British Force, before which the bravest of the Native Troops constantly quail. Had It been a suite of their own countrymen, who so peremptorily demanded carriage, doubtless there would have been much bloodshed, but I have ever seen that when the British wish to effect an oDject, they seldom or never fail. On the 10th of October, the S8th Native Red- ment marched from Sukkur under the command of tapt. Burney, and on the 12th were followed by five Companies of the Queen's 40th, under the command Of Capt. Boscawen, who was ordered on his arrival at bhikai-pore to assume the command of the whole as a Field force, bavins^ hpftn min«ri w «v>^.,* oaa irregular cavalry and two field pieces, then stationed SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 109 at that plaice, which was three days march from Sukkur. Immpdiately on our arrival active mea- sures were adopted to organise the whole force into the most perfect and efficient order — each man equipped for active service, and furnished with extra rounds of ammunition, to he carried in his pack ; his allowance of baggage was reduced to twen- ty-eight pounds weight, including bed and bedding. Each soldier carried his kit, weighing about eighteen pounds ; his musket on his shoulder, his accoutre- ments, bayonet and pouch, containing forty rounds of ball cartridge—a havre-sack containing his knife, fork and spoon, with sometimes two or three days' rations, and also, a tin pot to drink out of; and, in addition to all these, a small wooden canteen, or round flat keg somewhat the shape of a Staffordshire ciieese, but not so large in circumfe- rence, holding, and to carry, about two quarts of water — a tolerably good load for a long march. The general appearance of Shikarpore is very pleasing, but too close inspection shows the prevail- iug vices of the country, tilth and misery. It appa- rently carries on a flourishing trade, and contains a very extensive depot of government stores, for the use of the troops employed in Scinde, Beloochistan, and Cabool. Food was very cheap, and fruit oi many kinds very beautiful, and plentiiul. We had here an exten.-' r^ godown, or store for erain. &.C... and Owinor to tllA oroat cnnnliaa l>rn«<»K* into this town's market, our stocks were kept lip at a 110 SCENES IN A SOLDIERS LIFE. cheaper rate ; the plans adopted by the Indian Government were excellent, and, as practice makes perfect, so did they improve, although the expendi- tures from tho coffers of the East India Company were vast indeed. I shall give a brief account of the enormous outlay of several departments, which will give an idea what the total would be. ., CHAPTER V. Desoription of a March in the East; Extreme Change of Wea-' ther; European Constitution; Young Officers; Their Frai8e> worthy Conduct; Preparations for Active Service completed ; Departure of Force; Destination ; Dadur; The Enemy; Nusseer, the Youthful King of Kelat: His Mother, Beebe* Gunjan; His Uncle, Gool Mahomed; Their Efforts to Anni- hilate Small Forces; Attempt to recapture Kelat; Lieutenant Loveday, Bombay N. I.; Massacre of his Force; His life ran- somed by two Banyans; Becomes a Hostage; His Treatment; 21'us8eer's unsuccessful attack on Dadur; Three times De- feated; Arrival at Rojan; Fatiguing March across the Desert ofScinde; Confidence of Captain Boscawen in Lis Men; Cer- tainty of British Valour; Enemy Encamped on the other side; Arrival at the Spot; Decampment of the Enemy towards Kunda; Cavalry despatched after them ; Movement of Force to Kunda; Appearance of the Enemy; Battle; Description of Scene; Private Feelings; General Acknowledgment; My First Battle Field; Prisoners taken; Arrival of Nawab Mahomed Shereave; Sentence passed on Prisoners; Ma- homed's Manner; Anecdote of an English Rifle; Night Alarm; March to Oodana; Want of Water; Encampment o» a Barren Plain. Having fairly got on the march, it perhaps will not be out of place here to give my readers an idea of an army on the line of march in the field, in India as it materially differs from that of one in England, where the soldier, surrounded by countrymen and 112 BOKNKB IN A HOI.DIF.K tl UKIfl. frIimiU, luilt« ftt 801110 town tlio mxm day, woary onou|(!i, I (Ifti'c say ; still thoro U a bllhit, a bed, and « comfortable nical, altlioiigli he has often a long way to go ere he finds out his resting place, owing to some very great inlsnuinageujent In the arrange- ments of billeting in Kurope. 1 lowever, the march in the field proves a very dilVerent seene. Picturo the bustle, confusion, and excitement of an army (m the march, being preceded by the skirmishers luid advance guards, accompanied by the Quarter* Master (General, who, in the most systematic man- ner, on the arrival at the destined encampment, proceeds to calculate the relative dlt^tance reqnhred for each cor[)s and department, and allots it to the parties attached from each regiment, for their fur- ther division. They from practical arrangements, measure the necessary distance for each individual and tent, murking the spot, and awaiting the arrival, which quickly follows. The main body reaches the ground, and each corps marches at once to its quarters. The individual to the site of his palace for the day. Shortly comes the numerous train of baggage, carried by camels, elephants, mules, horses, asses, bullocks, carts, &c. etc, many thousands in number, and followers hv exceeding the number of troops. The followers attached to the various portions of baggage proceed at once to their spots of ground. The tent and its baggage arrive toge- ther, and all is prepared to *^ Pitch Camp." A signal is given, and as if it were by magic, a town, BCENKB IN A soldier's UFA. 113 a fort, and a Htrongfold in formed in a few minutes. OuardH are mounted, pIckctH arranged, and scntricB placed, and all Ih quiet and nettled for the day. The ConnniHHuriut prooeedH to kill the cattle, and issue the provisions. The ba^^gag(! cattle are all sent out to grazes under strong guards, 'i'he bazaars (one to each corps) open their stores of mer(;handise, and expose it for sale, at an enormous and extortionate profit, of which I shall speak more fully in some future chapter. The authorities at the head arc engaged in the arrangement of the objects in view; emissaries are sent out ; chiefs are received and negotiated with for the supply of provisions ; the weary soldier, aftor smoothing down for his domes- tic comfort his parlour of twenty-one inches by six feet, lulled by the aid of that refreshing genius, sleep, be- guiles the long dreary hours of the day, tilled with anx- iety, and overpowered oftentimes with the intense heat, rendered moreso by the trifling protection under canvass.^ At length comes the night, and every precaution having been taken, all is prepared lor a fresh start,.tho cattle arc placed in front of their to- morrow's load, each soul devolves into that earthly heaven, which soon relieves the mind from the world's anxiety and care ; at the dead of night is heard the trampling of the patroles carefully visit- ing the guards and piquets, and the reliefs cautiously challenged by the watching sentries. And shortly after midnight are heard the shrill tnimpets and bugles arousing the tired soldier from the midst of 114 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. perhaps dreams of the happy hours of boyhood anJ home. The sound carries with it a volume of direc- tions; and in a few minutes all is again confusion — yet regularity is there ; all on a tip-toe of bustle— yet all is steady, and each at his place. The camp ap- pears as one blaze of fire from the darkness of the night, and bushes or piles of brushwood collected, being fired to give light to enable the packing and loading to be carried on ; and should you stray a dozen yards perchance it will take you half an hour to find your place again. And I have often seen from the dream of the sleeper t' the move- ment off the ground of more thp" .?0,000 souls and cattle, not more than half an hour elapse. Long ere day dawns, all are again on the march ; the keen morning air striking chilly, through the wea- ried soldier, disturbed from refreshing sleep, and forced to trudge along an unknown path ; all passes on in silence, nothing is heard, save the neighing of the horses and the heavy measured tread of the moving mass of men ; line after line of connected camels and cattle, move on, carefully guarded and guided by the troops and follov/ers, each eye heavy from broken rest, and looking anxiously for the opening of the distant horizon to admit the day, and distribute the welcome rays of the sun, which at first are pleasant in the extreme, but ere a few hours are passed, become even more oppres- sive than the midnight air. All this it is which has 80 much astonished the natives of distant lands, and placed our system at the iop of the tree. SCENES IN A SOLDIER'S LIFE. 115 Within a few days the weather Jiad undergone a very complete change, the mornings and evenings were so cold that our wooden canteens, when we arose at day break, were covered with, I had almost said a thick coating of ice ; the mid-day sun was just as hot as ever, and the extreme transitions were very trying to the European constitutions, although I have no doubt even this extreme degree of cold was not without its attendant advantages. I have often been surprised, when on service, to behold how the oflicers, particularly the younger ones, endure the hardships and privations to which they are often and suddenly subjected: many of them are carefully and tenderly nurtured to within a few months of the period, when they may be all at once deprived not only of the luxuries, or comforts, but even of the absolute necessaries of life. The hardships to which the warrior is subject may be told, but not comprehended by those who have not experienced them, and it has often been to me a matter of great astonishment that their minds and energies do not quail before the fearful phalanx of evils, exceeded by none which flesh is heir to. It seems as if nature rises with the difficulties which present themselves, and by taking arms against a sea of troubles, end them indeed ; but in a very different manner i^o the rule laid down in Hamlet's canon. I, myself, have been as tenderly brought up as most in my class, have been educated in a manner to teach me to maka the best of every m 1 ! If 116 aCENES IN A soldier's UPE. thing, and yet at times a leetle inclination to regret my fate has floated tiirough my mind; I have striven to overcome it, and have generally overmastered the feeling. But if such were my sentiments, is it not wonderful that those who felt, and must have felt, their physical privations to be greater than I felt mine to be, should have succeeded ? It was truly gratifying to see how cheerfully our oflicers submitted to that same measure of comfort which was allotted to the men ; cheered by their example, the best effects resulted, and the soldiers, prompted by the zeal and energy of their officers, set to their toilsome duty with earnostuess and good will, and discontent was lost in the eager hope to be among the first, whether on the battle plain or mounting the imminent deadly breach. Every preparation being now perfect, we were in hourly expectation of immediate and active service,, which we were taught to expect would be severe, and most certainly our anticipations were not belied. On the morning of the 16th we accordingly set forth, our first destination being Dadur, a temporary fort,in which Sir John Keane had left a small garrf^on^ our direct progress to which, iis will be seen, w li: 118 SCENES IN A SOLDIEE's LIFE. ged about from place to place as a spectacle. Nu*- seer's next object was to destroy Dadur ; for tbis purpose a large proportion of his force, which was daily increasing, took up an excellent position, about two miles from the fort, and immediately commenced the siege. Three times had he tried to take it by assault, and as many times had he signally failed. Three hundred British troops were sufficient to repel every attack of his numerous host, and the siege was turned into a blockade, and they suc- ceeded in cutting off all supplies, as well as pre- venting the transmission of any correspondence, either to or from the fort. At length the command- ing officer succeeded in forwarding, in safety, a des- patch to the political agent, Lieutenant Postens, then at Shikarpoore, requesting him to send im- mediate help and supplies to Diidur. It was in con- sequence of this requisition that we received our sudden but not unwelcome route. Nothing is more agreeable to a soldier than variety — give him a change, and he cares for no more. We left Shikarpore on the 16th ; on the morning of the 17th we reached Rojan, an extensive village bordering on the Desert of Scinde, known as the Gundavie run, which next presented itself to us ; and news was received by Postens that the enemy were encamped on the other side at a place called Bushera. The distance across this wild expanse of dustv, drifting, stormv plain, was by the nearest cut forty-five miles, and we had then SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 119 marched seventeen, notwithstanding our commander called our attention to the service required at our hands ; and although it was contrary to his wish to har- rasshismenhy forced marches, yet he felt sure that every heart w^ould leap with approhation when be informed us that our enemy was so near, and that it was necessary for the safety of our comrades stationed beyond them, to at once remove the insurgents; why needed our captain for one moment to imagine a single instance of unwillingness ?— it was doing an injustice to the brave heart of a British soldier, for had the distance been thrice multiplied, and he called upon to go, who dares to question our acquiescence? None will, and with such a commander too as Capt. Boscawen, I firmly believe that had difficulties of the most intense nature presented themselves, call- ing upon them to proffer every heart, aye,— and had each had a hundred hearts, alhvould have been de- voted to him and his cause. So on the evening of the 17th, we commenced the march across the bar- ren plain, light as air, and as no water was procur- able on the road, each man replenished his canteen, and several camels were laden with mussocks (leather bags) filled for our use. The night fortu- nately was illumined by a beautiful moon, whose rays aided our guides to navigate the trackless space, and our ma.ch passed off in comparative quietude, and about noon, on the 18th, having reached the desired spot, we discovered that the enemy had left a few hours ago, evidently having been aware s. : 5: ' 11^ 120 SCENES IN A SOLDIEE'a LIFE. Of our approach ; wc found their fires yet unei- - "nged and the natives of the village reported that they had proceeded to Kunda. Capt. Boscawen immediately despatched our ca- valry to dislodge them if posible, and further be- cause Bushara produced very little water, not sufflcent even for the infantry, for we had to dig smal holes, and filter the muddy water through towels and drink it as thick as milk with clay And after a march of seventeen miles, succeeded imniedmtely by forty-five more without rest, it need hardly be commented on by mc, the exhausted state ot the troops, who had scarce half pitched their ten s when every eye was dosed in sleep, save the scntmcls, who were relieved evciy hour, to enable them to gradually refresh themselves with rest If any of my readers have ever been really fatigued, weary, and nature almost exhausted, they can easily enter into the feelings of this little band • and It IS only those who have experienced these trials' who can truly appreciate the sufferings of those thus situated ; it is all very well to undergo trial and privation, when there is a source from whence you can back it up with refreshment and care, com- forted with friends and homo, but when the same prospect IS before you again and again, without comforts It is then the soldier feels sympathy of the smallest kind to be great. On the moraing of the 19th we resumed our march for Knnda, not without expectation of being SCENES IN A SOLDlER^S LIFE. 121 intercepted by the enemy, who, we had reason to believe, was mustering in strong force before and behind us. We, however, greatly to our satisfaction., reached Kunda,our halting place, about nine, A. M.^ and immediately set to preparing the ground for an encampment. The guards had just mounted, and we were full of activity in our labor of love, when our ears were suddenly assailed, and our senses astonished, by hearing the bugles of the out-posts sound the alarm, instantly answered by those of the main body sounding the assembly. In a few mo- ments every man had donned his clothes and accou- trements, and, having seized his arms, was seen hurrying to the rallying point of his company. Less time was taken to form and tell off the re- spective corps than it would occupy to describe. Well for us it was that we were thus readily prepared, for immediately we were drawn up, the enemy were in sight, crowning the summit of the hills in front of us, in considerable strength. The cavalry was despatched to keep them in check, and the infantry were moved forward to the strongest position which the suddenness of the attack would permit us to se- lect. As all the baggage of the detachment was on the ground, the 38th Regiment (Native Infantry) were ordered to form square around it for its pro- tection. Our right wing was then moved forward to support the cavalry, which was divided into two divisions of one hundred each. We advanced in double time over uneven and rugged ground, taking fli'llli mi 122 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. the enemy in front, whilst the cavalry moved by divi- sions to either flank, narrowing the space as we approached the enemy, until it became evident to himself that our intention was to hem him in, and, if possible, lu prevent his escape: this brought him'to a pause, and as we advanced very close to his front, the cavalry dashed off into a rapid charge, and assaulted him on. both flanks, and we, of course, not being idle in front, gave him a much warmer reception than he had anticipated : about one hundred and eighty of them were cut down; the rest perceiving the fate of their friends, being well mounted, and doubtlessly deeming discretion to be the better part of valour, instantaneously wheeled about, and, owing to the excellence of their houses, were soon safely out of all risk of pursuit, which, owing to our long march, and our ignorance of the face of the country, it would have been extremely difficult for us to make. We were, therefore, ordered to halt : five prisoners only were made upon the ground, one of whom, olTering considerable resistance, was killed, his head being struck off,- the other four yielded quietly, and we returned to our encampment. As we recrossed the field of strife, I counted, and was obliged, in ^roprid persond, to stride over upwards of fifty dead bodies of the enemy. I stood for the first time on the field of slaughter, and I thmk, ages of ages, should I live so long, would fail to obliterate the sensations of those few minutes. The fierce and angry feelings of the strife had passed SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 123 away. I stood upon the ground on which those, I could not call my enemies, for we had never met he- fore, and who a short time since, had stood in the proud array of battle, full of hope and full of con^dence ; and where were they now? — scattered, dispersed, dead! It is a strange situation to be in^to stand calm, cool and collected, amidst the dying and the dead, who have fallen by our own hands, and against whom we have not had one angry feeling, save a country's right, — and that is much. It is well for us soldiers that w^e feel that sensation but once ; the constant recurrence of it would unman us quite. It is not every one who will confess this, but I think I may venture to say, if every soldier whose lot has led him into a similar situation, will confess to himself the true sentiment of his heart, he will I am sure consider with me, as regards the feelings, which is far from being daunted or overpowered by fear, but nature will give vent at times. As we halted, to re-form in our original position, previous to our resuming the march to our encamp- ment, there they lay around us — the scene of death in every direction was awful : there lay, the young, the brave, the beautiful ; the son, the sire, the brother and the friend : headless — limbless — dead and> dying ; some groaning in the agonies of extrem- ity, and thirst — others, iu the last stage of ebbing existence, too weak even to wail, or to weep, — too ex- hausted to ask that drop of water which they would have freely bought, had they the means, with the 124 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. lltj !- li w I i •world's wealth. This was my first action ; wonflcr not that I shuddered at the scenes which on every side met .ny sickened gaze ; and wonder not if, oven in the moment of victory, and the excitement of success, I paused to contemplate the horrors which on every side met my aching sight ; fancy not tim t it was fear — the time of fear has passed when the first shot is heard : hundreds, thousands^ have quailed before the fight, scarce one has quailed In it. The thunder of the cannon, the roar of the musketry, the shouts of the combatants, the bray- ing of the trumpets, the rolling of the drums, the neighing of ihe horses, and the cries of the wounded and the dying, leave no time for fear. The excitement of the battle hurries along the ^coward and the brave: the latter is sometimes distinguished by his presence of mind. Even in the midst of that fearful scene, a sweet, delightful vision rose up to mind's eye, and, as I stood there amidst the mangled and bleeding bodies of my foes, my feet upon their native soil, death, misery, and desolation all around me, I could not repress the thoughts which rose to my mind, in deep and bright contrast to the sad scene around me, and my mind dwelt in anxious suspense for the future on the land of my birth, and the home of my childhood. And I could not but feel too, that for me years must elapse ere that loved scene could again shed its balmj^ sweetness to greet my returning footsteps ; haply that I was doomed never to see it again, never SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 125' to meet the cheerful and happy greetings which ever welcomed my return, even from the short absence of my boyliood's school seasons. If these feelings did obtrude, if they did obtain the mastery, it must, in' excuse, be still remembered that I then stood on my first battle-field. We had now leisure to complete our encampment, and to survey the surrounding country. Kunda was a small town, and at a short distance, which, as' well as all the surrounding villages, wc perceived to be almost entirely evacuated ; they formed the prin- cipal residences of the force by which we had been> attacked, and their ill success was soon well known in every direction. In the course of the afternoon a Nawab, a petty Governor, named Mahomed Shereave, of one of the more distant of the neighbouring villages, and who' was an ally of Sir John Keane, camo down to inves- tigate into the affair. And as we had, during the day, succeeded in discovering several of the enemy who had secreted themselves in huts in the town,, he immediately proceeded to enquire into their con- duct. A small hovel was speedily converted into a justice hall, and Mahomed sat there, and began to examine and condemn the prisoners, brought before liim, and after mature deliberation he ordered about eleven of them to be put to death, and this sentence was speedily carried into execution. When the executions were over Mahomed Shereave offered his services and the aid of two hundred men to Capt. 126 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. ii :l Boscawen, which were readily and cordially accepted/ and it was agreed that he should accompany us to Dadur on the 22nd. Mahomed appeared to be a man of letters, and exhibited a degree of dignity and command not to be resisted by those over whom he exercised authority. His figure was commanding, his height being over six feet, and his form robust, he was armed with an English manufactured rifle, a scimitar sword, a solid shield, attaghan, &c. His rifle excited considerable attention, and many were the surmises as to the manner in, which it came into his possession ; there- were not wanting many who did not hesitate to attribute to him a wrongful possession ; for although he professed himself an earnest and iaithful ally of the British, still he was a Beloochee, and therefore belonged to a class it was very unsafe to trust. Several very exaggerated reports obtained currency; some were of opinion that it was a prize taken from some murdered officer of the British Army, some were charitable enough to surmise that he might have obtained it by traffic ; but the real fact came out at last, that it had been presented to him by an English officer of the grand army, for some former services which he had rendered the British force. Our loss in this short but brilliant affair was one man killed and four wounded ; we had also two horses killed. We captured eighty camels of first- rate quality which were sold, and the proceeds added to the prize money gained by that action. SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 127 The Government being at that time greatly in want of cattle, ordered fifty of them to be selected for the Commissariat Department. As the night closed in we received orders to sleep on our arms, and a numerous chain of sentinels sur- rounded the camp, as it was the general opinion that the enemy would make another attack upon us at night. We were not disturbed, and remained re- cruiting our strength until the 22nd, when we march- ed on towards Dadur, via Oodana, and a long and dreary march we found it to the latter place, where we were to halt ; but finding no water we had to continue our march beneath the burning rays of the sun, until we could meet with a stream or spring. The heat was so intense that many of our men faint- ed by the way, and it was seen that the whole force would have to wait until the evening set in. To march in the beat of the day is, in India, fatal to pidny, and it would have been a great risk to sacri- **^Q Europeans, on whose intrepid courage every 'R this expedition depended. About one o't , P. M., Mahomed Shereave discerned, in front, a pool of water ; fortunately, indeed, although in the midst of a plain of the most apparent des- titution and barrenness, an immense plain of dried clay— sun-parched, and cracked bythe over-powering heat — was all that presented itself. We, however, soon arrived at the spot, pitched our'camp, and halted xmtU the next day. And glad indeed we were. I CHAPTER VI. Jknother Retrograde Movement; Interesting Account of one of the Banyans, >vho ransomed the Life of Loveday; Curious Discovery in the Merchant; Sudden Metamorphosis into a young Englishman; A brief History of his career; March to Kotra; Re-appearance of the Enemy; Straggling Shots; 25th Regt., N. L, left at Kotra; Welcome of the Force at Kotr»' by the inhabitants; Havoc made by the Insurgents; Situation of Kotra, with the Gundavie Pass; A Blockade; March to Sunnee; !A Night's March; Distressing Route; We rea^h Seran; Mysore; Departure; Sudden Route; Arrival of Des- patches from Dadur, announcing a Grand Attack on the 2nd November; Necessity of a Keinforcenent at Dadur; Dreadful situation of Troops ; Seven weeks on sentry; Orders to force march to Dadur; Detention of Couriers for Guides; The Mysore Pass; Midnight; Description of Pass ; Previonsr Position ; Sudden Alarm ; Suspicions of Treachery ; Route Intercepted; Discovery of ravine flooded; Impossibility to proceed; Night mt November; Interrogation of the Guides; Their protestation of innocence; Another very long Route discovered; Determination to proceed ; Troops re> formed; Serious reflection; Miseries of the night; Credit due to the Native Troops; The break of day; Poor progress made; Energetic advancement; Determination to accomplish ; Dadur in sight; And bappy welcome. One of the Banyans who ransomed the life of Loveday for 2,000 rupees, was a young English- man, an outline of whose extraordinary adventures X^ mubl givu uv;iC, lu Oiuui iv siuij^my uij laic. xic 8CENES IN A SOLDIES'S LIFE. 129 resided in Kelat, in the character of a Hindoo dealer, unknown to all, and finding that an insur- rection was rising, which would most probably re- sult in the massacre of Loveday and his men, he waited upon him, still disguised,and informed that offi- cer of the rumours alloat ; the ollicer treated the hum- ble Hindoo merchant, as he thought him, with c, cried liferent [f their louted, ed and ir con- irmises me ac- tive party of the enemy's cavalry had succeeded in cutting them off, but then, this could not be, for we had not heard a shot fired, and would Britons yield without one struggle? Oh I no— that could not be. It was then conjectured that they had confi- ded in some treacherous guide, who had misled them, and placed them in the power of the rebels — here, then, treachery could be suspected. This was, indeed, a more reasonable conjecture than the for- mer, for we called to mind the sad and unfortu- nate affair of Major Clibborn, of the 1st Grenadier Regiment, Native Infantry, who, when conducting a large convoy of stores and treasure from Sukkur, engaged two guides, who proved to be spies, and led the force into the very mouth of the foe, who succeeded in cutting off nearly the whole of his men, and capturing upwards of six hundred camels, bearing the baggage and treasure besides ; his Ser- geant Major, and a warrant officer named Shean, only escaping. This sad reverse of fortune will ever be remembered with regret, as the difficulties and the improbability of success are so numerous that they cannot be imagined, unless by those who suf- fer by it — and let it not be judged harshly or un- wisely, but bear in mind that circumstances alter cases. Mean time it was discerned that conjecture and supposition were no substitutes for provision and arrack, and that talking only made men more hunsrrv. and it was resolved to despatch a commu- nication to Dadur, stating the predicament we were 264 SCENES IN A soldier's LWM, Mt I placed in, and to request that two days supply of provisions might be forwarded immediately, and at the same time, Major Boscawen proceeded to the town, near to which we were halted, and purchased as much food as he could procure, for our present pressing necessities,— -which he immediately issued out to the men, who at once set to, to make up for lost time— and having first solaced the inward man, with the more solid comforts of this world, they next sought for happiness and enjoyment in that land of rest and quiet, which soldiers call the Land of Nod. When we awoke, we were delighted to see that the first supply from Dadur had arrived in camp, and the Quarter-Master and his assistants a& busy as they possibly could be, making arrange- ments to issue out a fresh supply to the troops ; his operations had scarcely ceased, when our own Commissariat came in sight, nawindeed, like a use* less Alexandrine, dragging its weary length along. Never, perhaps, did the arrival of the Commissa- riat and its stores in the jungle or desert, cause so little sensation as this did, so far as rations were concerned, and never, perhaps, had a Commissariat been honoured with so many kind and anxious in- quiries, as were made upon the present occasion j one man's reply was very curious — he told me, when asked the cause of their late arrival: " We have been wandering like an ill-tempered comet." SCENES IN A SOLDIEH'S LIFE. 165 ipply of , and at to tlie [rchased present r issued e up for rd man, d, they ia that le Land hted to ived in ants a» rrange- troops ; ur own 1 a use- along, imissa- ause so IS were issariat )us in- vasion J Id me, rrival : npered On the evening of the 3rd, we resumed ouf march to Mungal-ka-Sheer, and on the morning of the 4th, were met a few miles from that camp by many of our companions of the Left Wing, who had come thus far to welcome us home to Head Quarters. About nine, A. M., we reached the camp, and an imposing sight it was ; the army cott- eistcd of 9,000, and this fine body of men, combi- ned with all the pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war, made a great impression upon me, as we drew near, having never seen so large a force assembled before. We foand on our arrival that the dreadful note of preparation had even now begun, and that immediate and active operations were speedily about to commence. Since the campaign of 1838-9, almost every territory in that vast region into which we were now about to enter, indeed had in reality entered, had been made tributary to our Government \ it will be readily believed that the petty Sovereigns of those diversified realms, were ill-disposed, save upon compulsion, to pay a tribute, which pressed so heavily upon their revenues, amounting in many instances to nearly one-tnird of the whole, for the aggrandizement of one nation, and that nation at a great distance ; a nation, too, said some of them, which had no claim ^ hatever upon their terri- tory. Many of their native princes, miscalcula- i-i^^ ^-U^Sm rvrirn nniirnv t\T miClllfl flTITI CT fllflf. Dl thP. iiilig iUC;il \J~--X V\jr7\ji. vTi iiiir.- ii'-^i:,---:=. " • J' British, refused to comply with the demands of our 166 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. Political Agents for their respective tributes. In almost all those places in which we had a considera- ble force, there was also stationed an officer, acting as Political Agent, whose duties were very various, and very onerous ; he had to treat with the Chiefs; to make contracts for the Government ; to lay fines and duties upon all traffic ; to collect the tribute, imposed upon the native chiefs by the orders of the government, or by treaty. The Agents in fact were kings, in all but name ; I had almost said despots. Whenever they moved abroad they were always accompanied by a strong guard; and it has often happened, that when resistance has been offered to the collection of tribute, they have not hesitated to take immediate and summary proceedings against the whole State. Ross Bell, Esq., our Political Agent, having to receive tribute from the Chief of a neighboring terri- tory, Rojuk, sent to demand it; compliance was refus- ed, and the chief went so far as to say that if the Feringees wanted it they must come and take it if they could ; as they were determined to resist its collection. This was an affront to his authority, which Mr. Bell could not submit to, and he accor- dingly proceeded to give them a specimen of Ferin- gee authority; and a force, consisting of the 3rd Regiment of Light Infantry, six gunSj and one troop of Bombay Korse Artillery, witi ihe 21st Native Infaniiy, were placed undei' ih^. command of Lieut.-Col. Wilson, of the 3rd Cat ^iliy, who had SCENES IN A SOI-DIER'S LIFE, 167 ites. In msidera- r, acting various, e Chiefs; lay fines tribute, irs of the fact were despots. always las often •ffered to itated to against aving to ng terri- as refus- at if the take it if •esist its iithority, e accor- )f Ferin- the 3rd md one the 21st ommand vvho had instructions that would justify him in attackilig the town and fort, should they still persist in their refu- sal to pay the tribute. On arriving before the place. Col. Wilson made the proper demand, which was most peremptorily refused ; upon which he placed his guns, and at- tempted to make a breach, but without eiTect. 1 Cavalry and Infantry surrounded the fort, and ud their best to return the destructive fire which was kept up from the walls of the fort. Their defence was so obstinate, that Col. Wilson's sole hope of success lay in a sudden and violent assault, and accordingly orders were issued to storm ; but here an unforeseen difficulty presented itself. The 21st Regiment, on receiving the order to charge, most unexpectedly and most provokingly hung back; their officers vainly urged them forward, but they had no stomach for the fight. The Europeans at- tached to the Troop of Artillery, about seventy, volunteered to accompany their officers, and alone to make the attack. The event, with such a small force, seemed inevitable failure ; there was now no time for hesitation, and, therefore, leaving the smallest possible number to take care of the guns, the remainder were formed into a column of attack, which, however, rather partook of the nature of a Forlorn Hope, and were place under the immediate command of Lieut. Creed ; they dashed forward gallantly, and made an attack upon the principal gate, and they were greatly surprised to see the 168 SCENES IM A SOLDIER^S LIFE. Women in large groups, sitting on the walls, holding the Koran in their hands, and pleading for mercy and forbearance. Our little heroic band advanced; they gained the gateway, and a long and despe- rate struggle ensued ; they at length effected an entrance, but as soon as the soldiers entered the narrow and winding way they were cut to pieces by the defenders, till at length, after a desperate and terrific rally, they rushed in, and overpowered the immediate defenders of the gate, but were again driven back, and whilst re-forming in front of the fort, the remainder of the enemy, taking to flight, left the fort by another entrance, and sought for safety in the neighbouring hills, leaving us to enter and take quiet possession of the fort, dearly purchased by the death of the gallant Creed,* who fell in the first assault, having been the first to effect an entrance into the gateway ; his loss was generally and greatly deplored by the men and offi- cers of his Regiment. Col. Wilson was crried back to the camp wounded ; seven of the Artillery were killed, and several were severely wounded. * The father of Lieut. Creed is the esteemed and universally respected Secretary of the London and Birmingham Bailwaj Company. holding ' mercy v^anced ; despe- cted an red the pieces isperate lowered t were n front dng to sought ' us to dearly ,* who first to ss was ndoffi- Cviried rtillery ded. iversally Railwaj CHAPTER IX. Retreat of the Enemy; Possession of the Fort; An attempt at swamping the Camp made; Admirable conduct of the Troops; Prevention of annoyance; Old Proverb realized ; Despatch sent to General Brooks; Reinforcement ordered; Sudden March; Advantages and disadvantages ; Threatening thunder storm; Awful prospect; Description of scene; Precarious situation; A dreadful storm ; Miserable condition of Troops; Anxious prayer for day; Horrible attacks of Cramps; Indes- cribable prospect; March resumed; Arrival atKojuk; Loss of Cattle, &c.; Plunder of the Fort; Re-establishment of a Com- misariat; Mode of making dry ground; Soldiers never lost for means; The Enemy disappears; Death of Colonel Wilson; March to Dadur; Preparations for Route through the Passes; Appearance of a suspicious Camp; Destination of 40th is learned . Having thus obtained possession of the fort, we were ordered to form an encampment, and to pitch our tents. Wliilst we were thus engaged, the enemy returned from the hills, having being greatly rein- forced, and their numbers far exceeding ours, they easily surrounded our camp and proceeded to hosti- lities. The first effort at annoyance was to turn the water course, at which all their tribes are very ex- pert, their object being not to dt^irive us of a supply but to give us too much; for, had they succeeded, our encamping ground would have been converted into 170 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. ... . a marsh or bay. As soon as we perceived this to be tlieir intention, we set to work to counteract it— and every man I'j !he u»p at once provided himself with the li ost fUiia^ tools he could lay his hands upon. SoHjo got picks, some shovels, and many who could not find any other tools fitting for the purpose, took their copper or brass dishes, plates, knives, and pieces of sticks, and zealously dug away until they had surrounded tlie camp with a trench or large gutter, which carried the water past us, and effectually foiled theattempt of the enemy; the only consequence of their endeavour being to provide us with a plentiful supply of water, as we might say, even at our own doors. Of course we could not but be very grateful to them for their kindness— our fatigue parties were most especially so— and thus it often happens that the most evil intentions of our enemies are, by a benign Providence, turned to our most unexpected advantage. A despatch was for- warded to General Brooks to acquaint him with the dilemma in which our little force was thus unexpect- edly placed, and urging upon him the necessity of an immediate and sufficient reinforcement. The mes- senger was fortunate enough to outdo the vigilance of the enemy, and arrived at our camp without hin- drance or disaster. Immediate orders were issued to the 40th Regiment, two Troops of Artillery, 300 Cavalry, and to the 25th Native Infantry, to be ready to march within two hours to reinforce the Troops at SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 171 Kojuk ; and at four, P. M., the whole were fonned into column of march, and set forward en route. We had had some very unpleasant specimens of night marching, and therefore had no high anticipa- tions of ease or comfort, but with the exception of a few camels and men going astray in the darkness of the night, we had no very serious disasters. At two, A. M., we halted for the day, and at four, P. M., we were igain on the line of march. To prevent accidents on this occasion, the Artillery were put in the van, and prec ded the main body for at least two hours. The road for some distance lay along the half dried bed of a river, and afterwards stretched across a lovely plain, which was not intersected by a ditch or a hillock, but the beautiful green verdure ena- melled by a thousand beautiful, and to me unknown, flowers, seemed to cheer and gladden every step we took. There was a mild soft southerly wind which just breathed upon our cheeks, and wafted on its zephyr airs that calm refreshing glow which is the more welcome in those desert regions, because it most oiten rises just after the passing away of the sun's scorching heat. It continued to blow until after the glorious orb of day had sunk slowly and majesti ally to rest behind the distant and lofty mountain ranges of Beeloochistan, leaving us to plod our weary way beneath the beautiful and glittering canopy of heaven. For once we fancied we should find a night march might be pleasant ; the breeze had now acquired more strength, and its refreshiu^ 172 SCENES IN A SOLDIER^S LIFE. coolness was doubly welcome, now that we began to grow warm and fatigued with marching. En- couraged by the delightful scenery and grateful odours with which the night air was redolent, we pressed on cheerfully, some of the men singing a gay and merry stanza, in which all joined in the full and hearty chorus with right good will, by which many a weary mile was beguiled of half its distance. Full of joyful anticipation, with no thought but of the dismay our presence would cause to the enemy on the morrow, we were still moving on at a very brisk pace, when we were all at once sur- prized to find the breeze suddenly die away, and the light and fleecy clouds which had been flitting along before, becoming slow, heavy, and dull. The bright blue of the heavens gradually became dimmer, until it presented one deep, dark, unvaried mass of murky gloom ; the bright stars became more and more dim until they began entirely to disappear, and one by one, star after star, went out, and all was night. The column, which but a few minutes previously had been moving along proudly, safely and joyously, was now scarcely able to advance at all, every foot being set, for fear of accident, cautiously, and doubtfully; each restless eye being involun- tarily turned upward, in earnest and anxious dread of what might next come. We were not long left in surprise, for far, far away, in the horizon, we heard the first low rumbling murmur of the distant thunder, which gathered strength as it rolled along, SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE* 1T3 and came terribly on — until at length, it broke over our heads in one wild, fearful and tremendous crash, seeming to shake the veiy ground we trod upon. The clouds gathered low and thick round about us. Lightning in terrific flashes, and thunder ia awful bursts, alternately smote our eyes and ears. Owing to the intense gloom, numbers of the men and camels were lost, and every now and then, be- tween the rattling and roaring of the deep-mouthed thunder, the bugles of the main body were heard, shrilly sounding to recall the wandering footsteps of our straggling companions ; still we contrived to advance, tracing our pathway by the frequent flashes of the lightning, the rain still continuing to hold off. The dreaded storm at length came— large drops of water fell at intervals, a sure precursor to those who are acquainted with the storms of the east, that ere long, the flood-gates of the heavens would be opened upon us ; and in good sooth, within half an hour, we were marching in a flood of water, that spread over the whole plain, and reached above our ancles. We contrived to advance in this state for some time, until the water became so deep that to proceed would have been impossible ; we were or- dered to halt, and gather as close to each other as we could, and in this state we were compelled to await the dawn of day. It is now impossible to describe the sufferings of the men during the inter- val, until morning came. Bome were seized with 174 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE* the most violent cramps, which attacked many in the limbs, and others in the stomach. So painful and acute were their sulBFerings, that many fell down struggling into the water, and shrieked aloud with agony. The medical officers rendered all possible assistance, and the officers, many of whom carriec! a small quantity of brandy with them, generously placed it at the disposal of the surgeons, although they knew not but that they might be the next victims. The conduct of the officers was most praiseworthy. About five o'clock, A. M., the day began to dawn, and seldom has it dawned upon a more miserable spectacle than that on which it dawned that day, and seldom by any beings, however miserable they may have been, has it been welcomed as we wel- comed it on that occasion, although it lighted us to a scene of misery, devastation and despair. Far as the eye could reach, we looked forth upon a flood of water. It was impossible to behold it, and not to remember that beautiful verse in the eight chap- ter of Genesis : " The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot^ anS 9he return^ unto Nbahj into the Ark; far the waters were on the face of the whole earths With the returning light our energies seemed, also, to a certain extent, to return ; but we were more than half paralyzed by cold, wet, hunger, and fatigue, and what was worse than all, in the pros- pect before us, there was nothing to encourage hope, SCENES IN A soldier's UPB. 175 that friend to all, when every other friend forsakes. Effie Deans said, " Better sit and rue, than flit and rue ;" a wise saying and a true one, under certain circumstances ; but wise as it maybe, it would have been anything but wise in us to act up to its spirit on the present occasion, so we at once prepared to move on, if our crab-like motion could be called moving on at all. I have seldom seen a more distressing sight than I beheld that morning, and much as the men suf- fered, the cattle suffered much more, for many of them, after staggering and floundering about for some time, would at last fall, and where they fell there they lay and died. To render them assis- tance was an impossibility to those who were una- ble to help themselves, and thus we continued our march, and at the expiration of ten hours we reached Kojuk, at least as many of us as formed the main body; but we had neither baggage, tents, nor provisions. Now and then a stray camel would arrive with one or two tents, and as the rain had ceased at mid- day, or soon after, the waters began to abate, and here and there a small portion of land would appear above the level of the flood ; thither the experien- ced campaigners would proceed, and digging up the spot, were enabled to procure a comparatively dry site by turning the wet <^nrface downwards, and on this they would pitch their tent. Those who jiir >/ ij'4,r 17a SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. I'l had no tents were glad to avail themselves of the invitations of those who had, to share, Their lowly cot and humblo fare. There we were, thirty and forty men crowded into a small space some fourteen feet square. Rest and com- fort soon restore the equilibrium of a soldier's tempera- ment, '^'>^ we were now beginning to treat our late calan ied as a jest, but when we began to over- haul our stores, first we found our biscuits ruined ; our flour made into paste, before the fruit was gathered ; our rice softened before the currie was dressed ; our arrack so diluted with muddy water, that Farady himself, I believe, would have been puzzled to analyze it ; and as for our cocoa, it was, ayel where was it? none of us could tell. We were very likely to be somewhat in the situation of shipwrecked mariners on a desert Island ; we had water around us, and earth beneath us, and heaven above us ; and lo I all we had. We had, however, this advantage, our ocean was fordable, and at no great distance lay a newly captured Fort, and one of us, not one of the sit-and-rue race, took it into his head that where there had so lately been a marauding garrison, there would very probably be a Commissariat store ; he was not one of those deep thinkers, who make discoveries only for themselves ; no, with him once to think, was once to be resolved, and hecried: ''Hey, boys, fora foraging party to the SCENES *'; A soldier's life. 177 Fort ; ril engage ye, we find something to eat there." Away he dashed, and a noble tail he had ; their search was short, but minute and zealous, and they soon stumbled upon a magnificent store of grain, cattle, and such other of those creature comforts as the natives usually collect to preserve that union of soul and body which some of us believe to be Nature's first law, and some, I fear, the chief, per- haps the only one, they care to obey. We soon afterwards discovL A a grinding-mill, and whilst some killed the cattle, prepared food, made soup, &c., others ground the wheat into flour, and made cakes, &c., so that ere long we were feasting happily and plentifully ; and, as we had worked our newly discovered mine to our own satis- faction, we failed not to spread the golden trea- sury to our famished comrades. 1 trust, under all these circumstances, this little trifle of felony will be overlooked, and that, for once, we may be looked upon rather as self-invited and famishing guests, than as daring and reckless burglars, which we might be considered at other times, and in other places. By nightfall the waters had almost disappeared from the face of the land ; and the sun, which, after a long and desperate struggle with the clouds, broke forth about four, P. M., shone brightly, glori- ously and powerfully until a little alter six, when M 1T8 SCENES IN A SOLDIEB'S LIFE. he left us as happy as though the night of the 21st of February had never frowned upon us. The enemy, who had caused so much alarm at our camp at Kojuck, only waited the arrival of our main body ; and even in the miserable plight in which we were, on our arrival, we could not help laughing to see them scampering away towards the distant mountains as soon as they saw our colours and bayonets, without even staying to notice the swarm of drowned rats we resembled, and who could scarcely hav* given them any annoyance, had they but staid to try our metal ; for our am- munition was saturated with water, and our fire- locks, in those days never the best in the world, were so much injured by the continual deluge to which they had been exposed, that I think they would have missed fire three times in five. Colonel Wilson died of his wounds a few days after our arrival, and was buried with all the honors the circumstances would admit. There was no appearance of any enemy, and we were very anxious to return to the main body of the force, which we had left at Mungal La Shier on the 20th, but this, owing to the flooded state of the country, was impossible, as the roads were enilrely impassable ; in the mean time that force moved to Dadur, and was ordered to wait our arrival at that place, which did not happen until the 16th of March. We lay there for some time in a state of complete SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 179 le 21st arm at I of our ght in ot help irds the colours ice the id who «j 3yanc lur am- ur fire- world, luge to k they w days all the and we body of )hier on B of the inilrely )ved to at that March. )mplete inactivity, hut we were exerting ourselves greatly in preparations for that coming campaign, in which our young and inexperienced warriors looked cut for that indefinable something called death or glory. The again dull monotony of our existence \>as inten-upted by our perceiving one morning by the first rays of the break of day, that a large camp had been formed during the night at no great dis- tance from us, and of very imposing appearance. Some of our men ran out hastily to reconnoitre, and if possible ascertain if they were friends or foes, and what was their object in comir,g so near to u>; their sudden and unforeseen appearance caused much excitement in our camp ; but we were not long left in doubt, for it was soon ascertained to be an encampment formed by the inhabitants of some of the nearer villages, who having been plundered or attacked, gathered up their treasures, and had come to place themselves under tb' protection aHorded by the vicinity of our cam.p. It was now for the first time ascertained that the destination of the 40th Regiment was Quetta ; and that we should have to traverse the Bolun Pass by the same route through which the troops of Nusseer Khan had fled after they had been defeated by Major Boscawen. lH:i' CHAPTER X. Arrival at Dadurj Conjunction of Troops; Meeting of 41st and 40th Kegimeuts; Aelivo Preparations for marching up the Country ; Description of ground near Dadur, and the mouth of the Pass; March of the First Division; Road to the Entrance; A Boar Cha&ej Description of first day's March; The Serpentine Stro.iui; Soldier's case; Sullirae not always pleasinp-; Second day's March; Continuance of the stream; Soldier^s boots; A three mile wade; Fatigue of the day; Third day : Appearance of the Enemy; Halt at Bcbee Naunee; Capture by the Tnemy of Cattle; Recovery of it; Destruction of the Rebels; Precautions taken to prevent harrassuient; Fourth day; Abi Gaum, or the Region of Hidden Waters; Romantic appearance; Scarcity of firewood; Entire want of Forage ; Fifth day ; Curious appearance ; Awfully grand ; Furrow defile ; Power of defence ; Sixth day ; Narrowness anddanger of the Pass; Description of the Mountains ; Length of Pass ; Seventh day ; Description of scene ; Beauties of the Valley of Shawl; Comparison; Emerging from the Pass. On the 18th of March we moved to Dadur, and on our arrival saw a wing of the 41st Regiment also marching into the camp, and many small detach- ments which had lately been posted around in diffe- rent directions. We halted here several days, and during that time we were making great prepara- tions for our expected passage through the different and difficult Passes we were soon likely to encoun- ter. SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 181 The ground between Dadur and the Bolun Pass is very irregular and uneven, and there are a great many running streams which spring from the hills, and are perfectly chalybeate, in consequence ot there being several mines of metals of different descriptions. The right wing of the 40th Regi- ment, during the time they lay here, I mentioned as having suffered very much by these waters, and were not cured without great difficulty. On the 25th of March a considerable portion of the force under the command of General Brooks and Brigadier Valiant, with a numerous staff^ en- tered the Bolun. The force consisted of H. M.'s 40th Regiment, H. M.'s 41st Regiment ; the 1st Troop of Artillery and several Native Regiments were ordered to follow afterwards, as they should be directed from Head Quarters. The road to the entrance of Bolun Pass, for about a mile, was covered with large loose stones ; and the mountains forming ihr, entrance are exceed- ingly rugged, of a light brown colored sandstone rock. We were highly amused, soon after we had started, by the sight of a boar chase, which ani- mals run wild about these regions ; two of them were speared, and Drought back to the head of the column in great triumph. After marching up the Pass for about three miles, the mountains began to rise to a much more commanding height, and the way, which had at first been rather wide, began to 182 SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. Ill be much more narrow. From time to time we came to a small spot of verdure, but sterility was the ge- neral feature of the ground ; and loose and large stones still continued to strew the road in suflS- cient quantities to make marching particularly incon- venient and disagreeable. A knee deep and ser- pentine stream runs through the valley, or rather ravine ; and in the course of nine miles we had to ford its strong current not less than eighteen times. When we first arrived on its banks, preparatory to crossing it, the men sat down and took off their boots, and having reached the opposite bank sat down and put them on again ; this agreeable pro- cess was practised three or four times, but was eventually found to be so tedious and troublesome, that on all future occasions they just marched on, as though no stream was there ; but I must confess our situation was anything but pleasant, and the discomfort of having to struggle on, over the con- tinued masses of detached rock, tended very much to diminish our admiration of the celebrated Bolun Pass. It was not for the first time in my life, how- ever, that I made the discovery, that the beautiful is not always the agreeable, and the sublime is not al- ways the pleasing ; and I have no doubt that there were many who marched through the Pass, who scarcely deigned to notice the vast region of nature's fortification, or could even describe its casual ap- pearance. There are many amongst our soldiery, who misuse the onoortunitv of makintr themselves * * SC5BNES IN A SOLDIER'S LIFE. 183 acquainted with the beauties of foreign countries, oftentimes from indolence or want of taste. How many there are who would gladly sacrifice much to get the chance of seeing the world, as much as the soldier has. Our next day's march was to Gunnah, and we had to cross our wandering and erratic friend eleven times, whence it will be readily inferred that we became much more intimate with him than we could have desired, as we parted with him for the last time. Our boots suffered very much in consequence of this continual succession of baths ; the upper and lower portions parted company, and left our bruised feet to the tender mercies of the rugged pathway we had to traverse ; many of the men endured great pain and annoyance, for they were only al- lowed thirty pounds of baggage, including bed and bedding, save what they could carr}^ on their backs, and therefore they cculd not be supplied with a reserve battalion of boots, and less would not have availed to protect them during such a march as this. In one part of this day's journey, the Pass became so narrow that for three miles the stream occupied its entire width, and we had to march that distance, up the bed of the river, if it may be so called, knee deep in water, which was of a very black colour and very offensive. The bed of the river was filled with large pebbles and rocks, over and among which the water dashed, leapt and 184 SCENES IN A SOLDIEE's LIFE. bounded, and made such an impression on my mind and recollection, that I now never hear even one of our native brooklets bubbling and foaming along its pebbled bed, without thinking of that terrible three mile wade,— for it could not be termed a march. At our next halt, at Beebee Naunee, a high hill in the centre, the Pass was very wide, hat the encamp- ing ground, consisting of loose round stones, gave us great trouble in pitching our tents, as it was almost impossible to drive the poles and pegs, and quite so without blunting their points. At this place the enemy again made their ap- pearance, and did their best to annoy us; they made an attack upon the sheep and bullocks be- longing to the Commissariat, and succeeded in dri- ving off a portion of them. Our General, who could not at all understand that any predatory band, at least of such like pretensions as that which had thus presumed to beard the lion in his den, should do so with impunity, ordered the Grenadier Com- pany of the 40th Regiment, and two guns, to pur- sue them to their retreat. A straggler they met with guided them through some mountain pathways to the cave whither they had retired, after securing, as they thought, the cattle in a secret place. On approaching the cavern we set fire to the gra8.% and threw in some shells and grape shot, which killed a considerable number of them, and then, having recaptured the cattle, we returned to th^ camp at a very late hour, and excessively fatigued, SCENES IN A soldier's LIFE. 185 aB we had been long out, and without food. The force remained at Bee bee Naunee the whole of the liext day, to enable us to recover from the eflfects of the great fatigue >vl had endured. Our horses, car mels and cattle ha