65
OUDH DIVISION.
situate about 50 yards from the road on a rising ground. Two wells supply water, but are a
little distance from the camp itself. Orders were received from head-quarters to halt and at
once indent for carriage, &c., which had not been supplied at Pindi. The Commissariat Officer
was only able to comply in a very small degree to the demands, giving only 23 instead of 70
dandies and other things in proportion, stating the remainder would be supplied at Peshawar.
From this date red coats and cloth knickerbockers were ordered between 5 P.M. and 9 A.M., and
great-coats from 9 P.M. to 7 A.M. Khakie and blue drill from 7 A.M. to 5 P.M. One recruit only
was entertained at Lawrencepore, at which station the regiment halted five days.
We resumed our march at 5 A.M. of the 11th for Gondal, distance about 10 miles. As
the nights were very cold, I thought it advisable to send on
all the sick daily at 2 P.M., under charge of a hospital-assist
k -
ant with medicines. The number of admissions into hospital
had greatly increased, numbering 79, so that much more carriage had to be entertained. The
camp ground was good, water and supplies sufficient, situation healthy. We arrived at the
ground at 8 A. M. Our camp was situated about 500 yards from the 9th Lancers, and the same
distance from the 45th Native Infantry. The heavy baggage of the regiment, owing to the
halt at "Lawrencepore," now caught up the corps and was placed in rear for the night.
The corps was again on the move at 5-30 A.M. of the 12th on its march to Khyrabad,
about 9 miles distant from the previous camp, and arrived
at 9-15 A.M. Sickness slightly on the increase. The ground
is good; ample room; fodder and supplies plentiful; water
ample and good.
At 5-15 A.M. of the 13th the regiment was again on the move towards the small village
of Ekora, and arrived at 9-5 A.M. No fresh admissions into
hospital on account of sore-feet. The camp ground is very
good, water-supply ample, and provisions plentiful; grass for
cattle scarce. The scenery all round very pretty; country lately cleared of crops.
Off again at 5-15 A.M. of the 14th for Nowshera, distance about 8 ⅜ miles, and arrived at
8-25 A.M. The camp ground is 2 miles beyond the station,
and on the right of the road and close to the bank of the river
a most inappropriate, cold, damp, exposed and irregular
ground, decidedly the worst on the whole march as yet. Tents had to be pitched on this spot,
there being no other available. Water was of course plentiful, but nothing could be had in
the camp itself although close to the tehsil, and all supplies had to be procured from the
station, a slight sketch of which is given as being likely to form the head-quarters of the
regiment in usual course of relief after the Cabul Campaign. Proceeding towards Nowshera
on the Grand Trunk Road, we meet a wide, dreary, sandy plain with scarcely any trees, bounded
on the north and west by the Kurruck mountains, and on the east by undulated, broken, stony
ground. There are a few houses occupied by officers and their families, but not anything like
sufficient to meet the demand; consequently numbers of both married and unmarried have to
live in barracks called "officers' quarters." They are as comfortable as such buildings can be
made, but very different to any accommodation I have seen in other parts of India. The
station has on one side of it the road and river (Cabul), and on the other, waste country,
apparently water-courses. The locality of the troops is said to be healthy, and with the excep
-
tion of the very limited society is a quiet small frontier station. There appear to be no roads,
only the one Grand Trunk Road, and the country all round is covered with rat holes, making
it dangerous to ride over. Even the rats are peculiar, being. about the size of a bandicoot, with
bushy tails. At this station 14 recruits were entertained by the Commanding Officer. It was
here that the regiment was formed into part of the 4th Brigade. On the 16th seven more
recruits were enrolled by Commanding Officer. Left 13 sick in 24th Native Infantry hospital
under charge of hospital-assistant.
At 4-15 A.M. of the 18th tents were again struck, and the regiment was on its onward
course to Taroo, distance 12 miles. Camp about 2 miles from
the small village. Water and supplies ample; the country is
dry, open, and barren: the road to Mardan is passed en route.
We had now with us 55 sick, chiefly fever and foot-sores. We left camp Taroo at 5-15 A.M.,
and reached Peshawar at 10 o'clock. Nothing worthy of
note occurred on the road. The cantonment ground is very
extensive. Supplies and water (which is bad) plentiful. The
camp was pitched on the north-west of cantonments between
Her Majesty's 51st and 45th Sikhs. The ground is much intersected with nullahs and almost
devoid of trees, but the surrounding country open and well cultivated. The elevation at this
point is stated as 1,000 feet. By 12 o'clock the troops were encamped. At 2 P.M. orders were
issued by Brigadier General Browne that the regiment would march with the whole brigade
at 7-30 A.M. to Jumrood. The field equipment was still very incomplete. I at once proceeded
to the Deputy Surgeon-General, Indian Medical Department, for any orders which he may have
had to give, and was informed there were none, but that Dr. Gibbon, Her Majesty's Forces,
would afford me every information. I at once repaired to this officer, who informed me I had
better go and see Dr. Townsend again. This I did, but he was absent from home, and as time
10th November 1878.—March to
Gondal, 10 miles.
11th November 1878.—March to
Khyrabad, 9 miles.
12th November 1878.—March to
Peshawar, 12 miles.
13th November 1878.—Nowshera
⅜ miles.
18th November 1878.—Regiment
march to Taroo, 12 miles.
18th November 1878.—March to
Peshawar, 12 miles.
19th November, reached Peshawar.