Diet.
Clothing.
Duty and
employment.
Exercise,
a musements,
and
occupations.
Marches and
services.
Snow-storms.
Effect on the
men;
on the sick;
on camp-
followers;
on camels.
Sure-footed-
ness of
camels.
104
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Hospital.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
IX. Diet.—Notwithstanding the absence of the usual rains, there has been no sensible
decrease in the supply of food-grains and other necessary articles of diet, so that the men
have been well nourished.
X. Clothing.—Blankets and pillows for special hospital use, as authorised by Government,
have been received and issued as special cases required.
XI.
Duty and employment .—Ordinary parades, drills, guard duties and musketry practice.
The musketry practice-ground is not in the station of Almora ; it is at Hawalbagh, five
miles off, and a camp is pitched there, to which the separate companies march in succession to
go through their course, stopping away from cantonments for ten days at a time. A separate
hospital assistant is consequently required during the musketry season to remain in the musketry
camp. The musketry season commences in October and terminates in February. Continuous
number of nights in bed 5.24.
XII.
Exercise, amusements and occupations.—In
conjunction with the European regi-
ments at Ranikhet, sports were subscribed to by the officers for the men. These consisted of
races, leaping and other athletic exercises, for which prizes were bestowed on the most
successful competitors. These sports came off at Hawalbagh in October last. Again sports
of a similar character were subscribed for in the regiment alone, and came off on the 27th
December 1877. During their leisure hours the men practice in anticipation of these
sports.
XIII. Marches and services.—The regiment, 512 strong, marched from Almora to
the Imperial Assemblage at Delhie on the 23rd November last year, by Ranibagh, Kaladoongee
and Moradabad, and returned viâ Moradabad, Ramnaggar and the cart-road through Rani-
khet, arriving in Almora on the 15th February, and has been stationed in Almora throughout the
year since. Very severe weather was experienced on the return march through the hills, snow-
storms occurring, which frequently prevented the possibility of continuing the march
regularly and detained the regiment for about five days on the way. Notwithstanding the
excessive cold and exposure to snow and wet, the men did not suffer ; in fact, they were very
healthy, and seemed to enjoy the novelty of camp life among the snow. But, although those
in health enjoyed the severity of the weather, the sick (of whom fortunately there were not
many) felt it much, and one poor fellow suffering from fever had the congestive stage
so intensified by the severe cold of the night, that effusion on the brain and pneumonia
resulted, of which he died. The camp-followers would have suffered much, but fortunately
for them they got shelter in the villages, which were vacant, the villagers being in the
Bhabur, as they always are at this season. As it was, a few only suffered frostbites, which
being taken in time were not serious. The cattle in the same way got shelter in the cattle-
houses of the villages, but a few died notwithstanding. The manner in which the camels
stood the privations they had to endure, and carried their burdens over the slippery slush
and snow, was most remarkable. For days together, while forced by the weather to halt, the
snow was so deep that they could not so much as move out to graze on the scanty thorn
jungle (Cratœgus pyracantha) which constituted the principal, and frequently the only
procurable, herbage on which to graze. But, notwithstanding, when the weather moderated
sufficiently to allow of a march being made, they carried their burdens as well as if they had
just come off their usual grazing grounds in the plains. It is said that camels cannot walk
over slippery ground, but I can answer for it that they carried their burdens, without a
serious casualty, over ground that could not have been more slippery from snow and slush
acting upon a very keen clay soil, and rendered more difficult by frequent steep ascents and
descents. It must be mentioned here, however, that sepoys were told off to assist the camel-
drivers, and see that the camels were carefully led over bad places.
Fortunately, the regiment was more than half-way over the hill journey to Ranikhet
before being caught in the snow, and ultimately with some difficulty got into Ranikhet on the
evening of the 10th February, having been exposed to continued snow and severe weather for
five days. What would have happened if such exposure had to be endured much longer, it is
impossible to say; but I believe myself the men would have stood it well as long as they
could be well supplied with food, but this would have been a serious difficulty had the regi-
ment been snowed up much longer, as only a limited supply was obtainable at each
encampment, and it would have been impossible to obtain supplies from other quarters had the
weather not fortunately moderated. The same remarks may be said to hold good with regard
to the camp-followers and baggage animals.
XIV. Hospital.—H o s p i t a la
r r a n g e m e n t s r e m a i n a s d e s c r i b e d i n p r e v i o u s r e p o r t s . T h e
accommodation for medical subordinates referred to in former reports is much required, now
that there arc so many medical pupils to provide for. No building has as yet been commenced, but
I understand it is shortly to be taken in hand.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the Regiment
—
Present
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
639.42
Absent
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
85.87
Total
.
.
725.29