The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-01-27
From Bombay To London.
A SOLDIERS OVERLAND VOYAGE OF ,OUO
MILES IN FOURTEEN DAYS.

DIR. Waters. OF the Bombay army,
says the Manchester England EX-
aminer. has done bold and adventur-
Gus deed which entities him to rank
as celebrated rider. only second to Mr..
Gahan and Capt. Burnaby. the heroes
of two equally remarkable journeys to
Khiva. DIR. Waters, while stationed
at Bushire. obtained three months
leave, and he resolved to use it in the
usual manner by visiting England. but
he determined 10 vary the monotonous
record Of their travellers homeward by
going overland all the way across Persia,
Russia and the continent. until he reach
ed the shore opposite our tight little
island" He rode first of all through
Persia to the borders of the Caspian-a
distance of nearly 1000 miles-in four
teen days, this making an average rate
of progress amounting to seventy miles
day The work was made one of eno1-
nous difficulty by the wretcbed state of
the roads, which were so bad in some
places that only twentysix miles day
could be accomplished; but as an exam
pie of his method of making up for lost
time, it may be mentioned that on one
day, as he drew. near the Caspian, he
covered 120 miles. and followed that up
on the next day by journey of 100
miles. Once on the Caspian his pro-
gress was made easier. He took boat to
Baku, thence to Astrakhan, and from
there to Czaritzen on the Nolga, where
he took train to Warsaw, and afterWard
went by Berlin to Calais and London.
After short sojourn in this country,
he started back on journey no less
adventurous. He went first to AleXanaa
dria, from there to Beyrout, and on to Da-
mascus, from which point he struck out,
still riding, on route which had only
been attempted by two Europeans be-
fore him, 1. e., straight across the great
Syrian Desert to Bagdad, after which
his return to Bushire was comparatively
easy. TO have completed the extraordi
nary journey within three months, from
which month spent in England has
been deducted, required combination
of qualities of very high order. The
man needed to be good rider, to have
great powers of Endurance and large
stock of courage; and all these, it is evil
dent, DR.. Waters possesses. 1t is in
teresting to find that though the gallant
traveller carried flask of brandy, he
made limited use of the stimulant. for
he only says he used half small flask
full in ride of nine hundred miles.
One of the most astonishing circum-
stances about the feat is the smallness
of the cost of the westward journey
DIR. Waters had horse to start with,
but he was obliged to hire good deal
in Persia. This item of expense amount
ed, at a rate of about seven-pense mile
for two horses, to 800 Persian krans, or
little under e27. From Eusolion-on-the
Caspian to Czaritzen, first class by
steamer was So roubles, and the fare
from there by rail through Warsaw to
Berlin, 20 roubles, or, altogether, ZIG
IS. 4d From Berlin to London, cost
eS; so that the whole outlay from Blu
shire to England, including, DR..
Waters says, a liberal margin for Incl
dental expense, did not exceed ESQ.
The cost of travelling between the same
points by the sea is given at f106-that
is COG from Bushire to Bombay, and
ESQ from Bombay to England ria Brin-
dist. The route of DR.. Waters has,
therefore, an economical advantage; but
that, he says is nothing compared with
the charming novelty, the varying beau
ty, and the historical and political in
terest of the journey across Persia and
thence by the Caspian to the banks of
the Volga.
4 e