I now experienced the great benefit of having a healthy active woman for the partner of my toils; for she used to go on before the regiment along with the cooks, and by the time the army was up, she would have gathered sticks, and found water for the tea-kettle, so that as soon as the elephants (who followed in the rear of the army) appeared with the tents, and ours was pitched, she would have our breakfast ready. It was my province to _forage_ for rice cakes when I could get them to buy, which I did generally the night before, carrying them along with me, with some sugar and a bowl, tied up in my straw hat; and often, often have we sat down upon the ground, as contented in these circumstances, and much more so, than many of your European epicures with all their luxuries. Hunger and contentment made it sweet; for, as the Spirit of God by Solomon says, "Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices with strife." There was just one thing that somewhat abated our relish for these comforts, and that was, to see the rest of the poor fellows in the tent hungry, as well as fatigued, while we could do very little for such a number. We always travelled bare-footed, as it would have been impossible for us to have procured shoes upon a march of this kind, travelling through so much water and sand alternately; for wherever there was any cultivation, the rice fields being for the most of the year flooded with water, the roads near them were generally rendered an absolute puddle. I may observe here, that travelling in this country is more severe in some respects for fair people than for those of a dark complexion; at least I have often had my face, feet, and even hands, blistered as if they had been scalded with boiling water; while I never saw any of our men of a dark complexion suffer in the same manner; and this accounts perhaps in no small degree, for fair people not retaining the impression of a warm climate so deeply as persons who are darker; for when these blisters disappear, the skin underneath is always renewed, and consequently continues fairer than if it had been exposed to the sun for a great length of time. At this time we had no knowledge where we were going, but, like Abraham, we went we knew not whither; for our Colonel, as I stated before, having the command of this division of the army, received his orders daily by the Tapaals (letter-carriers) from the Madras government.