With the Connaught Rangers : $b in quarters, camp, and on leaveMaxwell, Edward Herbert
History
With the Connaught Rangers : $b in quarters, camp, and on leave
Maxwell, Edward Herbert
Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 88th (Connaught Rangers); Soldiers -- Great Britain -- Biography
I have an amusing letter in my collection from one of the store-keepers
in the Punjaub. An officer in the Rifle Brigade, having ordered a
forage-cap, addressed the letter to Mr. ----, shopkeeper, &c., from
whom he received the following reply:--
‘SIR,--I will do our best in having a forage-cap made up for
you as kindly desired. I would, however, remark that we prefer not
being addressed as “shopkeepers,” as we have no claim to such.’
From Rawul Pindee we tramped on past various camping-grounds to
Goojerat, where we spent many rupees on presents for home friends.
Goojerat is celebrated for its inlaid gold on iron-work. I got a very
handsome brace of pistols and various knick-knacks done in the same
style. Near our camping-ground was the scene of the great battle of
that name. Of course the cultivation of the fields has altered the
appearance of the surrounding country. Our march along the high-road
was varied by crossing the rivers of the Punjaub, which at this season
had dwindled into small, deep, rapid streams, traversed by bridges of
boats. But it was heavy work for men and animals getting over the wide
reach of deep sand that we met with on each side of the streams. It was
as much as could be accomplished in one day.
Six days after crossing the Chenab, we arrived at Shadera, and encamped
near Jehangir’s tomb. Runjeet Sing took away all the marble of the tomb
to make the gardens of Shalimar. It is about two miles from Lahore, the
capital of the Punjaub, which stands on the opposite bank of the Ravi,
and, like most Indian towns of any pretensions, looks more imposing
in the distance than it does when you explore it. But Lahore is very
majestic. It is eight miles in circuit, and is surrounded by a high
wall flanked by bastions and by a broad moat. There are some very fine
mosques here, notably the mosque of Padshah, with its lofty minarets
and cupolas, and of Vizier Khan, covered with painted and lacquered
tiles. The bazaars were good, and some of the work of Lahore, such as
the lacquered work and the gorgeous shawls sewn with gold and silver
threads, are well worth buying.
I met with a sad misfortune while halted at Shadera. We were exploring
the lovely gardens round Jehangir’s tomb, in which everything was in a
state of wildest luxuriance. A protruding thorn branch fastened itself
in my one red tunic, and inflicted injuries too deep for the most
skilful tailor to be able to make a neat mend. More sorely than ever
did I feel the evil wrought me by those thievish hill-tribes. Though it
was only the end of February, it was getting very hot in tents, and the
sun was already high before the morning marches were accomplished. The
dusty encampment at Meau Meer was very disagreeable, not a green leaf
or a tree near us; we had to stop here to change our carts; our last
important halt before completing our march.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account