nd that you must have written to me long ere this, but that our friends
of the Bolan Pass have made use of the letter to wrap their cabobs in. I
have not heard from you or from home at all since the 2nd of February,
when I got your letter, dated November 20th, enclosing the bill on
government, and informing me of Kate's intended marriage. I have,
however, long since this heard of my lieutenancy, and seen my name in
the "Gazette," but have not yet received the confirmation of it from Sir
H. Fane in this country, so that I have been fighting my way, and am
likely to continue so, on the rank and pay of a full ensign; however,
there will be so much the more back pay to receive when it does come; it
is a great nuisance, however, not having it, as I require it so much in
this country. You can form no conception of the hopeless expense which
we have inevitably been obliged to incur. We have had a tolerable share
of hardships, &c., and the poor marching soldiers have suffered
terribly. What do you think of our having made a forced march of thirty
to forty miles, for six hours of it under the hottest sun I can
recollect, and I have felt a few of them in India? Since we left
Larkhanu we have met with little but a series of robberies, murders,
alarms, and skirmishes; in short, everything but an actual stand-up
fight, which we were all anxious for, as it would settle matters at
once, and free us from the predatory attacks and cold-blooded murders of
these barbarous tribes.

To begin from where I left off: we marched from Larkhanu on the 11th
March, and reached Dadur, about four miles from the entrance to the
Bolan Pass, the nest of the robber hordes of Kaukers, Tuckers, and
Beloochees, on the 6th of April, having halted several times at
intermediate places, and made some terrible marches, fifteen miles being
the average distance. We often lost our way, and marched thereby a
great deal further than was necessary, through bad guidance. I must tell
you, however, that before leaving Larkhanu, Sir J. Keane assumed the
command of the whole army, both Bengal and Bombay, by which General
Willshire got command of the Bombay division. The two Bombay brigades
were broken up, the Grenadiers and 5th regiment of Native Infantry were
sent to garrison Bukkur, a tolerably strong fort on the Indus, and the
23rd Native Infantry was sent to Lukkur, a town on the opposite side.
There also the different regiments that were to go on sent their sick,
and