ound the weight of his rifle, pouches, and
ammunition tell terribly upon him. He was not used to the boots
and, before half the journey was completed, began to limp. The
havildar, noticing this, ordered him to take his place on the top
of the baggage on his waggon.

"It is natural that you should feel it, at first, Mutteh Ghar," he
said. "You will find it easy enough to keep up with them, after a
few days' rest."

Lisle was thankful, indeed, for he had begun to feel that he should
never be able to hold on to the end of the march. He remained on
the baggage for a couple of hours, and then again took his place by
the side of the waggon; receiving an approving nod from the
havildar, as he did so.

When the halt was called, the men at once crowded round the
waggons. The kits were distributed and, in a few minutes, the
regiment had the appearance of a concourse of peaceable peasants.
No tents had been taken with them. Waterproof sheets had been
provided and, with these, little shelters had been erected, each
accommodating three men. The sergeant told Lisle off to share one
of these shelters with two other men. A party meanwhile had gone to
collect firewood and, in half an hour, the men were cooking their
rice.

"Well, how did you like the march?" one of them said to Lisle.

"I found it very hard work," Lisle said, "but the havildar let me
ride on the top of one of the waggons for a couple of hours and,
after that, I was able to march in with the rest."

"It was a rough march for a recruit," the other said, "but you will
soon get used to that. Grease your feet well before you put on your
bandages. You will find that that will ease them very much, and
that you will not get sore feet, as you would if you marched
without preparation."

Lisle took the advice, and devoted a portion of his rations for the
purpose, the last thing at night; and found that it abated the heat
in his feet, and he was able to get about in comfort.

Each soldier carried a little cooking pot. Although the regiment
was composed principally of Punjabis, many of the men were of
different nationalities and, although the Punjabis are much less
particular about caste than the people of Southern India, every man
prepared his meal separately. The rations consisted of rice, ghee,
a little curry powder, and a portion of mutton. From these Lisle
managed to concoct a savoury mess, as he had often watched the men
cooking their meals.

The sergeant had evi