14 INTRODUCTION. 



a month or two I found myself gazetted to the 

 Revenue Survey. 



The fact was, I had previously made application 

 for an appointment in the Police, not being aware of 

 the General's intention to select me for one of his 

 aides-de-camp ; and the authorities, instead of grant- 

 ing what I had asked for, had appointed me to the 

 Revenue Survey ; I had to go, there was no help 

 for it, much as I disliked surrendering my appoint- 

 ment on the Headquarter Staff These civil 

 appointments in India are often given to military 

 officers in times of peace and sometimes act 

 prejudicially when a chance of active service comes ; 

 as in my own case, when the Abyssinian war broke out 

 in 1868, I requested that my services might be 

 placed at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief, 

 but was met with a refusal by the Superintendent of 

 Survey on the grounds that I could not be spared. 



My next move was to Surat, which lies about half 

 way between Bombay and Ahmedabad. There I 

 reported myself to the Superintendent of the 

 Guzerat Revenue Survey, and became an Assistant 

 Superintendent ; but it was necessary, before receiv- 

 ing full pay and allowances, to pass the Interpreter's 

 Test in the Guzerathi language. I don't suppose I 

 ever applied myself more studiously to books than 

 I did just at that time — working from ten to twelve 

 hours a day. 



Having passed the Staff Test in Hindoostani at 

 Ahmedabad, I managed this language in something 

 over three months, being gazetted as having "passed 



