1829.] Memoirs of John Shipp. 261 
“ One hundred thousand four hundred were thus under my command, for 
the movements of the whole of whom, men, animals, and vehicles (except 
fighting men) I was responsible ; and I am sure the reader will not class me 
amongst cruel men, if I was obliged to use the whip where obduracy and 
contempt of orders were frequent. 
“On the following morning we commenced our march, and I began the 
functions of my new situation, by impressing upon the minds of some of the 
followers, that my arm was strong as well as the lash of my whip. I found 
I was soon obliged to take other measures besides merely bellowing to them ; 
and in three days I had whipped the whole body into perfect obedience, which 
saved me a tremendous deal of labour afterwards, and some hundred yards of 
whip-cord. Sometimes some mischievous fellows would, to annoy me, get 
the whole baggage on the wrong flank, but I had influence enough to find 
them out, when they paid dearly for their trick. After a short time they found 
it would not do ; so, my situation, instead of a task, was at last a pleasure to 
me, and the sight of my whip was syfficient to deter the most desperate from 
exceeding his limits. My commanding officer frequently said, that if he lived 
and commanded twenty armies, I should be his baggage-master.” 
Amidst the numerous wounds he received, he tells of scores of hair- 
breadth escapes. Here is one :— 
“IT went to breakfast with Captain Daggalier, of the old 13th Regiment 
Bengal Native Infantry, in the large house occupied by our men, about five 
hundred yards from the fort. We were busily engaged up stairs securing a 
hearty meal, when a large three-pound shot found its way through the win- 
dow of the room in which we sat, and passed under the table between my 
legs and those of Captain Daggalier. This convinced me that there is some 
advautage in having long legs. Mine were so excessively lanky, that I could 
only just screw them under the edge of the little camp-table, from which fact 
only J can still boast of having two legs. I need not say that the tea-things, 
breakfast, &c. were broken and upset. I joined another party, and, having 
finished my breakfast, I proceeded to meet the general, who had arrived to 
examine our approaches in this direction.” 
Stories of tigers, elephants, and monkeys abound. Here is an escape 
from a tiger :— 
* One night, having dined with an officer of the Madras army, during the 
time that we were before this place, and partaken rather too freely of the 
Tuscan grape, I started towards home on my favourite mare, whose speed 
not a horse in camp could equal, and. lost my way. There was a considerable 
space between the camp where I dined and our own encampment, the lights 
of which I thought I was standing fair for ; but, after riding a much greater 
distance than that between the two encampments, and being in -a thick 
jungle infested with tigers, I began to reflect seriously on my situation, and 
for a moment I paused to consider, under such circumstances, what was best 
to be done. How short-sighted is mortal man! That brief moment had 
nearly been my last! I had laid the reins of my mare over her neck, when, 
in an instant, she gathered herself up, snorted, and wheeled right round. 
Fortunately for me, I seized the mane, and, in an instant after, I saw, squat- 
ted down and crouching to the ground, a huge tiger. To have run from him 
would have been inevitable destruction. I therefore wheeled my mare round, 
and pressed her on towards him, but she would not approach him. I had a 
aed of loaded pistols in my holster-pipes. One of these I drew out, resolving, 
wever, not to throw away my fire. While endeavouring to spur my mare 
on, and making all the noise I could, the ferocious animal slunk off, to the 
great joy of both my mare and myself, and I was not long before I reached’ 
my own tent.” 
This is followed up by a mess-room story :— 
“ I would recommend to those who may chance to get into the vicinity of 
such bad neighbours, never to run from them, but, if sufficient courage can 
be mustered, to run at them, or to stand and stare them full in the face. A 
