THE OUTBREAK AT MULTAN, AND AFTER. 71 



round to intercept the fellow, who is getting 

 strong by degrees ; and I am going to dash across 

 at midnight with a handful of cavalry and see if 

 I cannot beat up the country between this and 

 Wazirabad." 



" I am very well," he adds, " hard at work, and 

 enjoying the thing very much. I imagine this will 

 be the sort of life we shall lead about once a-week 

 till the Punjab is annexed. Every native official 

 has fraternised with the rebels he was ordered 

 to catch." 



About this time Hodson received a long and 

 characteristic letter from Herbert Edwardes, with 

 whom he had lately been corresponding. The 

 letter was dated May 24, from a small place on 

 the right bank of the Indus, about three marches 

 from Dera Ghazi Khan. Edwardes begins by 

 expressing his conviction that Sir F. Currie has 

 "made a mistake beyond all present calculation 

 in yielding to the commander-in-chiefs wish to 

 postpone hostilities for five months. Postpone a 

 rebellion ! Was ever such a thing heard of in 

 any government ? Postpone avenging the blood 

 of two British officers ! Should such a thing be 

 ever heard of in British Asia ? I read in the 

 papers of enormous military preparations. Editors 

 puff the advancing columns. You tell me of a 

 future 25,000, men, fifty siege-guns, &c,, &c., and 

 all for what? Forsooth, to do nothing for five 

 months ! 



" It is a burlesque upon politics, war, and govern- 

 ment. Give me two of all these prophesied brigades, 

 and Bahawal Khan and I w^ill fight the campaign 

 for you while you are perspiring behind tatties 



