84 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



drawn east and west through Amritsar and Lahore. 

 Nearly the whole of this vast tract of country 

 has been under my sole charge. I have had also 

 to feed an army daily of 3000 odd fighting 

 men, 2000 odd horses, and 14,000 to 15,000 camp 

 followers. Also to take care of and work m}^ 

 Guides ; to point out the haunts and obtain in- 

 formation of the strength of ' the enemy,' and 

 give him over to the tender mercies of fire and 

 sword." 



On the 8th of November he marched from 

 Dinanagar to overtake Wheeler's column and ac- 

 company it across the Ravi. On reaching that 

 river he tried in vain to persuade the brigadier 

 to march against a party of insurgents who were 

 only fourteen miles off. Wheeler was intent on 

 pushing on to join the main army. About half 

 way on the march towards Eamnagar Hodson "rode 

 over to Lahore and talked to Sir F. Currie, who was 

 just despatching an express to me about these very 

 people we had left unattacked two days before. He 

 sent me off there and then to see the commander- 

 in-chief, who was very polite ; asked my opinion 

 (and acted on it too !) ; told me all his plans for 

 carrying on the war ; and on my telling him the 

 facts of the case, sent an order to the brigadier to 

 retrace his steps and attack the party he had passed 

 by at once, with something very like a rap over the 

 knuckles." 



After a delay of several days, caused by a counter- 

 order to reinforce General Colin Campbell, Wheeler 

 was allowed to march towards the fort of Kalallwala, 

 in the Rechna Doab,^ not far from Pathankot. 



1 The Doab between the Eavi and the Chinab. 



