PROMOTION TO COMMAND OF THE GUIDES. 135 



impressions of my good friend indeed. Sir H. 

 Lawrence, and his Irish lady. I am charmed by 

 the arrival in camp of my good friend Colonel 

 Napier, whom you would like, I am sure. He is 

 to me a most lovable person." Three days later 

 he writes to her again from Pakli, " At last the 

 force has moved off' this hateful spot, and moved 

 on towards the enemy, and I have remained 

 behind to assist Colonel Napier in surveying the 

 country." 



On the 24th he begs his wife to assure Sir Henry 

 that he is " deeply grateful to him for all he has 

 done for me. I hear he thinks I am not so. I am 

 glad you like Neville Chamberlain ; he is an admir- 

 able man in all ways. 1 often wish I was more like 

 him." 



The campaign, however, was not to end quite so 

 peacefully as Hodson had expected. On January 3, 

 1853, he tells his wife that " the last few days have 

 been an incessant exertion and fatigue, and nothing 

 but unwearying toil and great care and skill saved 

 us from great loss, and we have rejoined the camp 

 after this most successful expedition, as it has 

 proved." Next day he writes again: "I may say 

 you have no reason to be ashamed of j^our soldier 

 husband. It was the most ditticult and arduous 

 affair I was ever engaged in, and Colonel Napier's 

 ready attention to any suggestion of mine was very 

 gratifying to me." 



The enemy, in fact, had not given way without 

 some hard fighting. One engagement, which lasted 

 from sunrise to sunset, gave Hodson a fine oppor- 

 tunity of showing with what skill and coolness he 

 could handle his Guides in mountain warfare under 



