UNDER A CLOUD. 167 



that had been caused in its payment by a long 

 period of ubiquitous service, during which its 

 numerous detachments had been paid by the 

 various officers to whom they had been temporarily 

 attached, causing a constant and most troublesome 

 system of adjustment from the headquarters, which 

 latter were also usually on the move, and the com- 

 manding officer obliged to take frequent advances 

 from political or civil treasuries." 



" Such is the account," wrote Taylor towards the 

 close of his report. " I may briefly sum up my 

 opinion by saying that I believe it to be an honest 

 and correct record from beginning to end. It has 

 been irregularly kept, but every transaction, from 

 the least to the greatest, has been noted in it, and 

 is traceable to the individuals concerned ; for it 

 must be remembered that while we have been 

 sitting in committee on the accounts at Mardan, 

 nearly every man mentioned in the transactions of 

 the chest has been present with the regiment, and 

 throughout the inquiry I have found Lieutenant 

 Hodson's statements borne out by the facts of the 

 case, while in some instances, where doubts had 

 been engendered by a want of knowledge of details, 

 they were removed by working through the minutiae 

 of the account." 



In his closing paragraph Taylor says that 

 " Lieutenant Godby, who assisted me throughout 

 the laborious examination of the accounts with a 

 wish to understand them himself and do Lieutenant 

 Hodson every justice, appends a certificate to this 

 statement, to the efl'ect that he is perfectly satisfied 

 with regard to the correctness of the whole account." 



Over the result of Taylor's report no one rejoiced 



