FIRST WEEKS OF THE SIEGE OF DELHI. 197 



while a third brigade, under Colonel Archdale Wilson , 

 had been ordered from Meerut to join him at Bhag- 

 pat. On the very next day General Anson was 

 attacked with cholera, which carried him ofif before 

 daybreak on the morning of May 27. With his last 

 breath he made over the command to Major-General 

 Sir Henry Barnard, who had only just arrived from 

 Umbala. 



Meanwhile Hodson had already begun, with the 

 help of a few good friends, to enlist recruits for the 

 new regiment of irregular horse which he himself 

 had been selected to command. " I am to raise," he 

 writes, " as many men as I please — 2000 if I can get 

 them. The worst of it is, the being in a part of the 

 country I do not know, and the necessity of finding 

 men who can be trusted. Mr Montgomery is aiding 

 me wonderfully. He called upon some of my old 

 friends among the sirdars to raise men for me. 

 Shamsher Singh is raising one troop ; Tej Singh 

 ditto ; Imam-ud-din ditto ; Mr Montgomery himself 

 one or two ditto. All these will be ready in about 

 three weeks. Kanh Singh Kosah, my old friend 

 w^ho commanded the Sikh cavalry at Chilianwala, 

 wdll be here in a day or two. I have asked to 

 remain assistant quartermaster - general attached 

 to the commander-in-chief. This allows me free 

 access to him at any time, and to other people 

 in authority, which gives me power for good. 

 The Intelligence Department is in my line, and 

 I have for this Sir Henry's old friend, the one- 

 eyed maulvi, Rajab Ali, so I shall get the best 

 news in the country. Montgomery has come out 

 very, very strong indeed, and behaved admirably. 

 The native regiments at Peshawar have been 

 disarmed. As yet the Punjab is quiet and the 



