204 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



bridge by which we should have recrossed the canal 

 to take the enemy fairly on his left flank. We had so 

 far been completely successful in our turning move- 

 ment. We were, however, brought up by a water- 

 course in which our guns seemed to be hopelessly 

 stuck, when the report of the first gun of Badli 

 Serai battle broke the silence immediately upon the 

 left. It might have been the morning gun, but for 

 the unmistakable scream of the round-shot directed 

 against our main column advancing along the 

 Grand Trunk Road. Then came another shot, 

 which, alas ! killed two friends of mine. Colonel 

 Chester, adjutant - general, and Captain Russell, 

 54th Native Infantry, which had mutinied at Delhi. 

 The few sappers that we had with us were strug- 

 gling to get the guns across the watercourse, but 

 the sound of the guns did more than even our 

 sappers, hard though they were working. ' Horse 

 Artillery to the front ! ' was the word of command, 

 and over the guns went. It was at this time that 

 I found Hodson at my right, followed by the 9th 

 Lancers, who were escorting the guns. ' Come 

 along, Charlie, the fun has begun ! ' Away we 

 started, he on a beautiful chestnut and I upon a 

 poor old artillery caster. We rattled along the 

 right bank of the canal till we came to the first 

 bridge, when Hodson said to me, ' Will that bridge 

 carry the guns ? ' ' Can't say,' was my reply, ' and 

 I have no time to calculate,' and so we crossed and 

 found ourselves in the rear of the enemy's position. 

 We now had to go back on the left of the canal, 

 giving it a wide margin in order to get into action. 

 To do so we had to overcome the obstruction of 

 more than one watercourse. We seemed again 



