206 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



This went on for a short time, when a neat point 

 from Hodson put an end to the performance, and he 

 himself vanished into space, 



" I did not see him ao;ain until about two o'clock 

 in the afternoon, when we had occujDied the ridge, 

 and I met him coming along from the direction of 

 the Sabzi Mandi. He was a picture, and told me he 

 had had real sport, and, looking towards the Jumna 

 bridge, he said, ' Oh, for another Sobraon ! ' 



"He asked me how I had been getting on, and I 

 told him fairly well, but I was very empty,— we 

 had left camp at 1 a.m., — whereupon he produced 

 from his holsters a biscuit and gave it to me. It 

 was hard eating, for I was thirsty as well as hungry, 

 and had to go all the way to the Najafgarh Jhil 

 drain to get a drink, and, by the way, nearly lost 

 my life at the hands of the Pandies whilst doing so." 



In the shelter of that historic ridge our troops 

 were to lie week after week, like a forlorn-hope, in 

 front of a city held by 30,000 rebels — themselves 

 just able, by dint of heroic efforts and unwearied 

 watchfulness, to hold their ground, amidst every 

 kind of danger and difficulty, against repeated 

 onsets from a determined foe. 



Next morning the Guides under Captain (after- 

 wards Sir Henry) Daly arrived in Barnard's camp, 

 thus completing their hot-weather march of 580 

 miles in twenty-two days. " It would have done 

 your heart good," says Hodson, " to see the welcome 

 they gave me, cheering and shouting and crowding 

 round me like frantic creatures. They seized _ my 

 bridle, dress, hands, and feet, and literally threw 

 themselves down before the horse with the tears 

 streaming down their faces. Many officers who 



