THE SIEGE OF DELHI. 231 



General Sir Hugh) Gough, G.C.B. and Y.C., in room 

 of Lieutenant M'Dowell, who had hitherto been 

 acting both as adjutant and second in command. 

 Gough was at Meerut when he received the welcome 

 news of his appointment to a corps commanded by 

 a "man whose name had been well known in the 

 Punjab and frontier campaigns as a sahreur of 

 distinction, the very mention of whom was a pro- 

 verb and war-cry in the Punjab as ' The Great 

 Hodson.' " ' 



On reaching the camp before Delhi Gough at 

 once reported himself to his new commandant. He 

 found Hodson sitting booted and spurred, talking 

 to one of his native spies from Delhi. " He looked 

 up with a quick sharp glance, which seemed to go 

 through me, — as he told me afterwards, he 'liked 

 my looks,' — and then said, ' You are just the man 

 I want, Gough ; are you fit for a ride ? ' I promptly 

 said, ' Yes, sir ' (though, as a matter of fact, I was 

 rather beat) ; and he then said, ' Well, come along 

 with me ; I am going out for a reconnaissance.' 



" I had some breakfast, and we started with a 

 small body of his men, and had a really long ride 

 and a good reconnaissance through the enemy's 

 country. We had no adventures, but I was struck 

 with Hodson's marvellous knowledge of the lang- 

 uage and the quick way he seemed to extract all 

 the information he wanted, and his great powers 

 of endurance." 



Late that night they returned to camp, after a 

 ride of more than sixty miles. Gough was " glad to 

 be regaled with a good dinner, the best curry-and- 

 rice I ever tasted, and a bottle of beer. Although 



1 Sir Hugh Gough's Old Memories. 



