BEFORE DELHI. 237 



Ccamp a few days ahead of the movable column, 

 which under his bold and skilful leading had spread 

 dismay and havoc among the mutineers in the 

 Punjab. To Hodson he is " a host in himself, if he 

 does not go and get knocked over as Chamberlain 

 did." To the whole camp his coming seemed to 

 herald the first step in some daringly decisive move- 

 ment against the city which our troops had made a 

 show of besieging for two months past. 



On the same day Hodson speaks with just dis- 

 approval of the new arrangement by which the 

 infantry of the Guides had been widely separated 

 from the cavalry. The Guides, he held, should not 

 be separated, and " should be kept as much apart as 

 may be from other corps." His own regiment, he 

 adds, " is also in the cavalry brigade, and is very 

 hard-worked. It is bad for a young and unformed 

 corps, but there is such a scarcity of cavalry here 

 that I cannot even remonstrate." 



He had already gained " no small amount of 

 kudos " for having so many fit for duty within two 

 months after the order for enlisting them had first 

 been issued. " I shall have two more troops in 

 with the 52nd [Light Infantry], and Nicholson has 

 given me fifty Afghans, just joined him from 

 Peshawar, which, added to thirty coming with Ali 

 Reza Khan from Lahore, will complete an Afghan 

 troop as a counterpoise to my Punjabis." 



It may interest the reader to learn that the 

 uniform of " Hodson's Horse " consisted of a khaki 

 tunic, a huge scarlet turban, and a scarlet sash worn 

 over the shoulder, which led to their receiving the 

 nickname of " Flamingoes." 



Meanwhile the bridge over the Jumna by which 



