300 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



vance, six were reported good and serviceable, and 

 most of these had evidently come from the foundry 

 in the fort. In the fort itself was " a perfect gun- 

 foundry, models and moulds for casting brass guns, 

 contrivances for boring, melting-furnaces, and quan- 

 tities of metal." 



Meanwhile Hodson's Horse had ridden in pursuit 

 of the flying foe. " We had to ride hard to over- 

 take them," he writes on the 27th. " They flung 

 away their arms, and became simple villagers with 

 astonishing rapidity : it would have done credit to 

 the stage. No one hurt but two of my sowars. 

 We have got all their guns, and the Doab is clear 

 now to Fathio;arh." 



Writing home to his sister on Christmas Day, 

 Hodson speaks of the fatality which still prevents 

 their spending that anniversary together : — 



" My heart is full of deep and earnest prayer for 

 you and all my loved ones, and I try to hope that 

 our next Christmas may be spent at home. 



" We march to Karauli to-morrow, and shall be at 

 Mainpiiri on the 27th, there to halt for a few days 

 until the convoy is collected and we can hear from 

 the commander-in-chief. We have just heard that 

 Mayhew is the new adjutant-general, and Norman 

 deputy. This last is a splendid thing, and shows 

 Sir Colin's determination to put the right man in 

 the right place, in spite of all the red-tape and 

 seniority systems in the world ! I can hear nothing 

 of our dear friend Napier, but I suppose he is with 

 Sir James Outram." 



During the halt at Mainpiiri Seaton learned that 

 Sir Colin Campbell had reached Gursahaiganj, on 

 his march to Fathigarh. 



