Garhwal and the Garhwalis. 



Lansdowne is a picturesque little station crowning the summit 

 of a well-wooded ridge which overlooks the plains to the south, 

 whilst to the north it commands a superb view of the main 

 range of the Himala^^as, that stupendous natural barrier between 

 Tibet and Hindustan. 



The province of Garhwal contains within its limits some 

 20 peaks exceeding a height of 20,000 feet, including Nanda 

 Devi (25,660 feet), the highest mountain in British territory 

 outside Kashmir, Trisul (23,409 feet), and many others of almost 

 equal magnitude. On a clear day the panorama of this grand 

 chain of mountains from the ridge and the gardens surrounding 

 the Mess of the 39th Garhwal Rifles is hardly to be surpassed in 

 the world. 



The Garhwalis, who are short in stature but of sturdy build, 

 are recruited from these mountain fastnesses, and with the 

 military training, coupled with their own mountaineering and 

 natural fighting qualities, form a fine combatant unit. Formerly 

 a great many of them were enlisted in Gurkha regiments and 

 contributed a by no means insignificant share to the honours 

 borne by some of the more famous of those units. It was not 

 until 1887 that Lord Roberts, then commanding in India, con- 

 ceived the happy idea of forming all the Garhwalis, then serving 

 in Gurkha regiments, into one battalion, and the experiment 

 met with such success that a second battalion was raised in 1901. 

 The Garhwali, though he in many respects resembles the Gurkha 

 in his qualities as a soldier, is of a distinct race and not to be 

 tribally confounded with the latter. 



Great interest was taken in the expedition by my regiment, 

 hopes being expressed that I might meet with a full success, and 

 •still further swell the splendid collection of trophies adorning the 

 mess walls. 



At my own urgent request my Commanding Officer arranged 

 that I should take a Garhwali orderly, a rifleman from the 

 regiment, and when this became known amongst the men 

 great keenness was displayed for the honour of selection. I 



