260 THE CAMEL 



only about a camel, but every description of animal, 

 and if lie is keen and observant he has only himself to 

 blame if he does not learn something. No, the fault 

 lies with the system, and not with the individual ; and 

 one of the most glaring imperfections in our army is 

 this temporary transport hurriedly raised to meet an 

 emergency, and the most noticeable fault in this tem- 

 porary transport is the inexperience of the officers and 

 the utter worthlessness, ignorance, and incapacity of the 

 drivers that are invariably employed. 



Afghan rpj^ ^ r i ver question in Afghanistan was one strong 



cences enough to appal the heart of the stoutest transport 

 officer. On the march up to Candahar we had few if 

 any drivers, as they deserted between Jacobabad and 

 Quetta, before we got into the enemy's country, and 

 the soldiers had to be told off to act as such. One 

 extract from my Afghan diary will throw a light on the 

 miserable state of affairs : ' I was on rear guard to-day 

 (December 20, 1878) and had to leave 161 bags of 

 Commissariat stores on the ground from want of trans- 

 port, many of the drivers having deserted and (to make 

 matters worse) taken their camels, which were hired, 

 with them. This is a very common trick of the Sind 

 (Sarwans) drivers, who go back to Jacobabad by a 

 circuitous route so, at least, it is said and in many 

 instances are re-engaged by the Commissariat.' In the 

 march from Cabul to Peshawur, after General Eoberts 

 had marched to the relief of Candahar, and Abdur 

 Eahman had been placed upon the throne, my drivers 

 were all Pathans from the surrounding districts. Fear- 

 ing desertion I was determined to circumvent them, so, 

 prior to our march, I had them all collected and fallen 



