Cost of Transport. 217 



very moderate rate of from 10 to 12 a 

 head, although the passage lasts as a rule 

 from a month to five weeks. The cheap- 

 ness of freight by this route is due to the 

 fact that ships homeward bound from 

 Australia, often find difficulty in obtaining a 

 full cargo ; and as the exports from India 

 are much larger, their owners are generally 

 glad to take a cargo of horses to Calcutta, 

 Madras, or Bombay, even at a slight loss. 



Captain Ross-Smith tells me that " during 

 the early part of this war, Government 

 awoke to the fact that thousands of horses 

 and mules were required to replace casual- 

 ties, and to mount more men than were 

 originally considered necessary. Tenders 

 were hastily drawn out and placed to charter 

 vessels at exorbitant rates for the convey- 



