MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 27 



any officer who wishes to ride when the 

 men are marching at ease, has only to fall 

 out and let the regiment go on, and when 

 his horse comes up he can mount him. 

 When the " tap " on the big drum calls to 

 march " at attention," he may dismount 

 and run up to take his place in the column, 

 drawing his sword, and falling in. In 

 this way my tattu had done the march to 

 Chinsura ; I had afterwards cantered him 

 back to Calcutta, and in the cool of the 

 evening I had made up my mind to ride 

 him back again to Chinsura, that I might 

 be in time to march with our detachment 

 the next morning. Few horses could be 

 got to do so much work, and I suppose, 

 the native ponies being so cheap, one does 

 not care so much about injuring them by 

 making them go when required to do so. 

 After a very good luncheon at the hotel 



