MARCHING THROUGH JUNGLE, 
568 
A lovely glade crossed next morning was tlie most beautiful bit of 
jungle we saw during the march, and the night was memorable for the 
extreme cold—43°. 
On the 4th March we reached Ashta, a very ancient town which we 6th week, 
explored; it contained some buildings supposed to date from a.d. 100 
and various side and fire-arms of comparative equal age. Here too, 
we discovered that a good road might have been taken for the whole 
eighty miles from Mhow (via Indore and Dewas) but our Route had 
directed differently. 
For the next four marches we had a made high road running through 
flat cultivated country till approaching Bhopal where there is a very 
small ghaut. At Sehore we found the best camping ground of any; 
the Bhopal battalion and the Political Agent both entertained us and 
at Bhopal, two days later, the latter was again our host and escorted Bhopal, 
us over the town. The Victoria Lancers (Bhopal Imperial Service) 
were most courteous and I was glad next day to have the opportunity 
of seeing them on parade and in their lines. 
The next march was the shortest we had and was completed under 6th week, 
an hour, though once more off a made road. We did not find metal 
again till almost within sight of Saugor. On the 11th we crossed the 
Ballum Ghaut and camped at Ganj in a regular amphitheatre of hills. 
A temple in the rock above the camp bore an inscription showing that 
the 44th Field Battery had passed in 1893. 
From Bhilsa onwards we found many interesting temples and ruins, 
most of which Captain Knox photographed. Sanchi is well known, 
but Goraspur is equally worth visiting. A fine ruin stood within the 
camp and also the grave of a Sergeant-Major Snow, of the 72nd 
Native Infantry, who died there in 1837. 
The arrangements here were very bad, we had great difficulty in 
obtaining supplies and the conduct of the officials was all it should 
not have been, Fifty duck as the result of a fifteen minutes shoot at a 
neighbouring tank was a useful bag. 
The track after this was frequently very rough and many were the 7th week, 
carts wrecked. Our Mess on one occasion was found a few miles out 
though, as usual, it had started about 11 the previous night. The 
bullocks were poor and the vehicles worse. 
Ratgard, reached on 18th, was once a town of importance and the 
ruined fortress and arsenal show unmistakable signs of its former 
greatness. A road at one time ran to Saugor, though nothing of it is 
now left but bridges in partial repair. 
At Bapyle we pitched our last camp and held the final sing-song, 
but all were sorry that the march was at an end. The afternoons had 
certainly become uncomfortably warm; at Ratgard the thermometer 
had reached 106°. Arrangements had, therefore, been made to push 
on and we reached Saugor on 20th March, two days before we were 
due. 
During the winter we had marched, altogether, for eleven weeks 
and covered a total distance of 800 miles. 
