MARCH FROM MORAR TO KANDAHAR. 
247 
tlie route, there were hardly any commissariat establishments, and 
the grain and fodder had to be brought in by the drivers, thereby 
causing them much extra work. 
Dadur was reached on 11th December, where orders awaited Dadur. 
the battery “to proceed without delay, filling up commissariat 
supplies for Europeans and natives, and taking 8 days supplies of 
grain and fodder for all animals.” The latter part of the order it 
was impossible to comply with, as this of course implied a very No extra carria e 0 to 
large increase of carriage, and on applying to the commissariat e ° ot ‘ 
(there was no transport officer then) it appeared there was none 
whatever, not one camel could be got. No assistance was given 
by the authorities towards bringing in the supplies of forage, 
which had to be cut in the fields by the men of the battery them¬ 
selves, nor was anything provided to contain or carry them ; and 
in the meantime the D.-A.-Q.-M.-General was continually urging 
the departure of the battery. During the afternoon of the 11th, 
and whole of the 12th, all the men including the escort, were 
engaged in cutting fodder and packing it in salleetahs and blankets 
belonging to the battery, which were then placed on the top of 
the wagons, spare carriages, and wherever space was found. 
At the last moment the officer commanding the battery was 
enabled to obtain, through the kind permission of the agent to the 
Governor-General, the use of 100 camels, for two marches only; 
and, after great pressure brought to bear on the commissariat, 24 
carts, for one march, were also obtained. Even with this, the 
battery had to start with little more than half the stipulated 
amount of supplies, but the officer commanding was assured that 
forage would be obtainable at one, or more, stations in the Bolan. 
Thus, the battery left Dadur on the morning of 13th December. 
The cruel necessity of having to increase, rather than decrease, 
the weight of the wagons, &c., previous to making the passage of 
such a Pass as the Bolan, was greatly to be deplored. (6/11, also 
a heavy battery, when following a few weeks later, were supplied 
with 700 extra camels for carrying an ample amount of supplies, 
as well as the ammunition from out of the wagons, and so got 
along very well). 
At two miles from Dadur the Pass was entered, and for the first Passage of Bolan 
15 miles or so, the road lay along the winding bed of the river— Pass commenced, 
necessitating frequent crossing and re-crossing—very stony, and 
in many places large boulders; it was surprising how well the 
carriages stood the terrible jolting. Numbers of dead camels Dead camels en 
were to be seen en route , in all stages of decay, nick-named by route ' 
the men “ scent bottles.” 
Shortly before reaching Kirta, the bed of the river was left by Kirta* 
a steep ramp, and the road continued over a plain, tolerably good, 
but very stouy, 
