478 
KAWAL PINDI TO LUCKNOW. 
System of The advance party—consisting of the Q.-M.-S., a couple of assistants, 
mau mg. comm i ssai q a fc sergeant and agent, bakery and live meat—went on a day 
ahead of the battery, laid out the camp and made all arrangements for 
supplies, the civil authorities having been indented on for the same 
some time previously. There is always great competition for the post 
of commissariat agent, who is always a native, to a regiment or battery 
on the march and it is generallv supposed to be a very lucrative post. 
We baked our own bread and killed our own meat, our stock of cattle 
being replenished from time to time by purchase. The battery having 
fed, breakfasted and watered, the last just before hooking in, as in the 
cold mornings the horses will drink but very little, moved off from the 
gun park from to If hours after reveille, according to the facilities 
for watering. The battery invariably marched in service marching- 
order, except that jack-boots were worn instead of ankle boots and 
putties or gaiters, and the boots suffered considerably. A feed was 
carried in the nosebags and about 1000 lbs. of grain in the grain 
bags on the wagons, so that we were always independent for a 
day of local corn supply. As soon as we got on to the level roads 
after Jhelutn we marched with four horses only in the carriages, 
except in the heavy third line in which we kept six. This was, I 
think, of considerable value to the horses. On dead level roads four 
horses are quite sufficient and a large number of horses get a complete 
rest day by day in turn. We found, however, that a team of four 
could not walk as fast as a team of six, and that 14 minutes was the 
fastest rate at which one could expect the mile to be done in. Un¬ 
doubtedly, therefore, a little more strain was thrown on the horses 
when in draught, but this disadvantage was more than counterbalanced 
by the extra rest obtained. When the horses had got fit, the rate of 
marching was fixed at six miles an hour, the walk to be as fast as 
possible, the trot to be eight miles an hour or 7 minutes 30 seconds 
per mile. Thus the battery walked one and trotted two miles alter¬ 
nately and had about a couple of minutes to spare in the hour. There 
were milestones all along the road, so it was easy to keep a regular 
rate of speed. An interval dependent on the amount of dust and 
and direction of wind was kept between sections. Trotting long 
* distances with the whole battery up to six miles was occasionally 
practised, but, although apparently causing no distress at the time, 
was found to fine the horses down, and, I think, unless required, a 
battery as a whole should not trot for more than two miles at a time. 
Marching with no wheel horses in the wheel, or perhaps, I should 
rather say, with horses other than the proper wheelers in the wheel, 
was practised, and also with the detachment horses hooked in and no 
trouble was experienced. 
Nature 0 f Between Pindi and Jhelum, six marches, the road is hilly, with stiff 
road ‘ gradients, and very rough and sharp. After Jhelum the whole country 
is a dead level and the khunkur roads are as good for travelling as 
could be wished for. Besides others, the rivers Jhelum, Chenab, 
Bavee, Beas, Sutlej, Ganges and Jumna have to be crossed. The 
Jhelum is crossed on a roadway, a somewhat slight structure tacked 
on to a railway bridge after this was made, and the battery had to open 
