1 S INTRODUCTION.
2 of our fsttudft to six hundred, besidet tmelwe or thirteen elephants*
3 Our water was carried in leathern bags, made of the skins of riieep,
4 besides some mudb. huger one^, made of the hides of oxen, and
5 twenty-fonr large copper vessels, two of which were a load for a
6 camel. These were made for the Hindoo St-fioys, and proved the
7 best contrivance, as the skins gave a j^jreat ileal of trouble, atxl spilled
8 much water after all. In providing water for the animals, we took no
9 account of the camels, that creature bearing thirst for a period which
10 is almost incredible.
11 The women who had accompanied the mission were sent back I'rom
12 Chooroo with a guard, and manj of our servants were allowed to re-
13 turn by the same opportunity, but this itid not secure- us the services
14 of the remamder ; finr such was their dread of die desart, that men of
15 all descriptions deserted bj twenties and thirties till we were so &r
16 advanced as to render their return impossible. As there was a war
17 in ffikaneer* ai^ as the road was at all times exposed to the depre-
18 dations of the Bhuttees and other plunderers^ we eng^iged one hun-
19 dred horse and fifty foot in the Shekhawnttee^ to assist our regular
20 escort in protecting our long Ime of baggage.
21 All these arrangements being completed, we marched from Choo-
22 roo on the 30th of October. VVe marched in the night as we had
23 done since we entered the Shekhawuttee ; we generally begun to Ifiad
24 by two or three in the afternoon, but it wm long before we w( i r ^ihle
25 to proceed ; and the head of our line never reached the encamping
26 ground till tweh'e or one. On manv occasions we were much later;
27 aad once or twice it was broael da> Ijefore we arrived at our stage.
28 The marches were seldom very long. Hie l<»gest was twenty-six
29 miles, and tibe shortest fifteen ; but dw firtigne'iHddi our people su£>
30 iered bore no proportion to the distance. Our line» 'when in the
31 closest Older, was two miles long. The path fay which we travelled
32 •wound mudi to avoid the sand hills. It was too niirow to allow of
33 two cameb going abreast; and, if an animal stepped to one side, it
34 sunk in the sand as in snow ; so that the least obstruction towards
35 the head of the line stopt the whole, nor could the head move on
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