1 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS. 325
2 well founded, that the major-general applied for .
3 leave to proceed to Umballah, to be as near the seat
4 of war as possible. Had his wishes been complied
5 with, he would have been on the north-western
6 frontier in timé to assume command of the cavalry
7 when the army left Umballah. From the earnest
8 wish on the part of the Governor-general to avoid
9 all premature hostile preparations, however, it was
10 not deemed advisable to comply with the request,
11 and Sir Joseph Thackwell was obliged to wait pa-
12 tiently until he received his orders to join the army,
13 which he did on the 17th of December, the day
14 before the battle of Moodkee. He could not lay
15 his dak before the 20th, when both he and Sir
16 Robert Dick started from Cawnpore, and Sir
17 Joseph Thackwell reached Umballah on the 26th..
18 It may be easily conceived that the major-general,
19 who there heard of the battles of Moodkee and
20 Feerozshuhur, had no wish to prolong his stay at
21 such a distance from the seat of war; and though
22 the road, through the protected Sikh states, was
23 very unsafe at this period, he started on the same
24 day, taking the route through Pattealah, Naha,
25 Busseean, and Moodkee, and reached the head- f
26 quarters camp, at Hurruf, on the Ist of January, Teck
27 1846. It may be here noticed that his aide-de- sate
28 campe, Lieutenant Roche of the 3rd light dragoons,
29 accompanied him from Meerut. It was doubtless
30 a source of gratification to the major-general to
31 learn the gallant deeds of the European dragoons
32 at Moodkee and Feerozshuhur; mixed, however,