1 MISCONDUCT OF THE RAW LEVIES. 395
2 village in the rear, and amongst the former I
3 observed a particularly fine looking man, whose
4 long black hair swept the ground as his corpse
5 was being dragged away. The nature of the
6 dependence we might place. on our raw levies
7 was manifested when their ammunition began
8 again to fail, and who one by one, as the indi-
9 vidual] fired off his last cartridge, left the en-
10 closure on the rising ground in spite of ex-
11 hortations, encouragements, and threats to re-
12 main until Lieutenant Mackeson, who had gone
13 for some, should return. All was in vain, and
14 it was with the utmost difficulty that either
15 Ferris or I could prevail upon a few to wait
16 until the mortar was dismounted and packed.
17 On this being done, a new difficulty arose as
18 to who should carry it,—for with the exception
19 of one, all the bearers had made off whilst we
20 were too busily engaged to observe their move-
21 ments,—and some delay arose ere we could
22 persuade half-a-dozen of the irregulars to take
23 it as far as the village. Had the Khaibaris
24 at this time been aware of the straits to which
25 we were reduced, and had made a bold” dash,