‘Did any of the men sell their bedding for drink?’
‘There is some mistake on that point too, sir. Men were under the impression—I knew it for a fact at the time—that it was not allowed to take blankets or bedding on board, and so men who had things of that sort came to sell them purposely.’
‘Did any of the men sell their clothes for drink?’
‘They did, sir.’ (I believe there never was a more truthful witness than the sergeant. He had no inclination to make out a case.)
‘Many?’
‘Some, sir’ (considering the question). ‘Soldier-like. They had been long marching in the rainy season, by bad roads—no roads at all, in short—and when they got to Calcutta, men turned to and drank, before taking a last look at it. Soldier-like.’
‘Do you see any men in this ward, for example, who sold clothes for drink at that time?’
The sergeant’s wan eye, happily just beginning to rekindle with health, travelled round the place and came back to me. ‘Certainly, sir.’
‘The marching to Calcutta in the rainy season must have been severe?’
‘It was very severe, sir.’