On the 21st the whole Battalion turned out early to take leave of their friends and comrades of the 7th Hussars, who had received the route for Umballa. They had been together for twelve months, and fought together in many brilliant affairs, and undergone together many weary days. Officers and men felt great regret at this parting; for a feeling had grown up between them of such comradeship as is not usual between separate corps.
On the 26th the Battalion marched to a place about three miles on the other side of Bankee, and encamped there; the whole march being about eight miles. On the next day, Brigadier Horsford, under whom they had so long served, started with his Staff for Gonda, to take command of the troops there, and the command of those on the Raptee devolved on Colonel Hill.
On the 28th the Battalion marched to Nanparah, fourteen miles, the country through which they passed being under water from daily rain. For the next few days this rain was so heavy, accompanied often by lightning and thunder, that though daily orders were given to march, they were as regularly countermanded. The camping-ground became first a swamp, then a perfect lake. At last, on March 6, they marched at ten in the forenoon, and arrived at their old camping-ground at Jeta at two in the afternoon. On the next day they proceeded to Baraitch, arriving there at half-past two in the afternoon. The rivers and nullahs, swollen by the rains, were up to a short man’s hips.
They remained at Baraitch till the 28th, when they shifted camp; but the ground chosen being found to be infested with reptiles, they were moved back on the 30th to nearly their old ground.
On April 3 an order was received from Brigadier Horsford for two companies, with some native troops and guns, to proceed to Bankee to watch the ford there, and defend the line of the Raptee. Captain Singer and Lieutenant Nicholl went on this duty.
On the 4th two more companies were ordered to the Raptee; and at half-past four on the morning of the 5th Major Warren’s and Captain R. Glyn’s companies started, and after marching fourteen miles, halted to get something to eat. After which, marching about ten miles farther, they arrived at Bhinga Ghât on the Raptee, their destination. On the 6th they halted there, throwing out strong picquets. On the next day these companies moved back to a tope on the Baraitch road; and on the 8th they started on a reconnaissance at half-past eight, and marched about eight miles. No two villages which they passed through told the same tale. In one the inhabitants had seen the budmashes[310] in thousands; in the next they vowed that not one had been seen for six months. The companies got back to their camp at half-past three in the afternoon, having marched about sixteen miles in the heat of the day.
These companies halted during the 9th and 10th, and marched back to Baraitch and joined Head-quarters on the 11th.
In the meantime the remainder of the Battalion, with the exception of Captain Fremantle’s company which was left at Baraitch, marched at five P.M. under Colonel Hill; and after marching sixteen miles towards Rahdee, found that the enemy, whom they expected to find there, had fled. They therefore encamped about three A.M. And on the next day marched back at six in the evening to Baraitch, where they arrived the following morning at five. The men were very much fatigued, having had two nights’ marching, and having been unable to sleep by day on account of the heat, the thermometer standing at 102°.
At midnight on the 8th-9th Captain Fremantle with his company, 2 Horse Artillery guns, 80 Punjaub rifles, and 150 native police, marched to join a force under Captain Cleveland, 98th Regiment, at Akouna. Halting every hour for ten minutes to rest the men, this force arrived at Akouna, and encamped in a tope at nine in the morning.
On the next day this detachment marched at half-past nine in the morning, some of the men being on gun-waggons and some on elephants, and arrived at Khagupore at half-past three. And on the following morning marched at six to Dahnapore, where they arrived at half-past eleven.