Saturday, Jan. 26, 1839.
We made our march this morning, but found all the people who had been
obliged to come on last night so knocked up that I have persuaded G. to
give up his intention of marching to-morrow. We seldom have marched on
Sunday, and this is a bad time to begin. In short, it was nearly
impossible. The sergeant who lays out the advanced camp is in bed with
fever from fatigue.
Wednesday, Jan. 30.
It is four days since I have been able to write. I was 'took so shocking
bad' with fever on Sunday, caught, it is supposed, at that
river-side--that eternal Gugga. Captain L. E. was seized just in the
same way, and several of the servants, so we all say we caught it there;
but it is all nonsense--every inch of the plains in India has its fever
in it, only there is not time to catch them all. I think the Gugga fever
is remarkably unpleasant, and I did not know that one head and one set
of bones could hold so much pain as mine did for forty-eight hours. But
one ought to be allowed a change of bones in India: it ought to be part
of the outfit. I hope it is over to-night; but as things are, I and L.
E., with Captain C. and the doctor, are going straight to Hansi
to-morrow--only a short march of ten miles, thereby saving ourselves two
long marches of sixteen miles, which G. makes to Hissar, and giving
ourselves a halt of three days to repair our shattered constitutions.
It is so absurd to hear people talk of their fevers. Mr. M. was to have
joined us a month ago, but unfortunately caught 'the Delhi fever' coming
up: he is to be at Hansi. Z. caught the 'Agra fever' coming up; hopes to
be able to join us at Hansi, but is doubtful. Then N., our Hansi
magistrate, looks with horror at Hansi: he has suffered and still
suffers so much from 'that dreadful Hansi fever.' I myself think 'the
Gugga fever' a more awful visitation, but that is all a matter of
opinion. Anyhow, if N. wished us to know real hardship, fever in camp is
about the most compendious definition of intense misery I know. We
march early each morning; so after a racking night--and I really can't
impress upon you the pain in my _Indian_ bones--it was necessary at
half-past five--just when one might by good luck have fallen asleep--to
get up by candle-light and put on bonnet and cloak and ---- one's
_things_ in short, to drive over _no_ road. I went one morning in the
palanquin, but that was so slow, the carriage was the least evil of the
two. Then on arriving, shivering all over, we were obliged to wait two
hours till the beds appeared; and from that time till ten at night, I
observed by my watch that there was not one minute in which they were
not knocking tent-pins, they said into the ground, but by mistake they
all went into my head--I am sure of it, and am convinced that I wear a
large and full wig of tent-pins. Dr. D. put leeches on me last night,
and I am much better to-day. L. E. is of course ditto: the Gugga fevers
are all alike.
Hansi, Friday, Feb. 1.
I went to sleep at last last night, and am much better to-day; but I see
what N. means about Hansi. Such a place!--not, poor thing! but that it
may be a charming residence in fine weather; but we have had such a wet
day. It began to pour in the night. I am very glad I resisted G.'s offer
of giving me half the horses and the shut carriage, for I suspect even
with all the horses they will have had some difficulty in making out
their long march. Such a road as ours was!--nearly under water. I
started in my palanquin, but after the first three miles the bearers
could hardly get on at all: they stuck and they slipped, and they
helped each other into holes and handed each other out again, but
altogether we did not get on. Captain P. was to have driven me the last
half of the way in his buggy; and as his elephant was like my
bearers--slipping and sticking--we sent on one of the guards for the
buggy, and contrived to get on very well in that. When we came to what
is nominally called 'the ground,' it looked like a very fine lake, in
which my tent and the durbar tent and Dr. D.'s were all that were not
standing in the water. P. and the jemadar carried me in a chair into
mine, and there I was left alone in my glory. He and L. E. took the
durbar tent, their own tents having a foot of water in them.
Captain D. went to live with his brother, who has a bungalow here, which
he very kindly offered me. It is pouring so again to-night that I wish I
had taken it; but then if I had carried off the cook and the
dining-tables and the lamps, &c., I thought the aides-de-camp would be
wretched, and L. E. is not well enough to go out; but to be sure, these
tents! If it were not for the real misery to so many people, the
incidents of the day would have been rather amusing. There is not of
course a tent for the servants, so they are living in the khenauts (the
space between the outer covering and the lining of our three tents), and
there are thirty sleeping in my outer room, if room it may be called.
The difficulties went on increasing. W.'s greyhounds, ten of them, were
standing where his tent (now at Hissar) usually is, and the men said
they would die, so we put them in the khenauts and told the dogs that
they must not bark and the men that they must not cough, and hitherto
they have been very quiet. My syce came to tell P. that my horse was not
used to stand out all day in the rain, and that if it did Mr. Webb would
kill him. I should assist at the execution, though how the poor syce
could help it I don't quite see. I would have given Orelio my own
blankets willingly and put him to bed with my own nightcap on, but
unluckily the bed did not come till the afternoon, and was then a
perfect sponge. However, we lodged the horse somehow. Then F. had two
Barbary goats, which she had ordered on the lemur's death, thinking they
were pretty, soft, hairy things, instead of which there arrived two days
ago, large, smooth, _bleak_-looking English goats. However, she told me
to take the greatest care of them when they came up. At twelve, a coolie
without a stitch of clothes on, walked in with a Barbary kid on his
back, stiff and stark. No interpreter at hand, so where the mother was
remained a mystery. F. might have fancied to her dying hour that I had
let her Barbary goats die--nobody ever thinks their children or pets are
properly taken care of; so I set off rubbing, and made my two boys,
Soobratta and Ameer, rub the kid too, and we poured hot things down its
throat. We should have been worth millions to the Humane Society, but
the kid would not come to. Then I made them dig a hole in the outer tent
and put charcoal in it, and when it was quite hot we took out the
charcoal and put in the kid--just like singeing a pig; but it was a
bright idea, and quite cured it. Just as we had got the little brute on
its legs, the mother was brought in, and we went through the same
process with her. When they were quite well, they were also sent to
sleep in the khenauts.
The bandsmen, who are chiefly Europeans, came to say they had no
shelter. 'Sleep in the khenauts,' was the only answer; and we gave them
what remained of our dinner, for the kitchen was under water. Mr. ----
arrived, and I asked him to dinner too. It is fine to-day, and the tents
came up in the middle of the night. We have got a paper of the 24th
November, so the overland has arrived, and G. will bring us some letters
to-morrow.
Saturday, Feb. 2.
And he has brought plenty--your's and E.'s Journals amongst others.
Mahem, Tuesday, Feb. 5.
I was taken with a worse attack of ague than ever as I was writing to
you on Saturday, and was obliged to go to bed for two days. Luckily, it
went off just before marching time yesterday morning, and I am taking
narcotine at all convenient hours. I believe it is a remedy that has
been invented in this country--at all events introduced--by Dr.
O'Shaughnessy. Dr. D. has tried it in many cases, and it has never
failed where the patients can bear it, but it makes many people quite
giddy and delirious. I do not mind it at all, and am much better to-day.
Two of our bearers, old servants, are dying of cholera from that last
wetting.