by those now present to the spot where his
ashes repose."

One of the sepoys suddenly began to call
down curses on the head of some sacrilegious
thief. He had discovered that the piece of
the chunam (plaster) tomb, and on which
was cut the name, age, and regiment of the
deceased, had been abstracted.

"Ah! that of course," said the Lieutenant.
" It is always the case. They steal the bit
of marble to make a currystone — a stone on
which they grind the ingredients for a curry.
It was not worth more than a shilling,
intrinsically; but if it had only been worth
one anna, or a quarter of an anna — half a
farthing — they would have carried it away
all the same, just as they steal pieces of iron
and lead from the stone bridges, and thus do
immense mischief. All along the Grand
Trunk Road you will find the stones used
for head-stones carried away from the
graves."

The march, thirteen miles, occupied us five
hours, so slowly did the bullocks crawl along
with the treasure. It was about four o'clock
when we came to the ground — the hour at
which, in strictness, the Lieutenant should
have started; but he informed me that, when
on separate duty, he took a good deal of
responsibility on himself, and without detriment
to the interests of government, suited his
own convenience, and that of his men. He,
therefore, preferred making night work of
the business, and having the whole day at
his own disposal.

"Send your bearers away, and spend the
day with me," said the lighthearted
Lieutenant. " You can get other bearers at any of
the villages in the neighbourhood; or, if you
are not in a violent hurry, march the whole
distance to Agra with me. I can stick your
palkee and boxes on the top of the treasures,
you know."

I accepted the invitation with pleasure,
and entered the tent, where we found tea
and biscuits ready. After partaking of this
refreshment we threw ourselves down on
charpoys (native bedsteads), and soon fell
fast asleep.

We slept till ten, when we arose, had breakfast,
consisting of— the old story — grilled
fowl, curried fowl, and eggs, with beer
instead of tea ; and then we went out and sat
under the mango trees, which formed a, dense
shade over the encampment. The Lieutenant
had with him a pellat bow, and was shooting
at the squirrels, which abound in the
upper provinces of India. While he was
thus employed a sepoy — a Brahmin — called
out, " Sahib, you have no right to do that.
It is written in the general orders that you
must respect the religious feelings of the
Hindoos, and here are you wantonly destroying
the life of animals in our presence. I
shall report this to the Colonel, Sahib, when
we return to the regiment."

From the tone in which the sepoy spoke, I
thought he was earnest. The Lieutnant,
however, assured me that he was only ridiculing
one of those absurd general orders
which frequently appear; but of which, bad
and discontended sepoys often take advantage.
Ere long, this Brahmin, observing that the
light of the Lieutenant's cheroot was
extinguished, brought him some fire. The
Lieutenant gravely shook his head, and said,
" No. It is written in general orders that no
officer shall employ for his own purposes a
sepoy who is a soldier and not a servant, and
that any officer so offending will subject
himself to be tried by a court martial."
Then, taking the fire from the hand of the
Brahmin, he remarked to me, " The consequence
of that order — for which there never
was the slightest occasion — is simply this:
those men who are willing to oblige their
officers, laugh at it, while the disaffected
will insolently quote it, if required only to
pick up a glove or a walking-stick. Many
an officer has been severely reprimanded for
asking a sepoy to carry a letter for him to
the post office."

It was a very pretty scene, that encampment.
The tents; the arms piled in front of
them; the horse under a tree, and his syce
seated near him; the old buggy and harness
not far off; the sepoys, in groups, employed
in cooking their food for the mid-day meal;
the numbers of brass vessels lying about in
all directions; the score of squirrels hopping
from branch to branch, or running up and
down the trunks of the trees; the crows, the
minars, and the sparrows on the look out for
crumbs; the bullocks, taking their rest after
the fatigues of the past night; and then
before, as well as after the meal, the men
crowding round the well, and washing also
their under garments, which are speedily
dried in the sun of that climate. It is
impossible to witnesses not to admire this part
of the Hindoo and Mussulman religions.

After one o'clock, when every man had
enjoyed his smoke, there was scarcely a soul,
except myself and the Lieutenant, awake in
the encampment. All were fast asleep in the
open air. The Asiatic must sleep after his
mid-day meal, if it be only for half-an-hour.
The loss of this little sleep is a very severe
privation.

At three o'clock the encampment was again
all life. Some of the sepoys wrestled, and
exhibited amazing skill and strength in the
art. To an European it is a mystery how
men who live upon nothing but farinaceous
food can be so muscular and powerful.
Others smoked their pipes (small hookahs),
and played at a native game called puchesee,
resembling lotto; while a goodly number
congregated around a Mussulman, who was
reacting aloud the Bagh-o-Bahar, a Hindoostance
work of great celebrity. Two or three
of the company were musical, and played