h which the bullet took its final
departure, and that, I think, will be closed in a day or two. I am
sorry to say that since arriving here I have caught a "cruel cold," from
which I am suffering severely at present.

By-the-bye, there are a few incidents connected with the taking of Kelat
which I forgot to mention in my letter to my father. Mehrab Khan, the
chief of Kelat, managed to send away all his harem and family on the
morning of the fight, directly we were seen approaching, but his other
chiefs were not so fortunate, and the greater part of them deliberately
cut the throats of all the females belonging to their establishments,
including wives, mothers, and daughters, as soon as we established
ourselves within the town, rather than suffer them to fall into the
hands of us infidels. I forgot, I think, also, to mention that I managed
to procure rather a handsome Koran, which was found in the citadel, and
also an excellent Damascus blade, both of which I intend giving to my
father, and a few articles of native costume, which would go far to make
up a neat fancy dress, but it is not quite complete. A great number of
handsome articles were stolen by the camp followers and other rascals,
worse luck for us poor wounded officers, who could not help ourselves.
We were rather surprised at finding some excellent European articles in
the shape of double-barrelled guns, pistols, beautiful French musical
boxes, prints, looking-glasses, and pier-glasses, &c., in the rooms of
the citadel. Where Mehrab Khan could have picked them up I cannot
think, unless they were the result of some successful foray on some
unfortunate caravan.

The day after the fight, Captain Outram, of whom I have so often spoken
in my letters to my father, volunteered to take the dispatches to
Bombay, and started for that purpose straight across country to Someanee
Bay, on the sea-coast, a distance of 350 miles, and across the barren
mountains that compose the greatest part of Beloochistan. This route had
up to that time never been traversed by any European, except Pottinger,
who passed through all these countries twenty years ago, disguised as a
native. It was attempted last year by Captain Harris, of the Bombay
Engineers, author of the "African Excursions," a very enterprising
officer, and who landed at Someanee Bay for that purpose; but after
getting about twenty miles into the interior, reported the route as
impracticable. When this is taken into conside