thout
tasting it; but it did me a great deal of good at the time, although I
have not been well since, and am still very far from being so. Our
camels, of which I had two, were furnished us by the commissariat, and
we ought to have had them at four o'clock on the day before; but, like
everything else, we did not get them till four o'clock the morning we
marched, about an hour before we turned out. I had to trust entirely to
Providence with regard to mine, as to whether I should get them or not,
as I was on outlying picket, and could not attend to them, and I had
just two minutes, after coming from picket in the morning, to get a
mouthful of villanous coffee, when I was obliged to fall in with my
company, which formed the advanced guard of the brigade, and march off
in double quick time, leaving all to chance. My poor stomach wanted
something most awfully to stop its proceedings, but it was totally out
of the question, as General Willshire hurried us off at a slapping pace;
luckily, the march was only eight miles, so it did not fatigue me much:
I marched on foot the whole of it, as I could not get my pony in the
hurry of starting. We got nothing to eat till two o'clock, when part of
our mess things arrived, and we pitched into whatever we could get. This
march; though, was by far the most pleasant, as we had a good firm tract
of country to pass over, and no sand. The "rouse" sounded at five, and
we marched again at half-past six. This night I was on in-lying picket,
and was obliged to pass it in harness, and ready to turn out at a
moment's notice, although awfully tired. We had a very unpleasant march,
as the north winds got up soon after we started, and blew the dust and
sand right into our eyes; we had, however, being on the advance guard,
comparatively easy work, as there were only two sections with each
officer: the poor column suffered severely. This day, however, was
paradise compared to the next, which was eighteen miles, through an
uninhabited sandy desert, with a few tamarisk shrubs and no water,
except a few stagnant pools, which was the cause of the march being so
long, there being no place for encampment. General Willshire, however,
made the best of a bad matter, and sent on the night before to a place
about half way, and the least unchristian-like spot he could find, half
the men's rations for the next day, together with the bheesties (or
water carriers) and the men's grog, &c., with orders for the cooks to
h