sufficient
conveyances. The only mode in this country is by camels, and a camel is
of all animals the most treacherous, or rather precarious lived; they
get ill suddenly and go off in three hours: a great number have died
with us. Now an officer losing his camels loses one month's pay, and
must leave his kit on the ground, as he has nothing wherewith to replace
his loss. You can, therefore, imagine what a great relief your bill
proved to me, as I shall always have it to fall back upon. I bought a
very nice little Cabool horse at Kotree, from one of the Ameers'
disbanded Beloochees. He is very hardy, and accustomed to this country,
and not particular as to his food, which is a capital thing, as most of
the Arab horses that have been brought from India have fallen off
terribly. He is a very pretty figure, goes well, and leaps capitally,
which few of the Arabs can. I gave 170 rupees for him, or 17l. In India,
I am confident he would fetch 500 or 600 rupees (50l. or 60l.)

I am very doubtful as to the time when this letter may reach you; I hope
it may catch the overland mail on the 25th; but Jephson says it is very
doubtful, and will depend entirely on the chance of there being a ship
at Curachee, or off the Hujamree. The heat now, while I am writing, is
dreadful, and there is a beastly hot wind blowing which I never felt
before. Heaven send us soon out of Sinde! We are expecting the overland
mail from England every day; it generally manages to come two days after
I write home. You will by this time have received the letter I wrote
from the Syden, and the one I wrote to Kate about the 13th of December
from Bominacote. Reports vary much as to whether we shall have any
fighting if we advance into Candahar. I should think Dost Mahomed would
like to try a brush with us, at least with Shah Shooja.

With love to all at home,

Believe me your affectionate son,
T.W.E. HOLDSWORTH.

LETTER VII.

Camp, Candahar, June 8th, 1839.

MY DEAR FATHER,--I begin this letter to you on the 8th of June, 1839,
though when it will reach you, or whether it ever will, is very
doubtful. I have not written, I see, since the beginning of March, from
Larkhanu; there was, however, very little use in so doing, as there was
very little chance of your ever getting it, our friends the Beloochees,
Kaukers, &c., having made free with nearly every mail, and destroyed
them. I am very much afraid that I also have been a sufferer by them,
a