derable difficulty that she was relieved from her perilous
position. We were kept on the bank about four hours, and it may easily
be conceived that no small degree of alarm and uneasiness prevailed
amongst the landsmen, who were unaccustomed to dangers of this
description. The night was pitch dark, and the breakers sounded
unpleasantly near us. Captain Douglass the commander of the vessel,
appeared however all confidence, and after trying a variety of
experiments to get her off, he hit upon one which luckily proved
successful. The whole of the troops on board having been ordered upon
deck, the Captain directed them to jump three times simultaneously. This
was done by our fellows with a hearty good will, and had the instant
effect of loosening the vessel from the bank, and enabling her to float
again into deep water.

We arrived off the mouth of the Indus in about fourteen days after our
departure from Bombay. The troops were immediately disembarked in
_pattemars_, small and clumsy coasting vessels peculiar to the country.
We reached Bominacote the next evening without any other accident than
the sinking of three boats, two containing artillery horses, and the
other officers' supplies, to the value it was said of L10,000 which had
been sent on speculation with the army by an eminent Parsee firm at
Bombay.

Bominacote forms a sort of harbour of refuge for the vessels which carry
on a trade along this line of coast. The village itself consists of a
few filthy huts, and its inhabitants spend their lives in hunting and
fishing. Both males and females are in a state of almost savage nature
little covering being used by them beyond the loin _goity_ or covering
for the loins common to the natives of these parts. The proverbial
vanity of the weaker sex was, however, displayed in the eagerness with
which they bartered their most precious articles for a few handkerchiefs
of Manchester make that we happened to have with us.

As soon as the horses belonging to the cavalry, and the military stores
had been landed, it was decided that we should advance upon Scinde in
two divisions; the infantry under the command of Brigadier Sir Thomas
Wiltshire, and the Cavalry under Brigadier Scott. Previous to our
departure the troops were reviewed by Lieutenant-General Sir John Keane,
who had followed us from Bombay in the Victoria steamer. Sir John
expressed himself in terms of warm satisfaction at the high state of
discipline and ardour of th