suicidal-looking utensil in iron, which decks the board, and the "masther" or the "misthress" will elevate their brows in astonishment at such inexplicable fastidiousness. What philosophy, we would ask, is adequate to such a crisis?

To leave this digression into which we have unintentionally wandered, we will hasten to conclude with a word upon the difficult card which a superintending officer has to play in order to reconcile conflicting arrangements and interests. If any individual of a party under his orders misbehave, or should neglect to exert himself in his vocation, and that the officer report the matter to district head-quarters, the Commanding Officer of his regiment is forthwith in high dudgeon that any of his own men should be exposed to censure, and a ready mode of resenting the offence offers itself in the withdrawal of the party from the

subdivision.

If, on the other hand, any cause of complaint be quietly brought to the notice of the Commanding Officer through his own Adjutant, with a request that the offending individual may be relieved and replaced, or some measure be taken to obviate the necessity for a report to the headquarters of the district, it is an even chance that the superintending officer's letter, or the tenor of it, is communicated to the Inspecting Field Officer, and down comes a laconic, but by no means honied epistle, denouncing the heinous breach of discipline committed by the subordinate, in presuming to correspond on the subject with any other than his immediate superior, and through the authorized channel. After this, let not drummers engross all our sympathies.

Again, there are Commanding Officers who send out their recruiting parties with private instructions. Some will not have men except of a certain height beyond the regulation, or sit in judgment on the religious faith of a recruit; whilst others look to beauty or accomplishments, and must have none but gentlemen who can read, write, and cipher. These, and fifty others, interfere with the success of a party; and if, as the result of this or any other circumstances, but few recruits are forwarded to the district head-quarters, officials teem from thence weekly, urging the necessity of using greater exertions to meet the exigencies of the service; but let the superintending officer be so blind to his own interests as to seek to justify himself by hinting at the impediments thrown in his way by the fastidiousness of Colonels who haggle about the length of a nose or the width of a mouth, who are intolerant of red hair, or a squint, and in a fortnight, routes arrive for half the parties in his subdivision to march elsewhere.

It may not be out of place to offer an opinion as to the most eligible description of men for employment on the recruiting service. We think that it would in most cases be best if Commanding Officers detached on this duty none but steady and trust-worthy, but active men, for the license and opportunities for misbehaviour afforded to soldiers when thus employed, are greater than under any other circumstances. It is rarely, we believe, that the selection is thus made. More commonly interest is exerted with the Serjeant-Major, and some noncommissioned officer is sent out to his native place, or the immediate neighbourhood of it, where he thinks far more of idling away his time, and enjoying himself with his friends, than of attending to the business required of him. There is also a notion held by some persons, which

we have seen recorded, that dashing young fellows of good appearance should be selected for the purpose of catching recruits. Few are now so caught; and our experience goes to impeach this system, for we have observed that the greater number of men are raised by the steadygoing old stagers, who understand "discoorsing the boys," whilst the rollicking blades with cap stuck on three hairs, smothered in partycoloured ribands, are "coortin' the girls," dancing at weddings, and getting drunk at wakes, without any benefit to the Service. There is doubtless an art in recruiting, as in all other matters, for some men will enlist ten recruits where another gets but one; and one individual will frequently succeed where a whole party has hopelessly failed for months. We have seen instances of this, where too, it did not depend upon local knowledge or connexions, but was simply, it would seem, the result of a peculiar aptness for persuasion and inveigling,—the skilful application of "soft sawder."

We believe that we have now thrown all the light in our power upon the arcana of the recruiting service, at least as far as they are revealed to the subdivisional officer. In taking our leave, we have only to repeat, that our wish has been to supply what we think to be an existing deficiency; and if our hints may prove the means of saving either time or money, to future employés, our main object has been achieved.

REMINISCENCES OF UPPER SINDE. CONVOYS.

BY CAPT. HART, BOMBAY NATIVE INFANTRY.

THE most arduous and least pleasing of the duties which the brigade stationed at Sukkur, (now styled "Victoria,") in Upper Sinde, was called on to perform was the frequent escort of convoys with supplies for the use of the troops above the Passes. Two or three thousand camels, some hundred carts, and often a long train of artillery equipages, such as wagons, spare limbers, forge-carts, &c., composed the usual amount of the charge entrusted to the vigilance of occasionally as few as four hundred soldiers, being all that could be spared from other duties. As the line of march extended seven and eight miles in length, it required unremitting attention on the part of the officers to dispose their men so as to be best calculated to afford protection to the valuable stores and numerous animals committed to their care. The method usually pursued was to commence loading the grain about midnight, (if the march was a long one, or the road much broken, some two hours earlier.) At one o'clock the advance guard moved off the ground followed by such camels as were laden, then came the treasure, and the gun carriages, and in their rear the carts of the country. These primitive vehicles, consisting of only a small platform. supported on two solid wooden wheels fixed to an axle, revolving in a groove cut in the cross bar underneath, to which also the pole was pegged, could not boast of a particle of iron about them. The owners being paid according to the weight they carried, as a matter of course always overloaded their crazy carriages, and frequent breakdowns were the consequence. These accidents were not considered of importance

by them, a few spare sticks and ropes being always carried in anticipation of such events; but the patience of the escort was severely tried in waiting the completion of the labours of such unskilful artisans. As the troops were scattered in small parties at intervals along the line, to the rear-guard fell the fatiguing task of driving on the lame and sick cattle, and picking up deserted loads. All the unladen camels were attached to it for this purpose, but what with sick men and broken carts, it often happened that near the end of a march bags of grain had to be abandoned for want of means to carry them on. Whatever it passed by was soon made booty of by the country people, who, driven by want, differed only from the professed robbers by pilfering what the others stole openly. Their skill and boldness was indeed surprising. Any remissness on the part of the drivers was sure to be immediately taken advantage of by some of the many who attended on the line of route. Not unfrequently the camel-men would slip away from the road in the dark to lie down and sleep under a bush, leaving their charge to themselves. It was easy for a few of the plunderers to avail themselves of the opportunity, and take their places. On reaching a ravine, or other convenient spot, a string of half a dozen camels could be led aside without observation, an accomplice in the rear urging on those behind so as to close up the gap as quickly as possible. Even if discovered they ran but little risk of capture. Their first plan was to throw the loads off the animals and endeavour to escape with them, but if then too closely followed, to quit them and jump into a watercourse was the work of a moment, and the pursuers were too glad at recovering the cattle to trouble themselves further. A little experience soon showed that to fire at them was but a useless waste of ammunition. At times, when the escort was weak in numbers, they would openly dash in on the convoy at an unguarded point, cut down the men, and carry off many animals. The greater portion of the loads consisting of wheat-flour, brought from Hindostan, formed a rich prize to the Beloochees, whose usual food was a much inferior grain. The camels alone, with their expensive equipment of saddles, ropes, packing-cloths, &c., they considered as well worth risking their lives for. Occasionally part of an officer's baggage would fall into their hands, and to their women it was always an acceptable offering. The small store of wine or spirits it contained was first disposed of; for, like all half-civilized people, these wild tribes are inuch addicted to exciting beverages, though they rarely become intoxicated; (even the pale ale was swallowed, bitter as they found it, from an idea that it must be stimulating because it was a Feringee decoction.) The uniforms they stripped of their linings, and cut up the cloth for tobacco pouches and to ornament the housings of their horses and camels, which they do as gaily as possible. The lace was sold to itinerant Hindoo traders.

This enterprising, though despised race, brave every insult and danger in their eager search after the most trivial gains; nor does the occasional maltreatment they experience at the hands of the rude inhabitants of the mountains deter them from frequenting, and occasionally residing at their camps and villages, to purchase the produce of their plunder, on the chance of being able to convey it to the plains, where it can be turned to profitable account. The Mahomedaus are

U. S. MAG., No. 178, Sept. 1843.

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so unthrifty and illiterate that many of them are completely in the power of the Hindoos for money advanced and grain supplied in seasons of scarcity, and when the trader is supported by the good-will of the Chief, which he spares no pins both by presents and flattery to obtain, his debtor is subject to endless annoyances. Whatever success he may have on marauding expeditions, the produce is taken at his own valuation by the Hindoo, and the array of figures he shows in proof of the account being still in his favour, puzzles the ignorant Beloochee, and enables the other to make a much more than remunerating profit. Thus, as in the large cities, the finesse of the idolater prevails over the bigotry and self-importance of the follower of the Prophet. In both instances does the one calmly submit to the abuse so lavishly heaped on him and his religion, and the contumely in which he is held, by the consolatory knowledge that he is reaping an abundant harvest from the other's exertions without toiling himself; and this "spoiling of the enemy" more than compensates for the empty words he has wasted on him. The hill chieftains also have another inducement to protect the Hindoos. Their pacific habits and trading propensities enabling them to visit, unnoticed, all parts of the country, they are well qualified to act as spies, and the information they had it in their power to give of the movements of troops, merchants, or travellers, was often thought of consequence sufficient to entitle them to especial favour from the tribe in general. Through their agency, also, was disposed of those articles of plunder which it would have been troublesome and dangerous to retain. Thus the Sikhs became possessed of all the guns, muskets, &c., which fell at different times into the hands of the Beloochees. In the Punjabee districts every kind of European weapon, from the Joseph Manton of the officer to the Brown Bess of the soldier, found a ready sale; the latter, for the use of their disciplined levies, were particularly acceptable. The superiority of the lock over the match being evident, the hill tribes at first endeavoured to transfer the musket-locks to their own fire-arms, but the plate being found too large, the idea was abandoned. Their long light matchlock could be carried without fatigue, either on foot or on horseback; one musket-ball sufficed to charge it no less than four times.-and that the wound was equally fatal was unfortunately too evidently proved in one well-remembered instance of an officer whose thigh-bone was broken at a distance of three hundred yards, when standing near a battery of guns playing on the gateway of an insurgent village, as well as on other occasions.

The object in view with all the marauding tribes which devastated the plains of Upper Sinde being merely to plunder, they avoided, when practicable, committing themselves in an engagement, unless greatly superior in numbers. Not that they avoided coming to blows from any fear of death, for no race is so prodigal of their own lives, or so ruthless in taking that of others, as the Beloochees, but because the more booty obtained without loss the greater was considered the ability of its captor. The true piratical theory that dead men tell no tales was acted on by them with relentless cruelty. The poor unarmed peasant, labouring in his field, and the unfortunate traveller whose evil star led him across their path, were equally sufferers. When any of their own party fell his body was carried off by his friends; but

beyond the circle of the man's family the event was thought but little of, as they rightly conceived the balance of injury inflicted was always in their favour, in the case of their forays into the plains; but when a collision took place between rival tribes, and lives were lost, a bloodfeud was necessarily entailed on the surviving relatives, and carried out to its fullest extent.

When too few in number to approach a convoy with hostile views, these plunderers made it a rule to follow the rear-guard at a distance, to pick up whatever might be abandoned. On every march many sick and weary animals would fall under their burdens, and, after every attempt to induce them to rise again had failed, their loads were transferred to others, and they were left, as was imagined, to die. In numerous instances, however, the Beloochees not only forced these camels to get up, but actually to trot off with them on their backs. The means they employed, although they must have been known to the generality of the country-people in the employ of the British, were never made public. The result was apparent to all. It was rumoured among the soldiers that they possessed a secret similar to that of the celebrated Irish whisperer; but more probably their intimate knowledge of the habits of the animal, had made them acquainted with the most sensitive parts of its body, which when touched acted like an electric shock on the frame, and stimulated into action its dormant energies, deadened by fatigue. Others inclined to the opinion that they administered large doses of opium, a drug to the use of which they themselves are much given; but its effects could scarcely have been so immediate. The camels thus carried off would, a few days afterwards, be disposed of to another detachment; for the demand for these beasts of burden was so great, and the necessity of procuring them so urgent, that few inquiries were made as to where they came from, or who offered them for sale. It could not be supposed that either officer or man, when their baggage was lying on the ground for want of carriage to move it, would be very particular as to the lawful right of an individual to an animal he was willing to part with, which would relieve them from their difficulties. Nor, indeed, was the price ever so small as to lead to a belief that the creature bargained for had been obtained free of cost; for no people understood better than the natives of Sinde the benefit of availing themselves of an increase in the value of any marketable commodity, whether beast of the field or produce of the earth. After a time a well-founded suspicion arose that the camel-drivers were in league with those who followed the convoys, and often reported the animals unable to proceed when a little management on their part would have forced them to move on. Orders were then issued for each to be branded on the neck and flank, and if it was found that any of them could not be forced on, the saddle and ropes were placed on another, and it was killed, the person in charge being obliged to cut off and produce the piece of branded skin, in proof of its death, under the penalty of punishment and forfeiture of wages. When the rumour of this system got noised abroad in the country, it was acted on rather ludicrously by a poor peasant, with a view of showing his honesty. His house having been burnt, and cattle carried off by the rovers on the desert, he had taken up his abode near the high road, and supported his family by selling fuel, &c., to