I was glad to be able to break the monotony of this long journey by a visit to a half-sister of mine, who was then living at the hill-station of Mussoorie.  The change to the delightful freshness of a Himalayan climate after the Turkish-bath-like atmosphere of the plains in September was most grateful, and I thoroughly enjoyed the few days I spent in the midst of the lovely mountain scenery.

My next station was Umballa.  There I fell in with two other troops of Horse Artillery, and became more than ever enamoured with the idea of belonging to so splendid a service.  From Umballa it was a two nights’ journey to Ludhiana, where I rested for the day, and there met a cousin in the Survey Department, who had been suddenly ordered to Lahore, so we agreed to travel together.

The next halting-place was Jullundur.  To make a change, we hired a buggy at this place, in which to drive the first stage, sending our palankins on ahead; when we overtook them, we found, to our surprise, that their number had increased to six.  We were preparing for a start, when it struck us that we ought to make some inquiries about the additional four, which, from the luggage lying about, we assumed to be occupied, but which appeared to be stranded for want of bearers to carry them on.  The doors were carefully closed, and it was some time before we could get an answer to our offers of assistance.  Eventually a lady looked out, and told us that she and a friend, each accompanied by two children and an ayah,[1] were on their way to Lahore; that the bearers who had brought them so far had run away, and that they were absolutely in despair as to how they were to proceed.  It turned out that the bearers, who had been engaged to carry the ladies on the second stage towards Lahore, found it more amusing to attend the ceremony of the installation of the Raja of Kaparthala, then going on, than to fulfil their engagement.  After discussing the situation, the ladies were persuaded to get out of their palankins and into our buggy.  We divided the baggage and six doolies between our sixteen bearers, and started off, my cousin, the ayahs, and I on foot.  It was then 10 p.m.  We hoped relays of bearers for the whole party would be forthcoming at the next stage, but we were doomed to disappointment.  Our reliefs were present, but none for the ladies.  We succeeded, however, in inducing our original bearers to come on a further stage, thus arranging for the carriage of the ayahs, while we two men trudged on beside the buggy for another ten or twelve miles.  It was a heavy, sandy road, and three stages were about as much as the horse could manage.