The Brahmin provided him with two sowars belonging to the Raja of Bhartpur with orders to accompany him as far as Kosi.  They were cut-throat-looking individuals, and Stewart felt rather inclined to dispense with their services, but, thinking it unwise to show any signs of distrust, he accepted them with the best grace he could.

After riding fifteen or sixteen miles, Stewart’s horse fell from exhaustion, on which his so-called escort laughed uproariously, and galloped off, leaving our poor traveller to his own devices.

Believing the horse could not recover, Stewart took off the saddle and bridle and tramped to the nearest village, where he hoped to be able to buy or hire an animal of some kind on which to continue his journey.  No one, however, would help him, and he was forced to seize a donkey which he found grazing in a field hard by.  About sunset he reached Kosi, thirty-seven miles from Muttra.  The tehsildar[2] received him courteously, and gave him some bread and milk, but would not hear of his staying for the night.  He told him that his appearance in the town was causing considerable excitement, and that he could not be responsible for his safety.  Stewart was much exhausted after his hot ride, but as the tehsildar stood firm there was nothing for him to do but to continue his journey, and he consented to start if he were provided with a horse.  The tehsildar promptly offered his own pony, and as soon as it was dark Stewart set out for the Jaipur camp.  His progress during the night was slow, and it was not until eight o’clock the next morning that he reached his destination, where he was hospitably received by the Political Agent, Major Eden, who introduced him to the Maharaja’s Wazir.  This official at first promised to give Stewart a small escort as far as Delhi, but on various pretexts he put him off from day to day.  At the end of a week Stewart saw that the Wazir either could not or would not give him an escort, and thinking it useless to delay any longer, he made up his mind to start without one.

There were several refugees in the camp, and one of them, Mr. Ford, collector and magistrate of Gurgaon, offered to join Stewart in his venture.

Stewart and his companion left the Jaipur camp on the afternoon of the 27th June, and reached Palwal soon after dark.  Ford sent for the kotwal,[3] who was one of his own district officials, and asked him for food.  This was produced, but the kotwal besought the sahibs to move on without delay, telling them that their lives were in imminent danger, as there was a rebel regiment in the town, and he was quite unable to protect them.  So they continued their journey, and, escaping from one or two threatened attacks by robbers, reached Badshahpur in the morning.  Here they rested during the heat of the day, being kindly treated by the villagers, who were mostly Hindus.