Heideck found himself in the middle of an army which had never engaged in a great war and certainly never in one against regular troops.  It is true that the English were accustomed to fighting, for they had been constantly obliged to measure themselves with barbarous and semibarbarous peoples.  They had made expensive expeditions and gained dearly purchased victories; but it was always the undisciplined, dark-skinned, and black hordes with whom they had had to deal.  The experiences of the Boer War had not entered into the flesh and blood of the troops.  The personal bravery of the individual had almost always been regarded as the main thing, and it was easy to understand why all the officers should be puffed up with vanity.  They looked down with contempt upon all foreigners, because they had, as a matter of fact, almost always gained their victories over superior numbers.

Heideck noticed with astonishment that the tactical rules and instructions in the British army were still often at variance with modern armament, particularly in the case of the infantry; volley firing was habitually employed as the general way of engaging the enemy.  The men were drilled at the word of command to open and keep up a steady even fire and then in close ranks to rush with the bayonet on the enemy.  This powerful nation was, in fact, too listless to utilise the most modern experiences of the science of war:  proud Albion blindly believed everything English to be good and despised everything new and foreign.  Or did the English perhaps only avoid advancing in loose order in action because they were afraid that they would otherwise not be able to control their Indian soldiers?

The environs of Lahore, particularly to the north of the city between the wall and the camp, presented a very lively scene.  The innumerable camels which had served as baggage animals and formed the major portion of the transports afforded a very peculiar spectacle.  They were either lying on the ground closely packed together or solemnly paced along, while the shrill yells of the drivers filled the air.  Moreover, there was here congregated a huge crowd of men belonging to the army in one or other capacity without being combatants, and the eye fond of picturesque impressions could feast with delight on the gay, ever-changing kaleidoscopic effects of the wide plain; while the distant scenery was also interesting enough in itself.  Between the widely scattered villages and suburbs of the city, which contained 180,000 inhabitants, beautiful parks and gardens shone in fresh green foliage, mostly surrounding the burial-place of a sultan or a famous Mohammedan saint.  Towards the south-east there stretched away the great encampments of the cavalry and artillery in which were included many elephant batteries.

The city itself was choked full of military and the families of the officers.  Almost all the women and children of the garrisons lying to the north-west of Lahore had fled here at the advance of the troops.  Mrs. Baird, too, with her two little daughters and Mrs. Irwin were also in the city, where they were lodged in the Charing Cross Hotel.  Although the city was packed to a most alarming degree and the military situation was decidedly critical, Heideck did not anywhere observe any particular excitement.