| The
31st Regiment entered the Punjab at Ferozepore, crossing the Sutlej
River on a bridge of boats provided by the Sikh government. The
regiment had been joined on the march by a troop of horse artillery
and a contingent of irregular horse described as principally the
descendants of Pathan gentlemen who, though in reduced circumstances,
would not take service in the Company's army as ordinary troopers
They received monthly pay, and provided their own horses and weapons.
When they liked their leader they would, it was said, fight admirably,
which the 31st Regiment was able to confirm on a number of occasions.
Passing through the Punjab was an interesting experience. From
the Sutlej to the Jhelum rivers the countryside was fertile and
the people prosperous Even the peasant women working in the fields
wore bangles of pure gold. Thereafter it became barren and hilly,
a foretaste of what Afghanistan would be like, and the further
the regiment went the more difficult it became to prevent servants
and animal handlers from deserting. They heard alarming tales
of Afghan ferocity, and the Sikhs made a point of frightening
them still more. The Sikhs were fine looking men but great boasters
and inclined to pilfer the baggage at every opportunity. The Sikh
envoy who accompanied the regiment was excellent company in the
officers' mess, and had a remarkable capacity for imbibing port
in vast quantities.
The regiment reached Peshawar on 21st August 1842. The officers
were entertained hospitably by the governor of the city, the Italian
General Avitabile who had been recruited by Ranjit Singh to train
his army and had stayed on to serve his son. They were impressed
by the evidence of his methods of maintaining law and order. At
each corner of the city there was a large gallows on which malefactors
were hanging.
|