(Ranald Macdonell's "Letters of Reminiscence)

Our regiment remained about two years at Meerut, after which we were sent to Kurnaul, but we had only been there a few months when orders were received to proceed to Mhow.   That was in 1830.

In 1832 we were again sent to Kurnaul, and there we remained for two years.   This place was at that time a very healthy station, although later, - owing, it was said, to a canal having been made in the vicinity, - it became so unhealthy that it had to be abandoned.

In 1834 we were sent to Muttra on the banks of the Jumna, and for the next five years the regiment remained there.

Early in 1835 I volunteered for remount duty, and was absent with my detachment for six months, conveying three hundred horses and three hundred camels for the mounted branches at Bombay and Madras.   In the height of the rains I had a bad time of it, swimming the horses over rivers in flood, and putting up at native villages, or in any shelter available.   On one of these occasions, for lack of more comfortable quarters, we were going to occupy a deserted temple, and one of the men had just entered it, when he started back, saying that he saw a pair of savage eyes gleaming in the darkness.   A few stones were thrown into the building to dislodge the animal, and suddenly out bounded a magnificent leopard, which then took up his position on a low wall a little distance off.   One of the grass-cutters who was near the spot drew his tulwar, crept up to the animal and disabled it with the deep cut he inflicted across its shoulder, but yet the beast managed to maul the man badly before some troopers armed with carbines gave it its coup de grace.

On another occasion, which like the preceding one was in the Central Provinces, I remember seeing a tiger prowling along a jungle road in front of me.   I was riding well ahead of my men at the time, rather foolishly unarmed, and did I not abuse myself for such folly!   However, the tiger did not seem to be aware of my proximity, and I hurried back for my gun, hoping to get a shot on my return.   But when I got back I found to my great disappointment, that the animal had gone, and I saw him no more.

On my rejoining the regiment at Muttra I was somewhat disappointed to learn that my own tour of remount duty had come on, and so back I had to go, with anything but pleasant anticipations.   However, the monsoon with all its discomforts had by this time passed away, and my former experiences befriended me in many ways, so that I found this spell of duty pleasant enough.

The most memorable event of this tour was my visit to Jubbulpore jail, where for the first time, to my knowledge, I saw some of the members of that extraordinary fraternity, the "Thugs", which is now known to have existed from time immemorial, killing its thousands of victims yearly; although it was not till 1826 that government became fully aware of its existence.

Since that time neither expense nor trouble were spared to bring the members of this nefarious brotherhood to justice, and between 1826 and 1835 it was said that over fifteen hundred prisoners were tried for the crime of "Thuggee", and most of these were either hanged or transported.   Some of them confessed to having committed several hundred murders.   The Thug approvers whose lives were spared, were confined in a special prison in Jubbulpore, where they were taught tent-making, and carpet-weaving, and thus were prevented from yielding to the temptations of Thuggee, which was supposed to have "exercised an awful fascination over its votaries".   I had long hoped to have a chance of seeing some of these hardened villains, and the opportunity at Jubbulpore was not one to be lost.

I visited the jail with a friend, and as we were going round it he asked one of the prisoners to explain exactly how the Thuggee deed was done, suggesting, half in earnest, that the man should give a practical demonstration, by gently twisting a handkerchief round his neck.  "No sahib", said the prisoner in hindustani "that I cannot do.   I dare not show you in that way, for the temptation might be too strong for me.   Without intending to do it, on the impulse of the moment I might do the deed in reality;  but I will show you how it was done, on your arm."   And taking the handkerchief, he passed it round my friend's arm, and showed the quick turn of it by which death had been wrought on so many innocent travellers.

From Muttra the regiment was transferred in 1839 to Nasirabad, where my friends Mosely and Atkinson joined:  the latter died, poor fellow, a few months later, from the bite of a krait, which bit him in the ankle one night as he walked across the road from his bungalow to the mess.

We remained in Nasirabad till 1840, when we marched up to Ferozepore, and were there encamped for a whole year waiting for instructions from headquarters, during which time I got, first my brevet, and then my full captaincy.(10.6.42).