brigade, consisting of ourselves, the 1st Grenadiers, and 5th regiment
Native Infantry, under the command of our chief, General Willshire, left
on the 26th. I was on out-lying picket the night before, (Christmas
night,) and a very curious way it was of passing it. The first part of
the night, till twelve o'clock, was exceedingly fine and beautiful, and,
as I lay on the cold ground, my thoughts travelled towards poor old
Devonshire, and I could not help fancying in what a much more
comfortable way you must be spending it at home, all snug, &c. at
Brookhill. After twelve, the strong northerly wind, which blows with
great force at intervals this time of the year in this country, sprung
up, and it soon got intensely cold. Towards two I forgot myself for
about half an hour, and nodded on my post, and on awakening I was taken
with what I am sure must have been a slight attack of cholera. I was
stone cold, particularly my arms, hands, legs, and feet, and suffered
excruciating pains in my stomach, till nature relieved me, which she
was kind enough to do uncommonly frequent. I had luckily some brandy
with me, of which I drank, I should think, half a bottle down without
tasting it; but it did me a great deal of good at the time, although I
have not been well since, and am still very far from being so. Our
camels, of which I had two, were furnished us by the commissariat, and
we ought to have had them at four o'clock on the day before; but, like
everything else, we did not get them till four o'clock the morning we
marched, about an hour before we turned out. I had to trust entirely to
Providence with regard to mine, as to whether I should get them or not,
as I was on outlying picket, and could not attend to them, and I had
just two minutes, after coming from picket in the morning, to get a
mouthful of villanous coffee, when I was obliged to fall in with my
company, which formed the advanced guard of the brigade, and march off
in double quick time, leaving all to chance. My poor stomach wanted
something most awfully to stop its proceedings, but it was totally out