Our Family History

Our side was:

Martin, Vere, Kitaou & myself -
Buchanan-Riddell taking place when I found I could not play

The other side was:

The Maharana (Nehal Singh)
Sirdar Gopi Singh, Gopi's brother
& a man whose name I forget

Henry Gahan was staying there for the good of his health which wanted a little recruiting - we settled that if possible he & I shd go on leave together & go with Beriah Wallace Esq. into Tibet. If we cannot do that, I shall try and get someone to join one for some big game shooting in Central India. Cashmere is too much over run & I fear "Doon" is not goot in the Hot weather; the only drawback to Central India is the heat, but as I have laughed at it hitherto, even when it took the skin off the backs of my hands when exposed on the Howdah rails, I don't see why I may laugh at it again.

I don't think you can imagine how hot it can be here sometimes & again how biting cold in this same station of Agra - however the weather is lovely now & I hope will be for a month yet - I begin to feel being laid up very irksome in such glorious days and wish to:

Over the valley, Over the leoch
Through the Dak jungle to ride like the devil
Hark Forrard! A boar
away we go
Sit down & ride - Tally ho!!

I don't know if I told you we have got a new general - Trevor C.B. by name - a very nice old man far better than Browne with a fringe as we called him. Our new man gives us plenty of drill in his own way but makes as many mistakes himself as any boty & so doesn't jump upon his subordinates. The only little excitement at present is the Face Meeting to come off here on the 12th of this month. I don't know what sort of a performance it is likely to be, but we shall have plenty of friends from various parts of the world to entertain, so we ought to have a cheery week. Before I got your letter I had already written to Mr. Tatlow to agree about paying Kerr his compensation & have done with him.

You don't say what ship Os has been appointed, but I conclude from your casual mention of the Raleigh that that is his ship. All chance of a row seems to be over so he will be out of it again.

You ask me how I spent Xmas, it was, as it always is with a regt, like a very dull Sunday except that I had a quiet little dinner in the evening at the Col's of the 13th N.I. the Uncle of my reported enslaver.

Otherwise in the Xmas week we had any amount of gaiety in the shape of our usual polo, pig sticking etc. with more to play with us - this does not sound like much extra gaiety, but it requires to be seen to be appreciated.

We had a dance last Wednesday week to which I managed to go - but somehow I could not enjoy it half as well as those at Naini Tal - however it was very good fun on the whole. One very absurd thing occured - a young couple who were engaged went out into the garden & just be the porch saw, what they thought was a nice sofa, so with their arms around one another's waists - thinking no one saw them - down they sat and at once went head over heels backwards - they had sat down on a hedge with some drapery spread on it.

I have made the acquaintance of Col. Williams of the 8th N.I. who plays the cornet & intend as soon as I am well to try with him some duetts which he has sent me to practice.

We have become very musical in our way - singing tremendous chorusses after dinner, & I am sorry to say breaking some furniture at time - the latter proceeding I must say I don't much approve of on account of the bill that comes in afterwards.

I still read Hindustani, but not so steadily as I used to at Naini Tal as I have here more to occupy my time, however I do something towards it, & I am now able to write Persian characters as well if not better than Hindi.

With love to all & many thanks to Florence for her dear intentions.

I remain etc.

March 1878

We have had one concert here this cold weather & are going to have another, the first I was unable to attend.

The races and our regimental sports came off very well - one of our fellows carrying all before him in the pony races. The Eka races would have amused you as the vehicles were any that could be got from the natives the harness generally mended in many places with string which caused the ponies in one or two cases to part from their shafts.

The tug of war was very good the Pathaus being second best & very nearly beating the Artillery who were evidently the strongest at first sight.

I met a very nice girl a Miss Ogilvey who came from Edinburgh & knew all the Napiers, Uncle Warburton, Sir William Carmichael etc. She is staying with her sister & Mrs. Bell whom I don't know & don't intend calling on as she is a bit of a prig & her husband is an ass, & between them they try their best to throw cold water on all Miss Ogilvey's amusements. Perhaps Louisa may have met her.

My collar bone has mended beautifully, but I managed to get a shocking blow in the mouth yesterday from a mare belonging to the cantonment magistrate who had not had her out for some time. If my teeth had not been previously broken, they certainly would have been, & as it is they are loosened & a piece broken off the stump holding my false one which also was knocked all out of shape.

I hear from Mr. Tatlow that there has been a very bad season in Ireland. I hope this year will set them all square again.

The distress is very great here still - the awful specimens of emaciation one constantly sees on the relief works are positively horrible - I have seen children covered with flies & too weak to raise a hand to brush them off.

Smallpox has been prevalant a good deal in the Bazars & a few Europeans have been attacked - Canning of my regt is now down with it but not seriously ill.

The hot weather is coming on apace - themantidotes & punkaha will have to be looked up. French & I have taken another house which ought to be very cool indeed.

I must stop as I have a drive of 24 miles to do to Futtepur Seokree a large ruined town built by Akbar & abandoned on account of the badness of the water. The tent club meet there tomorrow.

With love to you all

Believe me

Your affect son

R. Story

April 1878

Sacred to the memory of an
innumerable company, chiefly
women & children, who were
cruelly murdered near this spot
by the rebels under the Nana ???
of Jhodpore on 27th June 1857
whose bodies were thrown into the well

Our hunting camp was a very pleasant one on the banks of the Ganges - we had good sport & great dinners afterwards for Two days - the cup being won by Mr. Knivett of the police. After the cup I went on to Lucknow & there spent a day with my friend Bethune of the 92nd Highlanders. Lucknow is a very pretty place & there is certainly more in it than can be seen in a day. The majority of the buildings are in the Indo-Italian style & consequently being in good preservation are used as shop and residences etc. - The Chuttur Muuzil (the Club & Library) is as fine a building as you could wish to see of its kind. The residency is left standing exactly as it was after the siege, on some of the faces there is scarcely an inch without a bullet mark & here & there the round shot have torn great gaps; on the wall is a slab with "Here Sir H. Lawrence died & date". On his grave he had his epitaph placed "Here lies Henry Lawrence who tried to do his duty." - a good one for a soldier.

Owing to my having heard that all officers on leave were recalled on account of the disturbed state of the times, I could not stay long enough at Lucknow to see half the places, but returned to Agra next day.

Today rain has fallen & we actually can open our doors, but before I went to Cawnpore the heat was very severe especially at night - the thermometer once at 10pm stood at 91 in our mess & only went to 89 at midnight - the mosquitoes too are getting troublesome, even curtains cannot keep them out. Everyone tells me I am getting much stouter & I feel myself in better health than ever I was & laugh at the heat.

May 1878

I heard from Oswald yesterday that he had had his leave stopped for a very small thing, but at last after 5 weeks was allowed ashore again, & very happy he was, as he delights in a good ramble. He admires the Turks as men, & saw very fine specimens, & none of them sem in favour of the Russians. People think there will be no war in the end, a great deal of talking, & no blows - tho' the world says the Queen & the premier are anxious for it, & that the latter is not to be trusted.

Life is going on as much as usual here, Edward gone back to Malvern a few days ago - he is very short for his age, & his voice has cracked in a mist unmelodious fashion, he is a handsome boy - & very active - but the learning never comes - I always wonder what he will do, & it is time for him now to think of a profession as he is over 14 - he cd not get into the army or militia if he tried & what to put him to I do not know.

The three other boys are hard at work - Arthur in a new form, the upper of the Junior, he works very hard, & you would be pleased to see the improvement in his strength. The boys voted him yesterday Capt. of the North town for cricket. I hear he so good at a catch - he has to take care of himself of any damp or other fatigue, but he is so much stronger I am going to allow him to join in the baths. Little Francis with no S's a wonderful little boy, such a skip as he made over Evelyn two forms above him - he went last Sunday to Chapel, & took his place as a junior boy, top hat & all! Louisa is ver well & gave up her trip to Scotland, & very glad I am, as I have not been very strong lately, & it is very dull without her especially when one cannot get out much - but the weather is improving & the country looking lovely; last night we had a tremendous thunderstorm, quite wonderful for the time of year - Lou was out at a glee party at the Savile's & walked home in it, was ½ blinded by the lightning.

I have lent the Stones Bingfield for the summer months, they were in great distress as the ceilings at Danefort were coming down & very unsafe for the 3rd time & he did not wish to go away & leave his parish duties - it will do the house good to inhabit it although I hear the house & place are well managed & cared for - you never answered a question I asked you, it is one that I am anxious about - if you do not anser now I shall consider you will not do so, tho' it would be polite to answer a query.

Are you making a sinking fund to pay off your Aunt the £1,000 charged on the estate, which I borrowed from her? - I told her you intended to do so, & that you had directed Mr. Tatlow to put it by for you - but it has struck me that from your way of living you have not kept to your intentions which will be a pity in after years. I only ask you this & advise you as yr mother & best friend - whenever you come to live at Bingfield, you will want funds, & if I mistake not, you will never be satisfied to live there as we did - & also later on the unprovided for boys will need help, for I can never with my moderate income & so many, do for them as we did for you - so you may be a good brother to them.

I trust life may be given to me to do all I can for them, but I often feel by no means very strong, & then I think what will you do for them. I saw large tears stand in Lou's eyes the other day as I spoke to her of her improved state, & it would be some comfort to me to think, & know from you that you would do all you could for them - Oswald will and I think you wd. I want to get Arthur up to Keble College at Oxford which would I trust lead to him getting a livelihood in the way of a tutorship there - but we will have to make a puch to do so, & now I have written to you what was in my heart, for I want you to think of the home children. I want nothing now, I am thankful to say, but later you might be of great use, if in yr own expenses you are careful now - & Ever with much love

Believe me

yr affect Mother

Caroline Story

We had a most exciting day yesterday at Futtepur Sikri 23 miles from here - We rose before dawn and went on ahead of the party to get the beaters, of whom we had 150, into line in the jungle - I left Futtepur Sikri at 5am sharp & was joined at 7 by the other 4 of the party, before beginning to beat we found a cow freshly killed by a leopard - so we began our beat - nothing appeared till the coolies came within 10 yards of the edge of the jungle when about 18 pig came out all at once and after them we went, but could not find a boar among them, so we beat up a small jungle into which they ran & turned out several sows and one boar which managed to get back into the thick jungle where we could not ride, we then rode various pigs in various directions but they all got into the thick jungle, so I got hold of my army & beat up the thick part again when suddenly a coolie called me & put up an immense boar, but he also got off as I was quite alone, then we began to run pig after pig but all without success owing to the thickness of the grass.

In the midst of this amusement Vere after riding furiously something which the rest of us did not see, suddenly stopped and beckoned us all up - he had been riding the leopard which was then quite blown & sat down in the gress, we hunted about for some time when suddenly the brute came at one of the coolies & clawed & bit him severely, we went after him, but I lost him again, when suddenly something got up in front of me & I rode as hard as possible when I saw the leopard's tail just disappearing in the grass. I could not trace him forwards, so we again formed a ring & kicked him out when Dr. Trevor got right over him & speared him in the face, he was again lost for a time, but came out & got another coolie down this man he clawed & bit severely, but Riddell speared him again & took him off the man, we then saw him crouching & very viscious, Trevor made at him but the leopard took the spear in his mouth, Vere then speared him but was not quick enough to avoid the charge & the brute clawed Vere's horse, I then speared him & only just got off with three scratches on my horse's flank, he clawed Vere's horse about the hind quarters & very nearly got onto the horse, at my second try he got my spear in his mouth & nearly took it out of my hand, at last Trevor put his spear clean through the leopard when we dismounted & finished him on foot - such a feat has been frequently done in this country, but it is something woth remembering.

After the leopard we rode some more pig which all got away into the thick jungle so Riddell & Trevor went home leaving Vere, Golightly & myself to beat homewards, on the way we speared a peacock which I secured - I had not idea it was so easy to ride them down.

Finally at the end of a bit of thin "Jhow" out jumped a boar, Vere was too sick from the effect of the sun to ride, so Golightly & I went off, but almost at once Golightly came a most awful cropper leaving me with about a mile of open country to catch the pig in; my horse a borrowed one was awfully slow, & though I rode until I could not get another lick out of him, I never could come up to the pig which got into the thick jungle after about the severest run I ever saw. We got back to Futtepur Sikri at about 2.30 having been in the saddle since 5am.

As I write my face is a dark copper colour & blistered all over. Next time we try Futtepur Sikri I mean to get some elephants & some hand grenades & will see if the pig will race them; it will be a wonder if I do not set the jungle on fire. Beyond such a day's work we have little excitement, nearly everyone is away or on leave somewhere.

We have almost daily storms which makes the air cool and the weather endurable it is deliciously cool under a punkah with the thermometer at 85, in the sun I should think it is about 135 to 140 & yet the native poor go about with shaven heads & no covering in that fierce heat; what must their brains be like? I will get my photo done when I get a good opportunity, in my hunting costume. I sent home one photo of a friend's house with myself in front, the horse in the centre is Vere's Arab "Coronet" which got clawed yesterday by the leopard. The photo is by a native Ganeski Lal I might see if he can take portraits as well as landscapes.

With love to you all

Believe me

Your affect brother

R. Story

June 1878

The brute tried the same tactics as the first one, running a short distance and then suddenly crouching thus causing all of us who were on horses to gallop over him; Mallardaine who was on a pony was cantering about searching the grass for the crouching brute when hew was suddenly seized by the bridle arm at the elbow, severely bitten, pulled to the ground & clawed on the back & chest; the leopard then deliberately went for a beater with most alarming growls, pulled him down & hurt him but not severely, Brodie then attempted to spear but the pony reared & the leopard took him by the leg & pulled him off, his boot saved him. Trevor (who secured the first leopard) was then fortunate enough to spear - The next thing that was seen in the scrimmage was the leopard on the back of Trevor's mare, she howver kicked furiously & put the beast off; about that time I got in a spear, but thinking it had not entered (it did so) rode off for a sharper one; Trevor then put a spear clean through & I another when we dispatched the brute on foot.

The account in the paper gave me the credit of finishing the brute by a home thrust, this was not the case as Trevor's spear went clean through while mine broke in the brute's body, both however were disabling strokes.

I doubt if any tent club in India has eve killed two leopards in two consecutive meets.

The day before this occurrence I had an unpleasant duty to perform, viz ti sit on the inquest on a man who had shot himself the night before. The unfortunate man had been a cadet on the Britania with a brother of Stuart-Wortly who lives with me, & he having heard from his brother had only two days before sent for the man & begged him to give up drink & try to do better; as we were walking to mess S-Wortly remarked that W.... "seemed rather cracked", & the next time I saw him was a corpse with a bullet through his body. I am glad toi say these sights do not affect me much, I have seen too many such on the rivers, & have handled so many skulls & bones that I have become used, in a measure, to it.

The result of the famine is still apparent from the copses floating down the Jumna & the remains on the banks, the villagers are too poor to burn their dead in the usual way & just put them into the river at night.

The hot weather is now in full swing & I am sorry to say that for a few days I have felt the heat severely owing to my being a little out of sorts - as long as one can keep off any sickness one does not feel the heat but once get ever so little upset & the heat appears doubly unpleasant - I write at 11pm under a punkah over 91.

I have to be up 3am tomorrow so will stop for the present.

Continuing where I broke off on Wednesday last, I started at 4am next morning for one of our pig sticking meets - we began beating at 7am when soon a fine boar was started - but Ritson who was in front of me came down heavily & I passed him & hir horse lying senseless. Riddell & I went on but lost the boar, we however came upon a small big being worried by a dog, thie promptly charged me, but my spear went clean through it & Riddell & I soom put an end to it; we then went to see about Ritson & found him being picked up & just coming to his senses, the horse also had just before picked himself up, no bones being broken so we went horse & man to camp & today (Monday) they are almost all right.

Riddell & I went on by ourselves & soon started another boar, which after a fine tun Riddell actually touched with the shaft of his spear, when suddenly the brute appeared to vanish under my horse's feet & we never saw him again - he must have suddenly lain down in the cover and let us ride over him, truly a wild boar is the most wonderful beast I ever saw.

Louisa will be glad to hear I was quite wrong in my opinion of the music she sent me, when I tried it with the piano I found she that she hardly could have made a better selection.

I was not aware I had omitted to answer any query except that with regard to Mr. Smith's picture etc. & that I answered in my last, I am sorry if I have omitted anything.

With regard to a sinking fund I am sorry to say I have done nothing yet, but before I go on leave i.e. next month I mean to advertise everyting I do not absolutely require - ponies, furniture, horses etc. as there now appears to be some chance of my coming home.

With regard to the boys, I would strongly recommend the Indian staff corps for those who could stand it, or if they do not fancy soldiering, let Francis & Evelyn try Couper's Hill and come out to this country as civil engineers.

If Francis could pass into Woolwich and become an R.E. he could find abundant employment in this country which pays right well, there is no establishment of European Engineers out here, so nearly all the officers are in civil employ, for which they are well paid in addition to theit pay, & the rest either belong to the Sappers & miners or are instructors at the military college at Roorkhee where they have in addition to their other advantages the benefit of a fine climate.

As for people crying doen this country - I have found those who do so are mostly lazy officers of European regiments; a bother officer said to be the other day - "I really believe you would rather be oput here that at home". My reply was "Not quite that bit I would rather be out here than in many other places at home". If one makes up ones miond to take the best side of the question one can let the bad side take care of itself & accept the attendant evils of one's position as the thorns with a rose, inseparable from it, French who lives with me (Stuart-Wortly was only occupying his rooms) is always looking at the thermometer & talking about the heat till at last I have threatened to brak his thermometer if he won't shut up, you can see from this that since I began my letter, unpleasantness has gone & I no longer mind the heat, great as it is. Our ways of coiling ourselves are many - Punkahs are large frames of canvas stretched on wood from which a fringe hangs; they are suspended from the ceiling and swing by a rope pulled from outside the house. Khus Tatties are screens made from the roots of a kind of scented grass & when placed in a doorway & kept continually wet they cool the hot wind as it enters.

Thermantidotes are machines like a large winnowing machine which send a current or air through a shoot into the house, the sides of the machine being filled by Tatties the air is cooled as it enters it. The shoot of the machine generally goes through a hole made for it in a Tattie so that no chink is left for the heat to come in by. They think of me a salamandra as I read, write & sleep by day without any of these luxuries though a Thermantidote works day & night in our house.

With love to you all

Believe me

Your affect brother

R. Story

July 1878

I cannot understand your complaining of the wet weather when all the papers describe the heat as being positively dreadful - I wonder what they would think of a room over 100 & no breathe of fresh air to cool it, a ballroom at Calcutta the other night was 103, fancy dancing in that.

I told you I think in my last how much mistaken I was with regard to the music - please let me - "The lost chord" by Sullivan and "The Haunted Kikapoo" from some comedy - that is the sublime & the ridiculous.

I always imagined that the picture of Smith was by Zophany & was a corresponding picture to Handel by Denner. Zophany by the way visited this country and painted some Indian pictures.

I intend to bring or send you some photographs of this country in a style one seldom sees - I mean ordinary events of everyday life, they give one a good idea of what is seen every day - of course the most common photos are rajahs & such like swells or pictures of ruins & palaces not the humble peasant & his house.

You must mind and enjoy your holiday thoroughly as I am sure no one would deserve one more perhaps also with change of air your eyes will become stronger. I am rapidly getting rid of my ponies & horses & intend to buy a riding camel wherewith to astonish the world - as I say - Vere drives 4 ponies in hand in a curricle & Golightly 3 or even 4 one in front of the other, so I mean to stalk them majestically on my Uut.

The ship of the desert is a strange animal to ride & can play some awful tricks at times, but he is a good one to go; I was very near answering an advertisment for one belonging to an officer in the 4th Huzzars, but I heard that sometimes it could only be got to go my lighting a fire under it & burning a good portion of its hair off, rather pleasant when you are in a hurry!!

We have had three cases of cholera in the station, all fatal and a few cases of heat apoplexy, otherwise the place is generally healthy.

I had a blow the other day one of my dogs died at Kasanti of epilepsy quite suddenly. I never heard of the death of Uncle Ferdinand until I saw it in the paper - I suppose as the natives here say "His time has come." We are all very sorry to hear of the death of Col. King of the 13th N.I. at Malta - he was a great friend of mine & many pleasant days I have spent in his house at Naini Tal & here - he commanded his regt for 13 years & was universally liked.

My time for going on leave is soon coming, but I am still undecided where to go, as Gahan cannot get leave, & I have not yet heard if the bison jungles in Central India are open enough at this time of the year to give one a chance, anyhow I want to do some shikar. Bustard & Floriken with deer I can get easily but I want some big game.

I fear I have little more to tell you - the station is empty & nothing going on - except old time & he goes on in much the same way just now.

With love to you all

Believe me

Your affect brother

R. Story

I received yours of the 12th about a week ago giving me the account of the panther hunt, it was well that no-one was seriously hurt. But by far the most interesting part of your letter was the idea expressed of your return home. You said very little, but quite enough to raise my hopes, so perhaps we have a chance of seeing you this year. You do not say the reason why you think of returning home, I suppose that you have a chance of being kept on at the Fepot at Winchester this winter if it is possible & so arranged it would be a good break for you in many ways. I felt sure by your mode of living you would be spending far more than was wise or advisable that you should & unless one has a great deal of moral courage or self restraint it is very difficult to reduce ones expenditure, it is a wise plan to begin very moderately and then be able to increase ones expenses. For your own future good I should be glad therefore that you made a fresh start, for I feel that you will repent in after life your want of prudence now - for your own sake to begin with, for you little know if you will marry and have a family what the pulls are, & how very glad you wd be to feel then that your ???? was not clear, but that you had put by something against the day of necessity. Your opersonal income is about as much as I have to provide for six children on, and many an anxious thought & moment I have - still that one Hand that has upheld me though all keeps me day by day and I have the comfort of being able to close the year without stint, but I tell the boys, I can only do this depending on their steadiness and good conduct. I trust they will be well principled & guided through life, & that I may be spared to be a help to them - still life is very uncertain, & when I wrote to you I felt very frail, as tho' I were fast going away, and I looked at the children and wondered what would become of them, I hope I will be able to leave each child £__00 a year, but you know now what a little way that will go, & they would naturally look to you & your brother for a little help.

Oswald at once said, when I am a lieut & get more pay, I shall be able to help the others, & tho' at this present time I need none of them a day may come when they may need it - had yr father's mind not failed him £10,000 wd have been charged for younger children & as you three boys in such a sad way got your estates clear you are all morally bound to help the others in their time of need. I feel stronger now than when I first wrote to you - but not nearly as well as I did last year.

Kind Sir William Carmichael visited me in Spring (The next part of the letter is tirn off but they are planning to go to sea) for a month which will be delightful, the houses are on the beach, so that I will have no fatigue in walking and the sea air will be quite life giving. The College closed two days ago, &, I am glad to say with the boys doing well. Arthur was delicate enough at the close of term with an attack on the lungs but was able to go up for the best part of his exam (the rest of this is very tattered). Lou often talks about you and the "Begum" and all the fun you had together at Bingfield... pretty and delightful girl... & now I muist say goodbye, trsuting you will soon let me know what yr plans are, & Believe me

yr very Affect Mother

C.S.

September 1878

Your letter of the 30th July was forwarded to me at Weymouth. You seem to have had a nasty attack of prickly heat. I never had it but your father suffered much from it on the continent; I hope you have got rid of such a troublesome malady, & will not have a return of it.

It will be most interesting to us all the photos you promise, so you must not forget to send them if you cannot bring them - you say nothing more about your plans, so I suppose you have given up the idea of returning home; & I should think also of your intended shooting if the Ameer proves troublesome. I sent for the Army & Navy Gazette on Sat: to see the names of the regt sent up & hope tomorrow to get one. It is a good & wise move to get rid of your stud, I hope you were not a loser by the sale.

We saw the death of Col. King in the paper, I have an idea that there was a young lady to be admired in that house, some fortunate man has carried her off.

If fine tomorrow I will go to Bristol, & get the music for you & feel glad that in the end you liked Lou's selection.

Oswald will have told you of our family party at Weymouth. We made no friends there, I did not care, for I was only too glad of the rest & quiet. It was a pretty sea view , but the country frightful - I was forgetting that you know the spot well, having begin life there, & often we wished that you were there again that we might have had interchange visits. I was out twice in a boat, I am not a good sailor enough to enjoy it. I really was good the first time, as it was rough, & we all got very sick, but the next time the sea was smooth, & we got as far as Portland, & round the Thunderer which happened to be there, & having Oswald with us it added to the interest of the visit as he told us about the build of that wonderful ship. we were 5 weeks together at Weymouth, returning here on the 11th.

Edward has grown such a big fellow, out of his clothea & out of his bicycle, & I got him a wonderful bicycle that will last him years. He takes little tours on it now, & came up from Weymouth here on it. He left me on the 23rd for Malvern he is very happy there & certainly it agrees well with him, not that he learns much, or ever will. He has a nice mechanical turn if I only knew how he could put it to use. Arthur is now in the top form of the Junior & was to have gone into College this term only there was no room for him. Evelyn has been very sick with Jaundice as a result of a chill, & looks like a ghost, he is very delicate about his head, & cannot work much, he has been at home for the last fortnight, & tho' he prepared for school this morn, he felt too week to go.

I have your Aunt Clara staying with me till Oct 5th & Lou goes, if all be well, to Lucan on the 4th. The Hanfords have made great alterations there & your Aunt Clara who has just come from it says that it is really very nice, the rooms not being papered but done like a Swiss chalet in varnished wood. Lou proposes writing to you from Lucan so you will hear more about it. I hear the bots are turning out so well, good looking fine lads, Harry will leave Harrow for Woolwich in Oct, & Charlie is going into the church. It seems now such ages ago since you bought ferrets there, good old days to think over, we have all grown older & more sober times these days.

Oswald seems to like his life greatly at Portsmouth, & to be happier there than he was on board the Raleigh - he will be having holidays just like a school boy which will be great fun for us.

When at Weymouth your Aunt Emily paid me a visit, she was remarkably well & bright, & so was your Aunt Caroline & Uncle "J" tho' they never cease to feel the loss of little Fanny. They propose to move from N. Barrow in Nov, & go to a place called Lockenham near Swindon which will give them an additional £100 a year & a far better church & a more healthy climate. Your Aunt Fanny is at Ravello, & will stay there till november. She is very glad to see Emily again who I think you know married Pasquale, she says she looks delicate but seems happy in her new life.

People are coming in now for their winter quarters & we shall have a great deal of society this winter, & I hope to be more able to join in, & also to hear a little music, but I shall not do too much in that way until dear Lou comes back. She is looking very well & happy just now, & is to join in drawing lessons this winter; she wants to learn water colour painting, & is to take her first lesson today, she makes a fair attempt at flower painting, & wants to try something better now.

I must not forget to tell you that the pictures have arrived, we have hung Lady Rivers & Mr. Smith in the drawing room, & Uncle Robert & the Bishop in the dining room. Mrs. Geddes who was with me for a few days advised me not to let Mr. Smith into the hands of a picture dealer to revarnish it, as in so doing they often damage the painting, so of course I shall let it alone.

Arthur wished me to inform you that you have never taken the trouble to get any stamps for him, he is most anxious you should make a note of this as he is very anxious to get any Indian local, or post cards to add to his book; Oswald collected for him in all the directions he was in, & he wants you to do the same.

Believe me

Your affect Mother

Caroline Story

October 1878

I also lost two beautiful spaniels thatb were the admiration of everyone - I took them down from the hills into the heat too soon & they both died; I don't think I shall keep dogs out here again. You know my fondness for spaniels - I can teach the almost anything, but after losing three beauties & having to give away a fourth because she was hopelessly lame from sickness I have had enough of them.

I cannot get hold of a newspaper here so am at a loss to know what is going to become of the Cabul expedition, my impression is that here we have the beginning of an impending row with Russia, but I am lamentably in the dark.

Oswald's letter reached me a day or two ago, just before my last go of fever - he certainly has been very unfortunate in having had so much hard work for nothing - from what I have since heard, the Perack expedition deserved a medal just as much as the Ashanti only they hadn't a swaggering man like Sir Garnet Wolsley to command when possibly they would have got one.

By the way, don't be alarmed about my fever, it is a very common malady here - one is in bed one day & out at work the next - the day before yesterday I was almost mad with pain in my head & burning with fever & today I have just come in from shooting; the weather is getting cool & the breeze is delicious. My stay ion the hills was a curious one - I lived oin a native village, in a native house, in a native bed actually among the natives, a very rare thing for a European to do in this country. When I say I lived in the house, I mean in the veranda, for though I was among Gouds (a kind of aboriginal tribe) yet I could not enter certain parts of the house where they cook their food otherwise they would have to break up their fireplace & make another, however they did not mind me using their vessels & even my drinking out of some of them, which was very queer to me after seeing the fuss the Hindoos made if only my shadow fell on them.

The Gouds have a language of their own, but those who mix with plainsmen speak Hindustani - they know the haunts of game to a certainty & I soon got on with them, picking up their dialect with ease; they are utterly careless of comfort or cleanlinness, & not the least of the ills I, and my companions suffered from was sores on the legs & feet produced by the awful mud in the village lanes - also for two or three days consecutively at different times - the rain came right down through the roof & all so that we had to cower in corners or under trees to keep dry - we were alternately wet through with perspiration & alternately soaked by rain. No wonder that ourselves & the natives almost to a man had fever - the latter have it every year at the same time & accept it as destiny, but this child does not go there again in August & September in a hurry.

Oswlad's report on you all I was more pleased to get than anything as after long absence he speaks of all doing well except Arthur who won't grow big - I only hope he will mend of that as he grows older. May your trip wo Weymouth do you all the good in the world. Should this letter reach before you leave perhaps you might like to see the convict prison - Call upon Captain Clifton the governor, I used to know him very well, & I am sure you will se everything - like many old navel men he is very talkative, & tells most astounding stories, & he is only too pleased to show anyone round the prison - he would not be in the least astonished at a stranger calling upon him for that purpose.

Pennsylvania Castle is not much to see & hardly worth an expedition by itself, but you can take it in a general ramble round from Portland, but such I fear would be far too much for you, having to be done on foot; but I suppose Louisa & Oswald have already been there.

I cannot say anything yet about my chance of going home, as one of the men who was at the depot has just been transferred to the Battn. & I am not sure how that might affect my chance - Featherstonehaugh is the man - he comes from the station next to Mullingar on the Dublin side - I forget the name of it. You may remember my staying there for a few days once.

More news from Agra when I get there. The troops are returning from Cyprus - I met some of the in Jubbupore, they all joined in praising Malta & execrating Cyprus.

A subadur (Native Captain) of the second Goorkahs was venturesome enough to marry a Cypriot for whom I hear he paid 500/-; what sort of a bargain was that I wonder?

God bless you all

Believe me

Your affect brother

R. Story

November 1878

I have been laid up with fever & Ague almost ever since I last wrote to you, & was only allowed to take charge of my party on account of its small numbers, but I am all right again now & am rapidly recovering my strength. My orders were only given on Friday last & I had to start Monday which gave me very little time to arrange my affairs, especially as I was on the sick list & only able to go out for a couple of hours in the evening.

Our second Battn. is as Mooltan with the force encamped there. There is no chance of the 4th Battn. going as the men are very sickly & they are short of officers; we have been having 90 to 110 men in hospital daily, most of them being fever cases, & we have lost several lately from typhoid & other fevers; the percentage of sick is about 15!

No seems to be able to give a satifactory reason for the unusual prevalance of fever just now except that this is always a feverish season, & that the natives have been suffering equallt with us. The force collected on the frontier is just as badly off as any, but the cool weather is coming on & all sickness is disappearing. Our horses had a very narrow escape the other day. I was up & dressed but lying down when the doctore who was coming to see me ran in saying "Your stable is on fire." - we went out & found the roof just catching - in a moment the whole was in a blaze - fortunately the fire began in an empty stall & by dint of shouting we got the horses out of the others & turned the blaze; even then we had great difficulty in preventing their running in again, as they will do through any fire if they are allowed.

Luckily we are not responsible for the damage, which falls upon the landlord who can well afford it.

I am taking, or rather, shall try to take, a very remarkable kind of Cabuli dog, & a very fine snow white Cabuli cat; the former is a very strange beast, looks half like a bear & half like a monkey. The cat is really a very handsome creature; it was given to me by Golightly of the 2nd Battn. the dog by a man in the telegraph department in order that I might astonish the natives at home with the latest curiosity from Cabul.

Pustoo or Pushtoo, the Afghan language is now all the rage - they say the Russians have already a Pushtoo dictionary; it is a very mongrel language consisting principally of Persian.

If I ever come out here again I mean to study Persian, all the Nobles in the country speak it in preference to Hindustani which is such a miserable specimen of a language, being as its name Ordoo suggests, the language of the camp, or soldiers of all nations, who formed the armies of the Moghuls it is a mixture of Persian, Hindi, & Arabic, all modern appliances have to be expressed in English, there being no word for most of them.

With love to you all

I remain

Your affect son

R. Story

I must add one line to say that I am taking home a man who has been some 15 years or so in our mess, & who is taking his discharge after 20 years service - he is married, but has no family & is particularly steady, & a most trustworthy man having been for some time in charge of our mess plate.

I don't know if you have Williams still, or what you pay a man servant, & have not asked Hawkins what he would expect, but if you wish to secure the services of a really first rate man, I would strongly recommend you think of Hawkins. I may add that he has very high recommendations from several officers who have been in a position to judge his merits.

Our late mess Sergt also is on the look out for a situation as butler, he would make a first rate servant, but he is young & very good looking & so gentlemanly in his manners that the womenkind have a way of falling desperately in love with him, & sometimes when they happen to have husbands this complicates matters rather.

Also if you have no otherb plans arranged I would strongly urge you so consider Couper's Hill for Evelyn & Francis, from what I have seen & from what everyone tells me, Engineering in this country is a good profession, & equally good if not bettern is the Indian telegraph department - some of my best friends out here have been in the Railway or canals or Public Works or Telegraph departments, & they all seem to be well content with their situation & salaries, which is more than most Army men are, (but then every soldier has a grievance). The work also in these departments from its nature is such as to give a man the very best opportunity of standing the climate, being composed partly of outdoors & partly indoor labour, so that by judicious management no man need expose himself unnecessarily.