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21 May 58 Julius Azimgurh Mother Hyde Park Place (West) ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Azimgurh 21st May /58

My dear Mother

I have not heard from home now since March 15th (your date). There are however two mails now on their way from Calcutta & Bombay so hope to get a letter by one of them.

I received Peter’s letter from his Calcutta Agent. I suppose you will know all his news; how he is getting £350 a year in addition to the small allowances. He seems delighted. I am sure it is a fine opening for a man like him. I have no doubt he will do well away from home.

We had our first shower yesterday – one of the forerunners of the rainy season which commences in less than 3 weeks now. It does not ever rain as it would in England or a civilised country. Out here the old saying ‘it never rains but it pours’ is quite correct, for it seems to come down in one sheet.

Of course the rain makes the air cooler, which is a great blessing. It is still about 94 in the shade so that the punkah is going & the mats are having water thrown on them in order to cool the air as it passes through.

By the way, I have got into a sort of shed since I last wrote. There are a couple of us in; lots of holes knocked in the walls for the air to come through. It is quite a place compared to the old hut.

It is no use my attempting to give you any idea of what is going on in the fighting way as we only have reports – or worse, see the Calcutta papers.

I believe things are going on steadily. We cannot with our comparatively small numbers be all over the country at once. We are putting it down slowly but well. We shall require immense reinforcements continually as the English always die like rotten sheep the first wet season they are out, even when there is no work, but I believe the campaign is to proceed without interruption all weathers.

We are losing a good number of men here & I suppose now the Regt. is as comfortably put up as any, only two Companies under canvas.

We have a hanging [to] watch here occasionally. The other day I saw the Zamindar (or Head Man) of some village hung. He had rebelled against us, looted a loyal village & plundered all the houses of Europeans in the district as well as driven all the police away.

I had often heard they treated hanging with indifference, but I did not expect to see a man have his sentence read, make a salaam, walk calmly up the ladder, offer his head for the noose & stand without ever changing countenance or breathing hard.

There were half a dozen native police on the ground & 4 Englishmen of whom I was one. I suppose there were about 400 spectators who seemed to think it all right.

I am very much bothered with this very healthy ‘prickly heat’ but otherwise am very well.

Give my love to all. I am about to write to Teddy, Peter, John, so good bye from yr. affect. son

J D Laurie