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26 Aug 60 Julius Fyzabad Mother ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Fyzabad

26 – 8 – 60

My dear Mother

I must not let another week pass without giving you some tidings of Fyzabad & its inhabitants.

I was so pleased the other day to get my Father’s letter & surprised to see such a firm hand so soon after his illness. I am glad to see in G. O. * that John has ‘Six Months’ Leave to England which, of course, he can get renewed there. I don’t think I told you of the message I received from John & the Telegraph Clerk’s mistake. I was rather startled at the time of receipt. I was told ‘get leave or sell out’. The man thought it sounded better without an ‘I’ at the commencement. Luckily, I investigated the matter before acting on the advice.

Have you seen D^r Pennington yet? & have you abused me very much? I know I deserve it but will try & do better next time. Some day when I get rich & go to ‘Kashmir’, then we shall see – what we shall see. You will like D^r Riddaway. He is a very good little fellow, but will talk too much & sometimes non-sense.

I suppose John is well settled at home now, lucky dog. I agree with you his place should now be home. I am sorry to hear poor Aunt Lloyd is not getting over her sorrow. I wonder you don’t get her up near you. It would do her good. Things are all pretty quiet in our parts. I am slowly picking up a little of the language but have no intention of spending the remainder of my days (of course D.V.) * in India alone. I should not mind a Staff Appointment & lots of M.A.P. (equivalent to £sd) for a few years & then unless the U.B. fails or some other equally unforeseen event comes to pass, we will, I think, change our tactics.

They are, I am sorry to say, making the examination in languages rather stiff & I expect about July next you may see my name figuring among the list of ‘Spun at the recent Exam’. However, faint heart never won etc. so we will cheer up.

Tell my Father I congratulate him on the dividend of the U.B. & if he does hear from Cox & Co, he must put it all down to the successful recommendation of the U.B. Directors’ Arrangements. The fact is I am about to purchase a horse & after a severe fight, my better resolution is relinquished & I have determined to appeal again to Cox (?).

The rains are on now but we still keep up the Hunting, & last Wednesday had a fine Run. In the last two months I have run into twenty couple of Jackals & Foxes. The fields are now heavy & the crops high, which I am afraid will interfere rather for the present, with our sport. Rifle Drill & Pig Sticking come on soon, so we shall have our hands full. They have not yet published the list of Merit of Indian Regts, during last year, in firing. I know Ours is not the worst & this year we intend to do well.

Twelve o’clock gun just gone off, so with love to all

I am, yr affect Son

JDLaurie

* G.O. – General Orders

* D.V. – Deus volens (god willing)