It was in the year 1849 at the expiration of the Punjaub campaign under Lord Gough where I had been actively engaged as a subaltern officer in the (so-called) fighting brigade of General Sir Colin Campbell's division of the army adding my mite to the four successive victorious actions-Ramnugger Sadoolapore Chillianwallah and Guzerat-that I first conceived the idea of exploring Central Equatorial Africa.