Soldier and Traveller: Memoirs of Alexander Gardner Colonel of Artillery in the Service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

This book contains Colonel Alexander Gardner’s memoirs, titled Soldier and Traveller, recount his adventurous life spent in the Panjab kingdom during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, as well as his travels in the regions adjacent to or beyond the Panjab frontier. The memoirs provide a vivid portrayal of the potent figures and tremendous events that Gardner witnessed during his daring life. Gardner possessed a power of narration and description in a high degree, indicating his presence of mind, whether in distress or in peril, and his aptitude for accurate observation. Though his life-story is not as complete as it might have been under his own auspices, Major Pearse’s good care and skill have made it sufficiently so. Gardner’s memoirs illustrate the self-contained spirit of adventure in individuals which has done much towards founding the British Empire and may yet help in extending that Empire in all quarters of the globe. The memoirs also include useful memoranda regarding the several European officers employed together with Gardner in the service of Ranjit Singh.