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About The Book: 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. About The Author: Colonel Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner (1785–1877), also known as Gordana Khan was a traveller, soldier, and mercenary active in Afghanistan and Punjab, He held various military roles in the area, notably serving the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh. Gardner maintained a journal, but a significant portion of it was lost. Fragments were released in 1853, which caused controversy. His extraordinary exploits were so unbelievable that the geographer Sir Henry Yule doubted their veracity. In his later years, Gardner shared his adventures with several potential biographers, and following his death, the surviving material was published in a book titled "Soldier and Traveller: memoirs of Alexander Gardner," edited by Major Hugh Pearse. Hugh Wodehouse Pearse (1875-1911), a Colonel in the British Army's East Surrey Regiment, served from, including during the Afghan and Boer Wars. This individual also contributed articles to the Dictionary of National Biography from 1885-1900, which are identified by the initials "H.W.P." in Volumes 58 and 62. In addition to their writing contributions, they authored several books, such as "Soldier and Traveller: Memoirs of Alexander Gardner, Colonel of Artillery in the Service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh" (1898), "The Crimean Diary and Letters of Lieut.-General Sir Charles Ash Windham" (1897), "The Hearseys: Five Generations of an Anglo-Indian Family" (1905), "Memoir of the Life and Military Services of Viscount Lake, Baron Lake of Delhi and Laswaree, 1744-1808" (1908), and "The History of the East Surrey Regiment" (1916).