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THE 
 
 SIKHS AND AFGHANS, 
 
 IN CONNEXION WITH INDIA AND PERSIA, 
 
 IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE DEATH 
 OF 
 
 RANJEET SINGH. 
 
THE 
 
 SIKHS AND AFGHANS, 
 
 IN CONNEXION WITH INDIA AND PERSIA 
 
 IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE DEATH 
 OF 
 
 RANJEET SINGH: 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 JOURNAL OF AN EXPEDITION TO KABUL, THROUGH THE 
 PANJAB AND THE KHAIBAR PASS. 
 
 BY SHAHAMAT ALT: 
 
 M 
 
 PERSIAN SECRETARY WITH THE MISSION OF LIEUT. COL. SIR C. M. WADE, C.B. 
 
 TO PESHAWR IN 1839, AND NOW MIR MUNSHI TO THE 
 
 POLITICAL RESIDENT IN MALWA. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 
 
 1847. 
 
... . 
 
 * r • •• . .. • 
 
 
 
 ■•■■ 
 
 
 
 London : Printed bv W. Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Being a stranger to the English people, and 
 their language one foreign to my own, it may 
 be expected that I should give some account 
 of myself, the source to which I am indebted 
 for the little knowledge I possess, and the 
 motives which have encouraged me to publish 
 my Journal. 
 
 I owe my education to the benevolence of 
 the British Government in restoring, for the 
 benefit of Indian youths in Delhi and the 
 neighbouring provinces, the College founded 
 in the time of the Mogul emperors, which had 
 shared the fate of other public establishments 
 in that city on the decline of their empire. 
 
 On the 20th of October, 1832, Mr. J. H. 
 Taylor, the secretary to the Committee which 
 superintended the affairs of the college, sent 
 for me, and said that an application had been 
 received from Captain, now Sir C. M. Wade, 
 
 513259 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 and then political agent at Lodiana, for one of 
 the students who understood both English and 
 Persian; and that in consultation with Mr. 
 C. E. Trevelyan, who was then secretary to 
 the Resident at Delhi, and one of the greatest 
 friends and patrons of the Institution,* I had 
 been selected as a candidate for employment. 
 As I was desirous, however, of prosecuting my 
 English studies, I hesitated to accept the offer : 
 but being assured by Mr. Taylor, who like a 
 kind friend was deeply interested in our wel- 
 fare, that the situation I was to fill would be 
 highly beneficial to my worldly interests ; and 
 at the same time, that if I were resolved to 
 continue the study of English still further, I 
 should find time tcf do so, and improve my 
 mind by reading the most approved authors ; 
 I willingly agreed, and have often gratefully 
 remembered the advice of my respected patrons 
 and the paternal kindness with which I was 
 treated by them. I accordingly left the school 
 on the 30th of the same month, to join the 
 
 * Appointed on his return to England, in 1839, Joint 
 Secretary to the Treasury. 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 Captain at Lodiana, who was then preparing 
 to proceed on a mission to the courts of Lahore 
 and Bhawlpore to form treaties with those 
 states for opening the navigation of the Sat- 
 ledge and Indus, in pursuance of the Mission of 
 Lieutenant-Colonel, now Sir Henry Pottinger, 
 to Sindh, who had shortly before visited the 
 Amirs for the same purpose. 
 
 Before leaving school, I will briefly state 
 the cause of its restoration and its progress 
 since it became an English institution. 
 
 The British government, which had long 
 been anxious to extend the benefits of educa- 
 tion to its subjects, resolved in 1823 to restore 
 the Mahomedan College in its original form, 
 which continued till the arrival of Mr. Tre- 
 velyan, in 1827, who established in it an 
 English class, which my friend Mohan Lai 
 and myself were the first to join. Some 
 months after his plan was enlarged, and to- 
 wards the end of Earl Amherst's Government 
 (the first Governor- General who visited the 
 Imperial City and saw the state of the college), 
 on the recommendation of the Committee, it 
 
Vlil PREFACE. 
 
 was formed into a separate institution, now 
 known as "The Delhi English College." The 
 Committee was composed at that time of Mr., 
 now Sir Thomas, Metcalfe, Dr. Rankin, and 
 Mr. Trevelyan. Instruction in English was 
 then confined to the schools in Calcutta and 
 its vicinity. Assisted by the late Mr. Andrew 
 Stirling, then Persian Secretary to Govern- 
 ment, it is to these gentlemen that we owe the 
 facilities of learning their language and the 
 important privileges which it has conferred on 
 our country. 
 
 A selection of such of the Persian scholars 
 as were desirous of learning English was then 
 made from the Persian class : some boys from 
 the city also applied and were admitted. Mr. 
 Rennell, an East Indian, was appointed as 
 teacher in the infancy of the school. No 
 sooner had it commenced than the Molvies, or 
 Mahomedan professors in the Persian and 
 Arabic college, either from jealousy or from 
 the excess of their prejudice, declared that, by 
 beginning to receive an English education, we 
 had lost our creed ; and all the Mussulmans re- 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 garded us as infidels, and abstained from eating 
 and drinking with us. The consequence was, 
 that the Mahomedan boys, with the exception 
 of a youth named Hadi Hussein, myself, and 
 one or two others, left the English and re- 
 turned to the Persian school, and were imme- 
 diately readmitted into their caste, while we 
 continued for some time to be considered in 
 the light of Kafirs. At length, one day Mr. 
 Trevelyan asked the Molvies the reason of the 
 Mahomedan scholars having been excluded 
 from their faith. They could give no good 
 cause for it, and confessed that the study 
 of English was not prohibited by the Maho- 
 medan religion ; on which Mr. Trevelyan sug- 
 gested that we should be readmitted, to which 
 they agreed without any objection, and we were 
 again made Mussulmans in the superstitious 
 and self- founded opinion of the Molvies. This 
 was the only obstacle the school met with. 
 Afterwards the number of students was much 
 increased, and instruction in English diffused 
 on a more extensive scale than before. Mr. F. 
 Taylor, the son of Mr. J. H. Taylor, a person of 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 superior talents and learning, was appointed 
 the head teacher, while the scholars of the first 
 class acted as assistant teachers to instruct the 
 junior classes, being then only ten in number 
 altogether. There were six lads in the first 
 class, and they stood in gradation as follows : — 
 
 1st. Ram Kishan, a very clever and intelli- 
 gent scholar. 
 
 2nd. Myself. 
 
 3rd. Sheoparshad. 
 
 4th. Mohan Lai. 
 
 5th. Jawahir Lai. 
 
 6th. Hadi Hussein. 
 
 In the year 1831 my friend Mohan Lai was 
 taken away from the school by Lieutenant, 
 the late Sir Alexander Burnes, to accom- 
 pany him on his journey to Afghanistan, 
 Bokhara, and Persia. He had left the school 
 ten months before I quitted it in the manner I 
 have mentioned. Our schoolfellows, seeing us 
 depart to seek our fortunes in the world, were 
 ambitious of following us; and the kind patrons 
 whom I have named soon found opportunities 
 of providing for them. 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 Before I left the school I had — besides 
 the rudimental books in ancient history, viz. 
 the Histories of Greece and Rome, and the 
 History of England, by Goldsmith — gone 
 through four books of Euclid, an Abridgment 
 of Arithmetic, Keith's Use of the Globes, 
 and Guy's Geography. The above formed the 
 whole stock of my instruction in the English 
 language, and with it I departed from the 
 school, with little confidence that I could be of 
 much use in that branch of my duty to the 
 officer who was about to employ me. On my 
 arrival at Lodiana, I found Sir Claude Wade 
 had already started, and I therefore hastened 
 through the Panjab to join him at Pind Daden 
 Khan, near the Salt Mines on the river Jehlam, 
 where he was encamped with Ranjeet Singh. 
 The first thing he ordered me to do was to 
 keep a regular diary of every place we visited, 
 and to note down events of importance. Thus 
 I not only improved myself in English, but 
 acquired a habit of writing a journal, and con- 
 tinued the practice in the various Missions on 
 which that officer was employed. 
 
Xll PREFACE. 
 
 In 1837-8 I was deputed on a special duty 
 to Lahore, to convey some presents, and explain 
 the settlement of some local cases in dispute 
 between the two governments, on which occa- 
 sion I had the honour of receiving the appro- 
 bation of the Right Honourable the Governor- 
 General, Lord Auckland, for the reports I 
 submitted of my communications with the 
 Maharaja, and their satisfactory result. 
 , Shortly afterwards I accompanied my master 
 in the military expedition on which he was 
 sent to conduct Shah Zada Taimur, the eldest 
 son of Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk, with the Sikh 
 auxiliary force, by the Khaibar Pass to Kabul. 
 On that occasion I also kept a journal, which 
 I have been allowed to correct by comparing it 
 with that of Lieutenant (now Captain) J. D. 
 Cunningham, of the Bengal Engineers, who 
 kindly lent me his for that purpose, and 
 took much interest in encouraging me in my 
 studies. It is necessary to remind the reader 
 that the following pages having been mostly 
 written before the death of Ranjeet Singh, the 
 description of his court and its officers is no 
 
PKEFACE. Xlll 
 
 longer applicable ; but the mode in which 
 he conducted his administration, and the 
 increasing importance of passing events in 
 that quarter, have suggested their publication. 
 It is the misfortune of India, the conquest of 
 which has been termed "the brightest jewel in 
 the English crown/' that it should be so little 
 known by the distant nation which governs 
 its millions of fellow-subjects. I hope, for the 
 sake of my country, that their interests may 
 hereafter be better understood, and more truly 
 estimated. After giving these personal de- 
 tails, I can only express a hope that my imper- 
 fections will be pardoned; and that, having 
 long wished to visit England, I may venture 
 to offer the humble tribute of my pen as a 
 passport to the indulgence of the English, 
 should I ever be permitted to visit their great 
 country ; and as a token of gratitude to those 
 who have enabled me to write in their lan- 
 guage, and assisted me through life by their 
 countenance and favour. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Satledge — The Governor-General visits Ranjeet 
 Singh at Lahore — Makes a Convention with him — 
 Reviews — Various Festivities — Shah ZadaTaimur 
 takes leave of Lord Auckland — Sir Claude Wade's 
 Preparations for Departure — His Mission takes 
 leave — Ill-health of the Maharaja — His Avarice — 
 The Shah Zada is joined by some Afghan Nobles 
 from the service of Sultan Mahomed Khan, the ex- 
 chief of Peshawr ...... 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Government of Lahore — Mode of conducting 
 business — System of Administration — Habits of the 
 Maharaja — The Darbar — Disposition of the various 
 Officers of the Maharaja's Court — Governors of 
 Provinces — Revenue of the Maharaja's Dominions — 
 Strength, Organization, and Expense of his Army 14 
 
 b 
 
XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Ministers and other Officers of State, with a de- 
 scription of them — Raja Dhian Singh — Jemadar 
 Khoshal Singh — Bhaes Rham Singh, Govind Singh, 
 and Gormukh Singh — Faqir Azizuddin and his 
 brothers — Misser Beli Ram — Diwan Dinanath . 26 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The rise of Khoshal Singh — His humble position in 
 early Life — He enters the Army— Embraces the 
 Sikh Faith — Supplants Bastee Ram in the charge 
 of the Deodkee — Quarrels with Misser Diwan 
 Chand — His nephew, Teij Singh — His son, Ram 
 Singh — Residences of the family — Places held by 
 Khoshal Singh 38 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Passage of the Ravi — Nangal — Difficulties encoun- 
 tered by the Mission- — Nanake — Gujranwala, the 
 birthplace of Ranjeet Singh — Hari Singh — He is 
 defeated and killed at Jamrud by Mahomed Akbar 
 Khan — Ranjeet Singh resumes the whole of his 
 Jaghir — Colony of Kashmirians — General Avitabile 
 — His improvements at Vazirabad — Distant view 
 of the Himmalaya . . . . .46 
 
CONTENTS. XV11 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Panjabee Ferry — Gujrat— The adjacent country — 
 Khawaspura — Kharian — Death of General Allard 
 —Honours paid to his corpse by the troops at- 
 tached to the Mission — His funeral — Delay of the 
 Mission at Aurangabad — Order of march — Mr. 
 Lord — Letters to Ranjeet Singh — Salt Mines . 60 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Jammoo Family — Horrible treachery perpetrated 
 by them — They found a town — They increase 
 in wealth and power — Another dreadful tragedy — 
 Various Chiefs of this family — Rise of the Sikhs 
 — Youth of Ranjeet Singh — Anarchy — He an- 
 nexes Jammoo to his Dominions — Rapid rise of 
 Golab Singh — Raja Sultan Khan of Bhimber — 
 Conquest of Kashmir — Jaghirs . . .75 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Crossing the River Jehlam — The town of that name 
 — Its Revenue and Population — Cultivation of the 
 adjacent country — Timber — Boats used on the River 
 — Coins and other Antiquities discovered by Gene- , 
 rals Ventura and Court — Application to Ranjeet 
 Singh for expediting the progress of the Mission . 107 
 
XV111 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Fort of Rohtas — Anecdotes— The people of Kamla- 
 garh — A halt — News from Kabul — The Pass of 
 Bakrala — Freebooters — The Festival of the Eed — 
 Ruins — The Ghakars — Letter to Ranjeet Singh — 
 Rawat Kee Sarae— Its Antiquities — Manakiala — 
 Researches of General Ventura — The Sohan — 
 Rawelpindee — Gardens of Jahanghir — Traditions 
 — Afghans in the hills — The Indus — Plan of the 
 Operations of Lieut. Mackeson and Mr. Lord . 116 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Akora — The Khataks — Firoz Khan — His battles with 
 the Sikhs — Sayed Bahauddin seized by Akbar Khan 
 —State of Kabul — Pabhi — The Momands — River 
 Bara — Irrigation — Superstition of the people — 
 Machni — A Flood — A Robbery — Retinue of the 
 Shah Zada — Duplicity of the Court of Lahore 
 —Ill-health of the Maharaja — The Khaibar Chiefs 
 — Assistance afforded by General Avitabile — Pir 
 Mahomed Khan — An overture from Nawab Jabbar 
 Khan— Tura Baz Khan— State of Kabul . .187 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 News from Herat — Remissness of the Sikh Authori- 
 ties — A Darbar — Movements of Dost Mahomed — 
 The Khaibaris— Delays of the Sikhs—The Kha- 
 taks — Review of the Sikh Troops — Further Delays 
 —Arrival of the Sikh Army — It halts at Attok — 
 Force at Kabul — Excessive Heat— The Shah Zada 
 at Peshawr ........ 227 
 
CONTENTS. XIX 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Description of Peshawr — Taken from the Afghans 
 by the Sikhs — Its Climate — Productions — Popu- 
 lation — The Usafzaes — The Khalils — Revenue — 
 Administration of General Avitabile — Hatred of 
 the Mussulman population to their Sikh Rulers — 
 Manufactures ...... 258 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Distress of the Najibs — A Review — The Khaibaris — 
 Sultan Mahomed Khan — A Skirmish — Measures 
 of Akbar Khan — General Ventura — The Khaibar 
 Pass — State of Kabul — Defeat of Tura Baz Khan 
 — Kour Nao Nihal Singh — The Mahomedan Con- 
 tingent — A Meeting — Proclamation of Akbar 
 Khan — The Amir's Family removed from Kabul . 282 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Preparations for advancing — Supply of Water stopped 
 — Stockades erected — General Sickness — Death of 
 Ranjeet Singh — Skirmishing near the Pass — Ac- 
 tion with Sadat Khan — An Affray between the 
 Mussulmans and Sikhs near Jamrud — Return of 
 Sir C. Wade — His Force — Ill-feeling of the 
 Sikhs to the British Power — Enemies to be en- 
 countered ....... 365 
 
XX CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 March to Jubbagee — The Force is divided — View of 
 Ali Masjid — Gallantry of Lieut. Mackeson — An 
 Attack — Conduct of the Levies — Skirmishing — 
 Ali Masjid captured — Illness of Lieut. Barr — 
 Further Preparations for advancing — Dhaka — 
 Order issued by Sir C. Wade . . . .387 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Seven Wells — Shah Zada Jamhur rejoins the 
 Mission — Sadat Khan refuses to submit — Lalpura 
 is taken — Rewards to the Troops — Flight of Dost 
 Mahomed and Akbar Khan — Arrangements for 
 securing the Khaibar Pass — Official intelligence 
 received of the capture of Ghazni . . . 415 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Hazarnao — Order of March — Pillaging of the Sikh 
 troops — Jalalabad — Reception of the Prince there 
 — Stores left behind by Akbar Khan — Intrigues of 
 Raja Golab Singh — Chaharbagh — Tatang — Gan- 
 damak — Guns and Camp Equipage of Akbar Khan 
 taken — Jagdalak — Rash Measures of the Shah's 
 Government — Pass of Khurd Kabul— Troops pa- 
 raded previous to entering Kabul . . .431 
 
CONTENTS. XXI 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Shah Zada arrives at Kabul— The City—State 
 of the Country — Murder of Colonel Herring — 
 Misconduct of the Shah — Order of Merit — An 
 Execution — Sir C. Wade takes leave of the Shah 
 and of the Prince ...... 473 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Departure from Kabul — Correspondence with the 
 Ghilzae Chiefs — Adventures of Shah Zada Maho- 
 med Saleh — Murder of Sirdar Cheit Singh — Com - 
 munication with Sadat Khan — Ill-health of the 
 troops at Ali Masjid — Return to Peshawr — Sir C. 
 Wade takes leave of the Sikh troops — Outbreak of 
 the Khaibaris ...... 504 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The Khaibaris attack Lala China — Imminent Peril of 
 Captain Ferris— Supplies to Ali Masjid — The Sikhs 
 attacked by the Afridis — Further operations against 
 the Khaibaris — Little confidence to be placed in 
 the Sikh troops — Skirmishing near Lala China — 
 Baggage abandoned — Departure from Peshawr . 530 
 
XXI 1 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Our arrival at Lahore — Miserable condition of the 
 Maharaja Kharak Singh — He attempts to fly to the 
 British Frontier, but is overtaken and forced to re- 
 turn — Intrigues at the Court of Lahore — Tomb of 
 Ranjeet Singh — The Sikh Escort dismissed — Order 
 issued by the Governor-General relative to the 
 Operations of the Mission — Conclusion . . 543 
 
JOURNAL 
 
 SHAHAMAT ALL 
 
 Chapter I. 
 
 The Satledge — The Governor-General visits Ranjeet 
 Singh at Lahore — Makes a treaty with him— Reviews 
 — Various festivities — The Shah Zada takes leave of 
 
 - Lord Auckland — Preparations for departure — The 
 Mission takes leave — Ill-health of the Maharaja — His 
 avarice — The Shah Zada is joined by some Afghan 
 Khawanin from the service of Sultan Mahomed Khan. 
 
 The Governor- General of India (the Earl of 
 Auckland), after meeting Maharaja Ranjeet 
 Singh at Firozpore, where the army of the 
 Indus had been assembled preparatory to its 
 departure for Afghanistan, was specially in- 
 vited by his Highness to accompany him on 
 a visit to Lahore via Amritsir. His Lordship 
 and suite, attended by a large escort,* accord- 
 
 * Consisting of a European troop of horse artillery, 
 one regiment of native cavalry, and two battalions of 
 native infantry, 
 
 B 
 

 THE SATLEDGE. 
 
 ingly crossed the river below Firozpore, by a 
 bridge of boats on the 16th of December, 1838. 
 Before, however, I proceed with his Lordship 
 on his tour to Amritsir and Lahore, a brief 
 account of the ferries and the nature of the 
 river Satledge will be desirable. 
 
 The river Satledge is nowhere safely fordable 
 between its confluence with the Bias and Fi- 
 rozpore ; but last year a ford was found below 
 Mamdot : it was used, however, with extreme 
 difficulty and danger, on account of its quaggy 
 bed. About forty-seven years ago it is related 
 that a party of Kasoor troops, on an urgent 
 occasion, forded the river near the village * of 
 Nalcha, six kos below Firozpore. It is a com- 
 mon opinion among the natives that the 
 Satledge is never fordable ; but I learn from 
 authentic sources that it is very erroneous, and 
 that the river can be crossed by fords every 
 year in many places above Harikee ; but it is 
 difficult to ascertain them with accuracy, as 
 their discovery would materially affect the 
 interests of the boatmen, who, being the only 
 persons having a knowledge of them, try their 
 
FERRIES AND BOATS. d 
 
 best to conceal the fact. I have been told by a 
 native of Harikee that the Satledge becomes 
 fordable at a place a little distance below that 
 ferry ; but, as the river is liable to very great 
 changes in its course, it is not probable that 
 the ford can be always found in the same spot. 
 The ferries between Harikee and Firozpore 
 are as follows : — 
 
 Harikee, Nagarka, 
 
 Bhao, Bara, 
 
 Asyake, Bareke. 
 
 Pallee, 
 Above the confluence of the two rivers, as 
 far as Roper, there are numerous ferries, of 
 which Talwend, Filore, and Tihara, are the 
 principal. The boats are of a peculiar con- 
 struction, very flat and shallow, rising to a 
 point at the stern, and quite square at the other 
 end (forming in shape an acute angle), but they 
 are well calculated for the use to which they 
 are applied ; they are moved across the river 
 by poles, and are not suited to any other 
 kind of navigation. 
 
 In his progress to Lahore, as well as during 
 
 b2 
 
4 LORD AUCKLAND AT LAHORE. 
 
 the Governor-General's presence at that place, 
 the Maharaja showed him every attention 
 due to the dignity of his exalted station. Lord 
 Auckland was the first of the British Indian 
 Governors who had stepped as a friend in the 
 Panjab. After visiting Amritsir, where he 
 was entertained in a style by the Maharaja 
 worthy of the magnificence of the Sikh court, 
 and amused by the sight of their holy temple, 
 which was illuminated for the occasion, and saw 
 the famous fortress of Govindgarh where his 
 treasures are kept, his Lordship, accompanied 
 by his host, went to Lahore. On encamping 
 near the celebrated gardens of Shalamar he 
 was again entertained by Ranjeet Singh, and 
 conducted thither by his son Kour Kharak 
 Singh about an hour before dusk. The gardens 
 were illuminated in a grand style, and the 
 fountains playing freely, and fireworks let off, 
 which produced a very interesting scene, and 
 highly gratified the party. 
 
 The following morning, the 21st of Decem- 
 ber, the camp moved to Lahore and pitched 
 to the west of the city between the river and 
 
A REVIEW. O 
 
 the fort, on a fine green plain across a 
 branch of the Ravi, on one side of which are 
 some hunting preserves, and on the other a 
 succession of gardens belonging to the Ma- 
 haraja or his courtiers, where he inspects his 
 troops and passes much of his time when stay- 
 ing at Lahore. Accompanying each other, the 
 Governor-General and his Highness, on their 
 way to the camp, passed through the city, and 
 while his Lordship remained at Lahore his 
 time was employed as follows : — 
 
 On the evening of the 22nd of December 
 was a review of the Sowars, composed of the 
 Maharaja's own household, irregular cavalry, 
 and the contingents of his relatives Sirdars 
 Atr Singh and Ajit Singh, Sindhanwalia. In 
 the course of the interview a reference was made 
 to Sultan Mahomed Khan, who had been in- 
 troduced to Lord Auckland the night before, 
 regarding the force of his brother Dost Ma- 
 homed Khan and the other members of the 
 Barakzai family at Candahar. Ranjeet Singh 
 then spoke of the anxiety of his people to have 
 the conditions relative to the return of the 
 
6 TREATY WITH RANJEET SINGH. 
 
 army through the Panjab settled, that nothing 
 might remain to be discussed or explained 
 when the time came. These conditions were, 
 First, not to permit the slaughter of kine. 
 Second, not to allow the present to be a pre- 
 cedent for the future passage of the British 
 troops through the Sikh country. Third, that 
 the usual marks of respect and consideration 
 to his government should be observed on the 
 part of the British army. 
 
 23rd. — The Governor-General, in company 
 with the Honourable the Misses Eden, in the 
 afternoon, went to see the tombs of Jahangir 
 and the famous Noor Mahal, across the Ravi. 
 He was attended by Kour Sher Singh. Dur- 
 ing the absence of his Lordship the gentlemen 
 of his suite paid a visit of ceremony to Kour 
 Kharak Singh. 
 
 24th. — About 9 a.m. the contingents of Raja 
 Hira Singh, Raja Golab Singh, and Raja 
 Seocheit Singh, were paraded for inspection, 
 and appeared a fine body of feudal cavalry. 
 In the evening a review of Sultan Mahomed 
 Khan's contingent took place, which, consisting 
 
ENTERTAINMENTS. 7 
 
 of Afghans, formed a novel sight when con- 
 trasted with the showy dresses and martial air of 
 the others. Though he has dispossessed him 
 of authority in Peshawr, the Maharaja has 
 found it prudent to keep Sultan Mahomed 
 Khan and his brothers in that territory, by 
 conferring large jaghirs on them in lieu of 
 military service. After these reviews Lord 
 Auckland and his host conferred privately 
 together. 
 
 25th, — Christmas day, passed in camp. In 
 the evening visited some of the gardens ad- 
 joining the palace. 
 
 26th. — Visit of his Lordship to the fort, and 
 an entertainment in the evening, when it was 
 brilliantly illuminated. The Maharaja took 
 that opportunity of showing his palace and 
 displaying his costly jewels to his guests. 
 The ladies were invited to the party, and were 
 delighted with the exhibition. 
 
 27th. — A hunting party was arranged in one 
 of the preserves near camp, but the game was 
 scarce, and disappointed the sportsmen. 
 
 28th. — In the morning the British troops 
 
8 LORD AUCKLAND TAKES LEAVE. 
 
 were shown by his Lordship to Kour 
 Kharak Singh and Naonihal Singh. Ranjeet 
 Singh, owing to symptoms of a recurrence of 
 his old illness,* not being able to attend in 
 person, hearing of which the common people 
 began to believe that his English guests had 
 wrought some spell upon him. In the evening 
 the parting interview took place, on which 
 occasion his Lordship introduced to the Ma- 
 haraja, Shah Zada Taimur, the eldest son of 
 Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk, who was to proceed with 
 Lieutenant-Colonel, now Sir Claude Martine, 
 Wade, through the Khaibar Pass to Kabul. 
 The plan of operations was explained, and the 
 Governor-General expressed his assurance of 
 the cordial support and co-operation of that 
 part of them which had devolved by treaty on 
 the Sikh government, to which his Highness 
 willingly assented, after which the usual pre- 
 sents were produced, and Lord Auckland took 
 leave, accompanied by Kour Sher Singh, who 
 is a polite and courteous person. He had been 
 acting as Mehmandar to his Lordship during 
 * Paralysis. 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. ^ 
 
 his visit, and was directed to attend him on 
 his return to the left bank of the Satledge. 
 
 In the evening of the same day the Shah 
 Zada visited his Lordship to take leave. He 
 was received with the honour due to his rank, 
 and after receiving some words of good advice 
 for his future guidance, the prince was dis- 
 missed with suitable presents He is a well 
 disposed young man, and seems entirely at- 
 tached to the English. # 
 
 From the 1st to the 12th of January, 1839, 
 the time was employed in collecting the per- 
 sonal escort intended (agreeably to the treaty 
 between the British Government, Shah Shuja- 
 ul-Mulk, and Ranjeet Singh) to accompany 
 the Shah Zada from the Sikh government* 
 and in providing him with his marching 
 equipage and other necessary establishments 
 for his approaching journey. In the meantime 
 the camp was removed to the ghat or ferry 
 on the Ravi, and pitched in the order in which 
 it was hereafter to encamp. 
 
 * As has been proved by his conduct during the dis- 
 asters in Afghanistan. Vide the despatches of the late Sir 
 W. Nott and Major Rawlinson from Candahar. 
 
 B 3 
 
10 ILL HEALTH OF RANJEET SINGH. 
 
 Notwithstanding the sickness of the Maha- 
 raja, minute attention was paid by him to 
 every requisition. But the dilatory manner in 
 which his orders were executed caused some 
 delay. At length every preparation was com- 
 pleted, owing to the strict and constant en- 
 deavours of the Lieut.-Colonel, to whose care 
 and guidance the whole of the expedition on 
 the Peshawr frontier was entrusted by the 
 British Government. 
 
 N On the morning of the 12th inst., Sir 
 Claude Wade, accompanied by the other offi- 
 cers attached to his Mission,* proceeded to the 
 
 * " Lieut.-Colonel Wade, political agent and chief of 
 the Mission; Lieut. Cunningham, 1st assistant to ditto; 
 P. B. Lord, Esq., Bombay Medical Service, an assistant 
 in the political department to Mr. MacNaghten (doing 
 duty) ; Lieut. Maule, artillery, assistant in the political 
 department; Lieut. Dowson, 5th regt. Native infantry, 
 ditto ; Lieut. Barr, H. A., ditto, and commanding detach- 
 ment of horse artillery ; Lieut. Hillersdon, 53rd N. I., 
 assistant in the political department ; A. Reid, Esq., 
 Bengal Medical Service, in medical charge of the Mis- 
 sion ; Capt. Farmer, 21st N. I., commanding British 
 troops ; Lieut. Corfield, ditto ; Capt. Ferris, 20th N. I. ; 
 Lieut. Rattray, ditto, adjutant to British troops." — Barr's 
 Journal from Delhi to Peshawr to join Sir Claude 
 Wade, published in 1844, pp. 219, 220. 
 
HIS AVARICE. 1 1 
 
 palace to take leave of his Highness. His 
 health was now very declining ; he had almost 
 entirely lost the faculty of speech, and could 
 hardly stammer a few words. One of his 
 oldest and best officers, named Bhae Mahu 
 Singh, was appointed to attend us to Peshawr, 
 and see our wants readily supplied. The 
 Maharaja stated that he had ordered his 
 army to assemble, and that it would follow 
 after the Holi festival ; before which, with re- 
 ference to the advance of the Shah with the 
 British troops via Shikarpore to Candahar, 
 and the necessity of a simultaneous eo -opera- 
 tion between the two armies, the presence of 
 his army was not required. He also ex- 
 pressed his wish of proceeding with it himself, 
 in which Sir Claude earnestly joined. As, 
 from his feeble state, his Highness could not 
 endure the fatigue of sitting with convenience 
 any longer, the usual presents were brought 
 and delivered to each officer of the party, 
 including myself. I was astonished on this 
 occasion to find that the pair of shawls which 
 formed a part of my khilat, or dress of honour, 
 
12 SULTAN MAHOMED KHAN, 
 
 was kept back, in lieu of a pair which the 
 Maharaja was pleased to confer on me a few 
 days before, when I waited on him with a mes- 
 sage from Sir Claude Wade. Although on 
 former visits he usually granted me some pre- 
 sent or other, yet he never made any deduc- 
 tion from the khilat which is formally given 
 on the day of dismissal. It shows that his 
 avarice increases with his age and the disap- 
 pointments of his life ; for it is only of late 
 that his Highness has shown such a covetous 
 disposition. The Maharaja lastly requested 
 that Sir Claude would constantly write and 
 report to him our progress ; and then the 
 Mission took leave of his Highness and his 
 officers, and returned to the camp. 
 
 It is worthy of remark that, soon after our 
 arrival at Lahore, several Afghan Khawanin, 
 or men of noble descent, in the service of 
 Sultan Mahomed, being disaffected to their 
 master, wished to desert him and join the 
 Shah Zada. They made overtures on the 
 subject ; but Sultan Mahomed Khan being 
 one of the feudatory Barakzai chiefs of the 
 
AND HIS FOLLOWERS. 13 
 
 Sikh government, it was thought that to 
 encourage them would have been considered 
 unbecoming the friendly relations of the three 
 states ; but as, on the other hand, it would 
 discourage other Afghans from joining the 
 Shah Zada, the mutter was treated with in- 
 difference, and they were allowed to follow 
 their own inclinations. After a time, they 
 almost every one of them joined the Shah 
 Zada, and continued to serve him. Among 
 others, Khan Mahomed Khan, the son of 
 Yar Mahomed Khan, Popalzai, was the first 
 who joined the Shah Zada. His father is at 
 Herat, to which he and his son retired after 
 the flight of the Shah from Candahar. They 
 joined the Shah on his last expedition at 
 Shikarpore. The son appeared at Lahore with 
 twenty Sowars, accompanying Sultan Ma- 
 homed Khan from Peshawr ; but encamped 
 separately from him when they joined the 
 Shah Zada. Sultan Mahomed Khan sent him 
 many messages to come to his camp, but he 
 declined the offer. 
 
( 14 ) 
 
 Chapter II. 
 
 The Government of Lahore — Mode of conducting busi- 
 ness — The Governors — Habits of the Maharaja — The 
 Darbar — Disposition of the various officers of the 
 Maharaja's court — Governors of provinces — Revenue 
 of the Maharaja's dominions — Strength, organization, 
 and expense of his army.* 
 
 The government of Lahore is a pure despotism, 
 and the entire direction of its affairs, foreign 
 or domestic, is, according to the Oriental 
 saying, on the tongue of his Highness. Al- 
 though some of the courtiers are men of wis- 
 dom and intelligence, and the Maharaja has a 
 share of that consideration and respect which 
 every ruler must have for the prejudices and 
 opinions of his countrymen, yet, possessed of a 
 vigorous mind himself, and having a great re- 
 liance on his own penetration and judgment, 
 he is generally guided by his own opinions, 
 though he may ask that of his courtiers. 
 
 * Since this journal was written great changes have 
 taken place in the court of Lahore ; almost all the prin- 
 cipal persons mentioned have died of violent or natural 
 deaths, and the army been destroyed. 
 
CONDUCT OF BUSINESS. 15 
 
 In affairs of importance he consults the 
 Grunth, the religious book of the Sikhs, and 
 often acts as he is guided by that oracle. His 
 correspondence with foreign states, as well as 
 with his own functionaries, is solely dictated 
 by himself; and, though illiterate, he exercises 
 a minute criticism in correcting the diction of 
 his secretaries. An habitual reserve in matters 
 of business forms a striking feature of his cha- 
 racter. It is an invariable rule with him never 
 to mention his object to any one until the time 
 for execution has arrived. 
 
 During the early part of his reign, he and the 
 other Sikh chiefs had no system of official re- 
 cords ; business was conducted by verbal orders, 
 and continued so with Ranjeet Singh until Di- 
 wan Bhowani Das, a clever native of Peshawr, 
 was employed. When he came into his service 
 he divided the transaction of the affairs of state 
 into different offices or departments, keeping 
 the accounts, farming of districts, and preserv- 
 ing every record of importance, commenced 
 only from that period. At present there are 
 twelve Daftars or offices where the civil and 
 military business of the government is arranged. 
 
16 GOVERNORS. 
 
 Diwan Dinanath is at the head of them. For- 
 merly, neither were there any forms for the 
 Deodhee ; * they were introduced about the 
 same time. Bhae Ram Singh, and Bhae Go- 
 vind Ram, and Faqir Azizuddin, assist his 
 Highness in civil affairs; the Faqir also 
 acts the part of chief secretary for foreign 
 affairs. The letters to functionaries are also 
 frequently written by him. Misser Beli Ram, 
 a respectable Brahmin, is in charge of the re- 
 galia and the treasury. A separate account of 
 these functionaries will be given, and no obser- 
 vations need therefore be made on their merits 
 or character here. 
 
 The affairs of the country are conducted by 
 means of Governors or Kardars, who are ap- 
 pointed to each district. They manage the 
 whole business connected with the administra- 
 tion of the territory entrusted to them, and 
 seldom report any case to the court unless it be 
 of high importance, when his Highness's orders 
 are communicated by issuing Parwanas.'f The 
 
 * Corresponding with the Lord Chamberlain's office, 
 literally the entrance to the court, 
 t Official orders. 
 
H ABITS OF THE MAHARAJA. 1 7 
 
 settlement of the revenue, the audit of accounts, 
 and their adjustment, both in the military and 
 civil department, are done entirely by the 
 Maharaja ; but in the last two or three years, 
 owing to his bad state of health, he has 
 sometimes delegated that duty to Raja Dhian 
 Singh. He has news-writers in every quarter 
 of his dominions, and the news of foreign 
 courts is always read to his Highness in the 
 morning. 
 
 His Highness disposes of his time in the fol- 
 lowing manner : — In the morning and evening 
 he always goes out either on horseback or in a 
 litter to take the air; when in ill health he 
 seldom denies himself that exercise, or even 
 in rainy or stormy weather. After his ride in 
 the morning fie takes a hasty breakfast, and 
 then holds his Darbar* and sometimes on 
 the plain under the shade of a tree or a camp, 
 which continues till twelve o'clock. The whole 
 business of the day is transacted by him with 
 rapidity and despatch during that time. When 
 the Darbar is over, the Maharaja takes a 
 short repose of half an hour only, when he 
 * Court of audience. 
 
18 THE DARBAR. 
 
 resumes his seat, and hears the Grunth for 
 about one hour and a half. After that cere- 
 mony he again takes the air. In these ex- 
 ercises he generally employs himself in in- 
 specting his troops, or other military exercises, 
 or receiving the petitions of his people. 
 
 With the exception of the five functionaries 
 already named, the annexed list contains the 
 names of the other courtiers, chiefs, and mili- 
 tary commanders who attend the Darbar. 
 Nearly all the old Sikh Sirdars or chiefs are 
 now extinct. Those only of them who survive 
 are Sirdars Jawend Singh, Mowakil, Dhuna 
 Singh, Malwai, and Sham Singh, Atariwala, 
 but they possess very little influence in the 
 court. The rest are either the descendants of 
 old families or the creations of a few days, 
 owing their rise to His Highness. 
 
 Sirdar Atar Singh, \ Sindhanwalia the rela- 
 
 Sirdar Ajit Singh, and I tions of the Maha- 
 
 Sirdar Lehna Singh, J raja. 
 
 Sirdar Lehna Singh Majithia. 
 
 Sirdar Sham Singh, the father-in-law , 
 
 of Kour Naonihal Singh, 
 Naonihal Singh and Sirdars Jei Singh V Atariwala. 
 
 and Jagat Singh, 
 Sher Singh and Karam Singh, 
 
THE DARBAR. 19 
 
 Sirdar Dhuna Singh, Malwai. 
 
 Sirdar Jawend Singh, Mowakil. 
 
 Pertab Singh, the son of the late Jawala Singh, Bherania. 
 
 European Military Officers of the Regular 
 
 Army : — 
 General Allard, lately dead. 
 General Ventura. 
 M. Avitabile. 
 
 M. Court, besides several others, viz. : Messrs. Foulkes, 
 Steinbach, &c., with inferior commands.* 
 
 Native Officers of Rank : 
 General Teij Singh. 
 
 General Ram Singh, the son of Jemadar Khoshal Singh. 
 General Misser Sukhraj, to each of whom the Maha- 
 raja has given separate divisions of his army. 
 
 All the other officers and functionaries at 
 the time of Darbar wait in the outer yard 
 next to the palace : when any one is required 
 he is sent for to the presence. 
 
 Besides the above Sirdars, Sirdar Cheit 
 
 Singh and Sirdar Mangul Singh, who are 
 
 called the ministers of Kour Kharak Singh 
 
 and Diwan Hakim Rae and Sirdar Fateh 
 
 Singh, those of Kour Naonihal Singh, attend 
 
 the court in the company of their masters. 
 
 * MM. Avitabile and Court are also styled generals by 
 courtesy. 
 
20 DISPOSITION OF THE COURT. 
 
 The Sirdars and officers of the Maharaja's 
 court are for the most part well disposed towards 
 Kour Kharak Singh and Naonihal Singh, and 
 have respect for their authority, but they are 
 not so well affected towards Kour Sher 
 Singh. A bad feeling also prevails between 
 the latter and Kour Kharak Singh and his 
 son. The Jammoo family and Jemadar 
 Khoshal Singh were not formerly on good 
 terms ; but at the last great fair of the Komb 
 held at Hard war, Raja Golab Singh and the 
 Jemadar, who met there, exchanged turbans 
 with each other standing in the water of the 
 Ganges,* since which they have always re- 
 mained intimately allied. All the other Sir- 
 dars are generally on good terms with the 
 Jammoo family, either from inclination or 
 necessity. Sirdar Ajit Singh of the Sindhan- 
 walia family has lately exchanged turbans 
 with Raja Hera Singh, but Jemadar Khoshal 
 Singh on the one hand and the Sindhanwalias, 
 four Bhaes, and the Missers on the other, are 
 not on good terms, and try to injure each 
 * A solemn mode of reconciliation. 
 
GOVERNORS. 2 1 
 
 other. The Missers and the Rajas have also 
 had a difference, which is scarcely healed It 
 took place between Raja Dhian Singh and 
 Misser Ram Kishan, the brother of Beli Ram, 
 on account of the latter having been stopped on 
 his entrance at the Deodhee when he proceeded 
 as usual to the " Darbar," and high words were 
 exchanged on either side, which went so far 
 that the Raja proposed to resign, but the officers 
 of the court interposed, and brought about a 
 partial reconciliation . 
 
 The following is the list of the chief func- 
 tionaries or Governors appointed to the several 
 provinces within the Maharaja's dominions, 
 showing their names and the amount of revenue 
 derived from each province ; — ^ 
 
 Amount in Rupees, 
 
 Diwan Savvan Mai, the governor 
 
 ofMultan . . . 38,98,550 
 
 Misser Roop Lai, the governor of 
 
 Doaba of Jalandar . . 18,72,902 
 
 Eaja Gholab Singh, in charge of 
 
 - the country lying between the 
 
 Chinab and the Jehlum . 25,45,0&0 
 
 Raja Socheit Singh, of the dis- 
 trict of Vazirabad . 10,55,726 4 
 
22 REVENUE. 
 
 Amount in Rupees. 
 
 Sardar Lehna Singh Majithia of 
 
 Manjha, and the territories in 
 
 the hills between the Satledge 
 
 and Ravi . . . 14,87,475 
 
 Mian Singh, the governor of 
 
 Kashmir .... 36,75,000 
 M. Avitabile, the governor of 
 
 Peshawr . . . 18,34,738 
 
 Besides the above, there are other officers 
 and Kardars, such as the sons and nephews of 
 the Faqirs and the Missers, &c. who govern 
 small districts. The remittances made by 
 these officers are mostly by means of Hund- 
 wis on Amritsir. No sum is received from 
 Peshawr. The revenue of that province is 
 consumed there, and large remittances made 
 from court to pay the force employed in 
 that quarter. The capture of Peshawr has 
 been an expensive conquest to the Maha- 
 raja. 
 
 The whole revenue derived from the country 
 within the rule of his Highness is said to 
 amount to three crores twenty-seven thousand 
 seven hundred and sixty-two rupees, which 
 is derived from the following sources : — 
 
THE MAHARAJA'S ARMY. 23 
 
 Rupees. 
 
 Khalsa 1,96,57,172 
 
 Jaghirs given to different people 87,54,590 
 
 Khirajdars . . ' . . 12,66,000 
 
 Transit duties between Akora and 
 
 the Satledge . . . 5,50,000 
 
 Total of Rupees . 3,00,27,762 
 
 I shall now briefly touch on the strength, 
 organization, and expenses of the Maharaja's 
 army. 
 
 Maharaja Ranjeet Singh has a large and 
 well-disciplined army. It is better regulated 
 than that of any native chief in India. He 
 himself, being passionately fond of the military 
 profession, has chiefly devoted his attention to 
 the organization of his army. 
 
 It consists of 31 regiments of infantry, 9 
 regiments of cavalry, and 288 pieces of artil- 
 lery of various calibre, of which 143 pieces 
 are drawn by horses, 147 by bullocks, and 8 
 howitzers, besides 11,800 irregular Sowars. 
 Nearly one-half of his regular army is com- 
 manded by the French and other European 
 officers, and the rest by his native officers. 
 
24 THE MAHARAJA'S ARMY. 
 
 Besides these troops the following are fur- 
 nished by the Jaghirdars. 
 
 Irregular Sowars, 6460. 
 
 Regular infantry, 9 regiments. 
 
 Ditto cavalry, 5 regiments. 
 
 Horse and bullock artillery, 87 pieces. 
 
 Of these regular troops three regiments of 
 infantry and two regiments of cavalry are fur- 
 nished by Kours Kharak Singh and Nao- 
 nihal Singh, and four regiments of infantry 
 and one regiment of cavalry by the Jam moo 
 family, while two regiments of infantry are 
 provided by Sirdar Lehna Singh, Majithia and 
 Jemadar Khoshal Singh, and the two other re- 
 giments of cavalry by the Sindhanwalia family 
 and Sirdar Lehna Singh. 
 
 The troops forming his garrisons in different 
 forts, and the establishments maintained for 
 police and other purposes, are not included in 
 the above enumeration. The annexed is the 
 statement of the annual expense incurred by 
 the Maharaja in the payment of his regular 
 army :— 
 
THE MAHARAJA'S ARMY. 25 
 
 
 Rupees. 
 
 Infantry, 31 regiments 
 
 28,09,200 
 
 Cavalry, 9 regiments . 
 
 24,53,656 
 
 Horse artillery, 288 pieces . 
 
 3,24,864 
 
 Irregular Sowars, 11,800 . 
 
 72,08,562 
 
 Total rupees 
 
 1,27,96,482 
 
 A great many deductions are made from the 
 pay of the troops, which reduce the actual 
 expenditure considerably. They are armed 
 and clothed by the state, and, with the excep- 
 tion of two or three battalions commanded by 
 the English officers, are organised according to 
 the French system. The men composing the 
 army are almost entirely Sikhs, with whom 
 the regular service of the Maharaja is popular. 
 In enduring fatigue, absence from the pre- 
 judices of caste, and patience of discipline, 
 the Sikh is not easily surpassed. He only 
 requires the skill of European officers and 
 instructors to make him an excellent soldier.* 
 
 * They have established their military fame by their 
 gallant conduct in the late war. 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 Chapter III. 
 
 The Ministers and other Officers of State — Raja Dhian 
 Singh — Jemadar Khoshal Singh — Bhaes Rham Singh, 
 Govind Singh, and Gormukh Singh — Faqir Azizuddin 
 — Nuruddin — Misser Beli Ram — Diwan Dinanath. 
 
 RAJA DHIAN SINGH. 
 
 Raja Dhian Singh, besides having charge 
 of the Deodhee, may be called the prime mi- 
 nister of his Highness, if that title be not mis- 
 applied to a ruler who governs chiefly by him- 
 self. The Raja is the channel of conveying 
 the petitions and representations of the people, 
 and carrying the Maharaja's orders regarding 
 them into effect. At night, when he returns 
 from the court, he is in the habit of holding a 
 Darbar in his own house, which the officers 
 of the army and some of the Sirdars also 
 attend, to facilitate the transaction of their 
 business with his Highness. The reports of 
 such of the troops as may be present at court 
 are likewise received at the same time, and the 
 
RAJAH DHIAN SINGH. 27 
 
 necessary orders issued regarding them with- 
 out consulting the Maharaja, excepting in 
 cases of an important nature. The recruits 
 entertained are now also passed by Raja Dhian 
 Singh, but the orders connected with the move- 
 ment and despatch of troops, and with regard 
 to their pay, clothing, and promotion, originate 
 solely from his Highness himself. 
 
 The Maharaja places great confidence in the 
 Raja's good sense and fidelity, and considers 
 him one of his sincerest friends. He entrusts 
 him with the investigation and settlement of 
 affairs of importance both in the financial and 
 judicial departments of the state; and the 
 mildness and propriety of conduct with which 
 he transacts his business is not among the least 
 of his good qualities and claims to approbation, 
 since he has held his present high office at the 
 court of Lahore. The power which the two 
 elder Jammoo Rajas have of late years been 
 acquiring is chiefly owing to the great in- 
 fluence which the constant presence of Raja 
 Dhian Singh at court enables him to exercise 
 in the affairs of their family. 
 
 c2 
 
28 JEMADAR KHOSHAL SINGH. 
 
 JEMADAR KHOSHAL SINGH. 
 
 The Deodhee was formerly in charge of Je- 
 madar Khoshal Singh ; but on account of the 
 arbitrary use he made of his power, he dis- 
 gusted both the people and the officers of the 
 state, and it was taken from him, and given to 
 Raja Dhian Singh. At present no distinct 
 duty is assigned to him, but he regularly at- 
 tends the Maharaja as a matter of ceremony. 
 When his Highness inspects the troops, the 
 Jemadar is generally employed in the execu- 
 tion of his orders, and in regulating their 
 movements. He may be termed the aide-de- 
 camp of the Maharaja. 
 
 From the severity and badness of his temper 
 he is not liked by the courtiers in general ; 
 neither does Ranjeet Singh himself entertain a 
 good opinion of him. The crimes and offences 
 of which he and his family have been guilty 
 would have long caused his disgrace ; but it is 
 said that when the Maharaja gave him the 
 Paliol,* and made him a convert to his religion, 
 
 * The ceremony of initiating a Sikh in his faith is so called. 
 
RAM SINGH. 29 
 
 the Jemadar exacted a promise from his High- 
 ness that he would never degrade him from 
 his situation ; he has, in consequence, hitherto 
 escaped punishment and the resentment of his 
 master on many occasions. 
 
 BHAES RAM SINGH, GOVIND SINGH, AND 
 GORMUKH SINGH, 
 
 These persons were admitted to the councils 
 of the Maharaja in the year 1827; and in 
 imitation of the system of the British Indian 
 Government they were appointed his council- 
 lors. Bhae Ram Singh and Bhae Govind Ram 
 are the sons of Bhae Bastee Ram, a man for- 
 merly possessed of some religious celebrity in 
 the city of Lahore, and much respected by the 
 people. The Maharaja himself used occa- 
 sionally to visit him to invoke his holy bless- 
 ings. His sons are also respected by his 
 Highness, but he has no great confidence in 
 their integrity. They serve him more in their 
 spiritual than in their temporal capacity, and 
 may be seen in daily attendance at the " Dar- 
 bar* and from their holy character sit on 
 
30 GORMUKH SINGH. 
 
 chairs beside the Maharaja; but it has been 
 an established rule with them never to enter 
 the court until a man has been sent by his 
 Highness to conduct them. 
 
 Besides being Sanscrit scholars, they have a 
 knowledge of Persian as well as of the medical 
 art; but their sagacity is not equal to their 
 learning. They sometimes act as interpreters 
 to his Highness, and are closely connected 
 with the Kours Kharak Singh and Naonihal 
 Singh. The two Bhaes enjoy a Jaghir of forty 
 thousand rupees, besides fees and benefits which 
 they derive from their office of priests, and the 
 patronage which their situation at court gives 
 them the opportunity of exercising for their 
 friends. 
 
 Gormukh Singh is the other Bhae who at- 
 tends the court ; but his attendance is not 
 regular, nor has he so much influence as the 
 others. He is also allowed a seat, but is in- 
 triguing, and not often consulted in the affairs 
 of state. He is the son of the late Sant Singh, 
 ghiani or chanter of the Grunth in the temple 
 of Amritsir, of which city he is a native, 
 
FAQIR AZIZUDDIN. 3 1 
 
 where his father's name is still highly respected. 
 The bias of his son seems to be in favour of 
 Kour Sher Singh and Jemadar Khoshal Singh, 
 but he is not on good terms with the other 
 two Bhaes ; indeed they are always at variance 
 with each other. The former is perhaps of 
 opinion that the only way he has of maintain- 
 ing his influence is by siding with a different 
 party from them. In quickness of apprehen- 
 sion, as well as in his address and manner, he 
 is superior to the other two, but is deficient in 
 their prudence and knowledge of the world. 
 
 FAQIR AZIZUDDIN. 
 
 Faqir Azizuddin is the chief secretary of 
 the Maharaja for foreign affairs, and also 
 serves him as physician. In the latter ca- 
 pacity he first entered his service, when the 
 Maharaja took Lahore. Being a man of great 
 abilities, and possessing a good judgment, he 
 was soon admitted to a participation in the 
 affairs of state. At the time of Sir Charles 
 Metcalfe's mission, in 1809, the Faqir was 
 employed as the means of communication be- 
 
32 NURUDDIN. 
 
 tween him and the government, and having 
 acquitted himself in the discharge of that duty 
 to the satisfaction of the Maharaja, was put 
 in charge of his correspondence with foreign 
 states. His Highness generally employs him 
 also as his interpreter, and places great con- 
 fidence in him. The Faqir has a general 
 knowledge of the sciences taught in the schools 
 of Asia, and may therefore be regarded as a 
 philosopher as well as a statesman and phy- 
 sician. In his conversation he tries to please 
 his auditors with great success, and is fond of 
 quotations and proverbs to illustrate his re- 
 marks. He and his whole family maintain 
 great humility in their dress and manners, 
 avoiding that ostentation which might.be ex- 
 pected from men of their rank and station; 
 but it accords with their interest at court, 
 where, being Mahomedans, their influence is 
 an object of jealousy to others. 
 
 He has two brothers, one named Nuruddin, 
 the youngest, who has the charge of the city 
 of Lahore, and the Golab khana or dispensary 
 of the Maharaja ; and the other, named Imam- 
 
MISSER BELI RAM. 33 
 
 uddin, that of Govindgarh and the treasure 
 there deposited. Faqir Azizuddin has two 
 sons, named Shahdin and Cheraghuddin : the 
 former is occasionally employed on business 
 from the court. At present he is at Ferozpore, 
 forwarding the wants of the British army as>- 
 sembled for service in Afghanistan. In their 
 manners they all imitate Azizuddin. Their 
 discretion has enabled them to remain on 
 good terms with every one; and from their 
 prudent and cautious conduct, they have main- 
 tained their position in a court where they 
 have felt the necessity of acting with vigilance 
 to conciliate all parties. 
 
 They have a jaghir of about fifty thousand 
 rupees, besides fees and grants assigned to them 
 by different chiefs and others about the court 
 to facilitate the transaction of their business. 
 
 MISSER BELI RAM. 
 
 The next functionary is Misser Beli Ram. 
 He is in charge of the regalia, treasury, 
 robes, and other valuable articles. Docu- 
 ments of importance, such as treaties with 
 
 c3 
 
34 BELI RAM. 
 
 foreign states, are also kept by him in the 
 regalia. The Maharaja places great confi- 
 dence in him. 
 
 He is a native of a village named Kahan, 
 near Kitas. His uncle Bastee Ram was the 
 treasurer of Maha Singh, the father of Ranjeet 
 Singh. On the conquest of Amritsir and 
 Lahore the Maharaja entrusted Bastee Ram 
 with the charge of Amritsir, and desired him 
 to appoint some one of his family to that of 
 the Treasury. He recommended Beli Ram, 
 his nephew, who was then about eleven years 
 old. Since that time to the present period he 
 has continued with his Highness. No one 
 keeps any account of the Tosheh khana but 
 the Misser and his family ; and such is the 
 trust reposed in him that he has never been 
 called to render an account of his charge. 
 
 Beli Ram has three other brothers, Misser 
 Roop Lai, Misser Ram Kishan, and Sukhraj. 
 The former is governor of Jalendar, and Ram 
 Kishan constantly remains in attendance at 
 court, while the third is the commander of a 
 division of infantry. 
 
 
DINANATH. 35 
 
 Besides farming many districts yielding 
 about two lakhs of rupees annually, they have 
 jaghirs of sixty or seventy thousand rupees 
 assigned to them. 
 
 Of all his brothers Beli Ram is considered 
 the most sensible. He is an intelligent and 
 amiable man ; but from the high favour he 
 enjoys, he is much envied about the court, 
 and has many little differences with the Sir- 
 dars, who try to injure him; but as the 
 Maharaja is aware of his worth and devotion 
 to his interests, their enmity is harmless.* 
 
 DIWAN DINANATH. 
 
 Dinanath is the head person in charge of 
 the civil and military accounts. He is a shrewd, 
 sensible man, and possesses great statistical 
 and financial information regarding every part 
 of the Panjab. The whole business in that line 
 
 * On the death of Eanjeet Singh and the conspiracy 
 formed by Raja Dhian Singh to take the life of Cheit Singh, 
 the favourite of Kharak Singh, Misser Beli Ram and his 
 brothers were seized and tortured, and some of them 
 cruelly put to death. 
 
36 DINANATH. 
 
 is conducted through him, and the Maharaja 
 places great reliance in his abilities as a good 
 accountant. He is the nephew of the late 
 Diwan Ganga Ram of Delhi, who arrived in 
 the Panjab about twenty-five years ago, and 
 entered the service of his Highness. At that 
 time Dinanath acted under him as a Mutsuddee 
 or writer, but after his death, the latter having 
 made himself master of the business conducted 
 by his uncle, he was appointed his successor, 
 while the son of the late Diwan, named Ajud- 
 dhianath, was promoted to the office of Diwan, 
 or treasurer, with the troops commanded by 
 Generals Allard and Ventura. Though Dina- 
 nath has been employed in the Daftar since 
 the death of his uncle, it is only lately that he 
 has received the title of Diwan. His family 
 came originally from Kashmir and settled at 
 Delhi, but they have now emigrated to La- 
 hore. In every corps and district Dinanath 
 has some of his own men employed, and 
 through them he acquires every information 
 necessary to the discharge of his important 
 office. He receives twenty rupees a-day, be- 
 
DINANATH. * 37 
 
 sides a jaghir of six thousand rupees, and 
 enjoys assignments on Kashmir, Multan, &c, 
 besides many other fees and emoluments which 
 he readily derives from his official station. 
 His brother is still employed in the French 
 legion. 
 
( 38 ) 
 
 Chapter IV. 
 
 The rise of Khoshal Singh — His humble position in early 
 Life — He enters the Army — Embraces the Sikh Faith — 
 Supplants Bastee Ram in the charge of the Deodhee — 
 Quarrels with Misser Diwand Chand — His nephew, 
 Teij Singh — His son, Ram Singh — Residences of the 
 family — Places held by Khoshal Singh. 
 
 Khoshal Singh is the son of a Brahmin, 
 and a native of the village of Ikree, in the dis- 
 trict of Sirdhana, near Meerut. At the age of 
 eighteen, being in poor circumstances, and in 
 want of a livelihood, he left his home and ar- 
 rived at Lahore, where he was soon employed 
 as a menial servant, at four rupees per month, 
 by a person of the name of Ganga Singh, a 
 sepoy in the body guard of the Maharaja. 
 
 On the death of Ganga Singh, which oc- 
 curred shortly afterwards, Khoshal Singh 
 was thrown out of employment, and reduced to 
 such extremity that he mortgaged his shield 
 and sword to a Khatri named Motee, a shop- 
 keeper in the Ham am Street. The money 
 
RISE OF KHOSHAL SINGH. 39 
 
 obtained by the mortgage was also soon ex- 
 pended. He next applied for assistance to 
 Misser Ganta, residing in the same street with 
 himself, to whom he also pawned some things. 
 The Misser, in consideration of his caste 
 (Brahmin), offered to support him with bread 
 and clothes if he liked to remain with him, 
 stating that his occupation would be to assist 
 him in performing his Brahminical offices. 
 The Misser himself was the Parohit or priest 
 to several families in the city of Lahore. It is 
 customary among the Hindus, before they take 
 their meals, to put some aside for their Parohits, 
 which they collect every morning. Their sub- 
 sistence depends chiefly on the food thus col- 
 lected. Khoshal Singh was engaged in that 
 duty, and continued so employed for six or 
 seven months, looking out at the same time for 
 some other employment. After a time Misser 
 Ganta recommended him to a person named 
 Lala Sajan Rae, who had him enlisted in the 
 battalion commanded by Dhokal Singh. 
 
 Khoshal Singh was smart in learning his 
 exercise. He soon acquired a perfect know- 
 
40 FURTHER PROMOTION. 
 
 ledge of it, and was promoted to the rank of 
 Jemadar in the party of infantry forming the 
 escort to his Highness, who was pleased with 
 his activity, and ordered him to remain always 
 in attendance at court. Soon afterwards Ran- 
 jeet Singh gave him the Pahol, and con- 
 verted him to the Sikh religion ; since which 
 he has been called Khoshal Singh. 
 
 At that period Bastee Ram was the cham- 
 berlain in charge of the Deodhee. He absented 
 himself one night from his duty, when the 
 Maharaja sent for him ; on which occasion 
 Khoshal Singh, who was actuated by some ill 
 will towards Bastee Ram, reported that he was 
 always absent at night. His Highness directed 
 the Jemadar to be immediately seized and con- 
 fined, and transferred the charge of his office 
 to Khoshal Singh. Bastee Ram remained in 
 confinement for some days ; he was then re- 
 leased, and restored to employment on paying 
 a fine of 2000 rupees. Khoshal Singh farmed 
 out the Deodhee for 40,000 rupees, which sum 
 was soon raised to 60,000 rupees. Afterwards, 
 Devi Das, the Keeper of the Seals, and the Ac- 
 
A QUARREL. 41 
 
 countant-General, fixed the fees of the Deodhee 
 on each district in proportion to its revenue. 
 He settled that they should be collected by the 
 Kardars as a part of the revenue, and paid 
 to Government through Jemadar Khoshal 
 Singh. Likewise a sum of one lakh and sixty 
 thousand rupees was fixed as Moharana, or the 
 fees of the Privy Seal, which are levied from 
 every Sowar at the rate of two rupees a head. 
 The Deodhee continued for twelve years in 
 charge of the newly appointed Jemadar. 
 
 One day, as Misser Diwan Chand was pro- 
 ceeding to the court, he was stopped at the 
 Deodhee by the Jemadar, which offended the 
 Diwan, who was a man of high spirit, and he 
 reviled him by saying, that if the Jemadar 
 were not a Brahmin, he would have him dis- 
 charged, while he lost no opportunity of abusing 
 Khoshal Singh before the Maharaja. 
 
 About the same time Raja Dhian Singh, 
 who was then called Mian Dhian Singh, was 
 rising into favour with his Highness, and at 
 the recommendation of Diwan Chand he was 
 vested with the charge of the Deodhee, when 
 
42 TEIJ SINGH. 
 
 the Jemadar was removed, and refused admit- 
 tance to the court. 
 
 Having patiently submitted to the sentence 
 of the Maharajah, Khoshal Singh was soon 
 retaken into favour, and ordered to attend the 
 court as usual, like the other Sirdars. He is 
 now considered next in consequence to Raja 
 Dhian Singh at the court of Lahore, and holds 
 a Jaghir, yielding a revenue of four lakhs two 
 thousand six hundred and sixty-seven rupees. 
 Parts of his Jaghir lie on the left bank of the 
 Satledge, and the other portions are scattered 
 throughout the country on the right bank of 
 that river. 
 
 His relatives also hold high offices in the 
 state. One of them is Teij Singh, his nephew, 
 who is styled a Sirdar, and the general of a 
 division, composed of four regiments of in- 
 fantry, one regiment of cavalry, and ten pieces 
 of artillery. 
 
 Three regiments of infantry, two regiments 
 of cavalry, and ten pieces of artillery, are like- 
 wise commanded by Ram Singh, the son of 
 Jemadar Khoshal Singh, on whom the Ma- 
 
RAM SINGH. 43 
 
 haraja, about two years ago, conferred the 
 rank of a brigadier-general. A year and a 
 half ago, when the Jemadar was absent on duty 
 at Peshawr, his son murdered a fine young 
 man named Bishan Singh, a favourite of his 
 Highness, from a feeling of shame and per- 
 sonal resentment originating in a crime which 
 Ram Singh wished to conceal. The murderer 
 was at first forbid the presence of his High- 
 ness, but was soon afterwards readmitted with- 
 out any notice being taken of the infamy of 
 his conduct. 
 
 The Jemadar himself, who is an active 
 officer, but cruel and depraved, also commands 
 2000 Sowars, called the corps of orderlies. 
 He has erected lofty and spacious houses both 
 at Lahore and Amritsir. That at the former 
 is close to the eastern gate of the palace, and 
 the latter near the great temple of the Sikhs. 
 These edifices are strongly built, and their sites 
 have been well chosen to give their proprietor 
 a commanding position in the event of any 
 demise or revolution of the government. To 
 each are attached extensive ranges for the ac- 
 
44 THEIR RESIDENCES. 
 
 commodation of his immediate retainers, and 
 that part of the fortifications which is opposite 
 to his house at Lahore, has been included by 
 Khoshal Singh within his own precincts, 
 while a bazar has been established in the 
 Rownee* for the exclusive use of his own 
 people ; so that they may be said to form an in- 
 dependent quarter of the city . The lines of the 
 troops commanded by the nephew and son of 
 the Jemadar are so situated as to command 
 the principal roads leading to Lahore on the 
 land side. It is only within the last year that 
 they have thought of forming permanent can- 
 tonments. That of the son is in the plain of 
 Mian Mir, on the road to Kasur. The other 
 is on the road to Harikee; but having been 
 commenced without consulting the Maharaja, 
 its progress has been stopped* 
 
 * Fausse braie* 
 
LIST OF PLACES HELD IN JAGHIR BY JEMADAR KOSHAL SINGH, 
 SHOWING THE AMOUNT OF THE REVENUE OF EACH. 
 
 Names of Places. 
 
 Amount of 
 Revenue. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Kalra . 
 
 Bhopalwala and Sahnwala 
 
 Villages near Amritsir . 
 Kangde and Lakoa 
 
 1 7 villages near Sealkot . 
 
 25 ditto Kortal Gujra, &c. 
 
 10 villages Khosalgarh 
 
 near Dhopalwala. 
 2 villages Bal, &c. • 
 
 Handogiwala, near Nanor 
 
 3 villages near Lahore . 
 14 villages Ratya, &c. 
 
 1 4 villages Jassi wali, in 11 1 
 kos distant from Kajrns; 
 Jastarwal ". 
 5 villages, Fatehpur, &c. 
 
 4 ditto Nanoke, near Siril 
 Hargobindpur. 
 
 7 villages, Komooke, &c 
 
 7 ditto Phansian, &c. 
 22 ditto Bajwat, &c. 
 
 25 ditto Adamke, &c. 
 
 8 ditto Fatehgarh, &c. 
 
 Dharankot . 
 17 villages, Chalia and) 
 Kaleke, &c. &c. J 
 
 Harigah , 
 
 4 villages near Miam, &c. 
 
 14 ditto Gangrava, &c. 
 
 Total Rs. . 
 
 15,600 
 
 26,455 
 
 26,740 
 11,225 
 
 8,890 
 
 38,320 
 
 13,285 
 3,100 
 
 5,400 
 
 13,400 
 22,942 
 
 7,500 
 
 5,295 
 5,350 
 
 6.175 
 
 8,331 
 
 8,630 
 52,121 
 
 33,946 
 16,300 
 
 1,045 
 65,400 
 
 775 
 
 4,350 
 
 36,440 
 
 Taken from Sirdar Diwan 
 Singh and given to Jema- 
 dar Khoshal Singh in 1817. 
 
 Taken from Sirdar Diwan 
 Singh, Dodia. 
 
 Taken from Mai Sadakour in 
 
 1821, and given to Jemadar 
 
 Khoshal Singh. 
 Ditto from Baba Saheb Singh 
 
 Bedi in 1834, and given to 
 
 the Jemadar. 
 Ditto from Jodh Singh, Vazir- 
 
 abadia in 1814, and given 
 
 to the Jemadar. 
 Ditto from Nidhan Singh in 
 
 1810. 
 Ditto from Sadha Singh Dodia 
 
 in 1806, and given to the 
 
 Jamadar. 
 Ditto from Gujar Singh and 
 
 Lehna Singh, and given to 
 
 the Jemadar in 1810. 
 
 Ditto ditto, to Maha Singh, 
 the father of the Maharaja. 
 
 f Taken from Sirdar Jodh. 
 \ Singh in 181 1. 
 Ditto from Golab Singh in 
 
 1811. 
 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 Ditto from Saheb Singh Guj- 
 
 ratia. 
 Ditto from Dal Singh in 1818, 
 Ditto from Dharm Singh in 
 1812. 
 
 Ditto from Sadha Singh and 
 Lehna Singh, in 1826. 
 
 Ditto from Lehna Singh in 
 1834. 
 
 437,315 
 
( 46 ) 
 
 Chapter V. 
 
 Passage of the Ravi — Nangal-— Difficulties encountered 
 by the Mission— Nanake— Gujranwala — Hari Singh — 
 He is defeated and killed at Jamrud by Mahomed 
 Akbar Khan— Ranjeet Singh resumes the whole of his 
 Jaghir — Nath — General Avitabile — His improvements 
 at Vazirabad — Distant view of the Himmalaya. 
 
 12th January, 1839. — Leaving Lahore with 
 Shah Zada Taimur, we crossed the river Ravi, 
 which is the smallest and the narrowest river 
 of the Panjab. We passed it by a ford as 
 well as the ferry ; the baggage being brought 
 over by the latter, while the camels and horses 
 went by the former. The river is, however, 
 not always fordable. We encamped on a level 
 and extensive plain, between Shahdera and a 
 water palace of the Maharaja, situated imme- 
 diately on the right bank of the river, and 
 called from the moistness of its situation 
 Targarh. 
 Our party consists at present of five hundred 
 
PASSAGE OF THE RAVI 47 
 
 Ghorcheras, one battalion of Najibs, and two 
 pieces of artillery of the Sikh service ; the first 
 commanded by Pir Dowlat Khan, one of the 
 Afghans of the respectable family of Kasoor ; 
 the second commanded by a son of the late 
 George Thomas, escorting Shah Zada Taimur ; 
 besides one hundred Sowars, and a com- 
 pany of infantry, forming his personal guard ; 
 as well as two companies of the British Native 
 infantry, attending his Royal Highness as a 
 guard of honour from that Government. 
 Two companies of regular infantry, and fifty 
 troopers of Ranjeet Singh, form an escort to 
 Sir Claude Wade ; besides forty- three irre- 
 gular Sowars, and fifty-three matchlockmen 
 entertained by him for the same purpose on 
 the part of the Indian Government. 
 
 Some boats on the Ravi having been engaged 
 to carry supplies of grain, which the Lieut.- 
 Colonel had procured for the consumption of the 
 army of the Indus, to Shikarpore, and there be- 
 ing consequently but few boats left at the ferry, 
 the whole of the baggage was not brought over 
 till next day ; on which we were obliged to 
 
48 NANGAL. 
 
 halt, and took advantage of it to bring to a 
 conclusion every affair requiring to be arranged 
 with the court of Lahore. We noticed the 
 improved shape of the boats on the Ravi, from 
 the mere rafts used on the Satledge. They 
 do not carry so much, but are much better 
 suited both for sailing and rowing. 
 
 lAth. — Started at sunrise, and encamped at 
 a village named Nangal, surrounded by an 
 extensive low jungle, distant twelve kos, held 
 in jaghir by Faqir Nuruddin, the brother of 
 Azizuddin, his Persian secretary. It was a 
 cloudy day, and before we arrived it began to 
 drizzle. No trace of cultivation was seen on 
 either side of the road. The soil is generally 
 barren, and of a saline nature. Several sites 
 of towns and villages were observed scattered 
 here and there, which bespoke the prosperous 
 state of the country in former days. There 
 are several fine preserves for hunting in the 
 vicinity, near one of which the Maharaja has 
 built a Baradari, or pavilion. Raja Dhian 
 Singh's fondness for the sports of the field is 
 so eager, that he often passes whole nights in 
 
DIFFICULTIES. 49 
 
 these preserves in an ambush to shoot hogs 
 and tigers. 
 
 The village of Nangal is small, and the 
 ground about it becomes almost a swamp after 
 heavy rains, and, in consequence, there is no 
 good encamping ground near. No supplies 
 procurable here, unless previously collected. 
 Water good ; and road tolerable, but only 
 a cart-track. We crossed a Nala, or small 
 stream, called Baghbacha, fordable, a famous 
 haunt for tigers. 
 
 On reaching the camp, we had a heavy 
 shower of rain, which collected round our tents 
 and formed islands of them. We had great 
 trouble and confusion ; and the tents being 
 soaked through, we were obliged to halt there 
 the following day to let them dry. Three of 
 our camels sunk under their loads and died, 
 and some of them were seriously injured. To 
 add to our discomforts, we were compelled to 
 send for our supplies to a considerable dis- 
 tance, which determined Sir Claude to rely 
 no longer on the Maharaja's officers, but to 
 form a commissariat of his own. He found 
 
50 GUJRANWALA. 
 
 also that our progress was much impeded by 
 some hackeries belonging to our party, which 
 he ordered to be exchanged for camels, and the 
 baggage of every one to be limited to the 
 smallest possible quantity.* 
 
 16^. — Marched at sunrise, and stopped at a 
 village named Nanake, the jaghir of Jemadar 
 Khoshal Singh, distant nine kos. The morn- 
 ing was foggy and gloomy. The road lay 
 over a low swampy tract of country, but 
 better peopled and cultivated than that of the 
 preceding day. The snowy range beyond 
 Jammoo in sight. Encamping ground very 
 broken, and soil sandy. Water good, but sup- 
 plies scanty. 
 
 On our arrival in camp, it was reported that 
 the Shah Zada's tents in the rear could not be 
 brought on from want of carriage, and three 
 of the Sowaree, or riding elephants, were there- 
 fore sent back to bring them. 
 
 17th. — Started at the usual time, and halted 
 at Gujranwala, north of the town, on an open 
 
 * The baggage of an Indian army is a great en- 
 cumbrance. 
 
 
GUJRANWALA. 5 1 
 
 and level spot close to the fort. The distance 
 traversed was ten kos. The morning very 
 chilly and clear. The thermometer at sunrise 
 ranged at 45°. The view of the snowy moun- 
 tains became more distinct. The road con- 
 tinues the same as yesterday. Soil improves, 
 and agriculture was observed in a better state 
 than in the course of the two last stages. 
 
 Gujranwala is the native place of Ranjeet 
 Singh, and the seat of his ancestors. Their 
 possessions did not extend beyond its limits. 
 It was formerly a village, with some lands 
 attached, but it was not a place of any fame. 
 Since the charge of it was conferred by the 
 Maharaja on his faithful servant the late 
 Sirdar Hari Singh, it has been greatly im- 
 proved. The Sirdar built a high mud wall 
 round the town ; also a fort to the north of it, 
 surrounded by a ditch. Inside the fort there 
 is a fine Baradari* and a house after the Eng- 
 
 * '* It consists of three stories, each containing a room 
 about fifteen feet square, the lower ones being enclosed by 
 broad verandahs ; and below ground there is an apartment 
 to retreat to from the hot winds. A range of fountains 
 extends close to the entrance front, and at the corners of 
 
 D 2 
 
52 GUJRANWALA. 
 
 lish fashion, where the Sirdar used to live. 
 The town is now very populous, and contains 
 
 the 'chabootra,' on which the dwelling is erected, are 
 circular ornamented seats, which, when- used, are covered 
 with silk carpets or Kashmir shawls. At the top of the 
 second and third stories similar conveniences are also con- 
 structed ; those of the latter being made after the model of 
 the lotus flower, and the exterior of the elevation is covered 
 with the finest chunam, free from any of those tawdry em- 
 bellishments natives are so apt to consider as ornamental 
 to their abodes. We could only gain admittance to the 
 lower apartments, as the individual who had charge of the 
 keys had gone to the city ; and the circumstance was to be 
 regretted, as we were told the second story is very beauti- 
 fully fitted up, whilst that we entered had nothing par- 
 ticularly attractive about it. The garden is laid out in 
 rather a pretty manner, and, in addition to some very 
 pretty cypress trees, can boast of two or three large 
 vineries. We were shown the 'dota ka mukum,' or 
 abode of the idol, which is situated at some distance from 
 the house, and close to a reservoir by which the fountains 
 are supplied with water. It is a small domed temple, 
 built upon a chabootra (or terrace) in an enclosed area. 
 A flight of three steps leads to it, and immediately on the 
 right of the entrance is the image of a bull in a sitting 
 posture, the hump of which our guide touched, and 
 salaamed to with great reverence. On the door of the 
 temple being thrown open, I could not help feeling dis- 
 gusted at the idea of the glorious Deity being represented 
 by nine oval stones, kept constantly moistened by means 
 
RISE OF HARI SINGH. 53 
 
 a good bazaar of about five hundred shops, 
 where every thing may be had ; but it has no 
 manufactories of its own. 
 
 Some account of Hari Singh, who was one 
 of Ranjeet Singh's most distinguished officers, 
 will not be out of place here. Originally 
 he was a common khidmatgar, or personal 
 attendant. The Maharaja, always desirous 
 of encouraging bravery and soldierlike con- 
 duct, observing Hari Singh to be a very bold 
 and active man, and that on many occasions 
 he had evinced an enterprising disposition, 
 began to raise him in his favour, till at last 
 he was appointed governor of Kashmir, where 
 he remained for a few years, and established a 
 new rupee of base coinage, which still bears 
 his name. He was afterwards put in charge 
 of the important fort of Attok. But as he was 
 a very bigoted Sikh, and owed a hearty 
 
 of water dripping through an aperture in an earthen pot 
 suspended above them, to which the sepoys who accom- 
 panied us commenced praying. When will men cease to 
 worship the works of their own hands ? " — Bart's Journal, 
 pp. 134, 135. 
 
54 BATTLE AT JAMRUD. 
 
 grudge to the Mussalman race, in the year 
 1833, accompanied by Kour Naonihal Singh, 
 he attacked Peshawr, and occupied it without 
 any apparent resistance, while its chief, Sultan 
 Mahomed Khan, retired to Kabul. Since 
 that time Peshawr has remained in the pos- 
 session of the Sikhs. It had frequently been 
 invaded and plundered by them before, but 
 restored to its former rulers. 
 
 In the year 1837, Hari Singh advanced 
 towards Khaibar, and repaired and occupied 
 the fort of Jamrud, situated close to the en- 
 trance of the pass ; which alarmed the Khai- 
 barees so much, that they invited Dost Ma- 
 homed Khan to join them in attacking Hari 
 Singh, and expelling him from the fort. A 
 great battle ensued between Mahomed Akbar 
 and the Sirdar, in which the latter was killed, 
 and the Balance of victory turned in favour of 
 the Afghans. 
 
 Hari Singh's loss was deeply deplored by 
 Ranjeet Singh, who placed the greatest confi- 
 dence in him. He was regretted also by his 
 countrymen and those who knew him. 
 
HARI SINGH'S JAGHIR RESUMED. 55 
 
 His sons did not inherit the bravery or ability 
 of their father ; and Ranjeet Singh, deeming 
 them incapable of exercising so great a charge, 
 resumed the whole of the Sirdar's jaghir, 
 yielding about eight lakhs of rupees revenue 
 annually, and divided it chiefly among the 
 other Sirdars of his court, making but a small 
 provision for the family of the deceased : they 
 are now in very reduced circumstances. Hari 
 Singh has left four sons, named Jowahir Singh 
 and Goordat Singh, •from his first wife, and 
 Arjun Singh and Panjab Singh, from his 
 second wife. The two latter now hold a jaghir 
 of 40,000 rupees ; in return for which they 
 furnish his Highness with a party of sixty 
 or seventy Sowars. 
 
 The district of Gujranwala is at present 
 farmed for a little more than a lakh of rupees 
 to Misser Ram Kishan, the younger brother 
 of Misser Beli Ram. The country about 
 Gujranwala is fertile and productive : there 
 are some gardens also to be seen outside the 
 place, in one of which, near the road from 
 Lahore, rest the remains of Maha Singh, the 
 
56 VAZIRABAD. 
 
 father of Ranjeet Singh, and of his mother and 
 grandfather, over whose ashes some fine tombs 
 have been erected. On account of rainy and 
 cloudy weather we halted here three days, re- 
 ceiving every attention from the local autho- 
 rities. Numerous Kashmirians are settled here 
 who were driven from that province in the 
 late famine. 
 
 We renewed our march on the 21st inst., 
 and encamped at Nath, a village nine kos dis- 
 tant : road good ; supplies scarce ; encamping 
 ground, which is south of the village, low and 
 swampy from rain ; water good. 
 
 22nd. — Started early in the morning and 
 proceeded to Vazirabad: two kos from it 
 comes in view a large gateway leading into 
 the town. In the year 1832, when on our 
 way to the Maharaja at Pind Dadan Khan, 
 we passetl by this place : the gate was then 
 being built by General Avitabile, who was the 
 governor of the district, and has a fine resi- 
 dence here, in which we were hospitably enter- 
 tained. It is a large town, and abounds with 
 supplies of every description : the streets are 
 
GENERAL AVITABILE. 57 
 
 well arranged, and cut each other in right 
 angles, many buildings which stood in the way 
 having been levelled to the ground. General 
 Avitabile is an Italian officer in the service of 
 Ranjeet Singh. He established a good system 
 of police and revenue throughout the territory, 
 and made a great many improvements in the 
 town. It was formerly, like others in the Panjab, 
 a dirty and irregularly peopled place. There 
 is a large straight bazar through which you 
 may see without interruption from one gate- 
 way of the city to the other. It is intersected 
 by another small bazar, and the regularity 
 of both adds greatly to the appearance of the 
 place. A mud wall surrounds the town, which 
 is prettily situated on the left bank of the 
 Chinab. The streets and buildings raised by 
 the General afford a good idea of his architec- 
 tural taste : at present that officer is the gover- 
 nor of Peshawr. 
 
 At the northern end of the town is a garden 
 containing a fine house called Sheshmahl, 
 where the Maharaja on his visits to Vazira- 
 bad resides. It is an old building, but has 
 
 d3 
 
58 VAZIRABAD. 
 
 been repaired and beautified with mirrors by 
 General Avitabile. The whole territory is 
 now farmed to Raja Seocheit Singh, one of 
 the Jammoo family, for twelve lakhs of rupees : 
 Diwan Bheemsen, his servant, is also his 
 deputy ; and appears to be a sensible and clever 
 man. 
 
 We encamped on the bed of the river Chinab, 
 between the main stream and a Nala passing 
 close by the town, a small and confined spot. 
 
 The population of Vazirabad consists of 
 about forty thousand inhabitants, who are gene- 
 rally Khatris. There are other tribes, but the 
 former predominate. Large quantities of coarse 
 cloth are manufactured here and exported to 
 the neighbouring places. Small tents and 
 Sholdaris or marquees are also made here : 
 though cheap, they are not very durable. 
 
 The salt range to the west, and the lofty 
 Pir Panjal, one of the highest peaks of the 
 Himmalaya on the south of Kashmir, were 
 visible, and formed a magnificent spectacle. 
 Faiztalab Khan, the son of Jahandad Khan, 
 who in breach of his faith delivered over to the 
 
FAIZTALAB KHAN. 59 
 
 Sikhs the fort of Attok, which he governed on the 
 part of Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk, joined the Shah 
 Zada here with twenty-four of his mounted 
 retainers. He and his family have been living 
 at Vazirabad on the bounty of Ranjeet Singh, 
 for the great service which he had performed 
 for him. 
 
( 60 ) 
 
 Chapter VI. 
 
 A Panjabee ferry — Gujrat — The adjacent country — Kha- 
 waspura — Kharian — Death of General Allard — Honours 
 paid to his corpse by the troops attached to the Mission— 
 His funeral — Delay of the Mission at Aurangabad — 
 Order of march — Mr. Lord — Letters to Ranjeet Singh 
 — Salt mines. 
 
 Halted three days at Vazirabad, and on the 
 morning of the 26th, proceeded to Gujrat, dis- 
 tant six kos : rode over a bed of sand for three- 
 quarters of a mile till we reached the main 
 stream of the river Chinab : ferry across and 
 road good from the right bank to the town, a 
 distance of five kos. There is a ford, how- 
 ever, about thirty miles farther up, not a safe 
 one, the river being full of quicksands, though 
 it is said troops have passed over at a particular 
 season of the year. The boats continue to im- 
 prove in size and shape. 
 
 In crossing, as usual, a quarrel took place 
 between a Sikh and an Afghan of the Shah 
 Zada's party in attempting to take possession 
 
A PAN JABEE FERRY. 6 1 
 
 of a boat. The latter gave a sabre-cut on the 
 head of the Sikh, who, to avenge the offence, 
 was going to attack his antagonist, when some 
 person standing by having interfered between 
 them appeased the quarrel. On reaching the 
 camp the circumstance was reported to Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Wade, who, after inquiries, 
 caused proper notice to be taken of the guilty, 
 and made a regulation to prevent a repetition 
 of such disputes in crossing the river : they are 
 of common occurrence in the Sikh army, and 
 are often attended with loss of life.* 
 
 * " At the Ravi we had a specimen of the manner in 
 which a Panjabee ferry is conducted, and where anything 
 but order and regularity was observed. As soon as the 
 artillery had finished with the boats, a regular scuffle en- 
 sued for them, and, of course, strength and might won the 
 day ; those who had gained possession of them retaining 
 it, by thrashing unmercifully any individual who attempted 
 to enter the boat, except of their own party. One little 
 fellow I observed making dexterous use of a short thick 
 stick, with which he belaboured the heads and legs of those 
 who, being no acquaintances of his, endeavoured to secure 
 a seat ; and the gentler sex, I am ashamed to say, were 
 treated in no better mariner ; for those who got on board 
 (and many did) had, after receiving their portion of thumps 
 with the rest, to tumble in head foremost, or were dragged 
 
62 GUJRAT. 
 
 We encamped to the north of the town about 
 half a kos distant, near a Baradari and a garden 
 formed by the Maharaja. 
 
 Gujrat is an old town containing about eight 
 thousand houses. The inhabitants are gene- 
 rally Khatris and Gujars, who are notorious 
 thieves. Its original ruler was Saheb Singh, 
 but it was afterwards usurped by Ranjeet Singh. 
 At present it is leased to Rajah Golab Singh, 
 the elder brother of the Jammoo family. 
 
 The country round is open and flat, and the 
 soil is exceedingly rich and productive. Gujrat 
 
 in by the feet or hands, whichever limb was nearest to 
 their friends, who had previously obtained a footing. 
 Children, too, were in danger of being crushed ; and I 
 understood it is not a rare occurrence for two parties to 
 draw swords, and have a regular set to for the prece- 
 dence ; indeed, Foulkes mentioned that not long ago, a 
 man deliberately levelled his matchlock and shot another 
 who had disputed his right to a passage. As it was 
 not our wish to enter into squabbles with the Panjabees, 
 Ferris halted and sent a message to the Governor of La- 
 hore to say he should remain where he was until the boats 
 were cleared for our use. In about an hour, Noorood- 
 deen, accompanied by General Tezie Singh, came down 
 and directed that they should be immediately made over to 
 us." — Barr's Journal, pp. 121, 122. 
 
GUJRAT. 63 
 
 is noted for the manufacture of the common 
 swords of the country, matchlocks, daggers, &c. 
 Here is the tomb of Dowla Shah, a saint who 
 is highly respected in the Panjab. It is super- 
 stitiously visited by barren women, who, if 
 they afterwards bear children, bring their first- 
 born to the shrine of the saint, who are called 
 chuhas. I saw some of them thus presented. 
 The principal road to Kashmir branches off 
 from this place. 
 
 Halted three days also at Gujrat, and started 
 on the 29th, and stopped at the Sarae of Kha- 
 waspura, distant ten kos : road fair but rather 
 heavy when passing over the beds of two or 
 three mountainous streams. No mark of cul- 
 tivation was observed on either side of the 
 road, but bushes and Dakh jungle were only to 
 be seen. Numbers of cows and buffaloes were 
 grazing about, from which it appears that there 
 is abundance of pasturage for cattle. From 
 this place there are three roads to Jehlam ; one 
 of these goes via Kharian over a low range of 
 sand-hills which is impracticable for hackeries 
 and guns, but might be made otherwise by a 
 
/ 
 
 1 
 64 DINGA. 
 
 little labour. The other two lie along the sides 
 of the ridge, one by Dheri on the right, and 
 the other by Dinga on the left : the difference 
 in these two routes and the other is ten miles. 
 The guns and wheel-carriages accompanying 
 the mission separating here, started by Dinga, 
 while the whole party passed on by Kharian.* 
 
 * "The direct road to Peshawr being impracticable for 
 guns, on account of the steepness of some ghats that cross 
 a low range of mountains, extending through the country, 
 almost parallel with, and not very far distant from, the 
 river Jhelum ; we were obliged to take a more circuitous 
 route, which will eventually bring us to a lower ridge, 
 where the hills are more undulating and less precipitous. 
 Midway we came to a ' baoli/ t or covered well — one of 
 those constructions that do honour to the pious feelings of 
 individuals who have been thus led to bestow their wealth 
 for the general benefit of their fellow creatures : the weary 
 find repose under its arches and refreshment in its waters. 
 In a few minutes we resumed our journey, and after a 
 march of twenty- three miles eventually reached the long- 
 wished for town of Dinga. 
 
 " As we approached it, our attention was called to a small 
 crowd, principally of women and children ; and on riding 
 up to see the cause of their assembling, perceived in the 
 midst of them a man stretched on the ground at full length, 
 who had, half an hour before, been deprived of both his 
 hands, as a punishment for the crime of stealing. A few 
 quiverings about the muscles of his legs were all that 
 
KHARIAN. 65 
 
 Kliawaspura is a small village inhabited 
 within the Sarae, after which name it is 
 called : the wall round it is Pucka, or uf burnt 
 bricks, but is now going to decay. The en- 
 camping ground was north-west, on a broken 
 and confined spot ; good shooting in a low and 
 stunted jungle close by. There is only one well 
 at the place : the water used was from a spring. 
 
 During the reign of Akbar these great Saraes 
 were built at a distance of six or seven kos 
 from each other between Agra and the Indus for 
 the accommodation of travellers : Saraes were 
 likewise erected at the same time on the road 
 to Kashmir ; they are now declining to ruin. 
 
 Started early on the 30th and encamped 
 at Kharian, a small village. The road tole- 
 rable, encamping ground irregular. There 
 are two large wells, and the deepest Baolee I 
 
 betokened he still existed ; but he was insensible, and no 
 wonder, as he had bled profusely, and he was thus being 
 inhumanly left to perish, as no one dared to assist him. 
 The block, a rude piece of wood, was lying by his side ; 
 but the hands had been carried off for the purpose of being 
 exposed near the spot where he had committed the depre- 
 dation." — Barr y s Journal, pp. 148, 150, 151. 
 
66 ROUTE FROM KHARIAN. 
 
 ever saw, the water of which is brackish. They 
 are in good repair ; one of them is descended 
 by a flight of 114 steps : they appear of very 
 old standing, and perhaps were sunk at the 
 time when the Sarae of Kharian, of which no 
 mark is to be traced at present, was built. 
 Water was obtained from a dirty muddy pond 
 at hand, but drunk in preference to that of the 
 Baolee. Supplies were procured with difficulty. 
 3 1st. — Marched at the usual time. At about 
 one and a-half kos we ascended the ridge to 
 which I have alluded. The ascent was not diffi- 
 cult, the horses and camels easily passed over it ; 
 but the road is in some parts very narrow and 
 rugged. The ridge extends four kos in breadth, 
 and about fourteen kos in length. Midway 
 there is a pool of water, where kqfilas* used to 
 assemble and then to proceed together ; other- 
 wise travellers, especially the Sikhs, were plun- 
 dered and killed by the neighbouring highway 
 robbers : the road is now quite safe. On the 
 bank of this pool there is a Hindu Sheowala, 
 where such eatables as parched grain, &c, can 
 
 * Caravans. 
 
DEATH OF GENERAL ALLARD. 67 
 
 be had. Proceeding four or five miles farther 
 we encamped to-day at Aurangabad, a village 
 surrounded by a high wall. No supplies pro- 
 curable at the place itself, but being situated 
 about two miles from Jehlam, they can always 
 be obtained from thence. Water near, but 
 though sweet to the taste, it is very unwhole- 
 some. It should be brought from the river 
 Jehlam, though some distance off. 
 
 On the way to camp we heard the sad news 
 of General Allard's death a few days ago at 
 Peshawr, and that his body had been em- 
 balmed, and was to be conveyed for burial to 
 Lahore. He is deeply regretted, particularly 
 by the troops under his command, with whom 
 he was very popular, and a favourite also with 
 the Maharaja. His manners were mild and 
 courteous, and gained on every one who asso- 
 ciated with him. It is said that he died of an 
 affection of the heart, and was seven days con- 
 fined to his bed. 
 
 We halted eighteen days in this vicinity, 
 ten at Aurangabad, and seven at the ferry. 
 While at the former, the arrival of the late 
 
68 HIS FUNERAL. 
 
 General Allard's corpse having been an- 
 nounced, Sir Claude Wade directed a street to 
 be formed by the troops in camp, along which 
 the bier was conducted. It was received and 
 saluted with great ceremony. On the coffin 
 were placed the decorations of honour worn bv 
 the General. Every heart throbbed with sincere 
 grief as his remains, escorted b} r a party of the 
 French Legion, passed through our camp.* 
 
 Our delay here was owing to two reasons : 
 one was that the grand army was delayed in 
 Sindh, and no correct information was yet 
 received of the settlement of affairs in that 
 country : the other was, the vague reports 
 
 * " The salute we heard as we approached Lahore were 
 minute guns firing in honour of General Allard, who 
 lately died at Peshawr, and whose body had been brought 
 to the capital for interment ; it had this morning been 
 removed from his house at Anarcolly to his country resi- 
 dence in the neighbourhood, where it will remain until a 
 suitable grave can be prepared for its reception. On the 
 occasion six regiments of the Maharaja's were paraded for 
 the purpose of paying respect to the memory of the de- 
 ceased, who was beloved both by Natives and Europeans, 
 and whose death has cast a gloom over the city." — Barrs 
 Journal, pp. 72, 73. 
 
ORDER OF MARCH. 69 
 
 which were spread regarding the dangerous 
 state of Ranjeet Singh's health, which was 
 a subject of much anxiety to us, as on the 
 exercise of his own exertions and authority 
 the success of our part of the enterprise greatly 
 depended. 
 
 Our time was employed in introducing order 
 among the various parties in camp, that each 
 might know its place in marching and halting, 
 and we might maintain our credit for disci- 
 pline. The different bands of Afghans on foot 
 who had joined the Shah Zada being now about 
 three hundred men, were divided by the Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel into two parties, under the com- 
 mand of Lieutenants (now Captains) Dowson 
 and Hillersdon, two young British officers who 
 were attached to the Mission, and ordered to 
 proceed in advance to Peshawr, and complete 
 their levies to eight Tomans or companies, from 
 the Afghans who had joined Mr. Lord* at that 
 place. 
 
 * Mr. Lord had been the medical officer with Sir Alex- 
 ander Burnes in his mission to Kabul ; and the following 
 memoir, which appeared in the ' Athenaeum ' of the 10th 
 
70 SHAH ZADA ZKHYA 
 
 Shah Zada Yehya, one of the Saddozai 
 family, who was settled at Kabul, having been 
 
 of April, 1844, gives an interesting account of his services 
 and death : — 
 
 " Asiatic Society. 
 
 "March 20. 
 " Professor Wilson in the Chair. 
 
 ' * The honorary Secretary read a Memoir of the late Dr. 
 Lord, whose early death in the late Afghan struggle has 
 been equally lamented by his friends, and regretted by the 
 service to which he belonged, and where his talents were 
 so beneficially exerted. The writer of the Memoir, Dr. 
 Taylor, a member of the Society, who was an early and 
 intimate friend of Dr. Lord, states that that gentleman, 
 during his journeys in Central Asia, had made a regular 
 series of valuable observations, which it was his intention 
 to send to the Royal Asiatic Society for publication at the 
 close of the war ; and it is hoped that they may yet be 
 recovered. The particulars of Dr. Lord's early life, and 
 his connexion with the ' Athenaeum,' were given in our 
 hasty tribute to his memory (No. 689). In the latter part 
 of the year 1836, Dr. Lord sailed for India as assistant 
 surgeon in the service of the East India Company, and 
 arrived at Bombay in June, 1837. He was soon after ap- 
 pointed to the Native cavalry in Gujrat ; and, when 
 there, was selected to proceed to a district beyond the 
 British frontier, where the plague was raging, in order to 
 report on the disease. He had actually departed on his 
 mission when he was recalled, in order to go to Kabul, as 
 surgeon to the embassy, which was about to set out under 
 Sir Alexander Burnes. At Kabul he won the friendship 
 
JOINS SHAH ZADA TAIMUR. 7 1 
 
 turned out of that place by Dost Mahomed 
 Khan, joined Shah Zada Taimur to-day with 
 
 of Dost Mahomed Khan, and other Afghan chiefs ; and 
 his fame reached the ears of the too well known Murad 
 Beg, the dreaded Amir of Kunduz, who sent a mission to 
 request his attendance on his brother, then threatened with 
 blindness. Such an opportunity of gaining information 
 respecting the political condition of the Uzbeks was not 
 neglected ; and Dr. Lord, about the end of November, 
 1837, penetrated into Tartary through the mountains of 
 Hindu Kush. He found the case of Murad Beg's brother 
 hopeless ; and soon after prepared to return, but not 
 before he had found time to make a number of valuable 
 observations, which he embodied in a report to the Govern- 
 ment. The report met with the highest approbation ; and 
 the writer was in consequence named Political Assistant to 
 the Envoy sent to the king of Kabul ; and was intrusted to 
 raise all the well affected subjects of Shah Shuja, near 
 Peshawr. He was there, as he says in a letter to his 
 mother, ' busied in casting cannon, forging muskets, 
 raising troops, horse and foot, talking, persuading, threat- 
 ening, bullying, and bribing.' In the three days' fighting 
 at the Khaibar Pass, Dr. Lord acted as aide-de-camp to 
 Colonel Wade, and received the public thanks of the 
 Governor-General for his conduct on the occasion. Soon 
 after this Dr. Lord was sent to Bamian to superintend the 
 negotiations with the states of Turkestan ; his energy and 
 prudence were crowned with success ; and the result of 
 the mission was, that he got in the whole family of the 
 ex-chief of Kabul, and conciliated all the Uzbek states as 
 far as the Oxus. The personal acquaintance of Dr. Lord 
 
72 EXPOSTULATIONS AND 
 
 his family. Other Afghans are also arriving 
 daily, and joining the camp. The Khawanin, 
 who had quitted Sultan Mahomed Khan and 
 joined the Shah Zada's camp at Lahore, re- 
 ported that the Sirdar, to retaliate on them, 
 had seized their property, and put their fami- 
 lies within his jurisdiction into confinement. 
 As such a circumstance was likely to discourage 
 other Afghans from joining the Shah Zada, 
 and to defeat the object in view, prompt 
 notice was taken of the subject by Sir Claude 
 in an expostulatory letter to Ranjeet Singh, 
 
 with Dost Mahomed Khan led to his accompanying the 
 military division which was sent to intercept that chief, as it 
 was probable that his surrender might be facilitated through 
 his agency ; but it was, unhappily, the circumstance which 
 led to his own death, which, with that of nearly all the 
 officers of the troop, ensued upon the disgraceful flight of 
 our cavalry. The subject has been already too often before 
 the public to need repetition. Dr. Lord was spurring 
 across the field to join a party which seemed to evince a 
 better spirit, when he fell, pierced by more than a dozen 
 balls. His death was instantaneous. The reading of the 
 Memoir was followed by an extract of a letter from Sir 
 Alexander Burnes, declaring the regret of the Indian 
 Government at the loss of so zealous and able a servant ; 
 and expressing his own sorrow at the deprivation of so 
 dear a friend." 
 
REPORTS SENT TO RANJEET. 73 
 
 suggesting the expediency of immediate re- 
 dress being given to the complainants, and 
 some security being taken for the future good 
 and faithful conduct of his Barakzai feudatories 
 towards the Shah in the present expedition. 
 
 In the meantime letters were addressed to 
 all the Khaibar and other chiefs, intimating 
 the approach of the Shah Zada, and inviting 
 them to join him on his arrival at Peshawr. 
 
 A letter was also addressed to Ranjeet Singh, 
 informing him of the receipt of intelligence 
 that Dost Mahomed Khan was highly dis- 
 tracted on hearing the news of the armies of 
 the two states being on their way against him 
 in opposite directions, and that he was regret- 
 ting the opportunity he had lost, of securing 
 the friendship of the British Government 
 through Sir Alexander Burnes. In the same 
 letter his Highness was requested to furnish a 
 copy of the Tripartite Treaty to his officers at 
 Peshawr, that they might be aware of its 
 terms, and co-operate with Sir Claude Wade 
 accordingly. Another letter was written to 
 the Maharaja on the 15th instant, request- 
 
74 SALT MINES. 
 
 ing him to issue orders to his officers at 
 Peshawr, to place a battalion of his regular 
 infantry, with two pieces of artillery, at our 
 disposal on the Shah Zada's arrival at Pesh- 
 awr, as the escort now accompanying him 
 would not be sufficient for the protection of 
 the encampment in that advanced position near 
 the enemy's frontier, and when it would be 
 increased by many new followers. 
 
 Mr. Reid, our medical officer, started from 
 camp to examine the salt mines which are 
 visible from this place. I had seen them in our 
 mission to his Highness in 1832. They are very 
 curious, and yield a large revenue to Ranjeet 
 Singh, which is managed by Raja Golab Singh. 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 Chapter VII. 
 
 The Jammoo family — Horrible treachery perpetrated by 
 them — They found a town — They increase in wealth 
 and power — Another dreadful tragedy — Various chiefs 
 of this family — Rise of the Sikhs — Youth of Ranjeet 
 Singh — Anarchy— Ranjeet annexes Jammoo to his do- 
 minions — Rapid rise of Golab Singh — Raja Sultan Khan 
 — Conquest of Kashmir — Jaghirs. 
 
 The tradition is that there were two brothers 
 of the Surajbansi tribe of Rajputs. They 
 having been actuated by a desire to travel and 
 to lay the foundation of a town, and thus to 
 raise their name in the world, left the Dekhan, 
 their native country, in the disguise of Ka- 
 landers, a kind of monk ; and having tra- 
 velled throughout the country, acquired some 
 knowledge of its affairs. When they reached 
 the spot where the town of Jammoo now 
 stands, they fixed their dwelling there. In 
 the mean time a person of the Brahman caste 
 also happened to be there, and inquired after 
 the strangers. As a long experience of the 
 world had matured their minds, they did not 
 
 e 2 
 
/ b RISE OF GOLAB SINGH. 
 
 let him into their secret, but, on the contrary, 
 asked him the reason of his coming. The 
 Brahman simply stated that this spot (at that 
 time called Chak), being very inaccessible, 
 populous, and well fortified, had attracted 
 the notice of an individual of the tribe of 
 Mukta; that, having assembled his relatives 
 and family, he occupied the place and en- 
 closed their houses ; that in a short time 
 they grew rich and powerful by plundering 
 the neighbouring people ; that although they 
 were bravely chased and pursued by large 
 parties, yet, owing to the inaccessibility of their 
 station, none of them could overcome them, 
 and were put to flight or killed in the attempt ; 
 that in this manner the prosperity of these 
 bandits had greatly arisen, and the Brahman 
 continued to live among them. 
 
 One day the above two brothers observed 
 that a lion, a wolf, and a goat were drinking 
 water together at the same spot, from which 
 circumstance they augured it to be an auspi- 
 cious ground. In consequence they were re- 
 solved to build a town there, and with this 
 
A MASSACRE. 77 
 
 view promoted their friendly relations with the 
 Brahman. Night and day they used to sit to- 
 gether in company of each other. A rumour 
 of their pious and religious character was 
 spread among the people of every rank, low 
 and high. Every one used to assemble at 
 their place night and day to listen to their 
 lectures and to receive their blessings. A long 
 time elapsed in this way. The people placed 
 great confidence in them, and none swerved 
 from their command. One day the two bro- 
 thers held a council with the nobles of the 
 country, and asked them, as they had long 
 remained under their protection, that they 
 would accept their invitation to dine with 
 them at night, which was accepted without 
 objection ; the two brothers prepared every 
 kind of eatables and drinkables, and mixed 
 poison in everything. At the appointed time 
 the whole party assembled, and voraciously set 
 to eat, while the hosts only attended to the wants 
 of the party. No sooner had they done with 
 their dinner than every one of them expired. 
 When the two Rajputs had established them- 
 
78 AFFLUENCE OF THE BROTHERS. 
 
 selves on the spot, they set about building a 
 town (the town of Jammoo), and adopted the 
 predatory habits of the people. In a few days 
 the fame of their bravery and courage was 
 spread throughout the country. At length 
 one of the brothers settled in the fort of Mahu 
 and the other that of Jammoo. They had 
 five sons, the elder one of whom was married 
 in the family of Kirthu, the head Zamindar of 
 Samba. The second was married at Jasrota, 
 the third at Mankot, the fourth at Aknur, and 
 the fifth at Shujanpore. As avarice generally 
 follows on the heels of riches, no sooner, there- 
 fore, had they found, themselves in affluent cir- 
 cumstances, than they aspired to deprive their 
 neighbours of their property. With that view 
 one day the brother who lived at Jasrota called 
 on his brother settled at Samba. The wife of 
 the latter brother, out of modesty, shrunk 
 under the cot of her husband. As soon as the 
 two brothers joined together, they concerted 
 measures to exterminate the principal persons 
 of the village of Samba. The wife having 
 heard all that had transpired on the occasion, 
 
HARI DAS. 79 
 
 her husband, out of fear of the discovery of 
 their plot, killed her on the spot by running 
 a knife through her belly, and immediately 
 transported the corpse of the deceased to 
 Jammoo. One day they invited all the prin- 
 cipal individuals of Samba to an entertainment, 
 and with the usual treachery practised by their 
 forefathers, destroyed them all the same day 
 by means of poison, and took possession of 
 everything they had. In the same manner 
 every one of the five brothers, by means of 
 gross intrigues, exterminated the chief persons 
 of their respective villages and possessed their 
 property. They continued to exercise similar 
 tricks for a long time, and generation after 
 generation, in order to raise their influence, 
 till at last Raja Hari Das was born in their 
 family. He was a very ambitious and enter- 
 prising individual. His first object was to ex- 
 tend the territory which he inherited from his 
 forefathers, and he executed his design without 
 any apparent resistance. He occupied the 
 whole country belonging to his neighbours. 
 As he became a man of consequence, he pre- 
 
80 RANJEET DEO. 
 
 sented himself before the Mogul Emperor at 
 Delhi, where he was treated with considera- 
 tion and distinction. He assisted the Em- 
 peror in his expedition against the Dekhan, on 
 which occasion he was killed by a sabre-cut. 
 
 Hari Das was succeeded by Raja Kaji Singh, 
 his son. This Raja was famed for his justice 
 and equity. No event worthy of mention in 
 his life is on record. After his demise he 
 was followed by Raja Dharabdeo, who soon 
 added Jammoo and other places in its neigh- 
 bourhood to his territory, and raised his 
 name by making wars with distant and neigh- 
 bouring chiefs. He is known for his attach- 
 ment and obedience to the Mogul Emperor. 
 He had four well qualified sons, named Ranjeet 
 Deo, Ghansam Deo, Surat Singh, and Bal- 
 want Singh. 
 
 On his death he was succeeded by his elder 
 son Ranjeet Deo. He was an ambitious and 
 fortunate chief. He succeeded in 1730, and 
 ruled for fifty-four years. He first directed 
 his attention to the extension of his territory. 
 Four great neighbouring chiefs were entirely 
 
RANJEET DEO. 8 1 
 
 reduced to subjection, and several others made 
 tributary to his authority, viz., Amrit Pal of 
 Basoli, Dia Pal of Bhadarwal, Azmet Deo of 
 Mankot, Saved ulla Singh and Karm-ulla Singh 
 of Kishtwar,* The daily rising power of Ran- 
 jeet Deo alarmed the Mogul Emperor. In 
 consequence, Khan Bahadar Khan, the Suba 
 of Lahore, was ordered to proceed against him, 
 and to seize and to remove him to the court. 
 Accordingly Khan Bahadar Khan, with a con- 
 siderable army, proceeded to Jammoo, and 
 succeeded, without opposition, in apprehending 
 the Raja, and transported him to Lahore, 
 where he was confined for twelve years. 
 Afterwards, on the payment of a ransom of 
 two lakhs of rupees, he was released on the 
 recommendation of Adina Beg Khan, the 
 Governor of Jalendar, and was sent back to 
 Jammoo, accompanied by Hakeem Khodabaksh 
 Khan, the ancestor of Faqir Azizuddin. The 
 
 * The chiefs of Kishtwar and other petty states in that 
 quarter were Hindus converted to Mahomedanism by 
 Aurangzeb, and indiscriminately retain the names and 
 titles of both sects. 
 
 E 3 
 
82 RAT AN DEO. 
 
 Hakeem, after realizing one-half of the tribute 
 settled on Ranjeet Deo, went to Lahore. 
 
 Soon after the release of Ranjeet Deo, Ahmed 
 Shah Durrani invaded India, when the former, 
 who had resisted the invader, fell into the 
 hands of the Afghans, and was again sent to 
 Lahore, and confined there. During his con- 
 finement, Ratan Deo, one of the Jammoo family, 
 who had gone for service to the Dekhan, having 
 given some offence to his employer, took flight, 
 and availed himself of the absence of Ranjeet 
 Deo to declare Ghana Deo, his younger bro- 
 ther, the nominal ruler of Jammoo, on the con- 
 dition that he would not make use of his claim 
 to govern the country. Shahwali Khan, the 
 Prime Minister of Ahmed Shah, reported the 
 affair to His Majesty, and recommended that, as 
 the territory of Ranjeet Deo had been usurped, 
 there was no use in keeping him any longer 
 confined. The Shah ordered the prisoner not 
 only to be set at liberty, but to be honoured 
 with a Khilat, and to be restored to authority. 
 
 A large army was despatched to assist Ran- 
 jeet Deo in that object. When he appeared on 
 
STATE OF THE PANJAB. 83 
 
 the frontier of his country, he was attacked at 
 night by the enemy at the head of a large 
 party of Rajputs, whom Ratan Deo had col- 
 lected from the neighbouring hills ; but not 
 being able to maintain a contest with the royal 
 troops, he was repulsed with severe loss, and 
 obliged to submit. Ranjeet Deo was reinstated 
 in the chiefship of Jammoo, in return for which 
 he paid a Nazarana of three lakhs of rupees 
 to Shahwali Khan, who withdrew to Lahore. 
 
 On the return of Ahmed Shah to Kabul, 
 revolts and insurrections broke out in nearly 
 every part of the Panjab, and almost each town 
 and district owned a separate and independent 
 chief, who defied the power of the Durrani mo- 
 narchy, and thought only of ruling for him- 
 self. Every one began to aspire to his neigh- 
 bour's possessions : among others, Ranjeet Deo 
 sent a large force, headed by Ratan Deo, to 
 attack the territory of Raja Karm Chand, 
 the grandfather of Rajah Sansar Chand Ka- 
 toch. Many of the petty chiefs on the road by 
 which the army advanced acknowledged his 
 authority without offering any obstacle to the 
 
84 RISE OF THE SIKHS. 
 
 progress of the expedition. On its approach to 
 Nadon it was bravely opposed by Raja Karm 
 Chand, and a battle ensued between the two 
 parties, in which the Katoch chief was defeated 
 with great loss, and obliged to sue for peace. 
 He agreed that his son, Mian Teij Singh, 
 should remain a hostage with Ranjeet Deo, and 
 that he would pay the latter an annual contri- 
 bution of one lakh and ninety thousand rupees. 
 Ranjeet Deo died after a long reign, and in 
 addition to his original territory, acquired pos- 
 session of the following places: — 
 Charal, 
 
 Shakargarh, formerly called Dialgarh, 
 Kabula, Parwal, 
 
 Shahpore, Chanda Majra, 
 
 Bura Dulla, Andarwah, 
 
 Dousal, Chakana, 
 
 Aknur, Balwath, 
 
 Kot Bhalowal, Jankawan. 
 
 It was during the lifetime of Ranjeet Deo 
 that the Sikhs, particularly those of the Bhangi 
 confederacy, were daily rising to importance, 
 and became an object of alarm to their neigh- 
 
DEATH OF RANJEET DEO. S5 
 
 bours. Fearful of their power, the Jammoo 
 chief sought the means of securing his ter- 
 ritory from their constant inroads, and con- 
 sented to pay them a Nazarana. The fate of 
 Jammoo from that date has been dependent on 
 the dominion of the Sikhs. 
 
 After effecting a settlement of their demands 
 with Ranjeet Deo, the Bhangis directed their 
 attention chiefly to the conquest of the country 
 about Lahore ; while Mahan Singh, the father 
 of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, whose possessions 
 were contiguous to Jammoo, commenced 
 making depredations on that territory, and com- 
 pelled its chief to give him a contribution also. 
 
 In the year 1794 Ranjeet Deo died, and was 
 succeeded by his son Birjraj Deo. He reigned 
 twenty years, the greater part of which he 
 spent in fighting with the Sikhs, and is repre- 
 sented to have been a brave and enterprising 
 leader. In the beginning of his reign he was 
 harassed and annoyed, not only by Maha 
 Singh's incursions, but by Haqiqat Singh, 
 who attacked him on the side of Zafarwal and 
 Chapral, near Sialkot, and where Ranjeet Deo 
 
86 AMRITSIR. 
 
 had built a fort called after his own name, 
 Ranjeet Garh ; but he soon secured the alliance 
 of both parties, by paying a Nazarana of 60,000 
 rupees to one, and by exchanging turbans 
 with the other. The above two chiefs a«;ain 
 combined, however, to ravage the Jammoo ter- 
 ritory, and Birjraj Deo adopted every means 
 in his power to thwart their design. A battle 
 was fought between them, in which the Jammoo 
 chief was discomfited, and the city fell into the 
 hands of the Sikhs. The victors occupied and 
 abandoned it to the fury and rapacity of their 
 followers ; and the booty which was captured 
 by the Sikhs on that occasion is said to have 
 been immense. 
 
 The city of Amritsir had not then attained 
 an equally flourishing condition with that of 
 Jammoo ; and its wealth, and a jealousy of its 
 rising prosperity, had long been viewed with 
 jealousy by the Sikhs, which induced them to 
 remain there for some months, during which the 
 place was completely plundered and ransacked. 
 
 Haqiqat Singh was obliged to hasten back 
 from Jammoo immediately to the relief of Amr 
 
YOUTH OF RANJEET SINGH. 87 
 
 Singh Bhaaga, who was besieged and reduced 
 to the last extremity by his Sikh rivals, Jai 
 Singh and Gorbakhsh Singh. He attacked 
 the besiegers; and after compelling them to 
 raise the siege and retire, and restoring order 
 in the territory of Amr Singh, retraced his 
 steps to Jam moo, where he soon afterwards died. 
 The demise of Haqiqat Singh may be said to 
 have left Maha Singh the sole master of 
 Jammoo; but some time afterwards he restored 
 it to Birjraj Deo, on the stipulation of an 
 annual tribute. 
 
 Birjraj Deo left a son named Sapuran Singh, 
 then very young, who was declared the suc- 
 cessor of his father at Jasrota, where all the 
 neighbouring chiefs assembled to acknowledge 
 his title. 
 
 After the death of Maha Singh, a Sikh chief 
 of note, named Dal Singh, who was in the ser- 
 vice of the former, is said to have instigated the 
 present ruler of the Panjab, then about the 
 same age as Sapuran Singh, to take advantage 
 of that youth's infancy and conquer his coun- 
 try. The Maharaja proceeded to execute the 
 
88 ANARCHY. 
 
 design ; when Mian Mota, the regent or mi- 
 nister of Sapuran Singh, proceeded to meet 
 Ranjeet Singh with his master, and readily 
 submitted to his authority. The two youths, 
 viz., Ranjeet Singh and Sapuran Singh, 
 no sooner met than they began to play with 
 each other. During the sport, Ranjeet Singh 
 is said to have pulled off the cap of the other, 
 who retaliated the treatment of his young host 
 by taking his turban off his head also, which 
 caused a quarrel between them : but the pre- 
 ceptors of each party interfered, and reconciled 
 them to each other by an exchange of turbans ; 
 after which they retired to their respective 
 homes. 
 
 Sapuran Singh had but a very short reign : 
 he was attacked by the small-pox about two 
 years after his accession, and died of that 
 disease. Having left no direct descendants to 
 succeed him, on his death a contest for power 
 ensued, which continued for a long time to 
 distract and ruin the affairs of the principality. 
 The officers of which, seeing that the country 
 could not be preserved in their hands, thought 
 
POLICY OF RANJEET SINGH. 89 
 
 it advisable to declare Cheit Singh, the son of 
 Dalel Singh, and the nephew of Ranjeet Deo, 
 the successor. In the anarchy that had pre- 
 vailed, many of the conquests made by Ranjeet 
 Deo were lost. 
 
 The first act of Cheit Singh's government 
 was to murder Teij Singh, who, during the 
 reign of Birjraj Deo, had been incited by Mian 
 Mota, the late regent of the family, to put to 
 death Dalel Singh, the father of Cheit Singh, 
 from a fear of whose vengeance the Mian him- 
 self took refuge in the Chakanah, a strong 
 country near Jammoo, from which he was 
 in the habit of making irruptions, and using 
 every effort in his power to devastate that 
 territory. 
 
 In these domestic dissensions and disputes, 
 Ranjeet Singh saw an opportunity of taking 
 entire possession of Jammoo and of adding it to 
 his own territory. Accordingly in the year 
 1808, he sent a party of his troops and occu- 
 pied the place, conferring a Jaghir, only ade- 
 quate to his subsistence, on Cheit Singh, during 
 his life. 
 
90 JAMMOO. 
 
 The late Ranjeet Deo had two brothers named 
 Surat Singh and Balwant Singh, the former 
 of whom had four sons, namely, Zorawar Singh, 
 Mian Ditta, Mian Mota, and Mian Bhopa. 
 From Zorowar Singh descended Kishora Singh, 
 and from him Golab Singh, Dhian Singh, and 
 Seocheit Singh, the three brothers now in the 
 service of Maharajah Ranjeet Singh. 
 
 On the death of Cheit Singh, he also left 
 three sons, named Rakhar Deo, Devi Singh, and 
 Bir Singh, who, when young, were taken by 
 their mother to the left bank of the Satledge, 
 on which side of the river they still reside near 
 a place called Ganguwala, in the hills. One 
 of them, Devi Singh, presented himself at one 
 time before the Maharaja and entered his ser- 
 vice ; but one day, in the presence of his 
 Highness, he said something offensive to the 
 other members of the family, on which ac- 
 count, Raja Seocheit Singh treated him with 
 such indignity, that, from a dread of losing his 
 life, he recrossed the Satledge, and has never 
 appeared at court since. 
 
 The rise of the present possessors of Jammoo 
 
GOLAB SINGH. 91 
 
 at the court of Lahore may be traced to the 
 time of Mian Mota. During the lifetime of 
 that chief, the Maharaja assigned in jaghir to 
 Sirdar Hukma Singh Chimni the territory 
 lying in the vicinity of Jammoo. Having pos- 
 sessed himself of it, the Sirdar aspired to 
 add Jammoo also to his acquisitions. With that 
 view he collected a large force, and proceeded 
 against the place. Mian Mota, who had been 
 allowed to retain the country by the ruler of 
 Lahore, prepared to oppose the invasion. A 
 great part of his troops consisted of the native 
 Rajputs. Mian Golab Singh and Dhian Singh, 
 together with their father, Kishora Singh, were 
 also among the number. These men with a 
 trusty band of their own followers were ap- 
 pointed to protect one of the gateways of the 
 city named Goendwala. No sooner had 
 Hukma Singh appeared before the place than 
 he encountered a warm reception. Both par- 
 ties fought desperately. At length the assail- 
 ants were defeated and obliged to take flight. 
 In the course of this action, Golab Singh was 
 distinguished for his energy and bravery, and 
 
92 HIS RAPID RISE. 
 
 soon afterwards, Mian Mota being summoned 
 to the court, Golab Singh accompanied him 
 there. One day, in speaking of the battle, the 
 courage displayed by Golab Singh was the 
 universal theme of admiration. The Maha- 
 raja immediately sent for Golab Singh to his 
 presence ; and being as young and active as he 
 was brave, he entertained him in his service 
 among the Ghorcheras on a salary of two 
 rupees a day, in which situation he remained 
 for three years. 
 
 In the meantime, a person named Sathru 
 assassinated Mian Mota, the patron of Golab 
 Singh. After the commission of the act, the 
 assassin came to Lahore and entered the ser- 
 vice of Kour Kharak Singh, which exasperated 
 Golab Singh, who meeting with Sathru in one 
 of his rides, resented the murder of his patron 
 by shooting Sathru to death, and sought safety 
 with Jemadar Khoshal Singh, who at that 
 period stood very high in the favour of Ranjeet 
 Singh. The case was reported to the Maha- 
 raja ; who, after inquiring into the facts, sent 
 for Golab Singh and pardoned him, without 
 
HIS BROTHERS. 93 
 
 remorse for the crime which he had perpetrated. 
 About the same time, his Highness placed 
 Golab Singh in charge of a party of sixty 
 Sowars, and gave him the district Nihal in 
 jaghir, yielding a revenue of 1*2,000 rupees, in 
 lieu of which he was bound to furnish fifty 
 additional Sowars. His influence was rising, 
 and he met with rapid promotion. Dhian 
 Singh, his younger brother, who was also 
 engaged in the immediate service of the Maha- 
 raja, now began to attract the favour of his 
 Highness. At the age of fifteen he was charged 
 with the Deodhee, and in the same year Rajah 
 Seocheit Singh, the youngest of the three bro- 
 thers, who was then quite a boy, also attended 
 the court, where his engaging qualities likewise 
 met with particular favour from the Maha- 
 raja, who became so fond of him that he 
 would never allow him to be absent from 
 his presence. Dhian Singh received a jaghir 
 of 2000 rupees before he had been a year at 
 court. 
 
 At that period the three brothers were known 
 by the title of Mians : but Golab Singh being 
 
94 FURTHER HONOURS. 
 
 constantly absent, either on duty with the 
 troops of the Maharajah on their foreign ex- 
 peditions or at his home, was little seen or 
 known at court 
 
 In the year 1816, Mian Kishora Singh, the 
 father of Dhian Singh, was raised by the Sikh 
 chieftain to the Raj of Jam moo when the ad- 
 ministration of the place was conducted by 
 Golab Singh, who, shortly after that event, re- 
 ported to the Maharaja that he had attacked 
 and killed Mian Didoo, one of the same family, 
 who had for a long time past been leading a 
 predatory and independent life, and exciting 
 disturbances in the country near Jammoo. To 
 mark his approbation of Golab Singh's conduct 
 on that occasion, the Maharaja was pleased 
 to confer on him another jaghir of 12,000 
 rupees, besides other honorary distinctions ; 
 but his attendance at court was merely con- 
 fined to the festivals of the Bisakhi Maghi 
 and the Desahira, when he received the usual 
 Khilats and returned to Jammoo. 
 
 Mian Kishora Singh, who though not con- 
 sidered the rightful heir, was called by his 
 
THE RAJAH OF BHIMBER. 95 
 
 subjects Raja, having died, Ranjeet Singh, 
 at the request of his favourites, the sons of the 
 deceased, proceeded towards Jammoo to per- 
 form the rites of condolence. On that occasion 
 he invested them with Khilats, in return for 
 which proof of his consideration his Highness 
 demanded a Nazarana from them ; and the 
 three brothers exerted themselves to satisfy the 
 demand. 
 
 While at Jammoo, Ranjeet Singh conferred 
 the title of the Raja of Jammoo on Golab Singh, 
 and that of Bhadarwal on Seocheit Singh, his 
 brother. 
 
 In the year 1828, on the festival of the 
 Bisakhi, Mian Dhian Singh, who now became 
 a great favourite with the Maharaja, received 
 the title of Raja of Bhimber, which place had 
 been seized from Sultan Khan. 
 
 The ceremony was performed with great 
 state ; and to mark the estimation in which 
 Ranjeet Singh held him, he added to it the title 
 of Raja of Rajas, directed the officers of his 
 court to present Nazars to him, and to regard 
 the newly created Raja as his principal mi- 
 
96 UNSUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN. 
 
 nister; while a proclamation was issued, that 
 if any one in future called him Mian he should 
 be fined 1000 rupees, and that if not a public 
 servant, he should lose his nose and ears. 
 
 Raja Sultan Khan of Bhimber was a brave 
 man and a good soldier. On the occasion when 
 Ranjeet Singh occupied the territory of Saheb 
 Singh, which consisted of Gujrat, &c, he 
 summoned also the Bhimber chief to attend the 
 court. As a close intimacy existed between him 
 and the late ruler of Gujrat, he refused to com- 
 ply with his Highness's order for fear of being 
 taken prisoner ; the Maharaja was offended at 
 the refusal, and despatched two battalions under 
 the command of Faqir Azizuddin, against 
 Mangladour. Sultan Khan attacked them un- 
 awares, and cut down about six hundred men 
 of the Faqir's party, the rest of whom sought 
 safety in immediate retreat. This failure in- 
 flamed the fury of Ranjeet Singh : Diwan Mho- 
 kem Chand was then sent with a larger and 
 fresh force : still Sultan Khan made prepara- 
 tions to give a warm reception to his enemies. 
 The Diwan, foreseeing that he would not be 
 
RAJAH SULTAN KHAN IMPRISONED. 97 
 
 able to compel the hill chief by the force of 
 arms, spread the net of intrigues ; and with 
 this view made overtures of peace. The simple 
 chief was deceived, and induced to accompany 
 the Diwan to the court, where he was received 
 at first with distinction. His Highness seated 
 him on a chair, made him a Sirwarna* of hun- 
 dreds of rupees ; besides which he granted 
 him an elephant with a silver howda, and a 
 horse with a golden saddle, and recalled the 
 troops which were sent against his territory. 
 When the safe return of his troops was re- 
 ported, the Maharaja again called him to the 
 Darbar ; and, considering him a dangerous 
 character, ordered him to be apprehended and 
 confined, where he remained six years. Rhia 
 Ram Singh, a native of India, commanding the 
 troops of Kour Kharak Singh, was sent to 
 introduce his Highness's authority 'in his ter- 
 ritory. No sooner had he accomplished this 
 object than the Bhia began to make irruptions 
 into the Rajouree territory. At this time, Ata 
 
 * An offering of money to an honoured friend or relative 
 to be distributed in alms. 
 
98 AGAR KHAN. 
 
 Mahomed Khan being the ruler of Kashmir 
 sent his troops to assist Agar Khan the Raja 
 of Rajouree on one hand, while Vazir Rohilla 
 Khan, the Raja of Ponch, with all his available 
 troops, proceeded to aid him on the other. A 
 battle ensued between the two parties, in which 
 the son of Rohilla was killed ; but victory re- 
 mained undecided, and, in consequence, Ran- 
 jeet Singh's troops returned to Lahore without 
 success. Afterwards Agar Khan, foreseeing that 
 he would at last fail, sent an agent to his 
 Highness's court to acknowledge his obedience. 
 The next year Bhia Ram Singh again attacked 
 Rajouree. Agar Khan was unprepared to de- 
 fend himself, and took flight. The Bhia set 
 his seraglio on fire, and plundered and ravaged 
 the city. Agar Khan sent back the treaty 
 which was concluded last year between himself 
 and his Highness, to say, that, by the conduct 
 of the Bhia, it was annulled ; on which the 
 Maharaja blamed his officer, and restored the 
 chief to Rajouree, on condition that he would 
 assist him to take Kashmir. 
 
 His Highness now made preparation to 
 
INVASION OF KASHMIR. : 99 
 
 conquer the valley of Kashmir ; and with this 
 view sent a large army against that place. It 
 was at that time governed by Azim Khan, who, 
 on the approach of the Sikhs, by the advice of 
 Agar Khan and Rohilla Khan, spread a rumour 
 that Ranjeet Singh's advanced troops were 
 defeated. This report raised the peasantry, 
 who harassed the Sikh army so much that the 
 Maharaja was obliged to return to Lahore. 
 In their retreat they were attacked and 
 plundered by Agar Khan and Rohilla Khan, 
 through whose territories they passed. This 
 treacherous conduct enraged the Maharaja to 
 a high degree, and from the same moment he 
 was determined to exterminate these two chiefs. 
 Soon after he released Sultan Khan with this 
 view ; and exacted a solemn engagement from 
 him to assist the Maharaja in occupying 
 Kashmir: and to remove the recollection of 
 the distresses experienced by him during his 
 confinement, he was now treated with the 
 highest consideration and distinction. Ranjeet 
 Singh then made preparations to renew his 
 expedition against Kashmir. Misser Diwan 
 
 f 2 
 
100 CONQUEST OF KASHMIR. 
 
 Chand, at the head of a large army, and in 
 company of Sultan Khan, proceeded to his 
 destination. During his progress towards 
 Kashmir, the Diwan secured the alliance of 
 all the hill chiefs, and among others that of 
 Agar Khan, and held out to him assurances of 
 pardon for his past conduct, and favour and 
 consideration in future ; but Agar Khan, being 
 sensible of the offence which he had given to 
 the Sikhs in their last expedition, made his 
 escape. At the recommendation of Diwan 
 Chand, the Maharaja exalted RahmatullaKhan, 
 his brother, to his musnad* on condition of 
 aiding the Sikhs to conquer Kashmir. 
 
 On the return of the army from the conquest 
 of Kashmir, Sultan Khan was accordingly re- 
 stored to a part of his territory ; while Rahmat- 
 ulla Khan, the chief of Rajouree, who had been 
 very useful to the Maharaja on that occasion, 
 was assured by his Highness that, as long as 
 he had a beard (holding it with his hand), he 
 should continue in possession of his country 
 without molestation. Hitherto Ranjeet Singh 
 * Throne. 
 
DESIGNS OF GOLAB SINGH. 101 
 
 adheres to his promise, notwithstanding that 
 the Jam moo family have often proposed to 
 assume his territory. 
 
 Having failed in their object with the Ma- 
 haraja, Raja Golab Singh tried to accom- 
 plish it by other means. When he returned 
 from the expedition against Sayed Ahmed, 
 he brought Sultan Khan and Rahmatulla 
 Khan, who had accompanied him to Jammoo, 
 and detained them two months. During their 
 detention they were treated with outward marks 
 of consideration, while Golab Singh was se- 
 cretly engaged in the design of seizing and 
 confining them. He invited them to his house ; 
 but Rahmatulla Khan, aware of the plot, went 
 there without sitting down, and taking imme- 
 diate leave of the Raja, returned to his camp, 
 and escaped to Rajouree in safety. In the morn- 
 ing, when Golab Singh went towards the tents 
 of Rahmatulla Khan, he was vexed and disap- 
 pointed that he had been foiled in his intention 
 of seizing the chief. Sultan Khan was taken 
 afterwards to the fort of Rhiasi, where he died 
 last year. His property, and the little terri- 
 
102 DHIAN SINGH. 
 
 tory which was left to him, were seized by the 
 treacherous Raja, and his family removed to 
 Jammoo. 
 
 It has been stated that the Bhimber Raj 
 was conferred on Dhian Singh ; and that 
 the territory of Ponch is now in possession 
 of Hira Singh. A jaghir of 2,000 rupees 
 was afterwards settled on the late chief of 
 that place, Sher Jung Khan, at the recom- 
 mendation of Jemadar Khoshal Singh. But 
 last year some of the servants of Raja Dhian 
 Singh, on account of Sher Jung Khan running 
 away with a woman of the district of Chapral, 
 with whom he fell in love, having killed him, 
 his jaghir was resumed by Dhian Singh. The 
 murderer was also soon after killed by the ser- 
 vants of Sher Jung Khan. No individual of any 
 influence has been now left in the hills who can 
 dispute the authority of the Jammoo family. 
 One of the illegitimate sons of Sultan Khan is 
 in the service of Ranjeet Singh, and is in the 
 receipt of ten rupees a-day. He is under the 
 command of Sirdar Lehna Singh, Majithia, 
 
LIST OF PLACES HELD IN JAGHIB BY RAJA GoLAB SlNGH, 
 SHOWING THE BEVENUE OF EACH DISTBICT. 
 
 
 Amount 
 
 
 Names of Places. 
 
 of 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 
 Revenue. 
 
 
 Jummoo and fort of 
 
 92,225 
 
 Taken from Rajah Cheit Singh 
 
 Kilas. 
 
 
 in 1814. 
 
 Province 
 
 83,391 
 
 Ditto from Mian Anwer Singh, 
 in 1814. 
 
 Purmandil 
 
 15,392 
 
 Ditto from Dewan Singh in 1814. 
 
 Bulwia Charia 
 
 26,879 
 
 Ditto from Raja Cheit Singh, 
 in 1814. 
 
 Pooma . 
 
 17,556 
 
 Ditto from Raja Soltan Khan, 
 in 1823. 
 
 Anderwah 
 
 92,145 
 
 Ditto from Raja Cheit Singh, in 
 1823. 
 
 Yahdial . 
 
 8,116 
 
 Ditto from Raja Cheit Singh, in 
 1824. 
 
 Rihasi 
 
 57,262 
 
 Ditto from Dal Singh, in 1814. 
 
 Hartal . 
 
 7,512 
 
 Ditto from Mian Dewan Singh, 
 in 1814. 
 
 SeocheitGarh . 
 
 5,675 
 
 Ditto by Golab Singh, from his 
 brother, 1814. 
 
 Aknur 
 
 29,719 
 
 Ditto from Mian Alam Singh, in 
 
 1822. 
 Ditto from Raja Tegh Chand, in 
 
 Kishtwar 
 
 120,595 
 
 
 
 1824. 
 
 Khera . 
 
 7,553 
 
 Ditto from Mian Badun Singh, in 
 1824. 
 
 Kermachi 
 
 12,930 
 
 Ditto from Mian Bahadur Chand, 
 in 1824. 
 
 Badharwal 
 
 23,190 
 
 Ditto from Namdar Khan, in 
 1824. 
 
 Sad Garh 
 
 7,520 
 
 Ditto from Fateh Singh, in 1815. 
 
 Ram Garh 
 
 17,187 
 
 Ditto from Raja of Kishtwar, in 
 1824. 
 
 Ogaran . 
 
 37,625 
 
 Ditto from Deo Chand, in 1824. 
 
 Bahree . 
 
 10,302 
 
 Ditto from Dial Singh China, in 
 1S24. 
 
 Bhimber 
 
 2,687 
 
 Ditto from Raja Cheit Singh, in 
 1824. 
 
 Dehra Baba Nanak . 
 
 637 
 
 Ditto from Baba Fateh Singh, in 
 1824. 
 
 Lala Chobarah 
 
 27,019 
 
 Ditto from Bhag Hulo-Singh 
 Holsuwalia, 1824. 
 
 Arz Garh • 
 
 6,225 
 
 Ditto from Mian Dewan Singh, 
 in 1824. 
 
 Deo Lasia 
 
 13,280 
 
 Ditto from Raten Deo, in 1824. 
 
 Chetor Garh . 
 
 6,980 
 
 
 Chini 
 
 9,667 
 
 Ditto from Deal Singh Chini- 
 wala, in 1840. 
 
 Total Rupees . 
 
 7,37,287 
 
104 
 
 JAGHIR OF DHIAN SINGH. 
 
 List of Jaghirs held by Raja Dhian Singh, showing the Amount of 
 each District. 
 
 
 Amount 
 
 
 
 
 
 Names of Places. 
 
 of 
 Revenue. 
 
 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 
 Jhapal .... 
 
 10,972 
 
 
 
 Taken ! 
 
 from Rajah Sultan 
 
 
 
 
 Khan 
 
 in 1824. 
 
 
 Kotli .... 
 
 3,980 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Mangla Deo 
 
 28,681 14 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Panadar 
 
 16,881 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Noshehrah . 
 
 15,304 7 
 
 9 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Khoma .... 
 
 11,892 11 
 
 3 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Walabal. . . . 
 
 15,652 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Aman Garh 
 
 18,923 1 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Jaghir Shahbaz 
 
 9,965 1 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Hawaii .... 
 
 20,852 
 
 
 
 Taken from Rohilla Khan 
 
 
 
 
 in 1824. 
 
 
 Mondi .... 
 
 28,281 15 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Sobun .... 
 
 21,442 2 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Bhairam Girda 
 
 3,768 3 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 TatDers . . . 
 
 4,751 6 
 
 6 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Poneh .... 
 
 7,642 8 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Pargana 
 
 69,729 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Islambad 
 
 4,181 12 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Hira Garh . 
 
 11,511 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Pattan .... 
 
 4,233 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Mandahar . 
 
 22,853 10 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Golab Garh . . 
 
 23,106 
 
 3 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Beaupas 
 
 8,825 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Emnabad . 
 
 4,375 
 
 
 
 Taken from the wife of Bhag 
 
 
 
 
 Singh 
 
 in 1837. 
 
 
 Mindki .... 
 
 3,505 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Euosuf Garh . 
 
 3, 00 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Ramesir 
 
 13,100 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Azizpore 
 
 1,000 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Narangpore. 
 
 600 
 
 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 Makanpore . . 
 
 1,800 
 
 
 9 
 
 Ditto 
 
 ditto 
 
 ditto. 
 
 Total Rupees . 
 
 291,112 12 
 
 
JAGHIR OF SEOCHEIT SINGH. 
 
 105 
 
 Raja Socheit Singh. 
 
 
 Amount 
 
 
 Names of Districts. 
 
 of 
 Revenue. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Bandralta .... 
 
 84,000 
 
 Taken from Raja Bhopdeo in 
 1823. 
 
 Janganu .... 
 
 11,050 
 
 Ditto from Raja Cheit Singh of 
 Jammoo, and given to Seocheit 
 Singh in 1830. 
 
 Mankot .... 
 
 22,100 
 
 Ditto from Raja Tori Singh, 
 and given to Seocheit Singh 
 in 1834. 
 
 Phidoo .... 
 
 12,215 
 
 Ditto from Raja Abhar Singh, 
 and given to Seocheit Singh in 
 1831. 
 
 Adhar Sabar . . 
 
 6,100 
 
 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 
 Khok . ... 
 
 3,025 
 
 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 
 Darekdul Kala . 
 
 3,035 
 
 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 
 Sandri Kot . . 
 
 7,100 
 
 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 
 Samba 
 
 27,200 
 
 Taken from Ram Singh,and given 
 to Seocheit Singh in 1832. 
 
 Samrath .... 
 
 12,250 
 
 Ditto from Raja of Jammoo, and 
 given to Seocheit Singh in 1832. 
 
 Seocheit Garh . . 
 
 7,650 
 
 Ditto from Gormukh Singh, and 
 given to Seocheit Singh in 1 828. 
 
 Atal Garh . . . 
 
 16,050 
 
 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 
 Manajeke .... 
 
 11,100 
 
 Taken from Kalalwalia, and given 
 to Seocheit Singh in 1836. 
 
 Dera Din Puneh . 
 
 27,500 
 
 Ditto from Abdul Mahomed 
 Khan in 1834. 
 
 Villages in the neigh- 
 
 6,900 
 
 
 bourhood of Lahore. 
 
 
 
 Nao Shehra . . . 
 
 6,140 
 
 Taken from Rajkouran, and given 
 to Seocheit Singh, formerly be- 
 longed to Pind Dadan Khan in 
 1838. 
 
 Kotli Sarae . . . 
 
 9,100 
 
 
 Villages in the neigh- 
 
 5,050 
 
 
 bourhood of Amrit- 
 
 
 
 sir. 
 Kot Kana 
 
 2,300 
 
 
 Pholalwalah . . . 
 
 27,000 
 
 Taken from Saheb Singh Bhagee. 
 
 Total Rupees . 
 
 3,06,865 
 
 
 F 3 
 
106 
 
 JAGHIR OF HIRA SINGH. 
 Raja Hira Singh. 
 
 
 
 
 Names of Districts. 
 
 of 
 Revenue. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Chapral .... 
 
 119,250 
 
 Taken from in 1834, 
 given by Maharaja. 
 
 Zahura .... 
 
 6,877 
 
 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 
 Chittore .... 
 
 14,253 
 
 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 
 Hambur .... 
 
 16,992 
 
 Taken from Raja Sultan Khan 
 in 1825. 
 
 Mirowal .... 
 
 8,760 
 
 Ditto from Sokha Singh Bhangee, 
 and given to Hira Singh in 
 1834. 
 
 Kaleta 
 
 92,184 
 
 Ditto from ditto in 1820. 
 
 Villages in the neigh- 
 
 4,467 
 
 Ditto from RajaSansar Chand in 
 
 bourhood of Lahore. 
 
 
 1830. 
 
 Kala Khatae . . . 
 
 5,822 
 
 
 Mosumba Mamla 
 
 40,000 
 
 
 Hagah Jasrota . . 
 
 153,510 
 
 
 Total Rupees . 
 
 4,62,115 
 
 
 
( 107 ) 
 
 Chapter VIII. 
 
 Crossing the river — Jehlam — The town of that name — Its 
 revenue and population — Cultivation of the adjacent 
 country — Timber — Boats used on the river — Coins and 
 other Antiquities discovered by Generals Ventura and 
 Court — Application to Ranjeet Singh for expediting the 
 progress of the Mission. 
 
 Crossed the Jehlam on the 19th of February 
 in five large boats built near Pind Dadan Khan. 
 The river is about twelve hundred feet wide, 
 and runs between well-defined banks, but both 
 above and below, it is more wide and spreading. 
 The depth of the stream is nowhere more than 
 ten feet. It is occasionally fordable opposite 
 the town, and almost always so for a few 
 months in some part between it and Chowa- 
 kan, and likewise below that place ; but higher 
 fords are preferred, on account of the stony 
 bottom, and the absence of quicksands. They 
 are sometimes as shallow as two feet. Like the 
 other rivers of the Panjab, the Jehlam usually 
 begins to rise about the beginning of March. 
 
108 JEHLAM. 
 
 There appears always to have been a town 
 on the banks of the stream on or near the site 
 of the present Jehlam. Close to it there is a 
 considerable mound, in which very old coins 
 and fragments of stone pillars have been found. 
 
 Jehlam fell into the power of Ahmed Shah 
 Abdali, and was subordinate to the government 
 of the neighbouring fort of Rohtas. In 1767, 
 when Charat Singh, Ranjeet Singh's grand- 
 father, took Rohtas from the Afghans, Jehlam 
 had a small but very weak brick fort, contain- 
 ing about fifty houses, and there were besides 
 some thirty houses outside the walls. Charat 
 Singh took Jehlam at the same time as Rohtas. 
 It was plundered and burnt by Shah Zaman, 
 who remained forty days near the town on his 
 first expedition to India. On his second expedi- 
 tion he again destroyed the place, and it was on 
 his return from Lahore that he was here obliged 
 to leave his guns. The greater portion of his 
 troops had crossed, and the guns had been 
 brought to the banks of the river ready for 
 embarkation, when the river suddenly swelled, 
 and swept away the sand on which the guns 
 stood : two or three of them were afterwards 
 
JEHLAM. 109 
 
 recovered by Ranjeet Singh. Jehlam was a 
 third time plundered by Abdullah Khan Shah- 
 anchi about forty-two years ago. 
 
 Charat Singh appointed Dada Ram Singh 
 his manager, and afterwards Sulia Singh, 
 Kathri, held the office for twelve or thirteen 
 years singly, and for five or six years in con- 
 junction with Kan Singh. They paid six 
 hundred manees,* or about three thousand 
 mands f of grain to Government. 
 
 About forty years ago the town was given 
 in jaghir to Mith Singh, Bherania, one of the 
 old Sikh Sirdars, who held it for about thir- 
 teen years, and after him his son, Jawala Singh, 
 held it for about twenty-two years; but, in 
 1836, after his death, the Maharaja added 
 it to the numerous other jaghirs of Raja 
 Golab Singh of Jammoo. 
 
 The transit duties may amount to 10,000 
 rupees, and the land revenue from the adjacent 
 villages, and the place itself, may be as much 
 more. The neighbouring jaghir of Sangooree 
 yields about 18,000 rupees per annum. 
 
 * A weight of about fifteen pounds, 
 f A weight of about eighty pounds. 
 
110 JEHLAM. 
 
 The town now contains, they say, about two 
 thousand people, but apparently a thousand 
 more. Timber is brought from Aen on the 
 Jehlam, and bamboos from Chowakan, on a 
 branch of that river. Grain is brought here 
 from various places, and sent to the south and 
 west. 
 
 The bed of the Jehlam becomes rocky at 
 Myee Mangul, about ten kos above Jehlam, 
 on the left bank, where it is swept on three 
 sides by the river, and has a fort, strong chiefly 
 from its situation, held by Kharak Singh. 
 
 The river Jehlam passes through Kashmir. 
 Before it enters that valley it is a very small 
 stream in breadth. Below Islamabad, about 
 eighteen kos to the north-east of Kashmir, it is 
 joined by several streams, and assumes the 
 name of Behat, by which name it is known 
 throughout the valley. Five kos farther it is 
 joined by another stream, and from thence 
 swells into a large river. On its appearance in 
 the plains it takes the name of Jehlam. 
 
 On the right bank to the south of the town 
 stands the tomb of a Sikh Sirdar, who was 
 killed by the men of Mr. Holmes's battalion in 
 
TIMBER. Ill 
 
 the Sikh service, when the former attempted to 
 take away by force a boat in which the baggage 
 of that officer was being crossed over. 
 
 Rice has been cultivated for many years : 
 two years ago the sugar-cane was introduced, 
 for which the soil is found favourable. 
 
 Boats can go as high up as Chowakan, six- 
 teen kos ; the country beyond is very lovely ; 
 Dhongah, twenty-nine kos. 
 
 The best kind of wood used in building is 
 that called Diar. It grows in the Himmalya, 
 and when the snow melts in the months of 
 March, April, and May, it is brought down the 
 various streams into the river Jehlam, and is now 
 collected by Government and sold to the pub- 
 lic. The trees are not felled, and only such 
 reach the river as are torn from their roots by 
 the force of torrents. It is calculated that the 
 average annual supply may amount to a thou- 
 sand pieces : some of these are sixty feet and 
 upwards in length, and two such will make a 
 boat of eight hundred mands burthen. The 
 people do not appear to care about the age of 
 the timber, so long as it is of good size ; but 
 
112 THE TIMBER TRADE. 
 
 for boats they prefer such as have been sea- 
 soned for four or five years. At A en, the chief 
 mart, a place about sixty miles above Jehlam, 
 one of the finest logs costs sixty rupees : each 
 timber pays a duty of two rupees at three 
 places between A en and Jehlam, and at Jehlam 
 itself a duty of 25 per cent, is levied if taken 
 below the town for sale, but if sold in the town 
 the duty is about 18 per cent, only, while none 
 whatever is levied on wood used to construct 
 the boats at the place. The timber is not 
 usually taken below Pind Dadan Khan, though 
 some are sold at Khushah, and once in two or 
 three years a few are sent down to Multan, 
 where large timber is very scarce ; but at Pind 
 Dadan Khan three or four boats are annually 
 built, and after being laden with grain, cotton, 
 or salt, they are taken to the lower parts of 
 the Panjab and sold ; but though rafts are 
 seldom taken below Khoshab, yet many pieces 
 of timber are carried by the violence of floods 
 below that place. At night they pass by the 
 towns and villages on the river without being 
 observed. 
 
BOATS. 113 
 
 On the accession of Raja Golab Singh to 
 the jaghirs of Aen and of the neighbouring 
 districts, which he had long been wishing to 
 possess, he monopolized the timber trade, and 
 the price of the article is in consequence double 
 what it formerly was. 
 
 Other coarse kinds of deal are brought 
 down, but they are not fit to be made into 
 boats. At present there are no logs collected 
 or purchased ; much depends on the supply of 
 the present year. 
 
 At Jehlam a boat of 200 mands will cost 
 140 rupees, viz., wood 40, iron 40, and labour 
 and sundries 60. A 400 mand boat will cost 
 about 400 rupees, viz., wood 100, iron 100, 
 and labour and sundries 200. 
 
 A boat is usually made in five or six 
 months, and will last good for eight or even 
 twelve years, after which repairs will keep it 
 together for two or three years longer ; but at 
 the end of that time the wear and tear renders 
 it useless and it is broken up. The boats are 
 flat-bottomed, long, and capacious. 
 
 Halted at Jehlam on the 20th inst. to 
 
114 COINS DISCOVERED. 
 
 enable the baggage to come across from the 
 other side. Plenty of supplies procurable ; 
 water from the river and the wells close by. 
 Ground of encampment amidst ravines. It is 
 near this spot the battle between Alexander 
 the Great and the Hindu monarch Porus is 
 said to have been fought. MM. Ventura and 
 Court have excavated many coins in the 
 vicinity bearing Greek legends. 
 
 20th. — Halted. A letter was despatched to 
 Ranjeet Singh acknowledging the receipt of 
 two from his Highness, in which he informed 
 Colonel Wade that, agreeably to his request, he 
 had sent a copy of the tripartite treaty for the 
 information and execution of his officers ; and 
 that his agent, Rae Govindjus, who had re- 
 mained behind, had been strictly ordered to join 
 the Mission. It was announced in reply to the 
 Maharaja that the Shah Zada had crossed the 
 Jehlam, and would soon arrive at Peshawr, 
 when it was intended to encamp at about two 
 kos from the city, in order to prevent the 
 chance of squabbles between the citizens and 
 the camp followers. It was requested at the 
 
PROGRESS. 115 
 
 same time that his Highness would be pleased 
 to send a general Parwana, or order, m the 
 name of all his officers in authority there, that 
 in case of any requisitions being made on them 
 for their assistance, they would comply with 
 them at once, without the delay of a reference 
 to the Maharaja ; and that a prohibition 
 should be issued to the inhabitants of Peshawr 
 generally not to aid or hold any communica- 
 tions with the enemy, on the acknowledged 
 principle that the enemies of one state were 
 the enemies of the other, and warning them 
 that any one found guilty of breaking the 
 order should be exemplarily punished ; and, 
 lastly, begging that as Rae Govindjus was old, 
 and had let the opportunity of coming with 
 the two howitzers (on their way to join the 
 Mission from India) pass, Lai a Kishan Chand, 
 who was heard to have come over to the right 
 bank of the Satledge, might be desired to join 
 the Mission and remain with it, that the trans- 
 action of business between the two states 
 might not be delayed. 
 
( 116 ) 
 
 Chapter IX. 
 
 Rohtas — Anecdotes - The people of Kamlagarh — A halt 
 — News from Kabul — Bakrala — Dhamuk — The Khilat 
 — Kasi Nala — Ruins— The Ghakars — Jherar — Rawat 
 Kee Sarae — Manakiala — Researches of General Ven- 
 tura — The Sohan — Rawelpindee — Gardens of Jahanghir 
 — Traditions — Afghans in the hills— The Indus — Ope- 
 rations of Lieut. Mackeson and Mr. Lord. 
 
 Started early in the morning of the 21st on 
 the way to Rohtas. First part of the road good 
 and level. About the fifth kos a ridge of low 
 hills, where the route follows the course of the 
 Bakrala Nala in all its windings through the 
 hills, crossing the stream some five or six times, 
 a heavy road for artillery from sand and stones, 
 but practicable. The distance to Rohtas is said 
 to be about nine miles. Just after leaving our 
 encampment near Jehlam the site of the ancient 
 town is conspicuous on the left hand. For a 
 few kos the soil appears good and is well 
 cultivated : there are but few trees and the 
 hills look bare. 
 
 At about two miles and a half there is a 
 
THE COUNTRY NEAR ROHTAS. 1 1 7 
 
 well, lined with masonry, and a short distance 
 on the right a small village. Two kos further 
 there is another small village, and then the 
 site of a fort or Sarae, with a small village 
 at the base of the hills, about a mile and a half 
 to the north. About the sixth mile the ground 
 is undulating, and though, as before stated, it 
 appears to be generally good for crops, yet it is 
 here and there stony : after which the sandy 
 bed of a hill-stream is reached, and the road 
 lies along it for about a mile and a half 
 farther, when a sharp turn to the left is made, 
 and the fort of Rohtas suddenly comes in view. 
 The road continues to wind by it : wheel 
 carriages proceeding along the same road for a 
 short distance, turn to the right. About half 
 a mile beyond the fort the road descends and 
 again crosses the Bakrala, the bed of which is 
 wide. Less than half a mile from its western 
 bank stands a fine Sarae built by Shah Jahan, 
 the Mogul Emperor. 
 
 The hills through which the road runs so 
 far do not appear to be above two hundred 
 feet in height, and the Nala has formed its 
 channel by continued reflections from point to 
 
118 ROHTAS 
 
 point. The secondary bed may be a hundred 
 feet wide, but when in flood it extends from 
 rock to rock, and may vary from four hundred 
 to eight hundred feet in width. During the 
 cold season there appears to be only a few 
 inches of water in the Nala, but when in flood 
 it is three, four, or five feet deep, and the com- 
 munication between the plains and these hills 
 is cut off. The hills are composed of sandstone, 
 while the flat tops are frequently covered with 
 pebbles and stones of various kinds. The sand- 
 stone is of a whitish or grey colour, very friable, 
 and such as is generally found in all the streams 
 of the Panjab. In many parts there is a layer 
 of earth above the sandstone, as if the country 
 had been the bed of a lake. One spot near the 
 Nala looked like a volcanic irruption; the 
 earth about it was red as if it had been burnt. 
 I w r ent to see the fort of Rohtas, which is 
 going to ruin. Within its walls is a mere 
 village. In circumference it may be about 
 two kos. It was built by Sher Shah, the 
 usurper of the government of the Emperor 
 Hamyun, about three hundred and five years 
 ago, to prevent any invasion from Afghanistan 
 
TAKEN BY AHMAD. 119 
 
 into India. It is stated that Sher Shah brought 
 people from various parts who were acquainted 
 with such constructions, and followed in some 
 measure the plan of the fort of the same name 
 in the province of Behar, which he had taken 
 by stratagem. It took twelve years and one 
 month in building, and, including the pay of 
 the soldiery stationed in it, is said to have cost 
 11,107,975. 6. 3. It was calculated to hold a 
 garrison of three thousand cavalry and fifty 
 thousand infantry, and to mount a hundred 
 guns. It contains one tank, three wells, and 
 two JBaolis. One of the wells is about ninety 
 cubits (a hundred and thirty-five feet) : and one 
 of the Baolis are about eighty cubits. 
 
 Ahmed Shah took the place ; and towards 
 the end of his reign, Baland Khan, who had 
 been governor of Multan, held it on the part 
 of the Afghans with a garrison of three thou- 
 sand men, but no guns. Seventy-one years 
 ago (1768) Charat Singh, with five hundred 
 Sowars of his confederacy, Gujar Singh, with 
 about four hundred Sowars, two thousand in- 
 fantry, and a thousand people of the country, 
 with a few guns, laid siege to it. 
 
120 HELD BY GOLAB SINGH. 
 
 The artillery played with some effect from 
 the adjoining eminence of Govindgarh ; but 
 after an investment of three months, the place 
 fell chiefly through famine. Himmat Khan, 
 the chief landed proprietor in the neighbour- 
 hood, together with others of consequence, had 
 been killed by Baland Khan, who appears to 
 have been disliked. He was taken prisoner by 
 the Sikhs, and sent to Ramnagar. Raja 
 Ghiasuddin, the son of Himmat Khan, was left 
 governor. His cousin, Nur Khan, succeeded 
 him, and held the office for thirty years. He 
 was succeeded by Faizdad Khan. In 1808 the 
 Sikhs placed their own Thana or garrison in 
 the fort, and gave Himmat Khan's family a 
 fourth share of the revenues; but five years 
 ago, in lieu of it, a jaghir in villages, worth 
 about five thousand rupees a-year, was settled 
 on them. Misser Jassa, of the Toshekhana, was 
 then made collector on the part of the Maharaja, 
 but two years and a half ago Raja Golab Singh 
 succeeded in getting charge of the district him- 
 self. It consists of sixty-seven small villages, 
 and extends six kos to the south, seven to the 
 west, and about eight to the north ; to the east- 
 
ANECDOTES. 121 
 
 ward it is scarcely beyond the fort, which con- 
 tains about three hundred and fifty houses and 
 twelve hundred people, chiefly Mahomedans. 
 Artificial irrigation is little known : sugar- 
 cane has been lately brought to cultivation, and 
 has been much encouraged by Golab Singh. 
 
 We encamped here on a fine open piece of 
 ground to the south-west of the Sarae and 
 opposite to the fort : supplies scarce ; water 
 good from the wells and streams. During the 
 Maharaja's journey he occupies the same 
 ground in a mud building, with a small gar- 
 den erected by his order. 
 
 There is a person here named Rahmat AH 
 Khan, a zemindar or landholder of the district, 
 who is a living history of it, and amused us by 
 relating some stories. One of them was, that in 
 the neighbourhood of Rohtas there are two mi- 
 neral springs which possess a purgative quality. 
 He gave us the following strange anecdotes : — 
 
 It is superstitiously stated and generally be- 
 lieved by people in this quarter that Sultan 
 Mahmud of Ghazni, on his expedition against 
 India, was accompanied by some saints, who 
 
 G 
 
122 EXPEDITION OF MAHMUD. 
 
 always assisted him in his operations, and in 
 consequence of their presence he generally 
 gained many victories without any personal 
 exertions on his part. Among others Imam 
 Walihaq also attended him. 
 
 Mahmud laid siege to the fort of Sialkot ; 
 but the place was well defended, and the siege 
 was prolonged for a long time, and the Sultan 
 became much distracted. One night the 
 Imam professed that he had dreamt a dream ; 
 that if Pir Kilk, one of his disciples, would cut 
 off his own head and strike it against the door 
 of the fort, the shutters would be battered in 
 pieces and the fort would be captured. No 
 sooner was the dream explained than the dis- 
 ciple cut off his head with his own hand and 
 furiously struck it against the shutters of the 
 fort ; and it had the effect the Imam had told 
 him ! the place was captured, and the chief and 
 the people in it voluntarily turned Mussulmans. 
 
 The people are under the impression that 
 ancient monarchs not only ruled the world, 
 but had some share in the Divine power also ; 
 as several stories regarding them are foolishly 
 
SUPERSTITION. 123 
 
 related and believed, and their noble and illus- 
 trious actions are ascribed rather to their mira- 
 culous power than to their wisdom and personal 
 valour. It is also worthy of remark that one of 
 them whose shrine is at Sialkot, being sent 
 against the old town of Aknur, in the district 
 of the same name, invited the people to sub- 
 mit at once to him, which they declined. Being 
 irritated he invoked some curses on the place, 
 and prayed that its inhabitants might be con- 
 verted into stone. God accepted the prayer of 
 the Pir, and the people were petrified as they 
 were sleeping, walking, or standing, and in 
 that state were to be seen at the present day ! 
 
 Another story is that a tribe known by the 
 name of Bhajnal, inhabiting the hills near 
 Aknur, confidently believe that there are par- 
 ticular clouds on the tops of their hills which 
 never move from them to any other, but pour 
 out their rain only on their own land. There 
 is a party of Jogis or Hindu Faqirs living in 
 that quarter, who are supposed to have these 
 clouds in their power, and whenever water is re^ 
 quired they can make the rain to fall. For this 
 
 g2 
 
124 PEOPLE OF KAMLAGARH. 
 
 reason, these Jogis exact a share from the pro 
 duce of every field. If any refuse, the next year 
 the bounty of heaven is either kept from his cul- 
 tivation or the crop destroyed by a heavy fall of 
 hail ! Such is the extent of their superstition. 
 
 I heard also a very curious story of the in- 
 habitants of the fort of Kamlagarh, which 
 ought not to be passed over in silence. This 
 fort is situated on the top of a high hill in the 
 Chamba territory, and appears to have been 
 erected rather by the hand of nature than of 
 art • It is reported to be impregnable. Ran- 
 jeet Singh has often attempted to capture it, 
 but in vain. There is no passage but through 
 a narrow pass, which is strongly defended. 
 
 The inhabitants hold no kind of communica- 
 tion with any foreigners. They have posts all 
 round the place. If any stranger approaches 
 he is killed without hesitation. Once in a 
 whole reign they take their ruler into the fort 
 on his accession, and show him all the trea- 
 sures and the public property inside, and then 
 bring him back and send him to his capital. 
 On this occasion none of the attendants of the 
 
A HALT. 125 
 
 chief is allowed to accompany him ; they are 
 all left at some distance from the place. The 
 people inside grow and manufacture every- 
 thing they require. The fortification is said to 
 be about twelve kos in circuit. The inhabit- 
 ants of it pay no revenue to their rulers, but 
 put it aside, and only use the share of govern- 
 ment on great emergencies. 
 
 There are some other tribes also subject to 
 the Chamba Raja, who never allow the officers 
 of state to enter their territory, and only pay 
 revenue at pleasure. When their crops are ripe 
 and cut down they collect the government share 
 in some appointed place, and leave the Raja's 
 people to take it away without exchanging a 
 word with them. From these accounts it will 
 be observed how cautious these people are of 
 their liberty, and what little authority their 
 ruler possesses over them. 
 
 22nd. — Halted at Rohtas on account of a 
 heavy fall of rain the last evening. The tents 
 got all wet. A letter was written to the Maha- 
 raja in consequence of a report having been 
 received from Captain (now Major) Ferris that 
 
126 ; A HALT. 
 
 the two companies of Native infantry escorting 
 two howitzers to the Shah Zada's camp had 
 been detained at Harikee for some time, from 
 no person belonging to his Highness, as had 
 been requested, having been sent to conduct 
 the party as was necessary through the Panjab. 
 It was requested that some one might be 
 deputed with the least possible delay.* 
 
 * " In the evening Ferris and I rode down to the Ghat 
 to see what facilities there were in readiness for crossing 
 the Sutledge to-morrow ; but on our way we met with a 
 sepoy, who had been despatched early in the morning to 
 collect the boats, &c, and who was returning to inform 
 us that the authorities on the other side of the river have 
 refused us a passage, as no * purwannah' (a written ordei 1 ) 
 from the Maharaja, directing our admittance into the 
 Panjab, had been received by them. We, nevertheless, 
 rode on, and on our reaching the banks we sent a message 
 to the chief at Harikee, the village situated opposite to the 
 Ghat, requesting him to cross and confer with us ; but 
 after waiting an hour, our messenger came back, accom- 
 panied by a common sowar, whom the insolent fellow had 
 sent over in his stead, and to whom, beyond a question, 
 F. would have nothing to say. We accordingly returned 
 to Makhoo, and a letter was immediately despatched to the 
 assistant political agent at Lodianah, informing him of the 
 treatment we had met with, and the delay that was likely 
 to ensue." — Bart's Journal, pp. 50, 51. 
 
NEWS FROM KABUL. 127 
 
 The Maharaja was also reminded of the 
 stipulation in the treaty which required the 
 nomination of a Mahomedan officer of rank 
 to command the contingent for the service of 
 the Shah Zada, and requested to relieve our 
 anxiety on that as well as with regard to other 
 important points to which he had already been 
 urged to give his earliest attention. 
 
 News was received from Kabul stating that 
 the alarm of Dost Mahomed Khan was in- 
 creasing at the rapid progress of Shah Shuja, 
 accompanied by the British army on one side, 
 and Shah Zada Taimur, assisted by the Sikhs, 
 on the other. Symptoms of disaffection on the 
 part of his people are also announced, in conse- 
 quence of which he is said to have sent mes- 
 sengers to recall his son Akram Khan from 
 Khulam. Strict orders were also sent by him 
 to his son Mahomed Akbar Khan on no 
 account to proceed beyond Jalalabad. The 
 Candahar Sirdars are reported to have been 
 engaged in removing their property and 
 family to some secure place ; and that they 
 were anxiously looking for assistance from 
 
128 THE LOGARIS. 
 
 Persia, on the arrival of which they would 
 contend with the Shah, otherwise they would 
 not make any resistance. Dost Mahomed 
 is said to have sent a copy of the pro- 
 clamation issued by the British Government 
 against himself to the Persian monarch, urging 
 him to send an army without delay to his 
 support. 
 
 A deputation has arrived in our camp from 
 the Logar people, consisting of four respect- 
 able persons, viz., Fateh Ullah Khan, Zohur- 
 uddin Khan, Zainulabuddin Khan, and Kamal 
 Khan. The Logaris are a numerous tribe, 
 and occupy the hills about seven miles to the 
 south-east of Kabul. They are the first who 
 have declared their devotion to the cause of the 
 Shah in that distant quarter. 
 
 23rd. — Marched before sunrise, and en- 
 camped at Bakrala, distant ten kos. The 
 general direction is north-westerly. At about 
 a mile passed a JBaoli: about two miles a 
 small Nala, which has cut a track for itself in 
 the valley, within which it winds. The road 
 lies along the Nala for nearly two miles, and 
 
ROAD TO BAKRALA. 129 
 
 then ascends some hills about five hundred feet 
 high, leaving the Nala on the right hand. 
 Between the fifth and sixth mile there are two 
 tanks, on the right hand ; the first is an old 
 one, the second is now being dug by order 
 of Raja Dhian Singh, the prime minister, 
 for the accommodation of passengers. There 
 are also a few shops close to these tanks. 
 Between the sixth and seventh mile the Nala 
 is again seen on the right hand, at the distance 
 of less than half a mile. It joins the Rohtas 
 Nala about a mile and a half above the fort. 
 About the seventh mile there is another 
 appearance of a volcano. At the ninth mile 
 the road descends rapidly, and at the base of the 
 hill runs the Rohtas Nala, about four hundred 
 feet wide in sand, and in a ravine of very 
 variable dimensions; the hills are covered with 
 low bushes, and there is scarcely any cultiva- 
 tion except close to the two tanks above men- 
 tioned. Every spot available in the ravine of 
 the Nala is, however, under cultivation. The 
 road, as it is now, is quite impracticable for 
 wheel carriages ; but they can reach the place 
 
 g3 
 
130 BAKRALA. 
 
 by the bed of the Nala, which may be 
 four or five miles longer than the straight 
 road. 
 
 Bakrala is a small village, and belongs to 
 Misser Beli Ram, the Toshekhana ; no sup- 
 plies, bad encamping-ground ; water is from 
 the stream. The village is about half a mile 
 from our encampment, and on the summit of a 
 bill. 
 
 A part of the Bakrala road was made by 
 General Ventura, but the Sikh Government 
 is averse to such works, being of opinion 
 that improving them only prepares the way 
 for a foreign enemy from the west, who would 
 thereby be able to enter their country without 
 obstruction. Formerly the passage was very 
 dangerous from freebooters, and travellers 
 could not pass but by kqfilas. A single tra- 
 veller cannot now pass with safety : the neigh- 
 bouring hills are inhabited by a wild, predatory 
 race of people. 
 
 To the north-west of this place lie the dis- 
 tricts of Dhani and Gheb, celebrated for a 
 breed of good horses and mules. 
 
DHAMUK. 131 
 
 Owing to the difficulty of the road the bag- 
 gage had not entirely arrived late in the even- 
 ing, and we therefore halted on the 24th 
 at Bakrala. 
 
 25th. — Started at sunrise, and encamped 
 at Dhamuk, distance about eight miles. Route 
 following the course of the Rohtas stream, 
 which flows in a ravine with very steep sides. 
 It is by no means an easy passage, from rocks 
 and stones being strewed over the sandy bed. 
 The strata are quite perpendicular, and run 
 north-easterly and south-easterly. About the 
 fifth mile the Nala bends to the left, and the road 
 leads straight across the projection round which 
 the stream winds : in one part of which the 
 road is precipitous on both sides. Between the 
 sixth and seventh mile the Rohtas Nala turns 
 to the left, and the road, which is good though 
 narrow, within a mile of the village, after a 
 sudden and steep ascent along the side of a 
 hill, leads to a fine table-land, on which the 
 village is situated, but the land about it is cut 
 into deep ravines. Excepting across the ridge 
 at the ninth mile, the road is practicable for 
 
132 DHAMUK. 
 
 wheel carriages, but the ridge may be avoided 
 by following the course of the Nala. The 
 summits of the hills are about three hundred 
 feet above the Nala; there are no signs of 
 population in these hills. 
 
 Dhamuk is a small village ; its supplies are 
 scarce. Water is obtained from a neighbour- 
 ing stream, and is good. The place is held in 
 jaghir by Chatar Singh, Atariwala, and was 
 bestowed on his family by Ranjeet Singh's 
 grandfather. Wheat is cultivated, and grows 
 well. No irrigation from wells. At present 
 it is subject to a good deal of oppression from 
 the Sirdar's managers ; the Jaghirdar provides 
 two hundred and fifty horsemen, but is liable 
 to occasional exactions, which obliges him to 
 oppress in his turn. Being on the high road 
 to Attok, the Sikh troops frequently alight 
 here, and destroy everything, like a flight of 
 locusts. Old coins are found in the vicinity, of 
 the time of Alexander the Great and his suc- 
 cessors. 
 
 To-day being the festival of the JEeduzzoha, 
 the Shah Zada held a darbar. All the 
 
THE KHILAT. 133 
 
 Khawanin who had joined his Royal Highness 
 were admitted to his presence to make their 
 salam, as customary on such occasions. They 
 were presented with khilats, according to their 
 respective rank. Goats were also distributed 
 among them by Lieutenant-Colonel Wade for 
 their dinners, a present which the Afghans are 
 pleased to receive on the Eed. 
 
 Every Khan, on joining the camp, expects 
 the present of a khilat, or he considers himself 
 disgraced. In consequence of the small supply 
 of articles which we had in the TosheJchana, or 
 treasury of the Mission (the Shah Zada having 
 none of his own), and the few additions which 
 had been made by purchase during our stay at 
 Lahore, they began to fail. The Maharaja 
 was therefore requested to send a supply' of 
 various articles from his own Toshekhana, 
 such things not being procurable in the country, 
 on receipt of which his Government would be 
 duly credited for their amount. On our arrival 
 here a person was sent on to Peshawr, to pre- 
 pare clothing for the new levies ; and General 
 Avitabile, the governor of that territory, was 
 
134 A MESSAGE FROM HAFIZJI. 
 
 addressed at the same time, to afford him every 
 aid in executing his commission. 
 
 A Qasid, who arrived with friendly letters on 
 the part of Mir Alam Khan of Bajour, was 
 dismissed with a reply, desiring that chief to 
 depute his son to pay his respects to the Shah 
 Zada on his arrival at Peshawr. By the same 
 opportunity, and in consultation with the prince, 
 a letter was likewise written to Sadat Khan, 
 the chief of the Momand tribe, inviting him 
 to tender his allegiance to the Shah Zada, 
 either in person, or by deputing his son. 
 
 It ought not to be omitted that a Qasid had 
 arrived in our camp at Jehlam, who professed 
 to have been sent by Hafizji, a person possess- 
 ing great religious influence in Kabul and the 
 Kohistan, where he was said to be engaged by 
 Dost Mahomed Khan in exciting the people 
 to a religious war against the Shah. He 
 brought a message from Hafizji, stating tha 
 although he and others were forced by circum- 
 stances to appear hostile to the Shah, yet their 
 real intentions towards his Majesty were as 
 sincere as before. The man, having brought 
 
THE KASI NALA. 135 
 
 no letter, was disbelieved, and desired to leave 
 the camp and return to Kabul from Dhamuk, 
 with a verbal assurance to Hafizji of being 
 treated with consideration and favour if he 
 proved faithful to the Shah's cause. 
 
 As a condition of entertaining them, a 
 written pledge of fidelity was taken here 
 by the Shah Zada from all the Khawanin ; 
 on their execution of which a fixed allowance 
 was assigned to each for the support of himself 
 and party. Hitherto they had only been re- 
 ceiving daily rations. 
 
 26th. — Started early in the morning to Pa- 
 kake Sarae, about twelve miles distant. At 
 the fourth mile crossed the Kasi Nala, which 
 has formed an immense ravine in the high 
 land, which is undulating and broken. The 
 ravine may be three hundred and fifty feet 
 from height to height ; but innumerable small 
 ones run into it, which bring the water of the 
 plains on either side into the Nala below. 
 There is not much cultivation, but a few 
 small villages to the right and left of the 
 road. Near the tenth mile is a Pucka well. 
 
136 RUINS. 
 
 Encampment in the ravine of the Kasi Nala : 
 we reached it at the end of the twelfth mile. 
 Country intersected by ravines of the same 
 character as those we had previously crossed. 
 Encamping ground very indifferent, close, and 
 confined ; supplies scarce ; water good, from 
 a stream. 
 
 The aspect of the surrounding country is 
 very wild and bare. Near the camp the ruins 
 of large Sarae of brick and stone, built by 
 Aurangzeb, the Mogul Emperor. Here was 
 an old city named Paka, some traces of which 
 are still visible. The city was burnt by the 
 Afghans ; afterwards by the Mahrattas, seventy 
 years ago ; and then a second time by the 
 Afghans. Neither Charat Singh nor Maha 
 Singh, the ancestors of Ranjeet Singh, extended 
 their conquests to Paka ; but Sirdar Gujar 
 Singh of Gujrat took the place from Sultan 
 Mukaram Khan, Ghakar, whose chief place was 
 Perwala, twelve kos to the north. Shadman 
 Khan, his son, is now a pensioner in Jammoo. 
 He was seized by Raja Golab Singh, who 
 suspected him of instigating Shamsuddin 
 
PAKA. 137 
 
 Khan, a conquered dependant of Golab Singh, 
 to rebellion. Shamsuddin owed the Raja 
 17,000 rupees as arrears of tribute, which he 
 refused to pay ; and, in the absence of Golab 
 Singh at Peshawr, seized some places which 
 had formerly belonged to him. On the Raja's 
 return, Shamsuddin Khan fled, but was be- 
 trayed by a Gujar, in whose house he had 
 sought safety ; for which act the Gujar was 
 rewarded with a horse, a pair of bangles, and 
 a pension of two rupees a-day. 
 
 Sugar-cane was formerly cultivated in this 
 part of the country, and rice in large quantities ; 
 now wheat and Indian corn only. There are 
 no wells about the place. Golab Singh has held 
 the village for twenty-four years. The frequent 
 passage of troops has led many people to leave 
 the place from the destruction which is caused 
 to the cultivation. The soil is strong and 
 fertile. 
 
 The Kasi Nala rises near Megra, about ten 
 kos distant. Two miles below Paka it is joined 
 by the Gir Nala, and after passing within four 
 miles of Dhamuk, and near to Bishandour, 
 
138 THE GHAKARS. 
 
 it finds its way into the Jehlam, at Sultanpore, 
 near the hills. Kasi means any low place. 
 
 The Ghakars are a very numerous and hardy 
 tribe of high repute ; their sway extended from 
 Gujrat, near the Chinab, to Attok and Muz- 
 zaffarabad. Ahmad Shah Durani married a 
 daughter of one of their chiefs. The hilly parts 
 were taken from them only eight years ago. 
 Saw a small cupola called the tope of Megra, 
 about live kos north-east. 
 
 Several villages round about Paka belong to 
 different members of the Atariwala Sikhs, of 
 whom Sham Singh is the present head. 
 
 27th. — Jhirar, a distance of seven miles ; the 
 first three miles northerly, the remaining four 
 westerly. The surface of the country irre- 
 gular. 
 
 The Gir Nala falls into the Kasi at Paka, 
 and rises immediately to the north of Manak- 
 iala. The water from the snowy range falls 
 into the Sohan, which is rather a large river. 
 
 There is a tradition that a king named 
 Manak Rae possessed a city which extended 
 from Manakiala to Dhamuk. Near the vil- 
 
RUINS. 139 
 
 lages of Mandar, Dehar, Janala, &c, between 
 Paka and Jherar, large square blocks of stone 
 are found lying as in a wall. Janala, one kos 
 from Jherar, left bank of the Nala ; similar 
 stones are seen to those between Jherar and 
 Pindi. 
 
 About Manakiala pipes of earthenware, 
 three or four inches in diameter, lying hori- 
 zontally, are also found. The tope is said to 
 be near a spring of water. 
 
 It is said that a nephew of Mahmud of 
 Ghazni was taking horses for sale to India, 
 and that the King of Manakiala demanded a 
 tax from him, which he refused. The King 
 took it by force. The Prince went and com- 
 plained to his uncle, and Mahmud came 
 and plundered the place. 
 
 The story is that Ghakars came and settled 
 here eight hundred years ago, from Canaan, in 
 Egypt (the Scriptural Canaan). They were 
 then called Maliks : their chief was Malik 
 Ghula, whence Ghuliana, the place to which 
 they first came. He had four sons, Malik 
 Feiroz, Sultan Hatta, Sultan Adam, and 
 
140 JHERAR. 
 
 Sultan Sarang. They then spoke Persian. 
 Malik Ghula, from Ghuliana, came to Dhani 
 Ghebi, and then to Perwala, and built a fort. 
 
 Gujar Singh Gujratia took Jherar. It now 
 belongs to Chatar Singh and Karam Singh 
 Atariwala. They got possession of it thirty- 
 two years ago. Raja Golab Singh's lands 
 adjoin. 
 
 The usual kinds of grain grow at Jherar ; 
 but for the last twelve years the people have 
 not been able to rear grain : they say it be- 
 comes scorched before arriving at maturity, 
 but can give no reason for it. Cotton culti- 
 vated, but no sugar-cane. 
 
 Jherar is a small village. Supplies scanty. 
 Water good, from a stream. Good encamping 
 ground. 
 
 Here the Hindu festival of the Holee com- 
 menced. The Hindus began to make merry, 
 and have Natches to-night. 
 
 A letter was addressed by Sir Claude 
 to-day to Ranjeet Singh, informing him 
 of the receipt of news in our camp, that his 
 Highness had been pleased to order his legions 
 
LETTER TO RANJEET SINGH. 141 
 
 to encamp at Shahdera, on their way to Pesh- 
 awr, and expressing the satisfaction it gave ; 
 but that no account had yet been received of 
 the collection of the Mahomedan contingent 
 of five thousand men, which he was to provide 
 according to the treaty for the assistance of 
 Shah Zada Taimur. It was intimated to his 
 Highness that, as the time was short, and 
 did not admit of new levies, it was advisable 
 that he should make a selection of Maho- 
 medans from the whole of his army, and that 
 if the selected number fell short of the five 
 thousand men, he might issue an order to 
 his officers at Peshawr to complete the defi- 
 ciency by enlisting people in that territory. 
 His Highness was requested that he would 
 send particular injunctions to his Mussulman 
 vassals in that quarter (excluding the Barakzai, 
 who were not perhaps to be implicitly trusted) 
 to assemble at Peshawr, and to entitle them- 
 selves to their rights and claims by serving the 
 three Governments on the present occasion 
 with zeal and fidelity. It was suggested also 
 to the Maharaja to send an order for a part 
 
142 RAWAT KEE SARAE. 
 
 of his force now at Peshawr to proceed to 
 Dera Ismael Khan, so as to co-operate on that 
 side with the Shah Zada's troops, by which 
 means the enemy would be alarmed and their 
 attention divided. It was necessary that the 
 Maharaja should be reminded of the necessity 
 of producing his contingent, as we had heard 
 with surprise that nothing had yet been done 
 to collect it ; and the plan of creating a diver- 
 sion by Dera Ismael Khan was one which it was 
 expected that Ranjeet Singh would approve.* 
 
 2§th. — Rawat Kee Sarae, distant about 
 eight miles. Supplies scarce ; water good. 
 West, inclining to the north between two and 
 three miles, is the tope of Manakiala ; and 
 about the seventh mile cross a small Nala, 
 which joins the Sohan. Very little cultivation, 
 but the country looks less bleak and dreary 
 than that between Dhamuk and Pakaki Sarae. 
 Layers of sandstone are frequent. Burnt red 
 earth seen in the ravines. At Rawat itself a 
 ridge of sandstone rises in upright blocks in 
 
 * Both he and Shah Shuja had suggested the import- 
 ance of such a movement. 
 
JAGUTPORE. 143 
 
 some places as high as twenty feet above the 
 surface. These blocks are from four to teu 
 feet square, and the ridge fifteen feet wide. 
 Manakiala appears to be built of the same 
 tough kind of stone as the blocks I have de- 
 scribed. 
 
 Jagutpore, a village built by the Ghakars, at 
 the same time as Perwala and Dhangali, one 
 kos to the south. Perwala is six kos north- 
 ward towards the hills. In Perwala is a fort 
 like that of Rohtas, built by the Ghakars about 
 twenty-five years ago. Since the hills were 
 completely subdued by the Sikhs about ten years 
 ago, it has been deserted, and is ruinous. Gujar 
 Singh Gujratia took Jagutpore and Perwala, 
 and went as far as Khanpore, where the Ghakars 
 drove him back. At Jagutpore is a tank in 
 ruins, built by Sultan Mobarek Khan's wife, 
 tone hundred and twenty years ago. 
 
 Rawat Kee Sarae was built by Sher Shah. 
 The tomb is that of Sultan Sarang Ghakar. 
 He died about one hundred years ago, or more. 
 Sultan Sarang was the chief of Perwala, and is 
 buried to the boundary line of that district and 
 
144 
 
 MANAKIALA. 
 
 Jagutpore, which belonged to the Edwal tribe 
 of Ghakars, the largest of all their tribes. 
 
 The Sohan river rises twenty kos distant at 
 the Dewat hills on the left bank. 
 
 Rawat is included within the jurisdiction of 
 Rawelpindi : no sugar-cane cultivated Little 
 rain falls here during the months of March, 
 April, and May (as often happens in other 
 parts of the Panjab), during which it is exceed- 
 ingly hot. 
 
 Before the country was conquered by the 
 Sikhs, there was a prolonged famine, from the 
 effects of which it greatly recovered under the 
 good administration of Malka Singh, who was 
 left in charge by Gujar Singh. 
 
 On looking at Manakiala it appears to be 
 a hemisphere, perhaps fifty feet in diameter, 
 with a neck of about six feet in height, and 
 springing from a circular base, ornamented 
 with pilasters; one of which, on the east 
 side, is something, it is said, in the Grecian 
 style. The basement, however, as it stands 
 now, is not the lowest story of the building. 
 It is said to rest upon another with a platform 
 
GENERAL VENTURA. 145 
 
 of about twenty feet, ornamented with pilasters, 
 &c, in the same manner as the upper one. These 
 pilasters are plain, but well proportioned, and 
 appear only to have been brought to light since 
 General Ventura dug to the bottom, in order to 
 reach the vault in the centre of the building. 
 He likewise cleared away the ruinous parts 
 on the top of the tope, and discovered a well 
 of about ten feet square, which is regularly 
 built of squared stones, and looks now about 
 fifteen or eighteen feet deep. General Ventura 
 penetrated through the bottom of the shaft to 
 satisfy himself that no further relics than those 
 which he had found there were forthcoming.* 
 The tradition at Rawat is, that on the out- 
 side of the hemisphere there was a flight of 
 steps leading to the top, and that on it Manak 
 the king used to review his troops. The out- 
 side wall of masonry has nearly all fallen off or 
 been torn away, and much of the upper portion 
 has been removed, which has destroyed the 
 
 * They were afterwards offered to Sir Claude Wade, 
 who forwarded them, in the General's name, to the Secre- 
 tary to the Asiatic Society in Calcutta, the late lamented 
 J. Prinsep, Esq. 
 
 H 
 
146 A LARGE WELL. 
 
 regularity of the dome. Most of the stones of 
 which the tope is built were brought from 
 the neighbouring Hills, though several of the 
 blocks are of the sandstone common on the 
 spot. 
 
 A little to the south of the tope and between 
 it and the village there is a large square 
 well of masonry which has existed from time 
 immemorial ; the water in it is good and abun- 
 dant, and capable of supplying a large encamp- 
 ment for days together. It is ten feet square, 
 and is said to have been built in that shape, in 
 order that each of Manak's four tribes might 
 have a separate place to draw water. The vil- 
 lagers say that the neighbouring ravine exposes 
 every now and then the foundations of build- 
 ings. The road passes immediately to the 
 south of the tope ; it serves as a haunt for 
 robbers who lie in ambush for a single or two 
 or three travellers, there being no village 
 near it. 
 
 Eawelpindee, March ls£.— M arched before 
 sunrise, distance twelve miles, the road wind- 
 ing westerly as far as the right bank of 
 
THE RIVER SOHAN. 14/ 
 
 the Sohan, and afterwards north-westerly. 
 The general direction about west-north-west, 
 and the direct distance may be eight miles ; 
 the ground gradually falls until, the second or 
 third mile, a range of low hills is reached. 
 
 These hills consist of pebbles cemented 
 together ; the road over them is passable for 
 wheel carriages, but with great difficulty, it 
 being a high and steep ghat. Above the 
 fourth mile from Rawat, we came to the valley 
 or bed of the Sohan river, which is very 
 picturesque after the bleak plains through 
 which we had been passing. It was bounded 
 by sloping hills sprinkled with green bushes 
 which grew luxuriantly in the ravines ; its 
 sides were bounded by precipices more than a 
 hundred feet high. The stream itself spreads 
 over the valley when flooded, and now rolls 
 along over pebbles. Shortly after ascending, 
 we quitted the hilly or broken ground. On 
 the left, a small tower or dome is to be noticed 
 on a hillock which was opened by General 
 Ventura in search of antiquities. 
 
 On leaving the banks of the river the town of 
 
 h 2 
 
I 
 
 148 RAWELPINDEE. 
 
 Rawelpindee appears in sight, situated on a cul- 
 tivated plain stretching to the hills, which may 
 be four miles off. There is a higher range of 
 hills about seven miles distant to the north, and 
 one hill with a patch of snow about ten miles. 
 The country is broken here and there by the 
 small Nalas which lead in to the Sohan. 
 
 The valley of the Sohan may be six hundred 
 feet where narrowest ; the stream was about 
 two feet deep, and about two hundred feet 
 broad. In the broken ground between the 
 plain of Rawelpindee and the river, the sand- 
 stone again appeared in ridges and perpen- 
 dicular strata. 
 
 Rawelpindee is a small town, and an abun- 
 dance of supplies procurable ; dry Kabul fruits 
 are to be had in plenty. It is surrounded by a 
 mud wall about a mile in circumference : the 
 buildings are generally of mud. Shah Shujah, 
 after his flight from Peshawr, took refuge here, 
 and remained for several years. The house 
 erected by him is still extant, and serves as a 
 residence to the governor of the district, named 
 Bhae Dal Singh, the elder brother of Bhae 
 
RAWELPINDEE. 149 
 
 Maha Singh, the Sikh officer who attends the 
 Mission. 
 
 I may here enumerate that there are about 
 five hundred shops in Rawelpindee ; — fifteen 
 blacksmiths, ten goldsmiths, twenty confec- 
 tioners, ten shops for iron and brass, pots, &c. ; 
 twenty shoemakers, fifteen shops of besatis, 
 that is, sellers of combs, scissors, thread, &c. ; 
 four hundred shops of cloth merchants, grain 
 merchants, ghee dealers, &c. The entire 
 revenue of the town is 150,000 rupees per 
 annum, including land-tax, transit duties, 
 &c. The town is known for its manufacture 
 of ornamented shoes : there are somewhat 
 more than four thousand people in the town. 
 Bhae Dal Singh is liked by the people, and 
 has had charge of the town for six years. 
 
 To the west of the town, five kos distant 
 towards the hills, there is a shrine of a Saint 
 Latif Shah, where a fair is held every year in 
 the month of May or June, where numbers 
 of people are collected from the neighbouring 
 villages and towns, even as far as Peshawr. 
 
 2nd. — Halted at Rawelpindee. A vague re- 
 
150 RUMOURS FROM KABUL. 
 
 port was received from Kabul of the intention 
 of the Persians to renew the siege of Herat, to 
 make a diversion in favour of Dost Mahomed 
 Khan. It was further reported that Mahomed 
 Akram Khan, the son of Dost Mahomed Khan, 
 who had been sent towards Kunduz, had con- 
 cluded a treaty of amity and alliance with Mir 
 Morad Beg, and that Dost Mahomed had 
 illuminated the citv of Kabul in honour of the 
 event. It is said that the Amir has failed in 
 his attempt to obtain support from the king of 
 Bokhara, unless one of his sons be allowed to 
 share in the government of Kabul ! His troops 
 are reported to have become disaffected to- 
 wards the Amir, on account of being kept in 
 long arrears of pay, and the citizens to be much 
 alarmed on hearing of the advance of the in- 
 vading armies. Nightly meetings are held to 
 concert measures the most favourable for their 
 interest. 
 
 Letters were received from the Khaibar 
 chiefs declaring their attachment to the Shah. 
 Among others there was a letter from Alam 
 Khan of Bajour, expressing a wish to form a 
 
JAN I KA SANG. 151 
 
 separate alliance with the British government ; 
 but as it was not its policy to enter into 
 alliances with the several chiefs of Afghanistan 
 for its own benefit, the proposal was of course 
 declined. The offer of his service was, how- 
 ever, accepted, and he was assured of the con- 
 firmation of his existing authority from his 
 Majesty, if he would display his fidelity and 
 adherence to his cause by joining the Shah 
 Zada opportunely. 
 
 Lately the brother of Sadat Khan Mo- 
 mand, named Nawab Khan, has joined the 
 camp ; but he has not been formally received 
 either by the Shah Zada or Sir Claude, nor 
 distinguished by any marked consideration, 
 as he is known not to be on good terms 
 with his brother, and a letter having been 
 addressed to the latter chief inviting his alle- 
 giance, pending the receipt of his reply, it was 
 not considered just to give his brother the 
 usual reception. 
 
 Jani Ka Sang, 3rd. — About twelve or thir- 
 teen miles distant, direction westerly, slightly 
 inclining to the north. Outside of Rawelpindee 
 
152 JANI KA SANG. 
 
 cross a Nala, with water running rapidly. 
 About seven miles, cross a smaller Nala, and 
 at the twelfth mile cross another stream, 
 country undulating, the latter half stony. Cul- 
 tivation near Rawelpindee, elsewhere scanty. 
 A few villages here and there. The soil very 
 barren, but in the last few miles large bushes 
 are frequent, among which the olive may be 
 noticed, of the wood of which the natives make 
 beads. The hills are about two miles north 
 of Jani Ka Sang. Between nine and ten miles 
 a Mahomedan tomb. Close to the Nala, which 
 runs by Jani Ka Sang, there is a quantity 
 of the hard stone similar to some seen at 
 Rawat. 
 
 Sheikh Jam, a rich and pious Darweish, is 
 buried in the village ; but his grave is only 
 marked by the earth, according to his own 
 desire. He died about two hundred years ago. 
 
 Bahnadra Nala rises at Shahditta three kos 
 off. 
 
 Jani Ka Sang is a small village, containing 
 about twelve houses of Khatris and twelve 
 houses of Mussulmans. The supplies very 
 
HASAN ABDAL. 153 
 
 scarce. Ground for encamping indifferent ; 
 water good. 
 
 The Kajri hills about twelve kos to the 
 south. 
 
 4th. — To Hasan Abdal. At about three 
 miles came to the Pass of Margalla, which 
 is now a paved roadway about twenty feet 
 wide. It was cut through by Akbar the 
 Great, as an inscription on the side of the 
 pass shows. No water near the pass except 
 what is collected from rain in small pools. 
 On the summit of a hill to the right is a tower 
 where a party of ten or twelve matchlockmen 
 is stationed to guard the pass. Formerly the 
 road hereabouts was much infested by robbers; 
 but since the establishment of the above party 
 their depredations have been partly prevented. 
 From hence a road branches off to the Hazara 
 country, about twenty-five kos distant. Another 
 road goes off to Burhan, leaving Hasan Abdal 
 to the right. 
 
 The ascent is now slight, and appears never 
 to have been great. The hills are bare, except 
 in the dells to the right and left, where the 
 
 h3 
 
154 RUINS. 
 
 trees attain to some size. About the sixth 
 mile is a small stream, running between high 
 broken banks, and with a single-arched brick 
 bridge across it. Between seven or eight miles 
 on the left hand is a brick Sarae in tolerable 
 repair, and of a good size. Here the country 
 opens out with hills on all sides : to the north- 
 east the view is very fine, as the valleys and 
 hills appear more wooded on that side. To 
 the north, at the foot of a hill about three or 
 four kos off, there is a small tope in ruin, 
 called the tope of Burhan, which is also said 
 to have been opened by General Ventura. To 
 the west the hills are dry, and rise at once 
 abruptly from the plain. 
 
 Formerly the Sarae of Kala formed the 
 frontier post of the Sikhs to warn them of any 
 invasion from the west. The Sarae was 
 strengthened and repaired by Kala Singh, after 
 whose name it goes. He wag a converted 
 Sikh from the lowest caste, and was in the 
 service of Sirdars Ganda Singh and Janda 
 Singh, the former chiefs of Lahore, who after 
 the conquest of Rawelpindee appointed Kala 
 
KALA SINGH. 155 
 
 Singh their Thanehdar. Kala Singh, being a 
 bold and desperate character, soon extended 
 his authority all around, and carried his in- 
 cursions as far as Hasan Abdal and Gandgarh, 
 and harassed the Mahomedan tribes of that 
 quarter. Many years ago, when the Daud 
 Potras despatched a party of their troops to 
 expel the Sikhs from this country, Ganda 
 Singh carried war into Multan, met the in- 
 vaders in their own country, gave them a 
 desperate battle, and put them to flight. 
 
 In the meantime Charat Singh took advan- 
 tage of Ganda Singh's absence, and reconciled 
 Kala Singh to his own interests, which origi- 
 nated hostilities between Ganda Singh and 
 Charat Singh, and led to a battle in which 
 both the combatants lost their lives ; the one 
 was killed by the enemy, and the other, Charat 
 Singh (grandfather of Ranjeet Singh), died by 
 the bursting of his own gun. Maha Singh 
 was thus left the sole owner of the estates of 
 both. Soon after, Maha Singh, being sus- 
 picious of Kala Singh's conduct, took Kala 
 Sarae from his charge, and put it under 
 
156 GARDENS MADE BY 
 
 the superintendence of Jiwan Singh, whom he 
 soon after also appointed the Governor of Ra- 
 welpindee : but Ranjeet Singh was not so kind 
 to Jiwan Singh as his father. The latter was 
 accused of having combined secretly with the 
 Afghans, on which plea he was deprived of his 
 possessions, and since that period Rawelpindee 
 and Kala Sarae have been governed by officers 
 under the Maharaja's own special selection. 
 
 I believe I have made an intrusive digression, 
 and must now return and resume my path. 
 About the twelfth mile cross a Nala, named 
 Jabat, a clear stream running between two 
 hills and close to the foot of both. Shortly 
 after crossing it the ruins of a garden built by 
 Jahanghir, a little way down the Nala, come in 
 sight. These ruins are extensive, and the plan 
 of the gardens, even in their present state, was 
 much admired by some of the party, who visited 
 them, from the natural scenery of the situation 
 as much as from the work of art. So pleasing, 
 indeed, is the scene around that Jahanghir is 
 reported to have exclaimed " Wah! Wah!" 
 (an expression of admiration) on first beholding 
 
JAHANGHIR. 157 
 
 it, whence the name of the present village near 
 the gardens. 
 
 The story is, that the climate of Kashmir and 
 Kabul being highly agreeable to Jahanghir, he 
 frequently visited those places and proceeded 
 by Hasan Abdal. There also resided a Faqir 
 named Hyat ul Mir, who was held in great 
 reverence by Jahanghir ; which, besides the 
 shady beauty of the spot, induced his Majesty 
 to pass many days at Hasan Abdal. After 
 a time he erected a pavilion and a garden, 
 and likewise had dug a large tank in his 
 Shikarjah or hunting-preserve, which still 
 exists in a ruinous state. This monarch has 
 erected many other buildings on the road to 
 Kabul and Kashmir ; en route to the latter 
 place Saraes and seraglios were built by him 
 at each stage. 
 
 At fifteen miles Hasan Abdal, a small town, 
 overlooked by the hills, especially by one which 
 was the residence of the pious Faqir men- 
 tioned above; there is a clear pretty stream 
 running between the village or town and the 
 hills. Close to the stream there is the tomb 
 
158 SIKH TRADITION. 
 
 of the Faqir, ornamented with two large cy- 
 presses. 
 
 Hasan Abdal has a fine bazaar where plenty 
 of supplies can be procured. Water good. 
 
 To the eastward of the place is a large spring 
 situated in a grove of shady trees. Just above 
 the spring is the impression of a hand which the 
 Sikhs say is that of Baba Nanak, their first 
 Guru, and hence Hasan Abdal is called Panja 
 Saheb by the Sikhs. This is another instance 
 of the truth of the observation, that people ap- 
 propriate traditions and legends to their own 
 faith. 
 
 They say that Nanak, when proceeding 
 about the country, being wearied one day, 
 asked the Faqir on the hill to give him a cup of 
 water and some food. The Faqir was surly, 
 and an altercation ensued between them, when 
 the Faqir told him that if Nanak was a man of 
 any miracles he would supply his wants with- 
 out any assistance, and would even move the 
 hills. Nanak put out his hand and stamped 
 his fingers on the rock, where the mark still 
 remains; and in commemoration of the Baba, 
 
MUSSULMAN TRADITION. 159 
 
 the late Sirdar Hari Singh built a small 
 temple, which he named Panja Saheb, from 
 the five fingers. 
 
 The Mussulman story is that one Hasan, 
 a Gujar, had many buffaloes ; that a Faqir 
 named Abdal came and asked him for a draught 
 of milk. Hasan said, '! I would gladly give 
 you some, but my buffaloes are at present dry." 
 Abdal laid his hand on one of them and said, 
 " Now milk it." He did so, and soon gave him 
 a copious draught. Abdal expressed his gra- 
 titude to Hasan, and asked what he could do 
 for him. Hasan replied that they were much 
 straitened for want of water, on which Abdal 
 struck the neighbouring hills in two places, 
 from which the two streams of Hasan Abdal 
 have come forth. On the departure of the 
 Faqir, Hasan said the spot should hereafter be 
 called after them jointly. 
 
 Another story about the impression of the 
 five fingers is that the Akalis of the fraternity 
 of Sobah Singh Nehang, who held a jaghir 
 near Hasan Abdal, being desirous of promoting 
 their own interests, one of them engraved the 
 
160 AFGHANS IN THE HILLS. 
 
 five fingers on a piece of stone. It was soon 
 given out by these artful fanatics to be the stamp 
 of Nanak's fingers, from whence the springs 
 issue. At present, all the Hindu and Sikh pil- 
 grims make many offerings at the spot, which 
 are taken by the Akalis. In a small tank which 
 has been built round the spring are kept a 
 number of fish which are fed daily by the 
 visitors. 
 
 The Nala in Jahangir's garden, named Jabat, 
 joins the stream which comes from Khanpore — 
 the Kalapani, so called from the blackness of 
 its waters, having previously joined the Jabat 
 close to the bridge. The Nala, which comes 
 from Khanpore, rises sixteen kos beyond that 
 place, which is ten kos from Hasan Abdal. 
 All these fall into the Indus at Jasua, about 
 eighteen or nineteen kos distant. 
 
 There are some tribes of Afghans in the hills 
 immediately to the north of Hasan Abdal. 
 The Ghakars, in Khanpore and its immediate 
 vicinity, are some of the Shia sect. The dis- 
 trict of Khanpore is managed for the Maharaja 
 by a son of Dal Singh. Bhae Maha Singh 
 
THEIR CHARACTER AND HABITS. 161 
 
 has had the management of Hasan Abdal four 
 years. Before him it was held in jaghir by 
 Lehna Singh, Sindhanwalia. 
 
 Ran Singh Pada, a Sikh, held the plains 
 between Margalla and the hills west of it, 
 about one hundred years ago, independent of 
 others, and it descended to his sons, nephews, 
 and their heirs till 1811, when Ranjeet Singh 
 took Attok. 
 
 There are said to be twelve Tappas or can- 
 tons on the left bank of the Indus near Attok, 
 viz., Chach, Sathgarh, Haru, Panjghatta Kha- 
 tar, Panjghatta Khanpore, Khatar, Gandgarh, 
 Sirikot (inhabited by Halalkhors), Hasanza, 
 Salar, Mansur, Namlot. These cantons are 
 chiefly peopled by Afghans, who are generally 
 in a rebellious state ; they pay very little re- 
 venue to the Sikhs, and that not without the 
 assistance of troops. Among others the Gand- 
 garhias, the head of whom is Khanzeman 
 Khan and the Tanoul people, another district 
 held by Paendeh Khan, are the most noted. 
 They are very brave but turbulent characters. 
 Occasionally they attack the villages in the 
 
162 THEIR DISLIKE TO THE SIKH& 
 
 plains of Hasan Abdal, and retreating with all 
 they can find lay the country waste : the 
 presence of troops alone can keep them within 
 their limits, or otherwise they would infest the 
 roads night and day. They hate the authority 
 of the Sikhs, and do not like to submit 
 to their rule. The late Sirdar Hari Singh 
 was always at war with them. The inha- 
 bitants of the villages situated in the plains 
 are rather more obedient than their brethren, 
 and are more favourable to the English than 
 the Sikhs. Several letters have been received 
 from them, offering their services in the en- 
 suing campaign, but they being nominally 
 subject to the Sikhs their offers have been re- 
 jected.* The Hazara territory, consisting of 
 seven Tappas, lies to the north-east of Husan 
 Abdal twenty-five kos distant. It is managed 
 by Sirdar Lehna Singh, Sindhanwalia, and ap- 
 pears rather peaceful. 
 
 The territory of Khatar is also managed by 
 Mahu Singh. He is of a very respectable 
 
 * Some who were afterwards entertained made excellent 
 soldiers. 
 
LEGENDS. 163 
 
 Sikh family, and is a good, frank, and plain- 
 spoken person. The following are some of the 
 extraordinary legends of the place. Near the 
 shrine of Hyatul Mir every Thursday a lamp 
 containing about a seer and a half of oil is 
 lighted, and remains so the whole night in the 
 open air : it has never been known to be ex- 
 tinguished during the highest storms. I sus-- 
 pect the miraculous power of the lamp is 
 owing to the thick wick inserted in it, which 
 I hear is made of five chittaks of cotton.* 
 
 There are some small white stones to be 
 found at the shrine, which are considered 
 highly beneficial for the eyes, and pilgrims 
 generally carry away some of them for their 
 own and their families' use. There is also a 
 block of stone measuring three or four yards 
 in height, which when struck with another 
 stone sounds like a bell. Visitors generally 
 amuse themselves by ringing the stone, which 
 is called the Shah's gliarial or bell, I did not 
 myself try the experiment, nor did I visit the 
 tomb. 
 
 * Chittak, an Indian weight, the eighth of a pound. 
 
164 LEGENDS. 
 
 Near another height, named Gup, there is 
 said to be a bottomless pit, which has existed 
 from time immemorial. It is stated that in 
 the Bhimber territory, near a fort named Ma- 
 kanpura, there is a solid mass of rock, ten or 
 twelve bighas, or two acres, in extent, and about 
 a hundred yards high, on the top of which is 
 an old and deep well, having no sign of being 
 artificial. 
 
 The Hindu mythology says that when the 
 Karwans were victorious over the Panel wans, 
 the latter were transported to the above place, 
 where they were condemned to pass a solitary 
 life for twelve years. There was no water in 
 the place ; and from the want of it the poor 
 exiles suffered much. One of them, Bhim, at 
 last struck an arrow with all his might into 
 the rock, and then took it out. No sooner did 
 he do so than a spring of pure water issued 
 from the hole, and they all quenched their 
 thirst; ever since which the water has con- 
 tinued to flow. 
 
 To return to my narrative. The Afghan 
 chiefs, who had lately joined the Shah Zada, 
 
RAPACITY OF THE AFGHANS. 165 
 
 began to advance high claims on the liberality 
 of the Shah. They demanded an extravagant 
 personal allowance, and urged that it might 
 be soon settled, as the time for operations was 
 approaching. Their demand was denied, and 
 a moderate sum oftered to each for himself and 
 retainers ; on which they applied to retire from 
 the service. As the rapacity of the Afghans is 
 well known, and it would have been difficult 
 to satisfy their expectations, they were in- 
 formed that they might depart if they liked. 
 Accordingly they left the camp, and went about 
 a kos on their way to Peshawr ; when finding 
 that they had thwarted their own object, to 
 save their credit the Shah Zada sent a message 
 to them, telling them that if they agreed to 
 accept the rates which had been fixed, they 
 might return. They assented to them without 
 objection, and were readmitted to camp. 
 
 9th. — Baoli; distance fourteen miles; ge- 
 neral direction north-west. About the third 
 mile cross a stream running from left to right, 
 that is, to the north-west. It is the united 
 stream of the Hasan Abdal Nala, which after- 
 
166 « ' BURHAN. 
 
 wards falls into the Haru. At about six miles 
 is the town of IJurhan, within a kos of which 
 there are three or four other small villages. 
 Nahib Khan, the late chief of Burhan, fought 
 many bloody battles with the Sikhs. He was 
 at length killed, and the Sikhs introduced their 
 authority in the place. At Burhan the people 
 assume a change in their aspect and dresses. 
 They are almost all Mahomedans of the 
 Alizae tribe. Immediately after passing through 
 the town, I was surprised to find one of my 
 schoolfellows, named Ahmedgul, had been 
 waiting for me on the road. It was highly 
 gratifying to my feelings to meet a friend in a 
 foreign land. He is a native of Islampore, 
 near Burhan, and had gone to Delhi for his 
 education. As we had still some distance to 
 travel, and the sun was getting hot, I was 
 obliged to leave my friend very unwillingly. 
 
 About the ninth mile we crossed the Haru, 
 which was running rapidly, and is here two 
 feet deep : the water is bluish. To the left of 
 the stream the ground is broken by the valley, 
 or the broad beds of the little Nalas which fall 
 
THE HARU. 167 
 
 into it. The Haru itself runs in a ravine 
 thirty or forty feet deep, with the sides cut 
 into smaller ones for three hundred yards 
 inland. It is subject to very sudden inun- 
 dations. 
 
 On leaving the Haru, the ground rises 
 gradually for two or three miles, and then 
 descends suddenly to the plains of Chach, which 
 lie stretched before us. The ridge over which 
 we passed is not fit for cultivation ; but the 
 plain is vast, and is dotted with villages. Five 
 or six miles from the Haru is situated the 
 Baoli, near which we encamped. To the south- 
 west is a long isolated hill, on the inferior 
 slopes of which stands the fort of Attok (but not 
 visible from the Baoli). To the north can be 
 traced the course of the Indus, chiefly by the 
 mist overhanging it ; and the hills are dis- 
 cernible in that direction, as well as to the south, 
 from fifteen to twenty miles distant. 
 
 The usual encampment is between the Baoli 
 and a village called Sydan. Supplies are 
 scarce. Water is procured from the Baoli. 
 On reaching the encamping ground, crowds 
 
168 ASHRAF ALI KHAN. 
 
 of people came to see us, and several of them 
 offered themselves for service. 
 
 From Hasan there is another route leading 
 direct to Attok, via Hydro, a large village about 
 two miles to the right of the course we followed ; 
 but it is said to be practicable only for horses. 
 Hydro was some years ago attacked and burnt 
 by the late Syed Ahmed. 
 
 One of the principal men of the place, named 
 Ashraf Ali Khan, was entertained in the ser- 
 vice of the Shah Zada, with his followers. 
 He has been ordered to raise a Toman from 
 the people of his own town, who are a brave 
 race. 
 
 6th. — Started at the usual hour, and en- 
 camped on the left bank of the celebrated Attok, 
 or Indus, distant six kos. The road is good 
 and smooth. It lies across the plain, leaving 
 the long isolated hill noticed above, on the left. 
 About the fifth mile the offshoots of the hill 
 on which the fort is situated are reached, and 
 the road then turns to the river. Two kos 
 from the last ground we passed a Baoli, lately 
 dug by Ranjeet Singh, which is a great blessing 
 
BANKS OF THE INDUS. 169 
 
 to passengers in the hot season, as there is no 
 village nearer than four kos. At the fourth 
 kos crossed the bed of a Nala. It is celebrated 
 for the battle fought between Diwan Mohkam 
 Chand, the famous Sikh general, and Vazir 
 Fateh Khan, in which the latter was totally 
 defeated and repulsed with great loss. From 
 that time the Sikhs have been constantly vic- 
 torious over the Afghans, and either taken 
 their territory or invaded their tributaries. 
 
 On approaching the camp, the Shah Zada 
 and the Mission were met by the Thanehdar of 
 Attok, and conducted by him to our tents, 
 under a salute from the ramparts of the fort. 
 After reaching our encampment, which was 
 pitched about a kos and a half from it, we 
 went to see the stream of the Indus, of which 
 we had heard so much, and the roaring of 
 which we heard at half a kos off ; but on our 
 arrival at the banks, we found that it was 
 merely a branch of that river, and that the 
 main stream ran at some distance. The bank 
 on which we stood was only six cubits high. 
 It is said that on the rise of the river it is 
 
1/0 BANKS OF THE INDUS. 
 
 overflowed. The water appeared very clear 
 and cold, and the progress of the stream 
 rapid. 
 
 While standing on the bank we amused 
 ourselves by throwing stones across the stream, 
 and observed several pieces of shining stone, 
 which convineed us that there was a coal mine, 
 or some beds of it, in the neighbourhood. If 
 scientific researches were made, it is believed 
 that they would meet with success. Letters 
 arrived from the people in the Peshawr terri- 
 tory, expressive of their anxiety for the arrival 
 of the Shah Zada. Among others, a letter 
 from Mir Afzal Khan, residing near Ganda* 
 muk. He offered to excite his tribe, and to 
 harass Mahomed Akbar Khan at Jalalabad, 
 but that he was straiteued for want of means. 
 A reply was sent by Colonel Wade, admiring 
 Afzal Khan's devotion and zeal in the royal 
 cause, and informing him that on the Shah 
 Zada's arrival, measures would be taken to 
 meet his wishes. 
 
 Halted eleven days in the plain of Attok, 
 to obtain some news of the army of the Indus 
 
PASSAGE OF THE INDUS. 171 
 
 before we arrived at Peshawr, and to open a 
 communication with Lieutenant Mackeson, now 
 Major, who was coming by the Derajat to raise 
 the Afghans in that quarter, and to combine his 
 movements with our own. Crossed the river 
 Indus by a bridge of boats, and encamped on 
 the opposite bank near the fort of Khairabad, 
 three kos distant. Road good till within a 
 mile of the fort of Attok, where it becomes 
 narrow, and passes over a hard polished rock 
 to the town : it then descends to the bridge of 
 boats. The wheeled carriages proceeded round 
 the rock. After leaving the carriage-way, we 
 passed by the ruins of an old Sarae, where 
 Kqfilasuse to put up. Shah Shujah, during his 
 sojourn at Attok, occupied the same place. 
 Two shrines to the left are also visible. They 
 are dedicated to two Mussulman Darweishes 
 Sultan Sudruddin and Hazratji. Close to 
 them is the tomb of a celebrated courtezan. 
 There are also a Baoli and a well within the 
 fort. 
 
 On our way to camp we went to see the fort 
 of Attok, within the walls of which is contained 
 
 i 2 
 
172 FORT OF ATTOK. 
 
 the town. It is built, as I have said, on a 
 spur of the hill, which rises behind it, and 
 slopes towards the river, consequently the in- 
 side of it is seen from the opposite bank. It is 
 likewise commanded from one or two emi- 
 nences on the left bank ; hut it is a well- 
 constructed fortification for the time in which 
 it was made, when the use of artillery was 
 little known in these countries. The western 
 side of it is formed by the outline of the 
 rock, which is washed by the river. There 
 are ravines on two sides and the river on 
 the third ; hut such are the changes of the 
 world, that Ranjeet Singh and his unlettered 
 Sikhs are improving the works of Akbar the 
 Great ! The dimensions of the fort and other 
 details have, I believe, been accurately laid 
 down by Major Leech of the Bombay engi- 
 neers, who accompanied Sir Alexander Burnes 
 to Kabul. The hills have been occupied by 
 various tribes at different times, and I saw 
 some ruins near the summit of one of the peaks 
 which are said to belong to the Kafirs, and are 
 from time immemorial. 
 
ATTOK. 173 
 
 The hill of Attok may occupy with its spurs 
 about two miles each way, or four square 
 miles. It consists of several heights ; the 
 lower portions are of slate rocks, and some of 
 the highest peaks are likewise slate. Others 
 again are limestone, of the spongy kind which 
 we saw in several other places. At the base 
 of the hills, but -at some length above the plain, 
 there are quantities of pebbles of different sizes. 
 
 There is no well inside the fort of Attok, 
 but water is supplied from the river through 
 a passage called Abduzd, which communicates 
 with the river through a bastion about fifty feet 
 high from the surface of the water. It is said 
 the river once rose so high that it overflowed 
 the walls of the Abduzd, and a boat ran into it. 
 A story is that there was a Baradari or pavi- 
 lion close to the Abduzd, but lately pulled down. 
 Nadir Shah, the Persian Emperor, on his re- 
 turn from India, stayed a night in this fort, 
 during which a notorious thief came into it 
 through the Abduzd from the other side of the 
 river, and, climbing up the walls by means of 
 striking nails into it, slowly glided into the 
 
174 A CROWN STOLEN. 
 
 room where the king was sleeping, and, find- 
 ing him in a sound sleep, carried away his 
 crown. In the morning the conqueror of 
 India was astonished not to find his crown. 
 Every search was made for it in vain. At last 
 his Majesty proclaimed that if the robber 
 would appear in person before him with the 
 crown, he would not only be pardoned, but 
 amply rewarded ; and the thief actually came 
 and delivered the crown. Nadir Shah was 
 highly pleased with his bold conduct, gave 
 him a large reward, and exalted him to a high 
 rank in his own service. 
 
 The stream of the river is very rapid, deep, 
 and narrow below the fort. It is very dan- 
 gerous to be crossed in floods. If the boat is 
 carried down between the two ledges of rock 
 named Kamalia and Jamalia, there is little pro- 
 bability of its safety from the fury of the waves 
 which throw it against one or other of them 
 and it is dashed to pieces. Scarcely a year 
 passes that one or two boats are not wrecked on 
 them. The Indus, four or five kos above Attok 
 before it receives the waters of the Kabul river, 
 
THE INDUS. 175 
 
 is divided into three or four branches, and is 
 full of islands and dry banks. There the river 
 is a ford. Ranjeet Singh forded it twice or 
 thrice at the same point ; but the Sikhs have an 
 idea that it never becomes fordable, and the 
 fording of Ranjeet Singh is ascribed by them 
 to a miracle wrought by the favour of their 
 Guru, or patron saint. The Indus, after leaving 
 its rocky channel below Attok, and entering the 
 plains of the Derajat, becomes very calm and 
 gentle. Its banks above Attok are not above 
 twelve feet high, and it evidently overflows 
 annually the plains of Chach. The stream, in 
 each of the many channels it has there, is 
 rapid, and flows over a pebbly bottom with the 
 noise of a cataract.* 
 
 * " We watched this deeply interesting picture from some 
 overhanging rocks, which bear on their surface such a 
 high state of polish, that they have the appearance of being 
 perfectly wet j but it arises, I conjecture, from the con- 
 stant trituration of the sand, washed upon them during 
 the rainy seasons. From the sharpness of their angles and 
 the darkness of their hue, I concluded they were composed 
 of an extremely hard stone ; but a few blows from a stick 
 easily separated a portion, the fractures assuming regular 
 shapes of a slaty substance."— Barr's Journal, p. 199. 
 
176 THE INDUS. 
 
 It is obvious that the plain of Chach was 
 formerly a large lake, the outlet from which 
 was through the chasm formed by the hills 
 east and west of the fort of Attok, which have 
 been gradually worn away, and the present 
 deep and narrow channel of the Indus formed. 
 The river washes the hills on both sides, and 
 becomes very confined immediately above the 
 fort, yet the stream is there two hundred and 
 fifty feet across, with precipitous banks. 
 
 There are traditions connected with the 
 place about some ancient kings, which it 
 might be worth while to gather together. 
 
 In the reign of Akbar, and during the wars of 
 the Great Mogul general, Man Singh Rahtore, 
 with the Afghans, there being no boats, Akbar 
 caused them to be built, and induced some 
 of the people with him, soldiers, and others, to 
 become boatmen, on whom he settled a piece 
 of ground near at hand yielding five hundred 
 rupees per annum, and agreed with them that 
 they should maintain the ferry with six boats. 
 This land is still the property of the boatmen ; 
 but the Maharaja has built many other boats, 
 
BftlDGE OF BOATS. 177 
 
 and every year has a bridge formed of them to 
 keep open his communication with Peshawr. 
 The bridge lasts from seven to eight months in 
 twelve ; but from the violence of the torrent in 
 the rainy months it is frequently broken and 
 again put together. During the cold weather 
 it is constructed just above the fort ; but in the 
 spring and summer it is removed to a spot 
 rather lower down, where it lasts till the stream 
 becomes too strong for it. The banks of the 
 river are inconvenient of ascent and descent; 
 the boats are small ; the anchors are dropped 
 at a great distance — perhaps four hundred or 
 five hundred feet above where the bridge is to 
 be formed — on account of the depth and ra- 
 pidity of the current, to allow them to settle at 
 a considerable angle. A boat will cost 300 
 rupees, viz. wood 150, iron 60, labour 90. It 
 is built in one and a half or two months, 
 and will last seven or eight years, and then 
 with repair four or five longer. The anchors 
 are six cubits long, five broad, with eighty 
 or one hundred mands' weight of stone en- 
 closed in a basket. The cables are made of 
 
 I 3 
 
178 RISE OF THE RIVER. 
 
 a tough smooth bark like that of the palm 
 in texture, procured from a tree which grows 
 wild about the neighbouring hills. They wear 
 away, however, on the rocky bottom in twenty- 
 five or thirty days, and fresh anchors are then 
 dropped. 
 
 The river generally rises forty cubits; the 
 extraordinary rise talked of as having happened 
 about the year 1800, was forty-six cubits.* A 
 boat, during the cold weather, will reach Kala- 
 bagh (seventy-two kos) in three days, and in 
 the rains in six hours ! The boatmen are re- 
 quired to be very expert, and are better skilled 
 in their profession than those of any other river 
 
 * Another great rise took place, 1840, which over- 
 flowed the country to a considerable extent. These inun- 
 dations are common to the rivers of the Panjab from their 
 beds within the mountains being frequently closed by a 
 sudden avalanche of the precipice adjacent to them, which 
 chokes the channel for many days ; and when the water has 
 formed a passage for itself it rushes into the plains with 
 awful force, and, sweeping everything before it, spreads to 
 a great distance over the country. Dr. Jameson, who visited 
 the Attok a short time after the last great rise, has pub- 
 lished the result of his observations in an interesting paper 
 in the ' Journal of the Asiatic Society ' in Calcutta. 
 
NEWS FROM SINDH. 179 
 
 of the Panjab. The fort of Khairabad, which 
 is situated opposite to Attok, is of long stand- 
 ing, but was destroyed and subsequently re- 
 paired by Firoz Khan, Khatak, of Akorah. Its 
 construction is of mud, and may be about a 
 quarter of a mile in circumference. On sum- 
 mits close to it are three watch-towers, which 
 entirely command the fort of Attok. Ja- 
 handad Khan, the Afghan governor of Attok, 
 betrayed his master and delivered it over for a 
 bribe to Ranjeet Singh. Since that time it has 
 remained in the unmolested possession of the 
 Sikhs. 
 
 The neighbourhood of Attok is the scene of 
 several bloody battles between the Afghans and 
 the Sikhs, before the latter had taken final pos- 
 session of Peshawr. 
 
 Our encamping ground was spread over with 
 stones, and confined ; supplies abundant, and 
 procurable from the town in the fort. The 
 right bank of the river is within the jurisdic- 
 tion of Peshawr. 
 
 While here we received news from Sindh of 
 the rulers of that country having accepted the 
 
180 GANDA SINGH AND PESHAWRA SINGH. 
 
 terms offered to them by the British Govern- 
 ment, and that the army of the Indus would 
 now advance onCandahar without further delay. 
 Ranjeet Singh was informed of the event, and 
 urgently requested by Lieutenant-Colonel Wade 
 not to defer answering the letters which had 
 already been addressed to him on several im- 
 portant points, and also to despatch the Maho- 
 medan contingent of his troops, commanded by 
 a good and wise officer, either European or Ma- 
 homedan, and to give him particular injunc- 
 tions to adhere strictly to the conditions of the 
 tripartite treaty. In the same letter Ganda 
 Singh, the Thanehdar or commandant of Attok, 
 was praised foi 4 his good behaviour towards the 
 Mission and the Shah Zada; but Peshawra 
 Singh, one of the supposed sons of his Highness, 
 who is the governor of the place, was blamed 
 for his inattention.* The Maharaja was likewise 
 informed of the intention of her Britannic 
 Majesty to despatch for his Highness some 
 
 * He afterwards behaved in the same manner to Major 
 Ferris's detachment ; and on the further representation of 
 Colonel Wade was removed from his situation. 
 
MERCANTILE PRECAUTIONS. 181 
 
 presents from England ; and that among other 
 things expected were a number of guns. The 
 Maharaja was further requested to issue the 
 necessary orders to his officers towards Derah 
 Ismael Khan to facilitate the progress of Lieu- 
 tenant Mackeson, who was on his way from 
 Bhaualpur to join the Mission. 
 
 Intelligence was received that Mahomed 
 Afzal Khan, who was sent to Kuram by his 
 father at the same time that Mahomed 
 Akbar Khan was despatched to Jalalabad, had 
 returned to the latter place and joined his 
 brother, and that the chiefs of Kuram were 
 more favourable to the royal cause than that of 
 Dost Mahomed Khan, and would do their best 
 to throw off the authority of the latter. 
 
 News was likewise received from Peshawr 
 to the effect that the merchants of Kabul, for 
 fear of the arbitrary exactions of Dost Maho- 
 med Khan to meet the expenses of the war, 
 were removing the whole of their valuable pro- 
 perty to some secure place, and had written to 
 their agents in foreign towns and cities to stop 
 the despatch of any merchandise to Kabul. It 
 
182 INSTRUCTIONS TO LIEUT. MACKESON. 
 
 was further stated that in Turkistan, as well as 
 in Kabul, there was such a heavy fall of snow 
 on the 9th of February that the oldest persons 
 had never witnessed any like it, — an event 
 which had further alarmed Dost Mahomed Khan, 
 as it would delay the return of his troops from 
 Balkh, who had to cross the Hindu Koosh. 
 
 We learn that General Avitabile has issued a 
 proclamation to the effect that if any traveller 
 from Kabul should put up in the house of an 
 inhabitant in Peshawr, and go away without 
 the General being previously informed, the 
 host would be liable to a severe penalty. 
 
 During the time that we were halted near 
 Attok, instructions were sent off to Lieutenant 
 Mackeson, to join the Mission, informing him 
 of the intended plan of operations, and direct- 
 ing him to proceed, via Dereh Ismael Khan, to 
 Kohat, and to await there for further orders. 
 By advancing along the hills in that direction, 
 it was thought that he might create a diversion 
 in favour of our own advance from Peshawr, 
 when the time came to act in concert with 
 Shah Shujah and the army of the Indus to lay 
 
PLAN OF HIS OPERATIONS. 183 
 
 open the road to Kabul. It was expected that 
 the best mode of promoting that object would 
 be for Lieutenant Mackeson to open communi- 
 cations with the Afghan chiefs inhabiting the 
 country lying directly south of Khaibar, for the 
 purpose of conciliating and inviting them to 
 co-operate with us in destroying the influence 
 of the existing government of Kabul. 
 
 In order to produce the desired impression 
 on the minds of the people, Lieutenant Mac- 
 keson was recommended, before leaving Derah 
 Ismael Khan, to engage the service of four or 
 five hundred matchlockmen, and about half 
 that number of horse, composed chiefly of the 
 natives of that town, who were known to be a 
 brave and well-aftected race of men. The 
 chiefs themselves were to be invited to join 
 him either in person or by the deputation of 
 some influential member of their families, and 
 such of them as accepted the invitation would 
 receive an allowance for their daily support 
 with reference to their rank and importance ; 
 holding out to them, besides pecuniary benefits, 
 a confirmation of their established rights and 
 
184 OBJECT OF THE PLAN PROPOSED. 
 
 privileges in the event of their services proving 
 of real utility in securing the restoration of the 
 Shah. The principal object of recommending 
 Lieutenant Mackeson to follow the plan pro- 
 posed, was to show ourselves in a part of the 
 country where active operations were not 
 likely to be expected by the enemy, and to 
 relieve, by the presence of a British officer, 
 the power which Mahomed Akbar Khan at 
 Jalalabad, and Mahomed Afzal in Kuram, 
 partly possessed by their position, of control- 
 ling the actions of the chiefs, who were well 
 affected to the royal cause in that quarter. 
 Although it was not yet certain on what plan 
 we might be obliged to act with a view of 
 making our co-operation on the side of Pe- 
 shawr as effective as possible with reference 
 to the advance of the Shah and our troops from 
 Shikarpore, to which we were told that every 
 other plan was to be subsidiary, yet, from the 
 present state of our information, the following 
 is the mode which was explained as most likely 
 to be carried out with the head-quarters of the 
 Shah Zada. 
 
MR. LORD'S PROCEEDINGS. 185 
 
 1. After our arrival at Peshawr, Sir Claude 
 was to proceed to the reduction of Ali Masjid, 
 either by the agency of the Khaibaris or that 
 of the Sikhs, to secure the entrance of the pass 
 of Khaibar. 
 
 2. While engaged in effecting that object, 
 with a view of distracting the attention of the 
 enemy, and of keeping the Khaibaris in check, 
 Mr. Lord and Lieutenant Mackeson were to be 
 employed in the country on either side of the 
 pass ; Mr. Lord proceeding ultimately towards 
 Bajour, and the other to Kohat, and each 
 regulating his advance according to the intelli- 
 gence he might receive of our movements. 
 To insure as much as possible the success of 
 these diversions, and to pay for the levies 
 ordered to be made, it was proposed to send 
 with each party a sum of fifty thousand rupees, 
 the expenditure of which was to be left to the 
 discretion of the officers in charge to engage 
 the services of the chiefs and tribes lying in 
 their respective routes. 
 
 With each party, exclusive of the peasantry 
 of the country, were to be detached two com- 
 
186 HIS HOPES OF SUCCESS. 
 
 panies of the Maharaja's Najibs, who are old 
 and generally trustworthy soldiers, and a corps 
 of matchlockmen, then being raised by Lieu- 
 tenant Dowson and Ensign Hillersdon. 
 
 From the assurances which had been received 
 by the Lieutenant-Colonel and Mr. Lord from 
 the various chiefs on the Peshawr frontier, there 
 was every reason to believe that both diver- 
 sions, especially the one towards Kohat, would 
 be cordially supported. 
 
( 187 ) 
 
 Chapter X. 
 
 Akora — The Khataks — Firoz Khan — Sayed Baha-uddin 
 seized by Akbar Khan— State of Kabul — Pabhi — The 
 Momands — Chamkani — Irrigation — Shukhan — Machni 
 — A flood — A' robbery — Retinue of Shah Zada — Du- 
 plicity of the Court of Lahore — Ill-health of the Maha- 
 raja — The Khaibari Chiefs — Assistance afforded by 
 General Avitabile — Pir Mahomed Khan — Nawab Jab- 
 bar Khan — Tura Baz Khan — State of Kabul. 
 
 On the 9th of March we arrived at Akora ; 
 distance, ten kos ; direction, north-westerly. 
 Immediately on leaving the encamping ground 
 near Khairabad, we passed through Gidargalli, 
 or Jackal's Path, a narrow defile through a 
 low rocky range of hills, and nearly two 
 miles in length.* It is not very difficult, 
 
 * " Its whole extent may be from one and a half to two 
 miles ; and in the more exposed parts, Ranjeet Singh has 
 erected a few castles, which are garrisoned by troops sta- 
 tioned there for the purpose of securing the pass, as well 
 as for the protection of travellers. The scene was one of 
 great wildness, and fraught with excitement ; whilst the 
 guards, armed with long matchlocks, and perched on the 
 
188 PIONEERS LENT BY GEN. AVITABILE. 
 
 since it has been used and improved by General 
 Avitabile, the present governor of Peshawr, who, 
 having no further occasion for the pioneers 
 whom he had been employing there and at At- 
 tok, allowed Lieutenant-Colonel Wade to take 
 them from him ; and they proved of the greatest 
 service to us in erecting stockades and clearing 
 the way through Khaibar for artillery. They 
 were afterwards increased to two hundred and 
 fifty men, and put in charge of an officer. 
 About the middle of the pass is situated a Burj, 
 or tower, on a height to the left. A party of 
 sepoys is always established here to protect 
 the road, which formerly was infested by the 
 Khatak people who occupy the neighbouring 
 hills; but they are apparently now on good 
 terms with the Sikhs. The rest of the road 
 was good, but here and there spread over with 
 stones. About three and a half kos from the 
 last encamping ground we passed the dry bed 
 of a Nala. During the floods it swells very 
 
 extremity of a jutting crag, paced to and fro on their ele- 
 vated and confined posts, and added much to the pic- 
 turesqueness of the effect." — Barr's Journal, p. 200. 
 
THE CAMP AT AKORA. 189 
 
 high, and stops the communication for some 
 time. Midway passed by Jahangira, about half 
 a mile off to the right. It was raining very 
 hard, and I stayed for a few minutes with my 
 friend, named Haidar Ali Khan, commanding 
 a party of four hundred Sowars, and one piece 
 of cannon, belonging to Sirdar Nihal Singh 
 Aluwalia, who is stationed here, and has a 
 small katcha fort, near which the Sowars are 
 pitched for the protection of the road, and to 
 overawe the neighbouring tribes. 
 
 When the rain had ceased, we proceeded to 
 the camp at Akora. The celebrated battle be- 
 tween Saved Ahmad and the Sikhs was fought 
 on the plains of Jahangira and Akora, on 
 which occasion the Sayed was totally defeated, 
 and retired to the Eusafzai country. The Sikhs 
 had not much reason to be proud of the victory 
 which they had gained, as they lost a great 
 many men, and their general, Budh Singh, one 
 of the finest Sirdars of the Sindhanwalia family, 
 and a great favourite of the Maharaja. 
 
 We are now in the Khatak territory, which 
 begins at Khairabad, and ends at the village 
 
190 THE KHATAK TERRITORY. 
 
 of Zarah, near Naoshera, as far as Haran, on 
 the Eusafzai frontier ; and on the south is 
 bounded by Lachi and Dherian, the frontier 
 of Dour Banoo. It is a large tribe, consisting 
 of many thousand families. They were long 
 in enmity with the Sikhs, and fought many 
 battles with them. The ground is covered 
 with graves.* 
 
 * " After quitting it (Gidargalli) we emerged on to a 
 fine champagne country, which, however, bears but few 
 marks of cultivation — a measure soon explained to us by 
 the thousands of tombs spread on every side. These are 
 constructed with much care, and particular attention seems 
 to have been paid to preserve their individuality, each grave 
 being marked out by a row of white pebbles encircling the 
 mound, and crossed in its breadth by two or three bands of 
 the same ; beneath them lie the bodies of countless num- 
 bers who have fallen in battle, and the vastness of the col- 
 lection displays the bold spirit with which the Afghans 
 opposed the encroachments of the Sikhs. Although several 
 years have elapsed since these engagements occurred, the 
 same spirit of animosity still exists between the two na- 
 tions ; but from the circumstance of the Maharaja having 
 obtained the entire ascendancy of the country, nothing 
 beyond a solitary assassination is now heard of unless when 
 the hill-tribes of the Khataks descend from their fastnesses 
 for the purpose of plundering an escort, and then a partial 
 affray is sometimes brought about." — Barr's Journal, p. 201. 
 
FIROZ KHAN. 191 
 
 As long as Firoz Khan, their enterprising 
 chief (a native of Akora), was alive, they did 
 not allow the Sikhs to gain a permanent foot- 
 ing on the right bank of the Indus on the 
 Peshawr side ; but after his death they were 
 able to establish themselves across the river. 
 The sons of Firoz Khan, who were formerly 
 with Sultan Mahomed Khan, the ex-chief of 
 Peshawr, were among those who joined the 
 Shah Zada at Lahore, and are now serving 
 him. 
 
 The Khataks now pay a certain annual re- 
 venue to the Sikhs, and their chief is Najaf 
 Khan, the cousin of Firoz Khan. At heart 
 the Khataks do not like the Sikh authority, 
 but they are subdued. On the approach of 
 the Shah Zada, they expressed their readiness 
 to join him and to shake off the yoke which 
 has been imposed on them by the Sikhs ; 
 but, agreeably to the existing treaty, they 
 were prevented by Sir Claude Wade from 
 doing so. The Khatak hills produce nothing 
 remarkable, with the exception of a grass 
 called Haran-latia, which is used by the na- 
 
192 AKORA. 
 
 tives to improve the sight of their eyes. There 
 is abundance of fuel also in this quarter, and 
 Peshawr is much dependent on these hills for 
 supplies of it. 
 
 We encamped on the right bank of the 
 Kabul river close to Akora, which is rather a 
 small and confined town chiefly inhabited by 
 Mussulmans, there being only a few Hindu 
 shopkeepers in the towns west of the Indus. 
 The tract of country along the bank of the 
 river is called Tari, or a morass, and irrigation 
 generally is by wells. The district is farmed 
 to a Hindu named Piara Mai : his rule is not 
 said to be very oppressive, like the other Sikh 
 officers. 
 
 I have hitherto omitted to mention that 
 lately Sayed Baha-uddin, the ruler of Kunar, 
 has been seized by Mahomed Akbar Khan 
 on the charge of holding a secret correspond- 
 ence with the Shah Zada. 
 
 It appears on further inquiry that he was 
 apprehended by a stratagem when he was on 
 a visit to Mahomed Akbar Khan at Jalalabad. 
 The Sayed, being suspicious of the young 
 
SAYED BAHA-UDDIN. 193 
 
 Sirdar's want of faith, did not, however, go 
 to him without previously exchanging solemn 
 pledges on the Koran, viz., that he would 
 not be molested either in his person or terri- 
 tory ; but these were merely idle words, for, as 
 soon as the Sayed fell into the hands of Ma- 
 homed Akbar, he was treacherously seized, 
 and troops sent to take possession of his 
 territory. Such acts of treachery are com- 
 monly followed throughout the whole of Af- 
 ghanistan, especially among persons of high 
 rank. The Sayed is said to have been sent to 
 Kabul, where he remains in confinement in 
 the fort of Bala Hisar ; but the circumstance 
 of his being a Sayed will most probably secure 
 him the safety of his life.* The territory of 
 Kunar has been subsequently occupied by the 
 troops sent by Mahomed Akbar Khan, and 
 the family of the Sayed, after a bold resistance, 
 expelled. It lies on the eastern frontier of 
 the Kafir Siahposh, and has now been farmed 
 to Sayed Hashim, a rival of the ex-ruler. So 
 gross a breach of faith in the Amir and his son 
 * A descendant of the Prophet. 
 
 K 
 
194 DELAYS, 
 
 has offended all his vassals: among others, 
 Sadat Khan Momand, who is allied to Sayed 
 Baha-uddin by some family connexion, appears 
 highly displeased. 
 
 News was received here of Lieut.-Col. Stod- 
 dart's arrival at Bokhara, and of the refusal of 
 Mir Morad Beg of Koonduz to abide by the 
 treaty which he had lately concluded with 
 Akram Khan, which is gratifying intelligence. 
 
 10th. — Halted at Akora on account of the 
 heavy rain yesterday having made the roads 
 impassable. 
 
 Numbers of people are now joining the Shah 
 Zada. If the chief of any party now arrives, 
 he comes with some state. A party of native 
 musicians plays before him, and he proceeds 
 very slowly, surrounded by a large party of 
 followers, to show that he is a man of some 
 consequence. 
 
 A letter was again despatched to the Maha- 
 raja, informing him that the escort which was 
 promised by his Highness for the Shah Zada 
 was not yet complete ; that among others, 
 Jamaluddin Khan, ofMamdot, who was ordered 
 
AND REMONSTRANCES. 195 
 
 to join him at Hasan Abdal with a party of 
 one hundred Sowars, had failed to do so, and 
 had only arrived at Attok, and with a party of 
 fifteen or sixteen Sowars ; that these delays 
 at such a critical time were highly detrimental 
 to the object in view ; that neither had any 
 account yet been received about the Maho- 
 medan contingent ; that it was advisable to 
 instruct the officers at Peshawr to make a 
 selection from the various corps under their 
 command of all the Mahomedans in each, and 
 on the arrival of the Shah Zada to place them 
 at the disposal of the Lieut. -Colonel, for the pro- 
 tection of the Shah Zada, now that the prince 
 was about to arrive on the enemy's frontier. He 
 was further informed that a letter to the same 
 effect had been lately addressed to General 
 Avitabile, apprizing him of the Shah Zada's 
 near approach, and requesting him, agreeably 
 to the treaty and the paper of conditions 
 exchanged between Lord Auckland and the 
 Maharaja at Lahore, to receive the Shah 
 Zada and the Mission on their arrival with 
 proper consideration. It was also intimated 
 
 k2 
 
196 NAOSHEHERA. 
 
 to his Highness that no information had yet 
 reached of the nomination of a Mahomedan 
 commander, and he was urgently requested to 
 appoint one. 
 
 Wth. — Naoshehera. # Distance nine kos ; 
 road good ; lying on level ground. The 
 country open, and better cultivated than the 
 last march. The town of Naoshehera is 
 situated on the left bank of the Lundi or 
 Kabul river, but our encamping ground is close 
 to a small fort opposite Naoshehera, and on 
 the right bank. Supplies easily procurable. 
 Water from the river. Near this spot was 
 fought the great battle which took place be- 
 tween Ranjeet Singh and Sirdar Mahomed 
 Azim Khan, Barakzai. The main army of the 
 Sikhs was situated on the left, and the Afghan 
 chief with his. troop on the right bank ; but the 
 brunt of the action was sustained by the Eusaf- 
 
 * " As we neared the town of Nao Shehera, the scene 
 became almost English ; the sloping banks on either side 
 of the stream being covered with verdant grass, and fringed 
 with mulberry and other trees, and the distant views 
 bounded by ranges of hills enclosing the expanding valley. " 
 — Barr's Journal, p. 208. 
 
BATTLE OF NAOSHEHERA. 197 
 
 zais, and other neighbouring tribes, the pea- 
 santry of the country, who came down in masses 
 to oppose the Sikhs, and attacked them with 
 such boldness that for a time they were vic- 
 torious, and the Sikhs were seen retreating 
 before them ; but Ranjeet Singh rallied his 
 troops, and sent General Ventura with a large 
 party of infantry to their support ; which led to 
 the enemy being defeated with great slaughter. 
 The French officers had not at that time been 
 long in the Maharaja's service. General 
 Allard was watching Azim Khan with the 
 cavalry on the right bank, who retreated before 
 him almost without fighting.* 
 
 To-day we received news from Jalalabad 
 that near Soorkhab the snow was so heavy 
 that a party of merchants who were on their 
 way from Peshawr to Kabul, and took shelter 
 under a loose ledge of rock, were buried under 
 
 * " One mound in particular was the subject of severe 
 fighting. Three times did the Sikhs gain its vantage 
 ground, and three times were they driven back. The 
 Maharaja at length advanced in person at the head of his 
 guards, and drove the Afghans from their position ; the 
 day was then his own." — Barr's Journal, p. 209. 
 
198 STATE OF KABUL. 
 
 it, the projection having sunk down under the 
 weight of the snow with which it was covered. 
 Only an infant of a year old was saved out of 
 ten or twelve lives. 
 
 Dost Mahomed Khan now distrusts all 
 the Kabul people, except Hafizji, to whom he 
 has lately married one of his daughters. He 
 intends to send him with the peasantry of the 
 Kohistan to defend the Khaibar pass. Dost 
 Mahomed has lately received an explicit 
 reply from the agent deputed to Persia that 
 Mahomed Shah would not comply with the 
 Amir's request, as the Shah could not assist him 
 till he had made himself master of Hirat. 
 
 Letters were also received by Dost Maho- 
 med Khan from the Candahar chiefs, asking 
 his advice how to proceed in the present exi- 
 gency. The Amir replied that he could not 
 go to their assistance, but that they had better 
 make preparations for a protracted siege. 
 
 News was likewise received from Lahore to 
 the effect that the province of Kashmir had 
 been lately farmed out to Kharak Singh ; a 
 circumstance which convinced us that Ranjeet 
 
PABHI. 199 
 
 Singh considered his end very nigh. Golab 
 Singh, taking advantage of the Maharaja's 
 declining health, had been actively exerting 
 himself of late to prepare the way for the esta- 
 blishment of his own authority in that quarter; 
 which having come to the ears of Ranjeet 
 Singh, he thought it prudent to confer it at 
 once on his son, which gave great offence to 
 the Jammoo family, and they began to intrigue 
 with Nao Nibal Singh for the subversion of 
 Kharak Singh's power, whom they knew to be 
 popular with the Sikhs, as the only legitimate 
 heir to the throne.* 
 
 \2th. — Pabhi, a small village, situated on 
 a rising and sloping ground ; supplies pro- 
 curable, and the encamping ground exten- 
 sive, and abundance of good water. The de- 
 scription of the road the same as yesterday.f 
 
 * Golab Singh's ambition has at length been gratified 
 by the almost total destruction of the family of his bene- 
 factor and the ruin of the Sikh government to secure his 
 own power. 
 
 \ " The country, during the latter portion of our morn- 
 ing's march, exhibited many more traces of cultivation 
 than we have hitherto seen in the valley, but the graves 
 
200 THE MOMANDS. 
 
 We are now in the territory of the Momands. 
 Their possessions commence at the village of 
 Badarshi, five kos from Akora, on the road to 
 Peshawr. 
 
 The Momands are a large and very influen- 
 tial tribe, and occupy two distinct tracts of 
 country. One portion, the head of which is 
 Sadat Khan of Lalpura, inhabits the hills to 
 the north of the Khaibar Pass ; while the other 
 occupies the country which is now the subject 
 of our observation. The last possess five 
 tappas, or cantons, viz., Badarshi, Musazai, 
 Badaheir, Musa Khail, and Musrazae. With 
 the exception of Badarshi, the other four are 
 situated on the banks of the Bara stream, which 
 
 were still sufficiently numerous to remind us of the severe 
 contests that had been fought in it at no very distant 
 period ; they were, however, as nothing compared with 
 those of the two preceding journeys. In some parts, where 
 the plain had been left undisturbed, and was covered with 
 a thick green sward, it was delightful to observe the pro- 
 fusion of wild and sweet-smelling flowers with which it 
 was bedecked, and many of which forcibly reminded us of 
 the fields of England, the most common being the dande- 
 lion, which, however, does not attain to the size of that at 
 home." — Barr's Journal, pp. 212, 213. 
 
CHAM KANI. 201 
 
 chiefly supplies water both for drinking and 
 irrigation. The head of the Momands, who 
 are estimated to amount to many thousand 
 families, is Karim Khan, of the Kela of Mohsou 
 Khan. He is said to be a good man. This 
 tribe and the Khalils, who lie between it and 
 the other Momands under Lalpura, are gene- 
 rally in difference with each other, and the one 
 secretly tries to baffle the interest of the other. 
 The tribe of Karim Khan has an extensive 
 range of territory, commencing from Badarshi. 
 
 There is a story at Pabhi that a saint who is 
 buried here is well known to have cured many 
 persons afflicted with leprosy, and canine con- 
 vulsions ; and that at present also many are 
 known to have recovered from distempers of 
 that nature, merely by resorting to the tomb 
 of the Saint. 
 
 On the 13th of March we came to Cham 
 Kani, distance seven kos — road good. Crossed 
 several small canals cut from the Bar a for the 
 purpose of irrigation. To the north of Cham- 
 kani crossed the Bara by a bridge, and en- 
 camped on a fine level spot of ground. About 
 
 k 3 
 
202 THE BARA. 
 
 two kos off from Chamkani the Shah Zada 
 and the Mission were met by a deputation 
 from Peshawr, at the head of which was Ge- 
 neral Avitabile, which conducted them with 
 due honour to the camp, and a salute was 
 fired from the city in honour of his arrival. 
 
 No sooner had we arrived, than numbers of 
 people came to visit us from Peshawr, four 
 kos distant, and several from the neighbouring 
 villages voluntarily came and entered the ser- 
 vice of the Shah Zada. Among the former 
 were the Shah Zadas Jamhur, and Mahomed 
 Saleh, the sons of Shah Zada Mahomed Ha- 
 shim, who joined the camp with a view to 
 serve their relative the Shah in the present 
 expedition for the recovery of the Sadozai 
 throne. 
 
 The Bara takes its rise in the Tirah country, 
 in a hill named Rajzal ; immediately after 
 issuing from which it is divided into three 
 branches : one of them, called the Bodsoorkh, 
 or the red stream, from the colour of its water, 
 passes through the Ishpin country, and joins 
 the Kabul river near Sultanpore, seven kos 
 
IRRIGATION. 203 
 
 above Jalalabad. The second branch is the 
 Bara, which name, I am told, it takes on its 
 entrance into the Peshawr territory. After 
 many windings it falls into the Kabul river at 
 Zakhi, five kos below Chamkani. The culti- 
 vation of Peshawr entirely depends on the 
 irrigation of Bara. Several artificial canals 
 are cut from it by the zamindars and villagers 
 for the purpose of irrigating their cultivation. 
 The water is also red in colour, and exceed- 
 ingly good and digestive. On a particular 
 piece of ground in the village of Sanja, just 
 within the three tappas occupied by the 
 Khalil people, the best rice and remarkably 
 fine, called Bara, is produced. In a season of 
 drought the water of the Bara is sometimes 
 exhausted altogether, and then the people of 
 Peshawr and its vicinity are very much dis- 
 tressed. The only course to which they resort 
 on such occasions is to assemble in large 
 crowds near a temple dedicated to a Maho- 
 medan Saint in the village of Sheikhan, seven 
 kos off, to the south of Peshawr, and sacrifice 
 several oxen in the bed of the Bara. The tra- 
 
204 MACHNI. 
 
 dition is that no sooner is their offering made 
 than it rains in torrents, and the bed of the 
 river is again filled with water, and even over- 
 flows its banks. I do not credit the story, but 
 it is superstitiously believed and related to be 
 so, by the natives. In the village of Sheikhan, 
 on the banks of the Bara, there is another 
 temple belonging to the Hindus, where a large 
 fair takes place on the festival of the Bisakhi. 
 There are many caves which have been dug 
 for the use of the Joghis, many of whom reside 
 there. The third stream, the name of which 
 I forget, takes its course into the Kohat and 
 the Bangish country, and falls into the Indus, 
 twelve or thirteen kos below the fort of 
 Attok. 
 
 These three streams are said to be nearly 
 equal in their breadth, and to possess equally 
 good water, and of the same colour ; but it is 
 not until it has been kept in a pot for some time 
 that it turns out clear. 
 
 Machni is a thriving town of the Momands. 
 Loads of Kabul fruits are brought to it. The 
 merchants, either from the Panjab or Kabul, 
 
APPLICATION OF MIR ALAM KHAN. 205 
 
 alight there. The latter generally come in the 
 cold weather, as they are not able to brook 
 the hot climate of Peshawr in summer. The 
 transit duties levied in Machni amount alto- 
 gether to twenty-one thousand rupees per 
 annum. Rice, wheat, and barley, are abun- 
 dantly produced ; also jawari* and the sugar- 
 cane are cultivated. 
 
 A report was received from Mir Alam Khan 
 announcing the intention of Mahomed Akbar 
 to proceed against him, and requesting our 
 assistance ; he stated that the troubles in his 
 territory were owing principally to the family 
 divisions between himself and Mir Khan, Nao- 
 waghi; that it was never supposed Mahomed 
 Akbar would engage in another quarter, when 
 the Shah Zada arrived at Peshawr with the 
 avowed object to open the pass of Khaibar. 
 Mir Alam Khan's application was not complied 
 with, but he was desired, in case the enemy 
 should advance against him, to collect the 
 people of his tribe and make a vigorous de- 
 fence, and that on receiving intimation of the 
 * An Indian corn. 
 
206 A FLOOD. 
 
 event means would be taken to make a diver- 
 sion in his favour. 
 
 14th. — Remain at Chamkani. Last night 
 it rained very severely, and continued so du- 
 ring the day from time to time. Our camp 
 being pitched on a tilled ground, we could 
 hardly move out of the tents on account of the 
 deep mud about them. The Bara rose very 
 high, and its current was exceeding rapid and 
 noisy. One of the arches of the bridge before 
 mentioned gave way, and was carried down by 
 the fury of the flood. The communication 
 between the town and the camp was cut off, 
 and we were much straitened for want of sup- 
 plies until the swelling of the river was lowered 
 and the people could ford it. 
 
 We heard that last night a gang of Dacoits, 
 or thieves, broke into the city of Peshawr, and 
 carried away some valuable property belonging 
 to a wealthy Hindu merchant, one of whose 
 men was killed, and one severely wounded. 
 General Avitabile prevented the deceased from 
 being burnt, on the plea that his family de- 
 served to be punished for not repairing the 
 
A ROBBERY. 207 
 
 wall, through which the party of Dacoits came. 
 After much discussion, a fine of 2000 rupees 
 was exacted from the family before the de- 
 ceased was allowed to be burnt. Such fines 
 are set apart to improve the fortifications of the 
 city. Some idea of the manner in which jus- 
 tice is here administered may be formed from 
 the above anecdote ; but the people require to 
 be governed by very severe laws. 
 
 A reply was received to-day from Ranjeet 
 Singh to the letter regarding the detention of 
 the detachment, with the two howitzers, at 
 Harikee for two days, in which it was attempted 
 to lay the blame on the officer commanding it 
 by those who had now begun to interfere with 
 the just views of the Maharaja, when the delay 
 was known to have proceeded from the neglect 
 of the Sikh authorities, of whom reports were 
 now received from every quarter that they 
 were trying secretly to thwart us, and throw 
 every possible obstacle in the way of our pro- 
 gress. 
 
 15th. — Still at Chamkani. The day was 
 employed in preparing some necessary equip- 
 
208 RETINUE OF SHAH ZADA. 
 
 merits, and completing the household of the 
 Shah Zada. Four officers were added to his 
 personal retinue, viz., a Zabtbegi, an Amla- 
 bashi, an Arzbegi, and a Nasakhchibashi.* 
 They were directed to employ twenty-five 
 Sowars each of those who had offered, and to 
 accompany the Shah Zada, whenever he went 
 out, as his body guard. Proper dresses were 
 provided for these, as well as his other re 
 spectable servants in attendance, so that his 
 Highness might assume a becoming import- 
 ance in the eyes of the people of Peshawr 
 when he entered that city as the representative 
 of his father. 
 
 \6th. — Camp, as before, at Chamkani. Wa- 
 hab Malik, accompanied by some influential 
 persons of the Kukikhail tribe, arrived in 
 camp. He offered his services in opening the 
 pass, with the assistance of a part of the Shah 
 Zada's troops. Wahab and his companions 
 occupy the lands immediately to the right of 
 the pass between Jamrud and Ali Masjid. 
 They are in enmity with Abdurrahman and 
 * Offices of state. 
 
WAHAB MALIK. 209 
 
 some others, the chief persons of the tribe, 
 from not being allowed to share the allowance 
 settled by Dost Mahomed Khan on their tribe. 
 Wahab further proposed that he and his 
 men would go and bring back to the camp 
 one hundred and fifty Jazailchis stationed in 
 the fort of Ali Masjid, whom he had previously 
 consulted ; and at the same time desire the 
 rest to join him ; and that, if they refused, he 
 would attack the fort, which contained a very 
 small garrison, and take it. He also begged 
 that, if he were successful, all the Afridis who 
 had joined Mr. Lord might be sent to assist 
 him in maintaining his ground ; and requested 
 an advance of three hundred rupees for dis- 
 tribution among his partisans. 
 
 As the time for operations had not yet 
 arrived, though the opportunity was favourable, 
 Wahab was only desired to return to his place, 
 and quietly gain others of his tribe to his side, 
 and also to try and induce the garrison to de- 
 liver over the fort to the Shah Zada, for which 
 they would be liberally rewarded. The man 
 was accordingly dismissed, and presented with 
 
210 DISAGREEABLE INTELLIGENCE. 
 
 the money he demanded, besides being ho- 
 noured by a khilat from the Shah Zada. 
 
 Another circumstance which prevented us 
 from profiting by the present opportunity was 
 the information which we were surprised to 
 receive from General Avitabile, on our arrival 
 at Chamkani, that neither he nor any of the 
 Sirdars at Peshawr had yet received the in- 
 structions of their master to co-operate in the 
 present expedition, although deceitful assu- 
 rances to the contrary had been given. This 
 news was, of course, very vexatious, especially 
 as but slight aid was then required from the 
 Sikhs at Peshawr to effect the object of seizing 
 the fort of Ali Masjid before its garrison was 
 increased, there being then only about fifty Ja- 
 zailchis all together in it, and they could not have 
 long held out against a large and disciplined 
 force ; but the Sikhs, as I have stated above, 
 seem resolutely determined to defeat rather 
 than assist us in our operations. The Maha- 
 raja alone appears somewhat sincere to his 
 pledges and engagements in the tripartite 
 treaty. We hear, however, that he is too sick 
 
ILL-HEALTH OF THE MAHARAJA. 211 
 
 and feeble to do any business, and is said to 
 have entirely lost his speech. Public affairs are 
 consequently managed by Raja Dhian Singh 
 and his other courtiers, who are strongly op- 
 posed to the scheme, and know that we are too 
 far off to counteract their opposition in per- 
 son ; and they have succeeded in bribing the 
 news- writers of our government at court, on 
 whose reports no further dependence can now 
 be placed. The Governor- General has been 
 requested, therefore, to adopt the only course 
 left, viz., of deputing an officer to Lahore, to 
 give full effect to our requisitions.* 
 
 Letters were received from the Khaibar 
 chiefs, in reply to those which were addressed 
 to them from the Jehlam to join the Shah 
 Zada. They expressed their sincere devotion 
 to the cause of the Shah, but begged to be 
 excused from attending his son, as their host- 
 ages were still in the hands of Mahomed 
 
 * In consequence of which Mr. G. R. Clerk, who had 
 been appointed to act for Sir C. M. Wade on the frontier 
 of the Sutledge, in the absence of the latter with the 
 Shah Zada, was sent to Lahore. 
 
212 CORRESPONDENCE WITH 
 
 Akbar Khan. They were informed in reply, 
 that if they could not attend in person, they 
 should depute their sons or relations, or testify 
 their fidelity in other ways by serving him se- 
 cretly, by which they could be in no risk from 
 the other side. They were further encouraged 
 to persuade the garrison of Ali Masjid to join 
 the Shah Zada, who would take them into his 
 own service at ten rupees per mensem, besides 
 rewarding them with khilats and a bounty of 
 twenty-five rupees each on their arrival ; and 
 were told also that the person who exerted him- 
 self most in bringing them over should receive 
 in addition a present of five rupees per head. 
 
 It appears that the Khaibaris were alarmed 
 on being misinformed that the pass would be 
 forced and Ali Masjid garrisoned by the Sikh 
 force. To remove these impressions from their 
 minds, an explanatory letter was written to 
 Abdurrahman Khan, the head of the Kuki- 
 khail tribe occupying the pass near its en- 
 trance between Ali Masjid and Jamrud, (the 
 only people considered of importance in open- 
 ing the way,) who was assured that, agreeably 
 
THE KHAIBAR CHIEFS. 213 
 
 to the tripartite treaty, the Sikhs could not in- 
 terfere in any affairs beyond their boundary ; 
 that, if surrendered, Ali Masjid would only be 
 occupied by a garrison of Mahomedans from 
 the Shah Zada's force ; that if the Sikhs, con- 
 trary to treaty, ever attempted to enter Khai- 
 bar, it would be resented by the British Go- 
 vernment as well as by his Majesty the Shah. 
 In case of Abdurrahman himself joining the 
 Shah Zada, he was assured of the settlement 
 on him and his tribe of the allowance which 
 they enjoyed from Dost Mahomed Khan, be- 
 sides other royal favours with which he would 
 be distinguished for his services. On the 
 other hand, if he held out, he was threatened 
 with every misery which the invasion of a 
 formidable army could inflict. 
 
 A letter was also received by an agent from 
 Inyet Ulla Khan, the chief of Sawat, expres- 
 sive also of his sentiments of devotion to Shah 
 Shuja. He was requested in reply to wait 
 on the Prince, and informed that if he could 
 not attend himself he should depute his son 
 to the camp. 
 
214 CO-OPERATION OF GENERAL AVITABILE. 
 
 \lih. — Chamkani. General Avitabile, 
 though yet without any instructions from La- 
 hore, being well informed of the articles of the 
 tripartite treaty and his master's will, professed 
 his own readiness to assist the Mission in for- 
 warding its objects, but of course without in- 
 curring any responsibility which might exceed 
 the ordinary exercise of his authority. In 
 compliance with the request of Sir Claude 
 Wade, he issued a proclamation to the people 
 of the Peshawr territory, declaring the terms 
 of the tripartite treaty, with an assurance that 
 there was no objection on the part of the Sikh 
 Government to any Mussulman joining the 
 Shah Zada ; in short, that the interests of 
 the two states in the present enterprise were 
 identical. Such a manifesto was much re- 
 quired to remove suspicions from the minds of 
 the Mahomedans about Peshawr, who feared 
 incurring the displeasure of the Sikh Govern- 
 ment from joining the Shah Zada — to such 
 a degree had the opinion got abroad that it 
 was averse to the measure. 
 
 An agent on the part of the Prince was at 
 
RAPACITY OF THE AFRIDIS. 215 
 
 the same time sent into Khaibar to inform the 
 people there of the real views and intentions 
 of the Shah assisted by the British Govern- 
 ment, and also to induce if possible the garri- 
 son of Ali Masjid to desert and come over to 
 the Shah Zada. 
 
 Letters were received from several people 
 of the Afridi and other tribes that they wished 
 to join the Shah Zada, on condition of not being 
 molested by the Sikhs. Such of them as were 
 thought worthy of consideration were desired to 
 come, and the rest directed to await further 
 instructions. 
 
 It is customary with these people, when they 
 offer their services in camp, to advance extra- 
 vagant claims, and " Kharechbadeh " (Give 
 money) or " Gursana-am" (I am hungry) is 
 the exclamation in every mouth. Being so 
 avaricious, no present is sufficient to satisfy 
 them. We are exceedingly plagued by their 
 greedy demands. Many of them come with 
 no other view than to make money. It is 
 difficult to draw a distinction between the 
 good and bad. They all solemnly declare their 
 
216 PIR MAHOMED KHAN. 
 
 fidelity by oaths, yet think nothing of betraying 
 their masters. Some of the Afridis who joined 
 ns at Rawelpindee lately deserted the camp 
 after they had filled their pockets. 
 
 The Barakzai family of Peshawr is still 
 suspected of treachery, though they have been 
 trying to cleanse themselves of the reproach. 
 A letter was received from Pir Mahomed 
 Khan, the brother of Sultan Mahomed Khan, 
 who expressed in strong terms his good will. 
 In consequence, however, of his connexion with 
 Dost Mahomed, no implicit faith was placed 
 in his word, and no answer has been returned. 
 
 News also came to-day from Kuram that 
 Mahomed Afzal Khan, in his retreat from 
 that country, was attacked by the natives, and 
 a large booty carried off from his party ; a 
 proof of the inclination of the people towards 
 the Shah, and of the hope of assistance enter- 
 tained from them. 
 
 Dost Mahomed Khan seems to be much 
 alarmed. He is said to have taken away his 
 artillery from the natives of India in his ser- 
 vice, and to have put his guns in charge of the 
 
NAWAB JABBAR KHAN. 217 
 
 Ghilzais, the only people in whom he places 
 much confidence. Mahomed Akbar Khan is 
 stated to have ordered a collection of supplies 
 to be made in Dhaka, but the report requires 
 further confirmation, as he is said, by good 
 authorities, to have no intention of proceeding 
 so far towards Khaibar. 
 
 A very important letter was received to-day 
 from Nawab Jabbar Khan, brought by one of 
 his own trustworthy men, viz., after acknow- 
 ledging the receipt of a letter which had been 
 addressed to him, the Nawab stated that, on 
 the occasion of Captain Burnes's visit to Kabul, 
 that officer had at first adopted a conciliatory 
 line of policy, but in the end had changed his 
 tone, which had not given satisfaction; that 
 the Nawab had then offered his humble advice, 
 which was not, however, accepted ; that now 
 when matters had come to their present crisis, 
 lakhs of rupees would be expended to carry 
 out the enterprise, and it had been learned from 
 the Akhbars* that Sultan Mahomed Khan had 
 been excluded from the scheme. He was of 
 * The Persian term for newspapers. 
 
 L 
 
218 LETTER FROM THE NAWAB, 
 
 opinion that the plan was not a right one ; that 
 although his country and the Afghans were 
 not remarkable for their power of discrimina- 
 tion, while the English were a very acute race, 
 and eminent for wisdom, and had probably 
 come to a just conclusion, yet the accuracy of 
 their decision had eluded the penetration of 
 the Afghans ; but from a regard to the welfare 
 of every party it had occurred to him that 
 before an actual collision took place, negotia- 
 tions should be re-opened with the Amir, that 
 he would engage to conclude them, and, please 
 God, peace might yet be satisfactorily esta- 
 blished ; that an intimation to that effect was 
 alone wanting, and it would be to the credit of 
 all parties ; whereas, if the dispute continued, 
 it was impossible to foresee the consequences 
 to which it might lead. 
 
 Right or wrong, these sentiments accorded 
 neither with the policy of the British Govern- 
 ment nor that of Shah Shuja. The settle- 
 ment of the affair on the expected terms ap- 
 peared very improbable ; as nothing short of 
 the continuance of the government of Kabul 
 
AND REPLY. 219 
 
 in Dost Mahomed's possession was likely to 
 satisfy him ; but as the Nawab had previously 
 professed a desire to come over to Peshawr, 
 and it was supposed that he could not effect 
 his escape without hindrance, the present 
 seemed a favourable opportunity to aid him 
 in his project. He was therefore requested, in 
 reply, to come to Peshawr, as the time for 
 correspondence had passed ; and that, on his 
 arrival, the subject of his letter could be ver- 
 bally discussed better than by writing. It was 
 thought that such a letter would give the 
 Nawab a good excuse to effect his escape if 
 that were his object. 
 
 18th, Chamkani. — Continued here for the 
 arrival of Captain Ferris's detachment of two 
 companies of infantry, and the howitzers under 
 Lieutenant Barr. The enemy have been trying 
 to incite the Khaibaris to make night attacks 
 on our camp as well as that of the Sikhs. 
 
 Some of the Nihangs or Akalis, who were 
 returning in the evening from some water- 
 mills, were attacked by these freebooters, who 
 were lying on the road in ambush for them ; 
 
 l 2 
 
220 TURA BAZ KHAN. 
 
 one of them was killed, and two or three 
 wounded, and the rest had a narrow escape, 
 throwing down, of course, the burthens of flour 
 which they had with them. 
 
 19th, Chamkani. — We had copious showers, 
 during the last few days, which made a great 
 havoc in the city of Peshawr, and a part of the 
 Bala Hisar or Sameirgarh, as it is now called 
 by the Sikhs, also fell down. 
 
 20th, Chamkani. — Tura Baz Khan, the tar- 
 bur or cousin of Sadat Khan Momand, wrote, 
 requesting permission to join the Shah Zada. 
 As the security of the Abkhana route (so called 
 from lying along the heights on the left bank 
 of the Kabul river) to Jalalabad, through the 
 Momand territory, was considered of high im- 
 portance in case the Khaibar people should 
 refuse to open their pass ; and Tura Baz was 
 an influential man of the same tribe, and in 
 enmity with Sadat Khan, it was deemed ad- 
 visable to accept his overture, as the latter was 
 the only chief on the Peshawr side who had 
 not yet given any proofs of attachment to the 
 Shah's cause : and it was believed that if, as 
 
AN ATTACK APPREHENDED. 22 1 
 
 was feared, he persevered in his adherence to 
 the enemy, Tura Baz Khan, together with his 
 cousin and brother, who had already joined, 
 would be the best tools to open the Abkhana 
 route, and to harass their kinsman. 
 
 As usual in such situations, reports became 
 frequent that our camp would be attacked by a 
 party of Mahomed Akbar's troops. In conse- 
 quence, as we were only within a few miles of 
 the enemy's frontier, the necessity of a well 
 ordered camp, and a strict system of vigi- 
 lance, became indispensable to our protection. 
 Additional measures were therefore taken, and 
 pickets so posted every night round the camp 
 as to prevent surprise. To the present day no 
 instance of theft has happened in our camp, 
 though they have been of frequent occurrence 
 in that of the Sikhs, who are not always 
 vigilant, and encamp in a loose way. Our 
 encampment is a compact square, divided in 
 half, with the Shah Zada and his establish- 
 ments on one side, and the British Mission 
 with the Sikh escort on the other, the Rha- 
 wanin, with their irregular retainers, being 
 
222 GEN. AVITABILE'S ENTERTAINMENT. 
 
 pitched outside. Captain Ferris, being on his 
 way to join with treasure, was warned at the 
 same time to be careful.* 
 
 21 st, Chamkani. — General Avitabile enter- 
 tained the members of the Mission to-day at 
 breakfast. On his own part he is very atten- 
 tive, and has been providing the whole camp 
 gratis, since we entered his jurisdiction, with 
 every necessary, such as fuel, forage, &c, 
 though he has been repeatedly requested to 
 discontinue these supplies. 
 
 Some of the Qasids or hired messengers have 
 been lately in the habit of forging letters in the 
 name of any one whom they think most likely 
 to have some interest with the Shah Zada or 
 
 * " Colonel Wade had sent us word that once in Af- 
 ghanistan it would be necessary to keep stricter guard than 
 usual over the treasure, as the hills around swarm with a 
 population who act upon 
 
 ' The simple plan 
 
 That they should take who have the power, 
 And they should keep who can.' 
 
 Almost every individual whom we have seen has been 
 armed with sword and shield, or in some other manner j and 
 all around bespeaks the unsettled state of the country and 
 its population." — Barfs Journal, pp. 196-198. 
 
LETTER FROM RANJEET SINGH. 223 
 
 the Mission, with a view of exacting presents 
 from us; a trick which, I believe, has been 
 greatly owing to the liberality with which they 
 had been treated before our arrival. Besides 
 rations while they remain in camp, which is 
 a custom of the country, a sum of money is 
 presented to them on their dismissal. Some 
 forged letters were received to-day from the 
 Khaibar chief Khan Bahadar Khan, and his 
 son, by a Khaibari, who called himself one of 
 his relatives. No sooner were the letters deli- 
 vered, than his wickedness was discovered 
 merely by a perusal of them. They were 
 written in a different style to that which is 
 generally used by the Khaibaris, whose letters 
 are usually expressed in very rude and un- 
 grammatical Persian. The man was disgraced 
 and turned out of the camp. 
 
 A letter was received from Ranjeet Singh 
 enclosing a detailed list of the five thousand 
 Mahomedans who were to form the contingent, 
 which he said he had ordered to assemble at 
 Peshawr ; but it appears theft these troops, with 
 the exception of a party of about four hundred 
 
224 SIR CLAUDE WADES REPLY. 
 
 Sowars, were to come from a long distance. A 
 portion was ordered from Multan, and another 
 from the Doaba of Jahlandar, and some places 
 not less than two hundred and fifty kos distant 
 from Peshawr! This dilatory and evasive 
 mode of producing the force, on the part of the 
 officers who now ruled Ranjeet Singh's dar- 
 bar, gave much vexation. It had months 
 before been stipulated in the treaty that these 
 troops were to be collected in Peshawr before 
 our arrival. In consequence a reply was re- 
 turned in very strong terms to his Highness, 
 requiring the particular attention of his officers 
 to the immediate fulfilment of his pledges. He 
 was urged to send the troops without delay ; 
 but as their early arrival was now quite im- 
 possible, it was again intimated to the Ma- 
 haraja that a portion of his troops forming the 
 usual garrison of Peshawr should at once be 
 transferred to us ; that General Avitabile and 
 General Court had engaged to give us a 
 Gorkha battalion, with two pieces of artillery 
 and a howitzer and mortar, if his Highness 
 had no objection 
 
THE KHAIBARIS. 225 
 
 Had General Avitabile, like the Sikh offi- 
 cers of the Lahore Government in general, 
 been averse to aid us, our camp would have 
 been entirely exposed to the incursions of the 
 Khaibaris, and our other predatory neighbours. 
 The helpless state in which we had reached the 
 frontier had been reported by our enemies to 
 Dost Mahomed Khan, which had shaken the 
 confidence of the Shah's friends in our power 
 to support their demonstrations in his favour. 
 
 22nd, Chamkani. — Intelligence was re- 
 ceived from our agent, to whom I alluded 
 above as having been sent into Khaibar, stating 
 that the Khaibaris of the Kukikhail tribe, 
 whom he had only just seen, were willing to 
 adopt the cause of royalty, provided their old 
 rights were previously confirmed to them. 
 They also recommended that some sepoys of 
 the enemy in Ali Masjid should be invited to 
 join the Shah Zada, on an assurance of getting 
 a higher rate of pay than they drew at present. 
 A reply offering to confirm them in their 
 actual rights was immediately returned. It 
 ought not to be omitted here that these 
 
 l 3 
 
226 NEWS FROM KABUL. 
 
 people, as well as all rude nations, place great 
 faith in their Pirs or religious patrons, and are 
 guided or deceived by them according to their 
 views and wishes ; but the Khaibaris are noto- 
 riously a wicked race, and will mind their Pir 
 only as long as their own interest is concerned. 
 On the other hand, their Pirs are not less 
 treacherous than themselves, and, to use a na- 
 tive adage, " are bricks of the same kiln." 
 The person whom we have employed as an 
 agent to go amongst them is also a Pir, and 
 we were inclined to place more confidence in 
 his influence than in that of his disciples. 
 The reason why he has been sent is that no 
 one else could be found to communicate with 
 them in safety. 
 
 News was received from Kabul that Dost 
 Mahomed, finding himself incapable of coping 
 with the English, appeals to God, as people 
 generally do in time of despair, to save him 
 from impending destruction, and that he had 
 employed a number of Mullas in the temple 
 of Ashqaniarf to pray to the Almighty in his 
 behalf. 
 
( 227 ) 
 
 Chapter XL 
 
 News from Herat — Remissness of the Sikh Authorities — 
 A Darbar — Movements of Dost Mahomed — The Khai- 
 baris — Delays of the Sikhs — The Khataks — Review of 
 the Sikh Troops — Further Delays— Arrival of the Sikh 
 Army — It halts at Attok— Force at Kabul — Excessive 
 Heat — The Shah Zada at Peshawr. 
 
 Changed ground on the 23rd of March to 
 Shah Dand, within half a mile east of the 
 city of Peshawr, for the convenience of drawing 
 supplies and facilitating the equipment of the 
 Shah Zada's personal guards, in which Lieut.- 
 Col. Wade, aided by Mr. Lord, was engaged, 
 to enable the Prince to enter the city, and pass 
 through it with that pomp and state which it 
 is thought desirable to give him for the sake of 
 popularity.* 
 
 * " The prince's personal guards consist of a rissala of 
 horse, composed of one rissaldar, four duffodars, one nis- 
 sanchie, or standard-bearer, one nikarchie, or trumpeter, 
 and ninety-eight troopers, and two companies of Rohillas, 
 each having one jemadar, four naibs, or corporals, one 
 
228 NEWS FROM HERAT. 
 
 Lieutenant Dowson and Ensign Hillersdon, 
 with their two levies, the battalion of Jazael- 
 chis, and two guns, besides the Maharaja's 
 escort of irregular cavalry, were directed to-day 
 to encamp on the other side of the city in ad- 
 vance of our party. These officers had been 
 very busy since their arrival in equipping their 
 men with uniform sets of clothing and accou- 
 trements to make them look respectable. 
 
 On the 25th intelligence was received from 
 Herat, stating that a personal dispute had 
 occurred between the British officers at that 
 place, and Shah Zada Kamram and his mi- 
 nister, the receipt of which excited some sus- 
 picion of the fidelity of Kamram, and that he 
 
 nissanchie, and ninety- nine sepoys. These are under 
 Maule's superintendence and command, and he also per- 
 forms the duties of what may be termed the Shah Zada's 
 principal assistant. The other regiments and detachments 
 (except the British) belong to Ranjeet Singh, and have 
 been placed at Colonel Wade's disposal. Two guns (six- 
 pounders) are respectively attached to the Ghoorka and 
 Nujeeb regiments, who, with the Poorabees, are dressed in 
 red ; but the Aligols wear white jackets and blue trousers, 
 and the Goorcherras retain their native costume." — Barr's 
 Journal, p. 222. 
 
REMISSNESS OF THE SIKHS. 229 
 
 had been influenced by the Persians. We are 
 anxious to advance as soon as we can ; as we 
 have an impression, and not without strong 
 reasons, that if the Persians renew the siege of 
 Herat before the Shah's arrival at Candahar, 
 there would be a vast change in the aspect of 
 affairs favourable to the views and interests of 
 the enemy. 
 
 21th, — Much to our satisfaction, Captain Fer- 
 ris's detachment, which had been long expected 
 to join the Shah Zada, arrived in camp to- 
 day. It appears that on their arrival at Attok 
 (where, owing to the late heavy rains and con- 
 sequent swell of the river, they found the 
 bridge of boats broken), the authorities there 
 had given them no assistance in crossing the 
 Indus, although repeatedly pressed to do so by 
 the officer who had been detached by the Ma- 
 haraja to accompany the detachment. They 
 at last effected the passage by their own exer- 
 tions without any accidents. # The conduct of 
 
 * " The governor of Attok, on being applied to for 
 assistance, refused to give us any ; but he was bound to 
 facilitate our transit across the ferry, which, instead of 
 
230 THEIR CONDUCT REPORTED TO RANJEET. 
 
 the Sikhs at Attok was immediately reported 
 in a letter to Ranjeet Singh, and is another 
 proof of their systematic opposition. Generals 
 Avitabile and Court are the only exceptions 
 we have hitherto found. They have since 
 our arrival been giving us the readiest aid in 
 
 doing, he appeared to throw every obstacle in our way, 
 and declined to issue an order that the boats should be 
 collected for our use. There were but three boats to pass 
 the guns across the river, and these were small, and so 
 much out of water as to render them but little adapted for 
 the transportation of artillery. Nothing in the shape of a 
 plank to run the wheels upon was to be procured, and the 
 men had to lift the pieces a perpendicular height of from 
 two and a half to three feet, ere they were lowered on 
 board, each boat taking a gun or waggon and its lumber. 
 Two trips were made, and I embarked in the last boat. 
 We pushed off from the ghat formed on the edge of a 
 narrow channel of the river, and separated by a stony 
 bank from the main stream, which was flowing like a 
 sluice ; and once within its influence we were carried down 
 with great rapidity, in spite of every exertion made by 
 the united efforts of six rowers and two steersmen, who 
 struggled hard with their oars, and displayed much dex- 
 terity in avoiding the huge rocks on either side, and on 
 which, had the boat once struck, nothing would have 
 saved it from being dashed to pieces.' ' — Bart's Journal, 
 pp. 192-194. 
 
A DARBAR. 231 
 
 their power. The former had, before our arrival, 
 had the families of the Afghan chiefs, who had 
 been seized, together with their property, by 
 order of Sultan Mahomed Khan, released ; 
 but one of them, Jafir Khan, the son of the 
 late Firoz Khan, Khatak, being found still in 
 confinement, on a representation of the case to 
 the General, he has been equally prompt in 
 supporting the credit of the British Govern- 
 ment, and in ordering the release of that in- 
 dividual also, who has since joined the Shah 
 Zada with his retainers. 
 
 2Stk. — Lieut. Maule busily engaged in pre- 
 paring for the darbar which is to be held to- 
 morrow. 
 
 On the 29th of March the public darbar,* 
 on which occasion the Durranis and heads of 
 tribes who had either joined the camp or Mr. 
 
 * It was to have taken place on the 25th instant, but 
 owing to the Moharram, which is a season of mourning 
 with the Mahomedans in memory of their martyrs, Hussan 
 and Hussein, after consulting the Peshawr Mullahs, who 
 did not approve of offending the prejudices of the common 
 people, the Shah Zada decided on postponing it till the 
 expiration of that festival. 
 
232 MAHOMED HASHIM. 
 
 Lord, and those from Khaibar, and the neigh- 
 bouring mountains, before the Prince's arrival, 
 were presented to him. The Sikh officers 
 then at Peshawr, headed by Sham Singh, 
 Atariwala, were likewise introduced on the 
 same occasion, including the civil functionaries 
 and citizens of Peshawr, who were presented 
 by General Avitabile. Every one received 
 a khilat according to his rank and merit. 
 Distributing them to the Afghan chiefs was 
 a difficult task, as some of them advanced 
 claims to consideration beyond their due. At 
 length the matter was settled by serving them 
 out as they had been previously arranged by 
 the Shah Zada's own officers, without yielding 
 to their groundless pretensions. 
 
 Among others who came to the darbar on 
 that occasion was Shah Zada Mahomed Ha- 
 shim, one of the Saddozai family, and a half- 
 brother of Shah Shuja, who has been living for 
 a long time at Peshawr on the Sikh bounty. 
 Formerly he was the governor of Candahar ; 
 but after the fall of the monarchy he went to 
 Bombay, where he was very respectably re- 
 
RECEPTION OF THE VISITORS. 233 
 
 ceived by the Honourable Mr. Elphinstone, 
 then the Governor of that Presidency. Since 
 his return from Bombay, he has settled at 
 Peshawr. He is about sixty years old, and 
 looks in good health. He has three sons, by 
 whom he was accompanied, as well as by Shah 
 Zada Jarnhur, his nephew, a very unassuming 
 and intelligent person. Lieut. Maule, who 
 was personally attached to the Shah Zada's 
 household and in charge of his various^ esta- 
 blishments, was sent to conduct these distin- 
 guished visitors into camp, who, as well as 
 General Avitabile and the Sikh officers, were 
 received with the salutes due to their respective 
 ranks by the Prince, seated on his Guddee* 
 
 * " His Guddee or throne consisted of a large square 
 ottoman covered with khim khwab (or silk worked with 
 gold and silver flowers), in the centre of which and ap- 
 proaching to the front were three pillows enveloped in a 
 beautifully delicate-coloured silk to support his head and 
 arms. Cashmir shawls were spread in front for us to walk 
 on, and, as we did not take off our boots, seemed out of 
 place on the ground. On either side of the guddee were 
 arranged chairs, on which we sat, and, conformably with 
 Eastern manners, did not uncover the head. In front of 
 the Prince stood the old Vazir (Mulla Shakur), habited in 
 
234 THE CHIEF OF BAJOUR. 
 
 The son of Mir Alam Khan, the chief of 
 Bajour, who arrived last night, was also pre- 
 sented. He was treated with distinction, as 
 Alam Khan was the first chief who had openly 
 declared his attachment to the royal cause ; but 
 he afterwards proved a faithless character and 
 of a weak mind, as his conduct will amply show. 
 
 bright khim khwab with gold ornaments, and behind on 
 his right and left were two attendants. The two French 
 generals having been presented with all due form, we 
 three, who had lately joined, passed through the same 
 ceremony, making a salaam with our right hands as we 
 were named to his Highness. A period was at last put 
 to these proceedings by a few menials entering with the 
 khilats or honorary dresses, and presents intended for the 
 French generals. These consisted of chogahs or robes, 
 some trays of shawls and American rifles. We shortly 
 after took leave, a relief both to ourselves and to our host, 
 who, although he looked a prince in every respect, yet 
 being but lately drawn from comparative obscurity, seemed 
 but ill at ease with this public exhibition of his greatness, 
 and I have no doubt was glad when the ceremony con- 
 cluded. We all salaamed to him, which he returned, and 
 we then backed out, passing beneath a semiana or awning 
 under which trays of flowers were spread out, and thence 
 through the range of ranauts or screens that enclosed a 
 large area in front of the darbar tent." — Barr's Journal, 
 pp. 233-5. 
 
SAYED REZA. 235 
 
 Sayed Reza is another person of note who 
 appeared on that occasion. He is a Sayed 
 living* on his own estate in Tirah, and is one 
 of the old friends of the Shah. He came to 
 Mr. Lord to prove his sincerity on hearing of 
 the intended restoration of his Majesty. He 
 says that he is the man in whose house the 
 king remained when he sought an asylum 
 from his pursuers in the Khaibar hills. Several 
 of his relatives have been killed in defending 
 his cause. Sayed Reza has ninety followers 
 with him, who have been duly entertained. 
 
 It should here be remarked that the chief 
 cause of holding a grand darbar was that it 
 had been rumoured, nay, believed by the na- 
 tives, that the Shah as well as his son were 
 merely puppets in the hands of the British 
 Government ; and that they were produced 
 merely to prevent the Mussulman population 
 from declaring a religious war ; and that 
 as soon as the country was conquered, his 
 Majesty would be sent back to Lodianah, to 
 remain there as heretofore, while the British 
 officers would be the sole rulers of the country. 
 
236 PROCLAMATIONS. 
 
 The circumstances under which the present 
 expedition was undertaken — the restoration of 
 the Shah, after remaining so long unnoticed 
 by the British Government; the liberal manner 
 in which he was supported; the fact that he 
 was entirely guided in his counsels by the 
 British officers; and that his troops were almost 
 altogether officered by them, naturally gave 
 rise to these suspicions among the natives. To 
 remove them was considered an object of the 
 highest importance. In consequence a public 
 darbar was held, to show the people that the 
 Shah Zada had a court of his own, and could 
 receive with honour and distinction those who 
 flocked to his standard. At the same time 
 proclamations were successively issued both 
 by him and Colonel Wade, declaring that 
 the Shah would be the sole master of the 
 country ; that the British Government would 
 have no interference in his affairs ; and that its 
 object was only to see his Majesty restored 
 and confirmed in the kingdom which had 
 descended to him from his forefathers, and to 
 which he was considered the rightful heir, 
 
MOVEMENTS OF DOST MAHOMED. 237 
 
 although it had of late been usurped by his 
 rebellious and disloyal servants. These decla- 
 rations partly assured the Afghans, and pre- 
 vented them from joining in a religious war, 
 which Dost Mahomed was industriously pro- 
 claiming against the English. The Shah was 
 called a Kafir by the Amir's partizans, by 
 reason of being supported by Kafirs or infidels. 
 
 In the afternoon, when the darbar was over, 
 the Shah Zada went out in state to inspect and 
 show himself to the followers of the Khawanin 
 and other chiefs who had joined his camp, 
 reserving the inspection of his regular levies to 
 another opportunity. 
 
 A Qasid, who arrived to-day from Kabul in 
 eight days, stated that Dost Mahomed was 
 engaged in collecting the Kohistanis, or people 
 of the mountains north of Kabul ; and that to 
 the heads of each party he gave a present of 
 five or six rupees and a nanha chogha ; while to 
 their followers he only made fair promises of 
 reward; and that Hafizji was preaching the 
 necessity of making the present a religious war, 
 to carry on which every one was expected to 
 
238 STATE OF KABUL. 
 
 depend on his own resources. The communi- 
 cations between our camp and Kabul, and the 
 latter place and the Shah's camp, are almost 
 stopped. All foreign messengers are being 
 seized at Kabul ; and if any papers against the 
 ruling family are found in their possession, 
 it is proclaimed that they shall be immediately 
 sent to eternity. Dost Mahomed Khan is said 
 often to observe that he was only the master 
 of a sword, while the three united powers 
 advancing against him were armed with wealth, 
 and had many other advantages over him, but 
 time would show in whose favour fortune 
 would turn the scale of victory. 
 
 By intelligence received from another au- 
 thentic source it appears that the Amir lately 
 proposed to levy a contribution from the 
 citizens of Kabul ; but was prevented by his 
 advisers, as it would give rise to discontent 
 among his people. In lieu of it, he then 
 proposed to demand the services of three 
 men from each family ; but this step also did 
 not appear to meet with approval. It was 
 said that Dost Mahomed was becoming very 
 
THE KHAIBARIS. 239 
 
 suspicious of the fidelity of his people, and 
 that a number of spies were employed to watch 
 their motions and inform him regularly of their 
 conduct. Two Hindustanis had been seized and 
 confined, on the plea that they had attempted 
 to explode the magazine of the Amir. Some 
 troops, consisting of the Arbabs of the city, 
 had been ordered to proceed to Jalalabad : 
 supplies were also to be collected at that place, 
 and the roads had become very dangerous. 
 Such is the state of affairs at Kabul at present ; 
 and its rider, like a sinking person, is laying 
 hold of everything within his reach to save 
 himself. 
 
 30^ : Shahdand. — Sir Claude Wade re- 
 ceived the native officers of the Sikh escort 
 who had accompanied Major Ferris from 
 Lahore, and after acknowledging their services 
 with his detachment in the usual mode, and 
 promising to make a favourable report of it to 
 the Maharaja, informed them that they would 
 be dismissed the next day. 
 
 Several letters were received from the 
 Khaibaris and others residing in the Khaibar 
 
240 r THE KHAIBARIS. 
 
 mountains and its neighbourhood, in reply 
 to those which had been previously written 
 both by the Shah Zada and the Colonel. The 
 letters which were addressed to the Khaibaris 
 were written with a view to make them sen- 
 sible of the situation in which they would be 
 placed by continuing to serve the opposite 
 party, after the arrival of the Shah Zada on 
 their frontier. A constant correspondence had 
 been kept up with them. It had been better 
 if such an earnest desire for their conciliation 
 had not at first been shown, as one of them, 
 Bahadar Khan, returned Mr. Lord the khilat 
 which that gentleman sent to him before our 
 arrival ; but his son Alladad Khan, who ma- 
 nages the affairs of the family, wrote at the 
 same time to say that he had highly disap- 
 proved of the conduct of his father, and that 
 they were now both ready to join Prince 
 Taimur, when circumstances rendered it prac- 
 ticable for them to do so. 
 
 The other letters from the Khaibar chiefs 
 were also written in the strongest terms, 
 declaring their devotion to the Shah, and 
 
THEIR CRAFT. ' 241 
 
 that they would not be found wanting when 
 their presence was required ; but strongly 
 condemned precipitation and an indiscriminate 
 expenditure of money until matters were in 
 proper train for action, with every chance of 
 success. 
 
 I was told by a confidential native that the 
 chief object of the Khaibaris was to secure the 
 good will of both parties until they knew the fate 
 of Candahar, and then, like the bat of the fable, 
 to join that party which might prove successful; 
 and it was with reference to that policy that 
 they had given the above advice. 
 
 Some of the Khaibaris, we heard, had already 
 written to Dost Mahomed Khan to say that 
 in consequence of the arrival of the Shah Zada 
 at Peshawr, and the number of their tribes who 
 had gone over to him, they would not be able 
 to hold their ground unless reinforced by some 
 of the Amir's troops. Without the support 
 of their tribes it is evident that the chiefs 
 have no real power ; and although Dost Ma- 
 homed commands the passes to their territory, 
 his troops could not protect them from their 
 
 M 
 
242 HOSTAGES. 
 
 attacks if they chose to rise, but a common 
 sense of danger would of course prevent them 
 from running the risk of being ruined and per- 
 secuted, which had made the chiefs temporize 
 and send messages to Sir Claude Wade by their 
 secret agents to the effect, that, when the Shah 
 Zada advanced to the entrance of the pass, they 
 would countenance the desertion of their tribes 
 and declare their inability to control them. 
 Great confidence was not, however, placed 
 in their promises, and it was determined that, 
 if they did not fulfil them when they might 
 safely venture to do so, they should be consi- 
 dered unworthy of further consideration, and 
 the money which had been promised to them 
 individually by Mr. Lord be employed in 
 raising levies to be disciplined as well as time 
 would allow. 
 
 It was believed by some persons that our 
 delayed arrival at Peshawr had encouraged 
 Dost Mahomed Khan to demand hostages 
 from the Khaibaris ; which seems a very 
 groundless opinion, because when he has not 
 exempted any chief of note in his country 
 
DELAYS. 243 
 
 from giving them, it is not to be supposed 
 that those who have been in open commu- 
 nication with us, and occupied the most 
 important pass to Kabul, would be relieved 
 from that exaction ; but it is a demand which 
 may be evaded in their case, though it will 
 be difficult for those in the vicinity of Kabul, 
 whose familes the Amir took the precaution 
 of confining within the precincts of the Bala 
 Hisar some time ago. It requires no force 
 of argument, however, to show that any sway 
 that he may thus acquire over the minds of 
 the people cannot be preserved for any length 
 of time, with a powerful enemy on two sides 
 of his country. The Shah Zada's approach 
 might have tended to confirm the measure of 
 taking hostages ; but Dost Mahomed had con- 
 sidered it good policy to do so as far back as 
 December last. 
 
 As Ranjeet Singh has not yet authorized his 
 officers at Peshawr to co-operate with the Mis- 
 sion in making any forward movement, which 
 was much to be desired at the present moment, 
 it has excited much vexation in camp. We 
 
 m2 
 
244 SAYED BABAJAN. 
 
 must now sit inactive before Peshawr, until it 
 pleases his Highness's officers to fulfil pledges 
 the execution of which we have not ourselves 
 the means of enforcing. Could the operations 
 have commenced now, it would have shown 
 the Shah's friends towards Sawat Buneir and 
 in the Kohistan of Kabul that we were pre- 
 pared to accept their services without delay. 
 
 The Amir is said to have expostulated very 
 strongly with his son Akbar Khan for his 
 treatment of Sayed Babajan of Kuner. He 
 directed the Sayed to be released and dismissed 
 with every honour and respect. The sagacity 
 of Dost Mahomed had shown him that his repu- 
 tation was likely to suffer seriously by the insult 
 offered to a person of so sacred character, at 
 a time when the hopes of the former of en- 
 grossing his countrymen on his side mainly 
 depended on exciting their religious feelings : 
 but the report afterwards proved groundless. 
 Babajan was not released ; he remained in 
 arrest until the fall of Kabul. 
 
 In order to be kept regularly informed of 
 the state of affairs at Ali Masjid, a daily com- 
 
PLANS OF DOST MAHOMED. 245 
 
 munication was secretly established with that 
 place. The garrison did not yet appear to 
 have been augmented to any extent. Some of 
 the people inside sent word to say that they 
 were ready to enter the service of the Shah 
 Zada. Liberal terms were offered to such as 
 might like to come with their Jazaels, an arm 
 which was much wanted by Shah Zada : but 
 no immediate effect was anticipated from these 
 offers. 
 
 S\st. — Shah Dand. News was received 
 that Dost Mahomed Khan intended to send 
 one of his sons with a part of his troops to- 
 wards Candahar, to make a diversion in his 
 brothers' favour ; but the report was not trusted, 
 as the serious troubles which had already 
 broken out in his own territory would occupy 
 them at home. He was every day threat- 
 ened by the advance of the Shah Zada ; and 
 the active preparations which were made by 
 Colonel Wade with that view kept him fixed 
 in his position, and showed him he could not 
 move. Had he been at liberty to proceed to 
 Ghazni, the Shah and the army of the Indus, 
 
246 THE KHATAKS. 
 
 it will be affirmed on all hands, would have 
 met with more opposition. The Kohistan 
 people, and other tribes about Kabul, who had 
 been secured by the early exertions of the 
 Colonel, had already revolted against him. 
 Among others, the Logar people were the 
 first who set the Amir's authority at defiance : 
 they retired to their mountains, and refused to 
 pay the revenue. A party of Jazaelchis was 
 ordered by the Amir to march to Jalalabad. 
 On the same day we heard that the road 
 between Attok and Peshawr was infested by 
 the Khataks ; and that three sepoys, in the 
 Sikh service, were killed on the other side at 
 Margalla. General Avitabile took the neces- 
 sary steps to prevent these outrages. 
 
 Numbers of letters were addressed to the 
 Bangish people, deputing Mian Budruddin 
 Musazae (the nephew of the holy man of the 
 same name in whose house the late Mr. More- 
 croft lived for some days, and through whose 
 influence for sanctity he was enabled to visit 
 the Vaziri country, who had joined the camp 
 on our arrival at Machni) to confer with them. 
 
REVIEW OF THE SIKH TROOPS. 247 
 
 This individual is also a religious character, 
 and his family has several disciples in that 
 quarter. The object of his deputation was 
 to excite the people of that country, and to 
 hold a communication with Lieutenant Mac- 
 keson, who was now on his way from Baha- 
 walpore via Dera Ismael Khan, and Kohat, to 
 the camp, that, should that officer require the 
 services of those people, the Mian was to pro- 
 cure them readily. 
 
 1st April, 1839.— Shah Dand. Early in 
 the morning the Shah Zada proceeded to the 
 Sikh encampment south of the city, where 
 General Avitabile had invited him to a review 
 of his own battalions and the cavalry and in- 
 fantry of Generals Allard and Ventura; the 
 latter we heard was on his way to join us.* 
 
 * " On the arrival of the Shah Zada the artillery fired 
 a salute of twenty-one guns, the infantry presented arms, 
 and the drummers and trumpeters vied with each other to 
 produce the loudest sound in honour of the event. This 
 concluded, we rode to the left of the line, and commenced 
 the inspection. Here was a small battery of foot artillery, 
 consisting of a large howitzer and two small mortars 
 mounted on field carriages, and drawn by bullocks ; the 
 
248 MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT. 
 
 After the review the Shah Zada and his suite 
 returned to camp, and the members of the 
 Mission went to the Gor Katra to breakfast 
 with General Avitabile. Several arrangements 
 were made regarding the medical establish- 
 ment, the labour of which was much increased 
 owing to the augmentation of our camp. Re- 
 spective duties were assigned at the same time 
 
 men attached to them being badly dressed in old coats of 
 divers colours, and the ordnance not having even clean- 
 liness to recommend it. Two or three regiments of in- 
 fantry came next, the soldiers being accoutred in red 
 jackets and white trowsers, black cross-belts, and pink silk 
 turbans. Adjoining them ranged some more foot artillery, 
 bad in every respect ; about as many more regiments of 
 infantry, and three guns again to their right. We then 
 reached the cavalry, the dragoons occupying the left. 
 These were well mounted, and form a fine body of men 
 and horses; their dress I have already described. On 
 their right were two regiments of Allard's cuirassiers, the 
 most noble-looking troops on parade. The men and 
 horses were all picked, and amongst the former are to be 
 seen many stalwart fellows, who appear to advantage 
 under their cuirasses and steel casques. Many of the 
 officers wear brass cuirasses ; and their commandant is 
 perhaps the finest man of the whole body, and looked 
 extremely well in front of his superb regiment." — Barr's 
 Journal, pp. 245—6. 
 
GENERAL AVITABILE. 249 
 
 to each officer attached to the Mission, so 
 that everything might go on with regularity. 
 Captain Farmer, who was in command of the 
 detachment of British troops, was now also 
 charged with the drill and general superinten- 
 dence of the levies and the guards and pickets 
 of the camp. 
 
 The Sikh Government having delayed to 
 have in readiness the Mahomedan force to 
 enable us to seize the opportunity of taking 
 Ali Masjid, and as any preparations which the 
 Maharaja had now begun to make were too 
 late to be of use in the contemplated event 
 of Dost Mahomed Khan leaving Kabul to 
 oppose the Shah, Colonel Wade was obliged to 
 apply to General Avitabile for his assistance 
 in raising a battalion of Mahomedans, such a 
 one as he had already promised from his own 
 force, called by the name of Aligol by the 
 Mussulmans and Ram Ghaul by the Sikhs. 
 The General readily complied with his appli- 
 cation, and soon engaged a number of men. 
 
 It will not be out of place to observe that 
 General Avitabile, in reply to his report that 
 
 m 3 
 
250 FURTHER DELAYS. 
 
 he had placed the Ghorkha battalion and two 
 guns at our disposal, had received a letter from 
 his court, in which he was blamed for doing so, 
 and directed not to allow the corps to pass the 
 Sikh frontier. The Maharaja assigned as the 
 reason for such an order that the men, who 
 were partly Ghorkhas and partly Hindustanis, 
 were murmuring and saying among them- 
 selves that they would only fight along with 
 the Sikh army. No expression of the kind 
 was used by these men ; but it is very likely 
 that some of the courtiers might have invented 
 the story from an idea that it was calculated 
 to gain not only the belief of their chief, but 
 to deprive us of the services of an efficient 
 body of men (intended only to be employed 
 in the protection of the camp itself, and not 
 on any detached duty), and to throw blame 
 on one of the Maharaja's European officers 
 exercising the chief authority at Peshawr, 
 whose prompt attention to the views and 
 interests of the British Government seemed 
 not to be consonant with their wishes. It will 
 be recollected that application had been made 
 
COOLNESS OF THE SIKH OFFICERS. 25 1 
 
 to Ranjeet Singh when we were on the banks 
 of the Jehlam to place the Ghorkha battalion 
 and a couple of guns on our arrival at Pe- 
 shawr at the Colonel's disposal ; and he wrote 
 in reply that Nao Nihal Singh would furnish 
 him with that force. His present disapproval 
 of the measure did not therefore appear to be 
 very consistent either with his previous com- 
 munication, or his sincerity of purpose to assist 
 the Shah Zada at the time when the aid 
 of his troops and officers was chiefly re- 
 quired. The Sikhs had the same time to 
 complete the provisions of the tripartite com- 
 pact that we had, and repeated letters had 
 been addressed by Sir Claude Wade to his 
 Highness since our departure from Lahore, 
 reminding him of the necessity of these pre- 
 parations, and urging him to hasten their 
 completion, without, as it has been seen, pro- 
 ducing any other result than the assurance 
 of orders having been issued which were not 
 obeyed by his officers, while studious care was 
 taken to inform the Mission that the Sikh 
 forces were advancing, and might soon be 
 
252 APPROACH OF THE SIKH ARMY. 
 
 expected to arrive at Peshawr ! * Had the Ma- 
 haraja himself been able to accompany us as 
 he wished and intended, these vexatious delays 
 and evasions would not have been tried ; but 
 as he remained at Lahore, his officers were 
 aware that Colonel Wade had not the power 
 of exerting his personal influence ; who knew, 
 from his intimate knowledge of their court, 
 that it was only by repeating his applications 
 that they were ever likely to attend to them. 
 . We now heard of the near approach to 
 Attok of the Sikh army, amounting to at least 
 
 * " Lieutenant-Colonel Wade arrived at Peshawr with 
 the Shah Zada about the middle of March, 1839. His 
 first object was, of course, to ascertain whether the Maho- 
 medan contingent which the Sikhs were to provide was 
 forthcoming; but, although nearly nine months had 
 elapsed since the Sikhs were made aware of their obliga- 
 tion to fulfil that article of the treaty, and Lord Auckland 
 in his conference with Ranjeet Singh had particularly 
 pressed the matter on his attention, and repeated represen- 
 tations had been made by the Lieutenant- Colonel to obtain 
 the production of these — the only organized troops on 
 which he had to rely — yet he had the mortification to 
 find that not only had nothing been done, but that no 
 orders had been issued to assemble them." — From the 
 United Service Magazine for 1842, pp. 477, 478. 
 
IT HALTS AT ATTOK. 253 
 
 15,000. The Colonel suggested to his High- 
 ness that it should be halted on the left bank 
 of the river, and there remain until its ser- 
 vices might be wanted. There was already a 
 considerable Sikh force at Peshawr, perhaps 
 10,000 men ; but the officers present with it, 
 from a fear of acting contrary to the supposed 
 views of their own court, declared their in- 
 ability to join the Shah Zada in any separate 
 enterprise. 
 
 In compliance with the Colonel's suggestion, 
 Ranjeet Singh directed his army to halt at 
 Attok, where it soon afterwards arrived. The 
 reason for recommending that measure was 
 to guard against an apprehended scarcity of 
 supplies, as well as to prevent an outbreak of 
 that religious feeling which might result from 
 the continued presence of the Sikh army on 
 the Afghan frontier ; and as the Maharaja had 
 made the arrival of Kour Nao Nihal Singh, of 
 prior importance to the production of his 
 Mahomedan force, and by treaty that force 
 should have preceded and not followed the 
 other, he gave a just plea for detaining his 
 
254 FORCE AT KABUL. 
 
 army at Attok until the Mahomedan force 
 was actually produced. 
 
 2nd.— To-day we received a report in camp 
 that there were about 3000 Sowars at Jalala- 
 bad, and that they were stationed along the 
 road between Khasa Maidan and Dhaka, and 
 that the protection of the passes of Tatara and 
 Abkhana was assigned to the care of Sadat 
 Khan and Khalu Khan, Khosta of the Momand 
 tribe ; and that their first object was to stop 
 the communication between Jalalabad and 
 Peshawr. It was also reported that Aziz Khan 
 and other Ghilzai chiefs were about to be sent 
 to Khaibar to oppose the Shah Zada's advance. 
 Four Sikh Sowars are said to have gone to 
 Jalalabad, and to have been converted to Ma- 
 homedanism, and taken into service by Akbar 
 Khan. 
 
 The strength of the Kabul force was esti- 
 mated at 10,000 Sowars, 5000 Jazaelchis, 
 and 100 pieces of artillery and swivels. 
 
 Sadat Khan being now strongly suspected 
 of his intentions, and hitherto having made no 
 satisfactory professions of his loyalty to the 
 
EXCESSIVE HEAT. 255 
 
 Shah, his brother Nawab Khan, present in the 
 camp, was treated with increased favour, and 
 desired to collect other people of his tribe, and 
 to send for his elder brother Sadiq Mahomed 
 Khan. At the same time letters were written 
 to Tura Baz Khan, the rightful claimant to the 
 chiefship of the Momands, as well as to Nawab 
 Khan of Pindiali, another enemy of Sadat 
 Khan, desiring them to join the camp without 
 the least delay. It was known that Sadat 
 Khan meditated an incursion towards Machni 
 in the Doaba, and in case he or any other of 
 his tribe should attempt to descend into the 
 plains, we were preparing to repel them. From 
 the excessive heat, the Afghans who had joined 
 the camp applied for tents. As they were not 
 allowed to take shelter in the town or villages, 
 as is usual with them in the field, their request 
 was complied with ; and a large number of 
 small tents of various sizes were accordingly 
 ordered to be forthwith manufactured, as we 
 had no British magazines to supply them. 
 
 On the morning of the 3rd of April we 
 assembled in front of the tents of the prince, 
 
256 THE SHAH ZADA AT PESHAWR. 
 
 and moved to the other side of the city about a 
 mile to the westward of it, and joined the new 
 levies which were encamped in advance of us 
 as already mentioned. The Shah Zada passed 
 in procession through the city, on which occa- 
 sion he was accompanied by the British Mission 
 and the Sikh, European, and native officers, 
 .besides a number of the Afghan Khans or 
 nobles, who had lately joined his Royal High- 
 ness. The crowds of men and women who 
 were collected on the tops and balconies of 
 their houses to have a sight of their old prince 
 (Peshawr is his birth-place) expressed their 
 pleasure by making exclamations of " Long 
 live the Shah Zada."* 
 
 * "As our route lay through the main street of Peshawr, 
 Colonel Wade directed our march should assume the form 
 of a procession, in order that the situation of the Shah Zada, 
 surrounded by British, Sikh, and Mahomedan troops, should 
 be more fully displayed to the public, as a means of in- 
 ducing some to blazon forth the irresistible grandeur of his 
 position, and others to enrol themselves under the Durranee 
 banner. A company of British troops, and likewise one 
 from each of the Maharaja's regiments, under Lieutenant 
 Corfield, were sent in advance to the new ground, there to 
 be in readiness to salute the prince on his arrival. Twenty- 
 
RAHMAT KHAN. 257 
 
 After passing the city we saw a number of 
 the Khaibaris, who had been entertained by 
 Mr. Lord, standing in line on the side of the 
 road, who expressed their joy by firing their 
 matchlocks and playing their rude music, 
 which they continued till we reached the camp. 
 Most of these people were collected by a person 
 named Rahmat Khan Orakzae, a rather for- 
 ward and loose character, who seemed alike 
 rash and boastful. He is a pensioner in the 
 Sikh service, and resides at Peshawr. 
 
 one guns announced the moment when his Royal Highness 
 mounted his horse. A line of Sikh troops, stationed on 
 either side of the road rising from the bottom of the hill 
 on which Avitabile's mansion is situated, up to the gate- 
 way, formed a street, for the procession to pass through, 
 both the French generals being present to receive the 
 prince, and conduct him to the city. The eminence being 
 steep, the horse artillery galloped up, and winding beneath 
 the walls of the caravanserai, entered the main street of 
 the town, which was just broad enough to allow a passage 
 for the guns, and no more. Crowds were assembled to 
 witness the scene, and the people in the distance eagerly 
 stretched forward to catch a glimpse of the cavalcade as it 
 appeared in sight." 
 
( 258 ) 
 
 Chapter XII. 
 
 Description of Peshawr — Taken from the Afghans by the 
 Sikhs — Its Climate — Productions — Population — The 
 Usafzaes — The Khalils — Revenue — Administration of 
 General Avitabile — Hatred of the Mussulman popula- 
 tion to their Sikh Rulers — Manufactures. 
 
 The city of Peshawr is well known, and has 
 been described by many travellers, Mr. Elphin- 
 stone, Mr. Morecroft, Sir Alexander Burnes, 
 &c, and does not require a further description 
 than of the changes which have taken place 
 since it has been occupied by the Sikhs. 
 
 Some of the streets have been lately made 
 much wider, and a high mud wall has been 
 erected by General Avitabile round the city, 
 which he has finished by levying a tax on the 
 people for that purpose. He has also improved 
 the city in other respects. A building called 
 Gor Katra, which was formerly a sarae, has 
 been converted by him into a lofty and mag- 
 nificent dwelling-house which overlooks the 
 city and commands a fine view of it and the 
 
TEMPLE AND MOSQUE. 259 
 
 suburbs. It is fortified and situated at the 
 eastern extremity of the principal street which 
 leads through the city. On the top of the 
 gateway the General has erected a splendid 
 pavilion, which he assigns to his European 
 guests. 
 
 There is a temple still existing within the 
 enclosure of the square dedicated to Goraknath. 
 Some time ago there was a great dispute among 
 the Mussulmans and the Hindus about the 
 place. Each of them claimed the spot as 
 belonging to their respective saints, which led 
 to much bloodshed and frequent quarrels be- 
 tween the two parties. At last General Avi- 
 tabile, to prevent future disturbances, caused a 
 mosque also to be built for the Mussulmans 
 close to the Hindu temple ; and now the two 
 parties resort to their respective places of 
 worship without interfering with each other. 
 The Hindu tradition about the place is that 
 Goraknath, who resided on the holy spot and 
 plunged into the earth, came out on the other 
 side of the city near our present ground of en- 
 campment, and from that time a spring issued 
 
260 PALACE OF SHAH SHUJA. 
 
 from it, which still continues flowing. A 
 temple is also dedicated to Goraknath at that 
 place, where a Mela or fair takes place every 
 Sunday. 
 
 According to the Memoirs of the Emperor 
 Baber there were several caves near the spot 
 where the Gor Katra now stands, and that a 
 large quantity of hair was visible near their 
 entrance, from which it is said that the Hin- 
 dus considered it very meritorious, on parti- 
 cular occasions, to be shaved there, but at 
 present there are no traces of these caves to 
 be found. 
 
 The palace of Shah Shuja, which is said to 
 have been situated within the Bala Hissar, 
 where the British Embassy, under Mr. El- 
 phinstone in 1809, was received, is extinct. 
 On the second expedition of Ranjeet Singh 
 against Peshawr, one of the fanatic Akalis set 
 that noble building on fire without his sanc- 
 tion. An exertion was made in vain to ex- 
 tinguish the flames. As the buildings in this 
 part of the country are chiefly composed of 
 wood, it is difficult to allay the fury of that 
 
CITADEL OF PESHAWR. 26 1 
 
 destructive element. The fire continued burn- 
 ing for many days, and thus was destroyed the 
 palace of Shah Shuja. Owing to the frequent 
 incursions of the Sikhs, and the want of re- 
 pairs, the walls of the Bala Hissar were also 
 decayed and became level with the ground in 
 the course of time. The Sikhs rebuilt the 
 citadel on taking possession of Peshawr, and 
 called it Sumeirgarh. It has been enlarged 
 and much strengthened by General Avitabile, 
 and is in complete order, with a clear space 
 all round. State prisoners are confined here, 
 and it also contains the arsenal, from which we 
 were abundantly supplied by the Maharaja's 
 sanction with powder, ball, and other articles, 
 the Mission being provided with no stores of 
 its own to equip the levies. In a military 
 point of view the place is superior to any forts 
 in the vicinity. The treasure with our Mis- 
 sion was removed there as the only place of 
 security, and, with the General's permission, 
 measures were also taken to form within it a 
 depot of grain for our future use.* 
 
 * " The governor having volunteered to show us the 
 
262 SITUATION OF THE VALLEY. 
 
 The valley of Peshawr has natural boun- 
 daries on every side. On the west it is bounded 
 by the Khaibar range, and the east by the 
 river Indus ; on the north by the high lands 
 of Kashghar, and on the south by Bangish. 
 It is a very fertile, productive territory, and 
 hence has been called by all historians the 
 
 fort of Peshawr, four or five of us rode there in the after- 
 noon, and found him in readiness to receive us. After 
 proceeding through a street, formed by a squadron or two 
 of dragoons, and passing beneath a lofty and castellated 
 gateway in the northern face, we turned sharply to the 
 left, and cantered up a paved camp that leads to the 
 highest of the three stories, of which the fort may be said 
 to consist — the causeway being of breadth sufficient to 
 admit of the governor driving his carriage-and-four to the 
 summit. Troops were stationed at the different angles, 
 who turned out and presented arms as we rode by. In the 
 second tier are ranges of very comfortable barracks ; and 
 wells to supply the garrison with water during a siege are 
 to be met with every here and there. On the top com- 
 partment, in addition to an incompleted citadel, are build- 
 ings for magazines and store-rooms ; the latter he threw 
 open for our examination, and a vast number of ten-inch 
 shells at one end of a gallery, and a complete hill of bul- 
 lets at the other, besides lead and other requisites to make 
 up material, plainly prove that a warm reception would be 
 given to an attacking party." — Barr's Journal, pp. 266, 
 267. 
 
ANIMOSITIES OF THE SIKHS AND NATIVES. 263 
 
 Sheher-i-Sabz, or the green city. The exuberant 
 crops which we observed on entering the plains 
 of Peshawr, notwithstanding the unsettled 
 state of the country, and the repeated inva- 
 sions to which it has been exposed, were very 
 striking, and showed the agricultural habits of 
 the natives. 
 
 It is said that formerly there were many 
 gardens and groves of trees about the town and 
 in the villages, but since the establishment of 
 the Sikh authority they have been cut down. 
 The chief motive which led the Sikhs to com- 
 mit such havoc in the garden of nature was 
 that their settlement in Peshawr was regarded 
 by the Mahomedans with the utmost jealousy, 
 who took every opportunity of killing the 
 Sikhs when they left their homes, it being 
 customary for the most bigoted of them to 
 hide themselves behind these trees, and when 
 they saw a Sikh passing by, they used to attack 
 and kill him. A want of fuel and wood for 
 building was another motive with the Sikhs for 
 destroying these groves; but a few gardens 
 near the south-west of the town are still visible. 
 
264 GARDENS AND GROVES. 
 
 Among others, that of the Vazir Fateh Khan, 
 which is the largest and best, and contains 
 some old extensive buildings erected by the late 
 Vazir of that name. It was now the Kar- 
 kliana, or workshop, where cannons, rifles, and 
 every kind of warlike implement was being 
 made to arm and equip the Shah Zada's levies 
 under the general superintendence of Mr. 
 Lord; who resided there himself with the Khai- 
 baris, whom he had been entertaining before 
 we arrived.* The garden of Ali Mardan 
 
 * " Years have rolled by since the locality was first used 
 as a retreat from the bustle and turmoils of the day ; but 
 its hours of repose and quiet have also long passed, and 
 the clang of the hammer on the anvil, the vociferations of 
 the workmen, and the ribald talk of mercenary soldiers, 
 are now heard where formerly the joyous mirth of some 
 lighthearted inmates of the harem was re-echoed, before 
 * grim-visaged war ' drove their masters from home and 
 country. Those from among the Khaibaris are quartered 
 in this agreeable spot, and groups of them were to be seen 
 sauntering along the terraces, their thick hobnail shoes 
 jarring the ear as they scraped the smooth surface of the 
 pavement ; whilst their rough-looking features, and tall, 
 gaunt, but athletic figures, armed with the jazail and long 
 knife, or sword and shield, harmonized with the warlike 
 preparations and the existing state of the gardens, in other 
 
PESHAWR TAKEN BY THE SIKHS. 265 
 
 Khan, the famous maker of canals, is much 
 neglected, and its buildings hastening to ruin 
 A part of it has been converted by General 
 Court into a dwelling-house. The Shahi Bagh 
 (royal garden) is situated to the north of the 
 Bala Hissar, and seems in a somewhat better 
 state. 
 
 I need scarcely remind the reader that before 
 the Sikhs established their government in it, 
 the territory of Peshawr was possessed by 
 Sultan Mahomed Khan and his full bro- 
 thers, Pir Mahomed Khan and Sayed Ma- 
 homed Khan. On the arrival of the Sikhs, 
 and after a short skirmish, the Sirdars retired 
 to Jalalabad and Kabul, where they were sup- 
 ported by Dost Mahomed Khan, their half- 
 brother, who shortly afterwards, having de- 
 feated Shah Shuja before Candahar, defied the 
 authority of the Sikhs. Instead of offering 
 terms of negotiation, — which would probably 
 
 days, would have been ill-suited to appear in a place evi- 
 dently dedicated to peace, and where all ought to have 
 been lovely, soft, and beautiful." — Bart's Journal, pp. 
 263-4-5. 
 
 N 
 
266 JAGHIR OF SULTAN MAHOMED. 
 
 have been very favourably received by Ranjeet 
 Singh, who was at that time averse to con- 
 tinuing his authority in Peshawr, where many 
 lives were lost among his people by the ran- 
 corous spirit of the Mussulmans, — Dost Ma- 
 homed appeared in the field to drive the Sikhs 
 from Peshawr. He was soon met by Ranjeet 
 Singh, who hastened from Lahore to give him 
 battle at the head of his army ; but before the 
 two armies came to blows, the wily Maharaja 
 secretly induced Sultan Mahomed to come over 
 to him ; when Dost Mahomed Khan, feeling 
 his utter inability to contend successfully with 
 the Sikhs, was obliged to hasten his retreat 
 as quickly as he had advanced. 
 
 Ranjeet Singh, in fulfilment of the terms 
 offered to Sultan Mahomed, settled on him 
 the district of Kohat, yielding a revenue of 
 three lakhs of rupees annually, in lieu of mi- 
 litary service. The Doaba and the district of 
 Hashtnagar were some time afterwards settled 
 on Pir Mahomed and Sayed Mahomed, and 
 the three brothers are now in the full enjoy- 
 ment of their several jaghirs, while Dost 
 
CLIMATE OF PESHAWR. 267 
 
 Mahomed is threatened with ruin. Whatever 
 judgment may be formed of his wisdom and 
 foresight in the despatch of ordinary affairs, 
 the Amir has shown that want of prudence and 
 discernment which only enlighten high minds 
 in critical junctures. 
 
 Had he accepted the offer of the British Go- 
 vernment to make terms of reconciliation for 
 him with the Sikhs, and not have been de- 
 ceived and misled by his self-interested coun- 
 cillors to rely on Persian aid, he would have 
 now been safe in the actual possession of his 
 power, and not have been compelled to throw 
 himself on the mercy of others. 
 
 The climate of Peshawr is exceedingly hot, 
 and very oppressive. There is a saying, that 
 " the heat, the scorpions, and the flies of 
 Peshawr are so bad, that it may be likened 
 to the eye of hell." While we were there, the 
 people said that the weather was milder than 
 in the last year ; but, in truth, we felt it more 
 severely than at Lodianah, and were obliged to 
 dig holes in our tents, where we generally 
 passed the day, as it was almost impossible, 
 
 n 2 
 
268 THE SIMOOM. 
 
 from the extreme heat of the sun, to remain in 
 them without such a contrivance, though well 
 provided with Jawasa tatties* Qchas Mas, or the 
 scented grass roots, is very scarce in Peshawr, 
 and people send for it from the Panjab). But, 
 notwithstanding the affirmed mildness of the 
 season, we heard of two or three instances of 
 travellers being scorched to death in the dry 
 stony plain between Jumrud and Takal, on 
 this side of Khaibar. We were told that a 
 Simoom, or hot wind, prevails for several days 
 in midsummer between Dhaka and Bhati Kot, 
 which quite stops the communication, and 
 many persons are said to have fallen a sacrifice 
 to it. The excess of heat at Peshawr is to be 
 ascribed to its situation in the midst of low 
 and dry hills. In the summer, the natives ge- 
 nerally pass the day in the zerzamins, or cells, 
 which every one has in his house for the con- 
 venience of his family ; and the nights are 
 passed on the roofs of their houses, which are 
 flat. The winter of Peshawr is said to be no 
 
 * A thorny bush growing in deserts, on which camels 
 feed, and remarkable for its verdure. 
 
KAINS. 269 
 
 less severe than its summer. The hamams or 
 baths are a great luxury to the inhabitants 
 during that season.* The snow, however, 
 seldom falls here; but the hills to the south- 
 west are always covered with it in winter. In 
 the month of June we received plenty of ice in 
 the camp from the Tirah mountains. Kohat, 
 the southern part of the Peshawr territory, is 
 not so hot. On the whole, the climate is said 
 to be salubrious. Several men in our camp 
 were attacked with brain fever, from which 
 they suffered much, and some died. 
 
 The rains are very scanty at Peshawr ; but 
 storms sometimes happen in the summer, which 
 cool the air for a day or two. In rainy weather, 
 which is severe in Hindustan, very few showers 
 fall here. The cultivation rather depends on 
 the Barah and the Kabul streams than the 
 bounty of heaven ; and those who inhabit their 
 banks consider themselves very fortunate. The 
 rains appear to be frequent in Tirah, from the 
 
 * It is customary in the winter for the natives of those 
 countries to occupy the heated rooms adjoining their 
 baths. 
 
270 PRODUCTIONS. 
 
 mountains of which the Barah takes its rise. 
 Almost every day we heard peals of thunder, 
 and saw flashes of lightning, and black 
 clouds covering their summits. The more we 
 go to the west, the less rains we find. In July, 
 August, and September there is scarcely any 
 rain, as we afterwards experienced in Khaibar, 
 Dhaka, and Jalalabad, which in those months 
 are dreadfully hot and sickly, and during 
 which the winds are very strong and hot in 
 the Peshawr territory, especially in the stony 
 plain between Khaibar and the city. Towards 
 evening, there are sometimes severe storms 
 from the west and north-west. 
 
 The productions of Peshawr are such as be- 
 long to hot climates. The spring harvest chiefly 
 consists of wheat, barley, Indian corn, and 
 other inferior grains. The autumnal crops 
 are rice, sugar-cane, cotton, and kunjad or 
 sesame seed. San, or flax, which is used in 
 making ropes, is also produced. There are 
 fruits of every kind, but very inferior to those 
 of Kabul, and neither transportable to foreign 
 climates. The mulberry, peach, fig, naranj, 
 
FRUIT AND TIMBER. 271 
 
 and lemon, are of the best sort, and the two 
 last are exported largely to Kabul, where they 
 are much used. Naranj, a kind of orange, is 
 generally used in seasoning a pilaw called na- 
 ranji. Among the fruits peculiar to Peshawr 
 is the alcha, or plum ; it is double the size of 
 a grape, and generally of a red yellowish 
 colour, and very delicious; but eating too 
 many of them causes dysentery or fever. 
 
 Tairnur Shah tried his best to cultivate the 
 mangoe ; but all his exertions failed, and the 
 plant did not take root. The Afghans, who 
 have not seen India, have no idea of the 
 mangoe. The tree ceased to be seen after we 
 left Vazirabad. 
 
 The olive, shisham, and blut, or oak, &c, are 
 the principal trees here, but they are not nu- 
 merous. The diar, or cedar, is brought down 
 by the Kabul river from Jalalabad, and by 
 land from the Safeid Koh, or white hills, so 
 called from being covered with snow. The 
 people generally roof their houses with the 
 diar, which is considered long-lasting. The 
 neem, kikar, babul, jandh, khar, sal, and several 
 
272 POPULATION. 
 
 other trees, which grow in India, are not to be 
 found in Peshawr. 
 
 The population of the Peshawr territory 
 consists of several tribes, and as I shall have 
 occasion to use their names frequently, I will 
 enlist them here. 
 
 The Usafzae is the largest of the Peshawr 
 tribes, and, I dare say, of the Afghans gene- 
 rally; they occupy both banks of the river 
 Indus to the north-east of Peshawr. Their 
 possessions in the plains are partly included 
 in that territory, but extend much farther, 
 as far as Kashgar, Sawat, and Buneir. 
 
 The Usafzaes are a warlike and indepen- 
 dent people. It was a long time, and after 
 much bloodshed, that the Sikhs succeeded in 
 establishing their authority over them, and 
 then only in a few cantons, yielding an 
 annual revenue of 45,000 rupees. During 
 the monarchy the tribe had certain allowances 
 settled on them for keeping the peace of their 
 country, and the safety of the roads. They, 
 like the Khaibaris, never paid any revenue to 
 their nominal rulers. They were always in a 
 
USAFZAES. 273 
 
 state of war with the late Hari Singh, and 
 harassed him very much. Fateh Khan, of 
 Panjtar, Arsaleh Khan, of Zeida, and Paendeh 
 Khan, of Derband, are the most distinguished 
 leaders of their tribe. Paendeh Khan and 
 Fateh Khan are very desperate characters. 
 They never let slip any opportunity by which 
 they can annoy the Sikhs. They are an ex- 
 ceedingly rude and ignorant people, but very 
 strict in their national prejudices. An Usafzae 
 will not marry his daughter to any one of a 
 different tribe, or, without receiving some 
 dowry, with a person of his own tribe. The 
 late Sayed Ahmed, whom the Usafzaes at first 
 revered highly, observed to them that many 
 of their daughters, though advanced in age, 
 could not be married without difficulty; he 
 therefore preached to them to resign the usual 
 custom, and even had one or two of their 
 daughters married by force to some of his own 
 followers. The Usafzaes were greatly incensed 
 at the conduct of the fanatic, and made a 
 conspiracy against him, killing nearly the 
 whole of his party in one day in every village 
 
 N 3 
 
274 KHATAKS. 
 
 where they were living or had taken shelter. 
 This incident will fully illustrate how jealous 
 the Afghans are of their old customs and 
 habits. Education can only eradicate them, 
 but there is no chance of its light extending 
 to them at present. 
 
 The Usafzaes in the plains are divided into 
 nine tappas. Their villages are generally of 
 large size, some containing no less than eight 
 or nine thousand souls. It is said that in time 
 of war they can produce nine lakhs of men in 
 the field. How far this assertion may be true 
 it is difficult to decide; but it is stated by 
 every one that the Usafzae country is very 
 populous. 
 
 The second tribe which is settled in the 
 valleys and hills of Peshawr is the Khatak ; 
 and the third, the Mom and, situated to the 
 south-west and north of that place. They 
 have been already described. Kugiani is the 
 fourth tribe : they occupy the Daoba to the 
 north, and are divided into six tappas. The 
 Mahomedzaes inhabit the Hashtnagar district, 
 which is to the north-east of Peshawr : they 
 
KHALILS AND MOMANDS. 275 
 
 have eight tappas. The most influential and 
 respectable of the tribes is the Khalil, who are 
 divided into six tappas, three situated on the 
 Bara to the west, and three on the left bank 
 of the Kabul river to the north-west. They 
 are a brave and warlike tribe, and have pro- 
 duced many good characters. Bahram Khan, 
 one of the Arbabs of Takal, the principal 
 town of the Khalils (whose son, named 
 Gholam Khan, a very quiet young man, is 
 present in our camp), distinguished himself 
 highly in many battles against the Sikhs. 
 He was one of the chief supporters of Sayed 
 Ahmed in his religious war against them. It 
 was a regulation, while the monarchy lasted, 
 to assign to the Khalils the control of the 
 Khaibar chiefs, for which duty they enjoyed a 
 liberal jaghir. The Khaibaris cannot with 
 impunity molest any of this tribe, as their 
 wrongs could be soon avenged ; the former 
 being very dependent on the latter for pro- 
 curing their livelihood from the plains, having 
 generally to pass by Takal, which is on the 
 roadside. Juma Khan, the brother of Bahram 
 
276 DAUDZAE. 
 
 Khan, who fled from Takal on the occupa- 
 tion of Peshawr by the Sikhs, and entered 
 the service of the Kabul ruler, sent secret 
 messages to Sir Claude Wade of devotion to 
 the royal family ; but did not join us until 
 the flight of Dost Mahomed Khan. The pre- 
 sent Arbabs of Takal are Mahomed Amir 
 Khan, Gujar Khan, and Hamid Khan, who 
 enjoy a handsome jaghir from the Sikh go- 
 vernment. They were introduced to the 
 Mission by General Avitabile, and from their 
 knowledge of the country proved themselves 
 very useful in our operations to gain and keep 
 the entrance of the pass, and after the capture 
 of Ali Masjid. Mahomed Amir Khan is a 
 sensible and clever fellow, and appears to 
 possess more influence over his tribe than the 
 other two. 
 
 The eighth tribe is Daudzae, inhabiting 
 the country between the Khali Is and the 
 Doaba. They are divided into five tappas, 
 but have little influence, being the least of 
 the tribes which inhabit the Peshawr ter- 
 ritory. 
 
ENMITY OF THE TRIBES.. 277 
 
 To the north, about five kos distant, lie five 
 tappas called Khalsa.* They do not belong 
 to any particular tribe, but are occupied by 
 various people, and farmed to the Khatris and 
 others the natives of Peshawr. 
 
 Great enmity exists between the Khalils 
 and the Momands of the plain. Their dis- 
 putes chiefly originate in claiming the waters 
 of Bara in the irrigation of their lands. Should 
 a watercourse belonging to one be used by the 
 other, a dispute is certain ; and the matter is 
 seldom brought to a settlement without a good 
 deal of bloodshed on either side. An Afghan 
 considers it highly honourable to fall in the 
 field and distinguish himself by bold exploits. 
 Old age does not command much respect 
 among them ; and to be killed in full manhood 
 is considered a distinction. When an Afghan 
 goes out in the field he is advised by his wife 
 to behave bravely, and not to fly. Notwith- 
 standing this high spirit, I have never heard of 
 their fighting in a pitched battle against the 
 
 * A term signifying lands belonging specially to Go- 
 vernment. 
 
278 RULE OP THE SIKHS. 
 
 Sikhs, but on the contrary, that they have 
 sought safety in flight ; which is, perhaps, owing 
 to want of discipline and proper leaders. 
 
 During the time of the Mahomedan rule 
 Peshawr yielded a revenue of about nine 
 lakhs : but since the administration of General 
 Avitabile it has been much increased. It is said 
 that it has been raised to about eighteen lakhs, 
 including the jaghirs held by the late rulers. 
 Formerly several grants of land were allotted 
 to the Mullas and Sayeds ; but since the in- 
 troduction of the Sikh rule many of them 
 have been resumed, which has added much to 
 the revenue. 
 
 Among others, Mulla Najib, a pensioner of 
 the British Government, has suffered great loss 
 in the resumption of his lands. Poor man ! in 
 his old age, and with a large family, he deserved 
 rather to be relieved than distressed ; but the 
 Sikhs, I believe, appear more willing to in- 
 jure the Mullas than any other Mahomedans, 
 because they are considered the only persons 
 who inculcate war against the Sikhs. Mulla 
 Najib, however, is not of these ; and enjoys a 
 
ADMINISTRATION OF GEN. AVITABrLE. 279 
 
 small pension from the British Government for 
 services performed to Mr. Elphinstone. 
 
 The Sikhs met with many difficulties in 
 establishing their authority in Peshawr. 
 Much bloodshed was occasioned, and Ranjeet 
 Singh was against its permanent occupation ; 
 but the honour of his nation made him main- 
 tain it, though many lives were annually sacri- 
 ficed. Since General Avitabile's appointment 
 much tranquillity has been restored, but he has 
 been exceedingly severe in exercising his au- 
 thority by hanging many Afghans for small 
 crimes. A thief can hardly ever escape with 
 life; he is almost certain of being hanged. 
 Both in approaching and leaving the city we 
 observed a row of four or five gibbets on a 
 height to the right, with corpses hanging from 
 them.* 
 
 * Notwithstanding Avitabile administers justice with a 
 strong hand, murders are still committed in the neighbour- 
 hood of Peshawr ; and the other night, within a few yards 
 of our camp, a poor grass-cutter was cruelly cut off. Such 
 occurrences are, however, far too common in the district 
 to create surprise, and the bloodthirsty disposition of the 
 Afghan is but too manifest in the number of gallows that 
 
280 DISCONTENT OF THE MAHOMEDANS. 
 
 The Mussulmans hate the Sikh rule, and 
 every one of them who came to our camp in- 
 quired whether Peshawr would not also be re- 
 stored to Shah Shuja. They seemed to wish 
 for the restoration of the Shah or to come 
 under the British rule. They prefer the 
 English to the Sikhs, and entertain less re- 
 it has been deemed necessary to erect in the environs of 
 the city. These are constructed of sufficient size to 
 accommodate some five or six malefactors at a time ; and 
 after they have suffered the extreme penalty of the law, 
 their bodies, instead of being cut down or removed, are 
 allowed to remain on the gibbets until they either drop to 
 pieces or are ransomed by their friends. The number of 
 corpses, stiffened into the attitudes they assumed when 
 convulsed with the last agonies of death, or suspended (as 
 some are) by the feet, that are thus presented to the gaze 
 of a stranger, renders a visit to the suburbs of Peshawr 
 far from agreeable: but disgusting as these exhibitions are, 
 it is to be feared that, without them, there would be safety 
 neither for life nor property. Indeed, the benefit of this 
 terrible severity is already being felt, as the unruly tribes 
 under the governor's control are becoming sensible of the 
 necessity of either subduing their evil passions, or of suf- 
 fering the punishment that they now see will certainly 
 follow the commission of crime ; and the monthly average 
 number of murdered victims, though still numerous, is no- 
 thing to what it was a few years back. 
 
MANUFACTURES. 281 
 
 ligious animosity against the former than the 
 latter. 
 
 Peshawr is not celebrated for any particu- 
 lar manufactory, nor is it a great mart of 
 trade ; but being situated on the high way to 
 Kabul, the shawl-merchants from Kashmir 
 and fruit-dealers from the latter place to 
 India pass through it. Woollen namads or 
 felts of a coarse kind, used for carpets, are 
 made here, but they are of an inferior sort to 
 that produced in Persia. A Persian namad 
 or felt will last for several years, while those 
 of Peshawr wear away in a year and a half. 
 
( 282 ) 
 
 Chapter XIII. 
 
 Distress of the Na jibs — A Review — The Khaibaris — 
 Sultan Mahomed Khan — A Skirmish — Measures of 
 Akbar Khan — General Ventura — The Khaibar Pass — 
 State of Kabul — Defeat of Tura Baz Khan — Kour Nao 
 Nihal Singh — The Mahomedan Contingent — A Meeting 
 — Proclamation of Akbar Khan — The Amir's Family 
 removed from Kabul. 
 
 I think I have wandered astray from the 
 road on which I was treading, and must now 
 resume my journal. 
 
 Nothing of importance transpired on our 
 arrival at the new ground. The day was spent 
 in taking precautions to protect the camp, and 
 in selecting advantageous spots for the pickets. 
 Exclusive of camp followers we now mustered 
 about five thousand men, which were pitched 
 within the square of a ruined garden, and 
 occupied the smallest possible space.* 
 
 * " The Colonel's camp may well be termed a miscel- 
 laneous depot, so various are the materials, and so incon- 
 gruous is the mass of which it is composed, and its strength, 
 exclusive of some Durranie horsemen under Mr. Lord, 
 and the levies under Dowson and Hillersdon (about 1200), 
 
DISTRESS OF THE NAJIBS. 
 
 283 
 
 The escort which Ranjeet Singh had pro- 
 vided for the protection of the Shah Zada being 
 reviewed, was found to fall far short of the 
 strength which was reported by the Maha- 
 raja's officers at Lahore to have been pro- 
 vided ; and the battalion of Najibs, who were 
 now upwards of three months in arrears of 
 pay, began to complain of distress. It ap- 
 peared on inquiry that the people at court had 
 taken no measures nor provided any means for 
 
 is under 4000 men, and may be classed under the fol- 
 lowing heads, which will give their numbers as near as 
 possible — 
 
 British troops: — Detachment of 4th 
 troop, 2d battalion horse artillery ; two 
 companies of 20th N. I., and two com- 
 panies of 21st N. I., about 
 
 Shah Zada's guards, one troop of horse, 
 
 No. of Men. 
 
 380 
 
 two companies of foot 
 
 . 300 
 
 Ghoorka regiment 
 
 . 840 
 
 Najib ditto . • , 
 
 . 840 
 
 Aligols (infantry) 
 
 . 840 
 
 Purabis ditto . 
 
 . 200 
 
 Gorcheras (cavalry) . 
 
 . 500 
 
 A party of lancers 
 
 50 
 
 Grand tote 
 
 J . . 3950 
 
 — B art's Journal ', p. 221. 
 
284 A REVIEW. 
 
 their future payment. A letter was therefore 
 written to supply the deficiency in the number 
 of the escort, and to take immediate steps to 
 defray the arrears of pay ; and that in case of 
 delay they would be paid from our treasury, 
 and the amount charged to the debit of the 
 Maharaja's government in the account between 
 his Highness and the British Government, as 
 the troops might otherwise mutiny or desert 
 the camp. 
 
 A few days after our arrival at Ali Mardan's 
 garden, General Court paraded his troops, con- 
 sisting of some fine pieces of artillery and 
 three battalions of infantry, for the inspection 
 of the gentlemen of the Mission, who were 
 much pleased with their high state of dis- 
 cipline.^ 
 
 * " The two guns on the right of the battery were six- 
 pounders, and were the same that Lord William Bentinck 
 had presented to Ranjeet Singh at Ropur. The rest were 
 cast by himself from their model, and appear almost 
 equally good. The precise number of pieces we saw I 
 forget, but I think nine, including two small mortars for 
 hill service. We then tried some of his fuzees, which are 
 very good, and burn true; and his portfires are also tole- 
 
THE KHAIBARIS. 285 
 
 As it will be necessary to mention the names 
 of the Khaibaris and their tribes very often, I 
 will give a brief account of them here, that the 
 reader may be able to recognise every one 
 without confusion. The extent of the pass of 
 Khaibar is inhabited by five tribes, having* the 
 general name of Afridi. They have each their 
 separate chiefs or superiors, and are named as 
 follows: — 
 
 Names of the Tribe. Names of the Chief. 
 
 Khuki Khail Abdurrahman Khan 
 
 Malikdin Khail Khan Bahadar Khan 
 
 Sipa Salim Khan 
 
 Zaka Khail 
 
 Alladad Khan 
 Feiztalab Khan 
 
 rable, but when compared with those in use with every 
 other part of the Sikh army, admirable ; as with the latter, 
 they are nothing but cases filled with pounded brimstone 
 indifferently rammed down. All the shot was formed of 
 beaten iron, and cost a rupee each ; and the majority of 
 the shells were composed of pewter, which he told us an- 
 swered uncommonly well. When it is considered that all 
 we saw was the work of the General's own knowledge, 
 and we reflect on the difficulties he has had to surmount, 
 it is a matter almost of wonder to behold the perfection to 
 which he has brought his artillery." — Barr's Journal, pp. 
 259, 260. 
 
286 THEIR DIFFERENT TRIBES. 
 
 Names of the Tribe. Names of the Chief. 
 
 Sangar Khan 
 
 Shinwari 
 
 Ghalib Khan 
 Mohallak Khan 
 
 These tribes occupy the pass in the order in 
 which I have placed them, viz., the Kuki 
 Khail lie between Jamrud and Ali Masjid, and 
 have much influence in the pass from their 
 position at its entrance. Next comes the Ma- 
 likdin Khail, on whose ground the fort stands. 
 Khan Bahadar, an old man at the head of it, 
 is considered the principal chief in Khaibar. 
 Shah Shuja, during his refuge in these hills, 
 remained several days in his house. Next to 
 the Malikdin Khail come the Sipas and 
 Zaka Khail, and then the Shinwaris. The 
 last people are generally traders, while the 
 four other tribes are noted for living by plunder 
 and the allowance they enjoy from the go- 
 vernment of the country for keeping the pass 
 open. In the cold weather the Khaibaris in 
 the valley live in caves, which are dug on the 
 face of the hills along the line of the road, and 
 towards their summits, while in the hot season 
 they retire with their families towards Tirah, 
 
DEALINGS WITH THE KHAIBARIS. 287 
 
 where they remain during the summer. There 
 is another tribe of the Afridis, called Orakzae ; 
 but they inhabit the mountains to the south, 
 and have no place in the pass. Alam Khan is 
 the head of the tribe, and a personal friend of 
 Dost Mahomed Khan, who placed great con- 
 fidence in him. 
 
 I must now proceed to give some account 
 of our transactions with them. 
 
 I have mentioned that, before our arrival, 
 a large party of the Khaibaris, with several 
 Maliks* from almost all the tribes, had been 
 collected at Peshawr by Mr. Lord, and hand- 
 somely paid, some at six and seven rupees a 
 day, besides an allowance to their followers, 
 amounting to about one thousand men of two 
 rupees each. Besides these Khaibaris, persons 
 from Tirah and other places had joined him, 
 and been feeding on us for the last two months, 
 which appeared a mere waste of money, as 
 none of these people were of any influence, or 
 engaged to perform any particular service. 
 
 * A Malik is inferior from the head of the tribe, and 
 has only control over a village or a few families. 
 
288 THE MALIKS. 
 
 With the exception of some Maliks, almost all 
 the rest were chob farosh, or dealers in fire- 
 wood. Rahmat Khan Orakzae, the Sikh pen- 
 sioner, alone had about eight hundred men, 
 exclusive of the above number. He was not 
 paid regularly, but only by occasional presents. 
 4th. — To pay these Khaibaris for doing no- 
 thing was absurd and impolitic ; the Maliks 
 were therefore invited by Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Wade, in the early part of the morning after 
 our arrival at Ali Mardan Khan, to wait on 
 him. These Maliks, between forty and fifty in 
 number, were some brothers, and others near 
 relatives, of their chiefs, who had brought 
 secret messages to Mr. Lord, on the part of 
 the latter, that when the Shah Zada arrived 
 they would support the cause of his father, and 
 exert themselves in opening the pass. In 
 consequence khilats had been sent to all of 
 them by Mr. Lord, and they, with the ex- 
 ception, as I have already mentioned, of Khan 
 Bahadar, readily accepted them. The time 
 had now come to try their faith ; and the present 
 Maliks were therefore desired to adopt some 
 
A CONSULTATION. 289 
 
 course by which they would be able to prove 
 their professions of fidelity and devotion, as they 
 had previously often professed, and were in- 
 formed that these of course were the terms on 
 which they would or could be employed. Be- 
 fore they answered the question, they begged 
 permission to hold a Jirga or consultation 
 among themselves, to discuss the matter. Their 
 request was granted ; and, accordingly, they 
 retired to hold a council. These people, though 
 rude, yet understand politics so far that they 
 will never undertake any important affair with- 
 out deliberation, either in their own respective 
 tribes, or with the Maliks of all the tribes col- 
 lectively, as the nature of the occasion may 
 require. After a long discussion they came to 
 a conclusion, and one of them, Abdurrahim, 
 Khan Sipa, the brother of Salim Khan, ad- 
 dressed Sir Claude as follows : — 
 
 " It is well known that the present Khans 
 or chiefs of Khaibar are in the enjoyment 
 of liberal grants from Dost Mahomed Khan, 
 and possess considerable force and wealth ; 
 that he, seeing the Shah Zada and the 
 
290 SPEECH OF A KHAIBAR CHIEF. 
 
 English before him, and dreading their de- 
 signs, will not spare lakhs of rupees to secure 
 their fidelity. We who enjoy none of these 
 advantages, how can we compel them to act 
 with us without a superior force ? Now, you 
 desire us to expel the enemy from the pass, and 
 to secure it for the passage of the Shah Zada. 
 You should send one of your confidential men 
 along with us, with a large sum of money to 
 expend among our brethren-, as the occasion 
 may demand ; or, should you not trust to our 
 sincerity, keep some of us as hostages in your 
 camp, and order the rest with your assent to 
 proceed to Khaibar to effect the object in view ; 
 otherwise, what can we alone do against Dost 
 Mahomed, who is powerful, and has yet two- 
 thirds of the Khaibaris on his side ?" 
 
 The Colonel replied to them in the follow- 
 ing terms : — " If the Khaibaris are faithful and 
 willing to serve the Shah Zada, he will supply 
 the five chiefs of Khaibar with sufficient means 
 to enable each of them to employ one thousand 
 men of his own tribe during the war, provided 
 they send approved hostages to our camp ; 
 
 
REPLY OF SIR CLAUDE WADE. 29 1 
 
 while I, on my own part, pledge myself to 
 apply to Shah Shuja, on his restoration, to 
 continue to them the same allowances they at 
 present receive. You know as well as I do in 
 what the troops and wealth of Dost Mahomed 
 Khan consist, and may rest assured that neither 
 he nor his son will ever attempt to enter the 
 pass ; should they do so, we are ready to sup- 
 port you. If your chiefs decline my propo- 
 sition, you cannot of course expect the same 
 favours to be conferred on you." 
 
 The Khaibaris said : — " We are convinced 
 that, if you offer even ten thousand rupees 
 to each of our chiefs, they will never come 
 while Dost Mahomed is in possession of the 
 country. We, on our part, however, are ready 
 to perform the service you require ; but victory 
 or defeat is in the hand of the Almighty." 
 
 After these discussions the assembly was 
 dissolved, and desired to meet the next day. 
 Accordingly the Maliks again assembled, when 
 a long argument ensued. At length the 
 Khaibaris came to the resolution of sending a 
 deputation to their chiefs, to say that if they 
 
 o2 
 
292 KESOLUTION OF THE KHAIBARIS. 
 
 would not engage to expel the garrison of Ali 
 Masjid, and to conduct the Shah Zada at once 
 through the pass, they would undertake that 
 service themselves. They sent their deputies, 
 and a few days afterwards they returned. The 
 result was the failure of their mission ; and after 
 further consultation the Maliks expressed also 
 their own inability to act offensively. It now 
 became perfectly evident that they had joined 
 Mr. Lord with no other end than to gain 
 money. They were therefore desired to leave 
 the camp and return to Khaibar, and that, 
 when their services were required, they would 
 be recalled. Thus we got rid of these idle 
 hands. They had been entertained in the idea 
 that we should prosecute our operations from 
 Peshawr without delay, when they might have 
 been made of use ; but the Sikhs took care that 
 we should be disappointed in that object. The 
 Khaibaris and other rude Afghans of the hills 
 believed that we had a countless treasure, and 
 that they had only to ask to be sure of receiving 
 innumerable presents. Some of the Afridis 
 who visited me, seeing a few tin cases contain- 
 
SULTAN MAHOMED KHAN. 293 
 
 ing records, supposed that I had a great deal 
 of money in them. I unlocked the cases and 
 showed them the contents, on which they ex- 
 claimed with astonishment that they had been 
 grossly deceived. These faithless marauders 
 and robbers do not spare even to rob those who 
 feed them. 
 
 A letter was received from the Maharaja on 
 the oth of April, enclosing the copy of a bond 
 delivered by Sultan Mahomed Khan to his 
 Highness, renewing his declaration of allegi- 
 ance to the Sikh Government, and pledging 
 himself and his brothers at Peshawr to hold 
 no correspondence with Dost Mahomed Khan, 
 his sons, or dependants, or any other person, 
 the enemy of the Sikh or British Governments. 
 It was very satisfactory to receive such a do- 
 cument from a party which had been labour- 
 ing under suspicions of favouring the enemy 
 by secretly collecting troops and raising diffi- 
 culties to impede or prevent the advance of the 
 Shah Zada, and was regarded as a strong 
 pledge of their forbearance from intrigues ; and 
 whatever may have been Sultan Mahomed's 
 
294 HIS FEIENDLY CONDUCT. 
 
 secret wishes, it is proper to state that we did 
 not find him afterwards guilty of any breach 
 of faith. Soon after the delivery of the paper 
 the Sirdar returned to Peshawr, where he re- 
 mained during the whole of our operations. 
 His reassurance on the part of the British 
 Government was considered by Sir Claude 
 Wade an expedient course of policy, and he 
 was treated liberally by him throughout ; in 
 consequence of which Sultan Mahomed spared 
 no means in his power of conciliating that 
 officer. He offered to co-operate in any way ; 
 but although his personal services were de- 
 clined, his fidelity was tried by asking him for 
 some camel swivels, &c, which he readily 
 placed at our disposal; while Pir Mahomed 
 Khan and Sayed Mahomed Khan visited the 
 Mission in succession, and vied with their elder 
 brother in offers of service. They were treated 
 with every consideration, and Pir Mahomed 
 Khan proved his good will by furnishing about 
 fifty jazails, which he had in his stores, to arm 
 a corps of jazailchis the Colonel wished to 
 raise. It was considered prudent, however, not 
 
A DEPUTATION INSULTED. 295 
 
 to rely altogether on these proofs of adherence 
 to our side, as the natural ties of affection be- 
 tween the Sirdars and their half-brother at 
 Kabul might perhaps, on some occasions, lead 
 them to change. News-writers were conse- 
 quently stationed in each of their jaghirs to 
 watch their conduct and report current events 
 regularly. The reports of these people, how- 
 ever, did not show any disposition on the part 
 of these Sirdars to league with the enemy. 
 
 About the same time a deputation, consisting 
 of Nawab Khan and Gul Mahomed Khan, re- 
 spectable natives of Kalabagh, had been sent 
 on the part of the Prince Taimur with some 
 presents to the chief of Bajour, as a mark of 
 distinction and favour, and in order to confirm 
 him in his early declaration of attachment to 
 the Shah. On their way they were molested 
 and insulted by Amir Khan of Naowaghi, a 
 chief in favour of Dost Mahomed, and in 
 great enmity with the Bajour chief. Some 
 notice of his misconduct was thought necessary, 
 especially as the security of the three routes 
 lying in that direction, viz., Kharappa, Ab- 
 
296 FORCES COLLECTED. 
 
 khana, and Tatara, by which alone our friends 
 beyond Khaibar could communicate with us 
 while the pass was closed, was of importance 
 to our success. Mir Alam Khan was, there- 
 fore, requested to collect his allies or tribes, and 
 await further instructions. Inaetulla Khan of 
 Sawat and Ghazan Khan of Dir, and Saheb 
 Zada Murid Ahmed, as well as other people 
 who had previously professed their loyalty to 
 the Shah Zada, were at the same time re- 
 quired to join the Bajour chief, and conjointly 
 with him to carry into effect the instructions 
 which they would receive ; and they were also 
 informed that they would be rewarded here- 
 after according to their conduct in the pending 
 affair. Soon after some of these persons arrived 
 at Bajour, and Alam Khan having also re- 
 ported the collection of his allies, Nawab Khan 
 and Mahomed Sadiq Khan, the half brothers 
 of Sadat Khan, were directed to proceed to 
 Machni, and by the assistance of their re- 
 tainers and a party of our jazailchis to secure 
 the Kharappa and Abkhana routes. They 
 were at the same time supplied with the 
 
A SKIRMISH. 297 
 
 means of collecting more troops, and a good 
 number of khilats were sent with them also 
 for distribution among the Momand Maliks, 
 and such as might distinguish themselves in 
 supporting them. The money and khilats 
 were of course put in custody of an agent 
 attached to the Mission, as it was impossible 
 to trust entirely to the Khans themselves; 
 and the sequel will show how. ill they did their 
 duty. 
 
 The 6th and 7th were passed in making 
 these preparations, and the force marched from 
 camp for Machni on the 8th of April, about 
 seven kos distant, on the other side of the 
 Kabul river. On the 9th we heard that they 
 had been met in the field by the son of Sadat 
 Khan ; a skirmish ensued between the two 
 parties. Nawab Khan and his brother re- 
 treated with a loss of some lives ; and the 
 enemy, having treacherously been joined by 
 Dilasa Khan, who had accompanied our force 
 from camp, defeated Nawab Khan, and then 
 retired to their own high mountains, while our 
 party remained at Machni and exerted them- 
 
 o3 
 
298 MEASURES OF AKBAR KHAN. 
 
 selves in collecting the wounded, and rallying 
 their men. 
 
 10th — When the state of affairs in the 
 Doaba came to the knowledge of Mahomed 
 Akbar Khan, he, supposing that the force 
 sent to Machni was a diversion to deceive 
 him and enable the Shah Zada to turn the 
 Khaibar pass by taking a route to the left by 
 Chora, invited the Maliks of the Sangukhail 
 tribe, residing at Beshbolak, on the other side 
 of that place, to wait on him, and desired them 
 to guard that road. They pleaded their in- 
 ability, without the aid of the Khaibaris : and 
 so the young Sirdar failed in his design ; but 
 he wrote to his father, urging him strongly to 
 remove the families of his uncles and others 
 in Kabul, who were suspected of their fidelity, 
 as he soon expected operations to commence in 
 his quarter. He also recommended the host- 
 ages of the Khaibaris, &c, to be released, as it 
 would encourage them to make a religious 
 war ; and said that he had sent his own family 
 to Kabul. 
 
 The last accounts at Kabul, from Candahar, 
 
NEWS FROM ALI MASJID. 299 
 
 are stated to be that the people of that quarter 
 were every day going to join the Shah ; that 
 Mahomed Akram Khan, the son of the Amir, 
 who had been employed at Qundooz, had re- 
 turned with three thousand men on the 31st of 
 March; but as they were fatigued by long- 
 marches, they would not be fit for service for 
 some time. The return of these troops had re- 
 vived a little the drooping spirit of Dost Ma- 
 homed Khan. 
 
 News was received from Ali Masjid that 
 Yaqub Khan and Suleman Khan were soon 
 expected there with one hundred jazailchis ; 
 while Rasul Khan, the uncle of the young- 
 Sirdar, who had arrived at Dhaka with some 
 troops, would follow him ; but another party 
 of the Lamghan people, who had been col- 
 lected from that country for the purpose of 
 being employed in Khaibar, were said to 
 have deserted from want of subsistence. The 
 camels and carriages belonging to the mer- 
 chants were being seized by Mahomed Ak- 
 bar's people, in order to transport supplies 
 to Ali Masjid from Jalalabad. From all ac- 
 
300 THE TIRAH SAYEDS. 
 
 counts it appeared that he began to be 
 alarmed, and to employ himself very actively 
 to oppose our invasion. 
 
 ll^A. — A report was received that Azam 
 Khan, the brother of Afzal Khan, who had 
 been sent by his elder brother to punish some 
 rebels in Kuram, had been defeated by them, 
 and was wounded in the head. Another 
 tribe, named Kadu Khail, in the vicinity of 
 Jalalabad, had also revolted and infested the 
 road, to the great annoyance of Mahomed 
 Akbar Khan. 
 
 Since our arrival at Peshawr, Colonel Wade 
 had, among others of the Shah's friends, been 
 engaged in close correspondence with the 
 Tirah people, who had declared their devo- 
 tion from the beginning. Lately, Sayed 
 Ahmed Shah, the son of Sayed Madad Shah, 
 who possesses great spiritual influence with the 
 tribes in that quarter, arrived in our camp in 
 company with Mirza Hasan Ali, the son of 
 Mirza Ghirami, who had before been sent to 
 that country by the Sayed to secure the co- 
 operation of these people. The Sayed also 
 
SAYED AHMED SHAH. 301 
 
 came accompanied by Sirfaraz Khan of Hingo, 
 Nijabat Khan of Nariab, and Mir Alam Khan, 
 Kakar ; the latter a deserter from Afzal Khan's 
 camp in Kuram, and the nephew of Haji Khan, 
 Kakar, the man who deserted the Sirdars of 
 Candahar and joined the Shah on his ap- 
 proach to that city. Sayed Ahmed and his 
 companions were received with marked atten- 
 tion ; but in consequence of the extreme heat 
 of the weather, the Sayed, who lived in a cold 
 climate, was dismissed to return to his country, 
 leaving his son, a fine young man, in camp. 
 On taking leave, he and the whole of his party 
 engaged that they would join Lieutenant 
 Mackeson with five hundred retainers, in his 
 intended diversion, when he arrived at Kohat. 
 A note was therefore delivered to the Sayed 
 for transmission to that officer who would in- 
 form him of his approach. From the reputa- 
 tion which the Sayed enjoys, and the high 
 respect in which he is held by his disciples, 
 every confidence was placed in his promises ; 
 He soon after wrote that he was employed 
 in collecting his followers and preparing to 
 
302 NAWAB KHAN. 
 
 forward the views of the British Government 
 and the Shah. The relatives of Madad Shah, 
 named Hasan Rezaand Mahomed Reza, besides 
 Sayed Reza, whose arrival has been already 
 noticed, also joined the Shah Zada's camp. 
 They likewise reside in Tirah, and are equally 
 pleased to co-operate. 
 
 These Sayeds appeared more enlightened 
 and civilized in their manners than their neigh- 
 bours. They were a fine -looking and polite 
 people. Madad Shah and his relations, and a 
 considerable portion of the population about 
 Tirah, are of the Shiah persuasion, particularly 
 the Turis, while the Afghans are of the Sunni 
 sect ; and constant quarrels exist between them. 
 Their religious enmity is so high that they 
 each consider a person of any other faith much 
 preferable to the other in point of good prin- 
 ciples and morality. 
 
 12th. — Nawab Khan, of Pindiali, and Tura 
 Baz Khan, were recalled from Machni, and 
 joined the camp. The former is a very brave 
 man, and has a high character in his tribe 
 for liberality. The Kharappa route lies by 
 
TURA BAZ KHAN. 303 
 
 Pindiali, his native place, and of which he 
 is the nominal ruler, as the people pay him 
 nothing in the form of revenue. He and his 
 retainers chiefly subsist on the income of the 
 taxes which they levy on the merchants pass- 
 ing that way. It is considered by them a safer 
 road than the Khaibar one, where, besides 
 paying the established tolls, they run the risk 
 of being plundered. 
 
 Tura Baz Khan is the son of MazuHa 
 Khan, the late chief of the Momand tribe. 
 He was killed by his cousin Sadat Khan, 
 who usurped his territory, and his family 
 became fugitives in the hills. Hence the 
 claim of Tura Baz as the heir to the chiefship 
 of the Momand tribe, and the condition on 
 which he joined the Shah Zada was, that, if 
 he distinguished himself in his zeal and de- 
 votion to the royal cause, he would be restored 
 to his father's rights and possessions on the 
 re-establishment of the monarchy, as his cousin 
 had already evinced a determined opposition 
 to the Shah's cause, notwithstanding the fre- 
 quent overtures and letters which had been 
 
304 NEWS FKOM CANDAHAR. 
 
 addressed to him both by the Shah Zada, 
 Colonel Wade, and General Avitabile. Tura 
 Baz Khan's proposal was accepted, and an 
 assurance given to him of favourable treat- 
 ment by the Shah. These partizans acquitted 
 themselves satisfactorily, as will soon appear. 
 
 The latest accounts received from Candahar 
 were that the Shah had advanced as far as 
 Shal Mustang, and that the chiefs of that place 
 were engaged in sending off their families for 
 protection to Salu Khan at Lash, who was said 
 to have been reconciled by them. Mahomed 
 Akbar is reported to have sent three pieces 
 of artillery back to Kabul from Jalalabad. 
 The Amir had been trying as much as possible 
 to strengthen his power, and to depend more 
 on his own troops than the peasantry of the 
 country ; but he spared at the same time no 
 exertions to excite a religious war. Letters 
 were addressed by him to the Usafzae people 
 to join his son at Jalalabad ; but they treated 
 them coldly, and appeared more anxious to join 
 the Shah Zada. A proclamation was likewise 
 issued by Dost Mahomed Khan, in concert with 
 
GHOLAM KHAN, POPALZAE. 305 
 
 the Mullas of Kabul, contradicting the one 
 issued by the Shah and the Governor-General of 
 India, and on our side by the Shah Zada and 
 Sir Claude, and alleging that the Shah was a 
 Kafir, and calling on the Mussulmans to rally 
 around his standard and commence a religious 
 war against the infidels. A proclamation was 
 also drawn out and issued on our part by the 
 Mullas of Peshawr, refuting, on the precepts of 
 the Koran, the tenor of Dost Mahomed's mani- 
 festo, and impressing on the minds of the 
 people the obligations of loyalty to their law- 
 ful monarch. These diplomatic demonstra- 
 tions, to the great vexation of the Amir, kept 
 the people from being deceived ; and to their 
 effect, as well as to the exertions of some of the 
 Shah's old friends in Kabul, which I am about 
 to mention, the excitement against Dost Ma- 
 homed Khan was ascribed. 
 
 Gholam Khan, Popalzae, who was the first 
 of those at Kabul to declare in the Shah's 
 favour, was in close correspondence with us. 
 He had induced several persons in Kabul, and 
 the Kohistan, and towards the Logar country, 
 
306 SHAH ZADA YEHIA. 
 
 to adopt the cause of the Shah. Emissaries 
 were also sent to secure the fidelity of those 
 people, and to tell them that they were to 
 wait a little longer, when they should at once 
 revolt in the Shah's favour. One of these 
 emissaries was Shah Zada Yehia, of the Sad- 
 dozae family. He is an intelligent young 
 man, and who, with his family, had, as I have 
 noticed, lately effected his escape from Kabul 
 and joined Prince Taimur, his cousin, on our 
 way, at Jehlam. Gholam Khan proposed that 
 he should be sent to the Kohistan, where the 
 deputation of a Shah Zada would in his 
 opinion be considered an honour done to them 
 by the Kohistanis and excite a rebellion among 
 them. He was sent to them in disguise, and, 
 having to pass through a hostile country, was 
 exposed to many hardships and dangers to 
 avoid discovery. On his arrival he became 
 the guest of Shadad, the son of Mazulla Khan, 
 a powerful chief in that quarter, who had been 
 well affected to the interests of the Shah, and 
 some years ago murdered by Dost Mahomed. 
 It was owing to these direct measures and the 
 
ARRIVAL OF GENERAL VENTURA. 307 
 
 exertions of our emissaries that the Kohistanis 
 revolted and advanced to meet the Shah on 
 his approach to Kabul. 
 
 On the 13th inst. General Ventura arrived 
 from Lahore by express. He was requested 
 by Ranjeet Singh to assist in arranging mat- 
 ters between the Mission and Nao Nihal 
 Singh for the fulfilment of the tripartite 
 treaty; and his arrival gave us every hope of 
 the Mahomedan contingent being soon col- 
 lected, in which we were not disappointed. 
 His intimate knowledge of the friendship ex- 
 isting between the two Governments, and the 
 character and disposition of the different par- 
 ties on whose co-operation we were dependent, 
 enabled him to fulfil his master's injunctions 
 to produce that force better than any one else 
 who could have been employed ; and Lis con- 
 trol over the troops, as well as influence with 
 the Sirdars, made his presence valuable to us 
 as long as he remained. Jemadar Khoshal 
 Singh, Raja Golab Singh, and Lehna Singh, 
 were said to have arrived at Naoshehera, and 
 Nao Nihal Singh was also soon expected. 
 
308 NEWS FROM KABUL. 
 
 General Ventura promised to visit the latter to 
 expedite the production of the contingent. 
 
 14^. — The news from Kabul announced the 
 arrival at that place of an express Qasid from 
 Candahar, bringing a letter for the Amir from 
 his brothers, who are reported to have informed 
 him by that opportunity that he was to con- 
 sider that letter as their last, as they had 
 heard of the near approach of the Shah, and 
 urged the Amir to send them a reinforcement 
 with the least possible delay, otherwise their 
 destruction was certain. Dost Mahomed ex- 
 pressed his inability to comply with their re- 
 quest, on the plea that his subjects were 
 already in arms against him ; and recom- 
 mended them to meet the Shah once in the 
 field, and if they suffered a reverse, to confine 
 themselves in the fort and make a resolute de- 
 fence. Mr. Harland, an American, in the ser- 
 vice of the Amir, and lately absent at Qoon- 
 duz, was said to have been seized and confined 
 in Kabul on suspicion of being a spy of Shah 
 Shuja. Abdal Sami Khan, the secretary of 
 the Amir, for whose return he had been ex- 
 
DOST MAHOMED'S PROCLAMATION. 309 
 
 ceedingly anxious, to secure the fidelity of the 
 Gholam Khana people, had soon followed 
 Akram Khan with the rear of the Qoonduz 
 troops. Hafizji was still engaged in deceiving 
 the people to give a loan to the Amir to sup- 
 port the expenses of the war, but without 
 success. 
 
 It was also reported that some days before 
 Dost Mahomed had collected all the Mullas 
 and religious men of the city, and told them, 
 by a solemn oath on the Koran, that he would 
 not prevent any person from joining the Shah, 
 who wished to go, as he was .not a tyrant ; but 
 that, if any one deserted him or his son in the 
 time of battle, his family were to be seized and 
 his property forfeited ; and then he w r ould 
 be exempt from blame, as he informed them 
 beforehand. The Amir had no other object 
 in view by addressing the Mullas so solemnly, 
 than to impress on the minds of his people a 
 good intention and love of justice on his part, 
 and thereby to excite them to Jehad, or a 
 religious war; but his endeavours were still of 
 no use. 
 
310 VIEW OF THE KHAIBAR PASS. 
 
 On the 15th one of the sentries of the 
 Ghoorka battalion on duty in our camp 
 stopped two chupars, or mounted messengers, 
 belonging to the Mission, which created a 
 great disturbance, but was fortunately quelled 
 without any serious consequences.* 
 
 16^. — Sir Claude Wade, accompanied by 
 General Ventura, went again to the tope on 
 the other side of Takal, which he had before 
 visited with General Avitabile, to take a view 
 of the entrance of the Khaibar pass; as the 
 Sikh officers were impressed with a belief that 
 the occupation of Khaibar would be attended 
 with impassable difficulties; while Colonel 
 Wade from the beginning had been of the 
 
 * " The persons whom Colonel Wade usually employs 
 as spies are his choopars, or mounted messengers, who dis- 
 guise themselves inimitably; and it was only the other 
 day that two returned from a successful visit to Jalalabad, 
 whither they had gone dressed, or rather undressed, as 
 faqirs; for I believe they were not encumbered with 
 many clothes. Most of these men are wild and daring 
 fellows, apt to quarrel, and by no means slow at drawing 
 their weapons, especially when their opponents are either 
 Sikhs or Hindus." — Barr's Journal, p. 281. 
 
LEVIES. 311 
 
 opposite opinion, and wished to explain his 
 plans to General Ventura. Had he only had 
 an efficient force on which he could have 
 depended, he felt assured that he could have 
 taken Ali Masjid at first ; but the misfortune 
 was there were then no regular troops. 
 
 The 17th and 18th were employed in in- 
 specting the levies raised for the service of the 
 Shah Zada and completing them with separate 
 establishments of camp equipage, ammunition, 
 &c. The cause of our delay at Ali Mardan 
 Khan was chiefly on account of the formation 
 and equipment of these levies. They were 
 formed into two battalions of eight companies 
 each, and Lieutenant Dowson and Ensign Hil- 
 lersdon were incessantly employed in com- 
 pleting them. The formation of another party 
 of cavalry and infantry, to form a part of the 
 Shah Zada's guard, was assigned to Lieu- 
 tenant Maule, who had besides charge of a 
 small mortar and howitzer sent by General 
 Court, and also of the camel-swivels, &c. 
 aided by Lieutenant Barr. 
 
 The enrolment, payment, and organisation 
 
312 LEVIES. 
 
 of the Durrani Sowars into something like an 
 efficient body of cavalry was managed by 
 Mr. Lord, who had previously raised a rissala 
 of irregular horse, well armed and clothed 
 alike in uniform. These preparations were 
 indeed attended with constant labour and vex- 
 ation, and it was some time before they were 
 brought to completion. The party of the 
 Durrani Sowars amounted altogether to about 
 a thousand men, who, from their independent 
 habits and pride, gave more trouble than any 
 one else. Many more offered, but it was ne- 
 cessary to fix a limit and pick out the best, as 
 they were very expensive. 
 
 Besides these levies there were about two 
 hundred Khaibaris, the residue of those who 
 had been discharged the other day, who were 
 placed in charge of Wahab and Slimo, the 
 Kaki Khail Maliks living near Jamrud for a 
 particular service. There were also about four 
 hundred Terah people. These constituted the 
 whole amount of our levies. # 
 
 * " Most of the mornings and evenings were now occupied 
 in admitting volunteers into the service of the Shah Zada ; 
 
THE COMMISSARIAT DEPARTMENT. 313 
 
 Some time was employed in collecting suf- 
 ficient supplies also for the consumption of the 
 camp : though nothing was wanted at present, 
 as the bazar, now consisting of no less than a 
 hundred shopkeepers, supplied all our wants ; 
 yet, in case of emergency, we could not depend 
 solely on them. The difficult and tedious task 
 of collecting these supplies, of keeping the 
 accounts, and of performing every duty of the 
 
 and so many Durrani horsemen presented themselves to be 
 enrolled, that it became necessary to select only those 
 whose steeds and arms were better than of ordinary de- 
 scription. Several chiefs who came for this purpose, 
 attended by their clansmen, formed fine specimens of the 
 rude and predatory soldier ; their manly and tall figures 
 being generally enveloped in the folds of a crimson chogah 
 embroidered with gold, which, opening in front, display a 
 crimson band studded with pistols and knives, or an arm 
 protected by a steel gauntlet which reached to the elbow, 
 and was terminated at the hand by a flexible glove of chain 
 rings. To Maule and myself fell the lot of instructing 
 some dozen and a half of individuals in the British method 
 of gunnery ; and our crew consisted of a most motley 
 group, enlisted by twos and threes, as we could collect 
 them, the basis of the set being formed by three deserters 
 from Dost Mahomed Khan, to each of whom the Colonel 
 gave dresses of honour as an inducement for others to 
 follow their example." — Barr's Journal, pages 268, 269. 
 
 P 
 
314 DISTRACTIONS AT KABUL. 
 
 Commissariat, was managed by Lieutenant 
 Cunningham ; and the active and regular way 
 in which he performed it deserves the greatest 
 praise. Every one in camp had plenty to do 
 from morning to night. 
 
 On the 19th inst. further accounts were 
 received of desertions and distractions from the 
 enemy. The Kabul merchants, fearing that 
 the Amir, having failed in procuring money 
 by peaceable means, would now employ force, 
 were said to have retired to the hills, where 
 they could find themselves and their wealth 
 safe and out of the reach of Dost Mahomed 
 Khan. He was left now to depend entirely on 
 his own resources. 
 
 Letters were again received from Gholam 
 Khan Popalzae, &c, urging the expediency of 
 despatching agents to other parts of the Ko- 
 histan and Zurmut for the purpose of raising 
 the people. He stated that they were already 
 in a state of disaffection towards the actual 
 ruler, and required only the presence of 
 the Shah's agents to excite them further 
 and to make decisive efforts in his favour. 
 
ORDERS FOR LAHORE. 315 
 
 Gholam Khan's wish had been in part anti- 
 cipated. 
 
 Mulla Jabbar, the bearer of Gholam Khan's 
 letter, a native of Kohistan, and in full confi- 
 dence with some of its chiefs, was soon re- 
 manded to that quarter with letters from the 
 Shah Zada and Sir Claude. A sign was also 
 given to the emissaries, both there and in 
 Logar, by which the leading men were to act 
 in communication with Gholam Khan, who 
 left Kabul and joined Shah Zada Yehia in the 
 Kohistan. 
 
 20th. — The repeated applications which had 
 been made to the Maharaja for the production 
 of his Mahomedan force were followed by 
 successive orders to the Sikh officers with his 
 army on the Indus, directing each of them to 
 draft every Mahomedan from their corps, with 
 the exception of the infantry which had already 
 been furnished by the French officers and a 
 party of their cavalry ; yet no increase had 
 been made. Kour Nao Nihal Singh had, 
 however, arrived at Naoshehera, where a con- 
 fidential servant attached to the Mission was 
 
 p 2 
 
316 VISIT FROM GOLAB SINGH. 
 
 deputed to meet him, and to remind him 
 of the suggestion for the continuance of the 
 Sikh army on the left bank of the Indus ; that 
 we were waiting with anxiety for the com- 
 pletion of the contingent to the requisite 
 number, and trusting that he himself would 
 come to Peshawr. 
 
 General Ventura, who went out yesterday to 
 meet the Kour, had returned with every assur- 
 ance that the remaining part of the force 
 would be provided without delay ; but he could 
 not tell how long we might yet have to wait 
 for them, as they had to be drafted from so 
 many regiments. 
 
 2lst. — To-day Colonel Wade received a visit 
 from Raja Golab Singh, accompanied by Di- 
 wan Hakim Rae, the principal functionary of 
 the Kour. They had been sent by him to 
 consult Sir Claude as to his intentions, and 
 their wish for the advance of the Sikh army to 
 an intermediate position between Attok and 
 Peshawr, to which the Colonel would not yet 
 consent. 
 
 From the fourteen Sikh regiments encamped 
 
LETTER FROM MORAD BEG. 317 
 
 on the Indus we were led to expect that there 
 would be about two thousand Mahomedans, 
 and being well disciplined were considered of 
 much more value than double the number of 
 irregulars. 
 
 The arrival of Lieutenant Mackeson was now 
 looked for with great anxiety. He had been 
 desired to come to Peshawr, in order that Sir 
 Claude Wade might have the advantage of 
 communicating personally with him before he 
 proceeded to the execution of the duty assigned 
 to him. 
 
 22nd. — A letter was received from Mir 
 Morad Beg, the Kundooz chief, in reply to one 
 addressed to him lately by Mr. Lord. A reply 
 was also received by the same opportunity to 
 the letter of the Governor-General, sent through 
 the same channel. The Uzbeck chief regarded 
 the destruction of Dost Mahomed Khan's 
 power with satisfaction, as with it he hoped the 
 conquest made by his son in that quarter 
 would cease. 
 
 Intelligence was also received from Bokhara, 
 giving information of the arrival of Colonel 
 
318 COLONEL STODDART. 
 
 Stoddart at that place ; but that owing to some 
 disagreement between him and the King of 
 Bokhara, the Colonel had been put in con- 
 finement, since which it was not known what 
 had become of him. We became very de- 
 sirous to learn something farther regarding 
 that officers fate. It was stated that the 
 ruler of Bokhara had lately despatched a mis- 
 sion to Russia, and that the Colonel was se- 
 verely treated. 
 
 Our accounts from Ali Masjid are that there 
 are now about a hundred Jazaelchis inside the 
 fort, while four or five hundred are encamped 
 outside on the Nala below its walls, who were 
 living in temporary tents. The camels which 
 had transported supplies and some swivels from 
 Jalalabad had been sent back there, were said 
 to be only seven Sowars in the whole party — 
 two or three hundred more Jazaelchis were 
 soon expected. The commanders of the party 
 were Mahomed Shah Ghilzae and Sharif Khan, 
 two well-known Sirdars, officers in the Amir's 
 service. Forty Jazaelchis were also stationed 
 at Kafirtangi, the bye path to Ali Masjid ; but 
 
NEWS FROM CANDAHAR. 319 
 
 they remained there only during the day, and 
 retired to the fort at night. 
 
 On the 23rd news was received from Can- 
 dahar that the chiefs of that place having 
 failed in their hopes of getting reinforcements 
 from Dost Mahomed Khan, had called on the 
 Western Ghilzae chiefs, Abdurrahman Khan 
 and Gul Mahomed Khan, the son of Shah- 
 abuddin Khan, who are at the head of about 
 twelve thousand families, residing near Makur, 
 to join the Sirdar against Shah Shuja, who 
 they said was coming with the avowed resolu- 
 tion to conquer the country of Islam for the 
 Kafirs. Besides these arguments the Candahar 
 chiefs offered them also a sum of money to 
 assist them in their preparations ; but they had 
 not yet succeeded in obtaining their alliance. 
 
 The alarm of Dost Mahomed Khan in- 
 creased with the nearer approach of the Shah 
 towards Candahar. He was said to have nearly 
 discharged all the Popalzae Durranis from his 
 service, because they were distrusted, and sup- 
 posed would desert him when the time for 
 action came ; but he scarcely anticipated any 
 
320 FORCE OF AKBAR KHAN. 
 
 danger at such a juncture from Qazalbashes, 
 or the Gholam Khana, in whom he had long 
 confided as his friends. 
 
 The chief Sirdars with Mahomed Akbar 
 Khan were Sadat Khan, Mahomed Alam 
 Khan, Orakzae, and the Arbabs of Peshawr. 
 There were besides about two thousand Jazael- 
 chis directly paid by the Sirdar, who were 
 commanded by Nawaz Khan and Aziz Khan, 
 the Ghilzae chiefs, as well as by the cousin of 
 the late Ismael Khan, Wardak and Faqir Ma- 
 homed Khan, Rahik. Each of these persons 
 had five hundred men. The artillery con- 
 sisted of seven horse and six foot pieces of 
 ordnance, as well as two large rifles, which were 
 drawn by horses and planted on a bastion. 
 Two of these pieces were made of wrought 
 iron, and the rest cast in brass. Shah Ma- 
 homed, a native of Hindostan, was the com- 
 mander of the artillery. The gunners were 
 also natives of that country, and ten men were 
 allowed to each gun. Besides the artillery the 
 young Sirdar had twenty-five swivels ready 
 for use. A party of two hundred and fifty 
 
ADVICE OF ATA MAHOMED. 32 1 
 
 Sowars formed his body-guard, which consisted 
 chiefly of the people of the Gholam Khana. 
 
 The above was the whole strength of Ma- 
 homed Akbar's force, exclusive of the pea- 
 santry, of which he could collect about three 
 thousand fighting men. The news from Kabul 
 was still favourable. Dost Mahomed Khan 
 one day went to the blind old chief Ata Ma- 
 homed Khan, Bamizae, to ask his sage advice, 
 saying that he was in such perplexity that he 
 had neither rest by day nor sleep by night. 
 Ata Mahomed advised him to make peace, 
 which the Amir said his honour prevented him 
 from doing. Ata Mahomed then observed, 
 " It is proper that you should remain in Kabul, 
 as a stone remains firmer in its own bed ; but 
 send your sons in every direction to meet the 
 enemy*" 
 
 Since the return of the Qandaz troops, Dost 
 Mahomed Khan has contemplated to send a 
 reinforcement to support his brothers at Can- 
 dahar; but his advisers opposed the scheme, 
 and suggested the concentration of his troops 
 at Kabul. 
 
 p3 
 
322 FURTHER EFFORTS TO JOIN 
 
 April 24. — Lieutenant Mackeson had not 
 yet arrived, and we were waiting for him. In 
 consequence of our inactivity the friends of 
 the Shah on the side of Bajour, having too 
 early thrown off the mask, the state of affairs 
 in that quarter has not been so satisfactory, 
 as in the country south of Khaibar ; but 
 every endeavour was made to counteract the 
 designs of the enemy and establish that in- 
 fluence on both sides of the pass without which 
 the advance of the Shah Zada becomes verv 
 difficult. 
 
 We were earnestly engaged also in bringing 
 the Khaibaris to terms, but we have not yet had 
 the satisfaction of doing so. Abdurrahman, 
 the head of the Kuki Khail tribe, as well as 
 Alladad Khan and Faeztalab Khan, the head 
 of the Zaka Khail tribe, were the first parties 
 with whom the negotiations were renewed. 
 They were once more offered a confirmation 
 of their present rights and the continuance of 
 the allowance which they enjoyed from Dost 
 Mahomed Khan, besides a certain number of 
 khilats to the Maliks and Reshsafeid (or white- 
 
THE KHAIBAR CHIEFS. 323 
 
 bearded people who assist in Jirga or consulta- 
 tion), if they would declare the authority of 
 the Shah in their own tribes, and expel the 
 garrison from Ali Masjid. At first they seemed 
 to agree to the terms, but afterwards they 
 gave reins to their avidity, and were likewise 
 deceived by other Khaibar chiefs. As usual, 
 they asked an exorbitant sum, which, of course, 
 was refused ; first, on that account ; and, 
 secondly, because it would reflect disgrace in 
 these countries on the character of the British 
 nation (which has so firmly established their 
 name for military skill and bravery), to yield 
 to a race of robbers. 
 
 It should be mentioned that the Kuki Khail 
 people were paid three thousand rupees by the 
 Sikh Government for supplying water to the 
 fort of Fatehgarh, and a jaghir of fourteen 
 thousand rupees per annum was held by Sadat 
 Khan in the Doaba of Peshawr on the part of 
 the same government. As both parties had 
 proved themselves so hostile to us, and ac- 
 cording to the treaty the enemy of one state 
 was to be considered as the enemy of the other, 
 

 324 THE KUKI KHAIL PEOPLE PUNISHED. 
 
 their stipends and allowance were requested to 
 be stopped. Ranjeet Singh readily agreed to 
 the measure, otherwise it would have been 
 affording means to the enemy to fight his own 
 friends.* 
 
 * " Lieut. -Colonel Wade finding, from the rapacity of 
 Abdur Rahman Khan and his party, who occupied the 
 pass on the side of Peshawr, that it was difficult to come 
 to terms with them, and that, while seeking to open a 
 negotiation with him, he was sending agents to some of 
 the officers in the Sikh service, principally to stipulate for 
 the payment of the water supplied to the garrison of Fat- 
 tehghur, as well as with a view of intrigue, that officer 
 deemed it proper to inform him, that if he could not 
 accept his terms with a certain time, his agents would be 
 directed to withdraw. At the same time he spoke to the 
 Maharaja's officers, who were aware of his desire to gain 
 over Abdur Rahman, and stated to General Avitabile that 
 the treaty with the Shah having left the provision of the 
 water to the fortress, and the expenses attending it to 
 his Majesty's Government, he would himself become 
 responsible for the future regulation of that point. Find- 
 ing that they could not carry on a separate negotiation 
 with the Khaibaris, without risking the success of those 
 which were confided to Lieut.-Colonel Wade, and that 
 his injunction was promptly supported by a similar one 
 from Ranjeet Singh himself, the officers then broke off 
 their communication with Abdur Rahman." — United Ser- 
 vice Magazine for 1842, p. 481. 
 
MOVEMENTS OF TURA BAZ KHAN. 325 
 
 The son of Sadat Khan Momand, having 
 retired from Machni, applied for the assist- 
 ance of his father. That chief, however, did 
 not join him readily, but assisted him in send- 
 ing a party of his Oolus, with which the 
 young man was now thinking to come down 
 again to the plains, when Tura Baz Khan and 
 Nawab Khan Pindiali were provided with 
 means to secure the services of their Oolus, 
 and despatched to defend that frontier. At 
 the same time Nawab Khan and Mahomed 
 Sadiq Khan, &c, who were encamped at 
 Machni, and had now been joined by other 
 partizans, were directed to form a junction 
 with Tura Baz, while Mir Alam Khan of 
 Bajour was informed of the despatch of these 
 leaders, and requested to afford ready aid to 
 them whenever required. Tura Baz Khan's 
 instructions were that, after beating the enemy, 
 he was to advance to Naowaghi, which he was 
 to attack on the east, while the Bajour chief 
 was to make a diversion in his favour on the 
 west. 
 
 On the approach of Tura Baz and his party, 
 
326 HE IS ATTACKED AND 
 
 young Sadat Khan retreated, on which the 
 former continued advancing, and stationed 
 himself at a place called Garang, about seven 
 kos distant from Naowaghi to the east. When 
 information of the meditated attack on Nao- 
 waghi reached Mahomed Akbar, he ordered 
 Sadat Khan, the father, to proceed to that 
 quarter. In the mean time Tura Baz Khan 
 invited the Bajour chief to attack Naowaghi ; 
 but he did not attend to his request, nor did 
 he make any movement to join him, stating 
 that his Oolus was not yet collected. Every 
 exertion was made by Mr. Carron, a British 
 agent, who had been employed by Mr. Lord 
 with Mir Alam, to stir him from his lethargy, 
 but in vain. 
 
 He was, it is said, privately gained over by 
 Sadat Khan, who, meanwhile, attacked Tura 
 Baz, when a sharp skirmish took place be- 
 tween them. At first the latter gained some 
 advantage ; being overpowered, however, in the 
 end, by the superior numbers of the enemy, 
 who were about this time joined by the Nao- 
 waghiman, and being deserted by Nawab 
 
DEFEATED BY SADAT KHAN. 327 
 
 Khan and Sadiq Mahomed Khan, Tura Baz 
 was obliged to retire to Pindiali, where he 
 halted a few days to collect and refresh his 
 men, and endeavoured to get some succour 
 from Bajour or Machni, but still without 
 effect. His faithless brothers, no doubt, saw 
 another pretender in Tura Baz to the rule of 
 the Momand tribe, and had accordingly been 
 persuaded by Sadat Khan that his rise would 
 defeat their own interests. They had been 
 well treated by the Shah Zada, but they 
 wanted the spirit and firmness of their brother 
 in the hour of trial. Deceived in them, and 
 receiving no support on the side of Bajour, the 
 latter defended himself as well as he could. A 
 few days afterwards, however, Sadat Khan re- 
 turned to the attack, and after firing a few shots 
 and throwing stones from a height overlooking 
 the camp (a mode of warfare generally used in 
 these hills), he and his people rushed down and 
 closed with Tura Baz, who, finding himself 
 completely defeated, and his force diminished, 
 partly by deserters and partly by the wounds 
 which his men had received, retreated to a 
 
328 ARRIVAL AT PESHAWR OF 
 
 place of safety towards the outside of the pass, 
 where he remained until he was reinforced 
 from our camp.* Sadat Khan, after establish- 
 ing his authority in Naowaghi, returned to 
 Lalpura. These reverses may be entirely as- 
 cribed to the pusillanimous behaviour of the 
 Baj our chief, and the treachery of Nawab Khan 
 and Sadiq Mahomed Khan, the half brothers of 
 Sadat Khan, who, ashamed of their conduct, 
 asked to be forgiven, and did not continue long 
 with the enemy ; but they were not allowed to 
 rejoin the camp. 
 
 In the mean time Kour Nao Nihal Singh, 
 accompanied by Raja Golab Singh, Sirdars 
 Attar Singh Sindhanwalia and Lehna Singh 
 Majithia, arrived at Peshawr, while Jemadar 
 Khoshal Singh had been left at Naoshehera in 
 charge of such of the Maharaja's troops as had 
 crossed the Indus, while the main body of the 
 army, consisting, besides three regiments of 
 
 * " The chief brunt of the action fell upon fifty Jazael- 
 chies from Dowson's levies ; but many of them met their 
 deaths, and the wounded were a few days afterwards brought 
 into our camp in a most pitiable state." — Barr's Journal, 
 p. 297. 
 
KOUR NAO NIHAL SINGH. 329 
 
 cavalry and fourteen battalions of infantry, of 
 about fifty pieces of artillery, remained halted 
 on the left bank of the river by the order of 
 his Highness. That part of the Sikh troops 
 which had crossed consisted of some of the 
 Maharaja's Ghorcheras; the personal troops of 
 the Kour and of the Sirdars who attended him. 
 These were estimated at about ten thousand 
 men, viz. five battalions of infantry, and five 
 thousand irregular horse, with about twenty- 
 five pieces of artillery. 
 
 On the 20th of April the Mission paid Nao 
 Nihal Singh a visit of ceremony, in the course 
 of which no conversation of any importance 
 occurred. The place being crowded with 
 people, Sir Claude Wade did not discuss any 
 matters of business. Among those present 
 was Sirdar Sultan Mahomed Khan, to whom 
 Nao Nihal Singh turned and said that he had 
 asked him to establish a communication with 
 Candahar, to procure news from that quarter, 
 but that the Sirdar had reminded the Kour of 
 the pledge he had given the Maharaja to hold 
 no correspondence with his brothers, either at 
 
330 THE MISSION VISITS HIM. 
 
 Kabul or Candahar, and asked the Lieutenant- 
 Colonel whether he should employ Sultan 
 Mahomed to effect his object, or do it by 
 his own means. That officer agreed in the 
 force of the objection stated by the Sirdar, and 
 recommended the Kour to employ his own 
 agents, though there might be no harm in 
 Sultan Mahomed Khan providing him, as the 
 Kour said he had offered to do, with expe- 
 rienced messengers, which his connexion with 
 the intervening country would probably enable 
 him to do better than others. The Kour, how- 
 ever, was informed that he himself would be 
 held responsible for the employment of the 
 Sirdars agency in any way, to which he 
 agreed, and said that he would station two 
 moonshees on the road to Candahar, and hoped 
 soon to be in the receipt of regular and rapid 
 intelligence from that place about which both 
 himself and the Sirdars began to betray some 
 anxiety, which we also felt, having only once 
 heard from Mr. (afterwards Sir William) Mac- 
 naghten, the envoy and minister with the Shah 
 since our departure from Lahore. No other 
 
HIS MESSAGE TO THE CAMP. 331 
 
 point worthy of notice transpired, and the 
 Colonel took leave.* 
 
 On our return to camp the Kour sent word 
 that he was not empowered to execute any im- 
 portant affair without the Maharaja's permis- 
 sion ; a discovery of his real views which, after 
 all that had been done by the Governor-Gene- 
 
 * " Colonel Wade having intimated that it was his desire 
 to pay the Prince a visit* in the evening, the Sirdar Lehna 
 Singh, with three elephants and a large train of horse- 
 men, was sent to conduct him to the darbar tent, situated 
 about four miles distant. At six p.m., attended by a large 
 escort, and all his officers in full uniform, the Colonel left 
 camp, our cortege forming no inconsiderable body, in- 
 creased as it was by the presence of the Sikh Sowarree. 
 On nearing the royal tents, where a large assemblage of 
 troops, comprising artillery, cavalry, and infantry, was 
 drawn up, the soldiers presented arms, and the batteries 
 fired a salute. At the entrance to the darbar court a 
 deputation, consisting of General Ventura and a party of 
 nobles, received the Colonel, and conducted us to the 
 chiefs, who advanced to the edge of a white cotton carpet, 
 and shook hands with Wade, who afterwards introduced 
 us. On extreme left sat Rajah Golab Singh, one of the 
 best of Ranjeet's officers, and second in command. Next 
 in order was Sultan Mahomed, brother to Dost Mahomed 
 Khan, the Amir of Cabul, but at enmity with him, in- 
 creased, I believe, by the latter having retained one of his 
 favourite wives." — Barr's Journal, pp. 273-4. 
 
332 THE MAHOMEDAN CONTINGENT. 
 
 ral in the presence of Ranjeet Singh, at Lahore, 
 and the letters which had from time to time 
 been written to his Highness, on our way, 
 and since we came to Peshawr, was very pro- 
 voking. No time was lost, however, in de- 
 spatching a letter to the Maharaja to remind 
 him of the necessity of investing the Kour 
 with full powers, as the terms of his engage- 
 ment with his Lordship demanded, which he 
 immediately granted ; and at length, after 
 much vexation and delay, these letters and 
 remonstrances had the desired effect. The 
 Mahomedan contingent was produced, the best 
 portion of which was that selected from the 
 French legion, amounting to six companies, 
 and formed into a separate battalion, besides a 
 selection of about fifteen hundred men, which 
 was made from the army of reserve encamped 
 on the left bank of the Indus, under General 
 Teij Singh ; of these, two more battalions 
 were formed. A party of matchlockmen was 
 provided also by Sirdar Lehna Singh, Majithia, 
 and some Kohistanis were sent in addition 
 from Lahore, by Ranjeet Singh, from an idea 
 
THE MAHOMEDAN CONTINGENT. 333 
 
 that they would prove useful in our hilly 
 warfare. The only thing now wanting to 
 complete the force was artillery, a proper 
 quantity of ammunition and stores, and an 
 officer to command the whole ; which caused 
 further delay. Including two battalions of 
 Najibs, and the one of Ramgol, there were 
 now altogether six battalions. The whole of 
 the infantry, regular and irregular, amounted 
 to five thousand two hundred and eight men, 
 the cavalry to one thousand and sixty-seven, 
 and gunners and swivelmen to one hundred ; 
 making a total, including the escort, of six 
 thousand two hundred and seventy-five men 
 from the Sikh Government. The Lieutenant- 
 Colonel applied to have each battalion fur- 
 nished with two pieces of horse artillery, and 
 ten swivels for the irregular horse, which might 
 be of use where guns could not be taken. His 
 Highness now promptly gave orders for the 
 provision of everything, and M. La Font, one 
 of General Ventura's subordinate officers, was 
 appointed specially to command their infantry. 
 When these preparations were completed, it 
 
334 OFFER OF GENERAL VENTURA. 
 
 was reported that Dost Mahomed Khan in- 
 tended to detach a part of his force, under the 
 command of one of his sons, towards Canda- 
 har. As it had been stipulated that, in case 
 such a movement should be made, the Sikhs 
 were to support the Shah Zada, and to lay siege 
 forthwith to the fort of Ali Masjid, the Kour 
 was asked to hold his force in readiness for 
 such an event. General Ventura, being also 
 consulted, readily offered his services, and said 
 that, agreeably to his masters order, his own 
 corps was the first to be employed, but that 
 the views of the darbar and the Sirdars were 
 not strictly the same as his own. He was 
 assured that by the agreement made with the 
 Maharaja, the Sikhs were undoubtedly bound 
 to aid us when we advanced beyond their 
 frontier, and to act in cordial concert with the 
 Shah Zada in the capture of Ali Masjid. The 
 General replied that he would look at the 
 tre s aty, and prepare his own corps, if author- 
 ized, to proceed with the Prince. Mucli dis- 
 cussion then took place with Kour Nihal Singh, 
 as to the extent of assistance to be given by 
 
NECESSAEY PRECAUTIONS. 335 
 
 his Government, which ended in a promise 
 from him to hold a part of the Sikh army in 
 reserve to support our advance in case of any 
 reverse. 
 
 It was deemed necessary that every precau- 
 tion should be taken before leaving the Pe- 
 shawr frontier, to secure the execution, on the 
 part of the Sikh Government, of the prelimi- 
 naries required to be performed by them. 
 
 Being apprehensive, not only from the state 
 
 of the Maharaja's health, which now began to 
 
 be very precarious, but from the secret desire 
 
 of some of his Sirdars to impede our progress 
 
 in order that we might be left to ourselves, 
 
 that the object of our expedition might be 
 
 defeated, no means were omitted from the first 
 
 to keep the Sikhs to their engagements. By 
 
 those not present to judge of our difficulties it 
 
 might be thought that Sir Claude Wade was 
 
 more urgent than necessary in calling their 
 
 attention to them : but the delay which had 
 
 been experienced at Lahore, even in the trifling 
 
 matter of completing the personal escort of 
 
 the Shah Zada to the proposed strength ; and 
 
336 INJUNCTIONS OF THE MAHARAJA. 
 
 his experience of the inactivity and reluctance 
 of the Sikhs in such matters; convinced the 
 Colonel that it was only by a continued reiter- 
 ation of his demands, and by letting the Ma- 
 haraja see, in plain but conciliatory terms, 
 that any omission might risk the benefits to be 
 derived by him from the tripartite treaty, that 
 there was any chance of moving him to an 
 energetic support of our operations, or of re- 
 straining his people from interfering to prevent 
 the execution of his orders. 
 
 At the same time it was desirable by such a 
 decisive course to let his Sirdars also see the 
 possible injury they might themselves do to 
 their master's interests and credit with the 
 British Government, and the result showed 
 the correctness of these arguments ; for no 
 sooner had Sir Claude been compelled to place 
 the subject in its true light before the Maha- 
 raja and his officers than he issued the most 
 peremptory injunctions to them to complete 
 the contingent, and give us every other aid 
 in their power. 
 
 Now everything was ready to commence 
 
DANGER OF DOST MAHOMED. 337 
 
 operations. Had we proceeded without these 
 preparations and the assurance of being sup- 
 ported by the Sikh army held in reserve on 
 the Attok, the Prince, as well as the British 
 detachment, might have been exposed to that 
 hazard which was directed above all things to 
 be avoided, and we might at the same time 
 have exhibited the singular spectacle of being 
 powerless, either for attack or defence, with 
 the army of a declared ally at hand. 
 
 On the 3rd of May we received another 
 letter from Gholam Khan, reporting the state 
 of affairs at Kabul. The position of Dost 
 Mahomed Khan was represented to be more 
 dangerous than before; that the people had 
 become impatient to declare their adherence 
 to the Shah ; and that strong declarations of 
 support had been received from the Kohistanis, 
 on whose defection every reliance was to be 
 placed. By the same letter a correspondence 
 was also said to have passed between Ranjeet 
 Singh and Dost Mahomed Khan, but there 
 was no proof of its truth. 
 
 The next day the arrival of the Shah at 
 
 Q 
 
338 HIS EXERTIONS. 
 
 Candahar was confidently reported and gene- 
 rally believed in Peshawr. A letter was also 
 received from Nawab Jabbar Khan in reply to 
 the one which had been written to him, invit- 
 ing him to come to Peshawr. The Nawab 
 appeared unwilling to come, but expressed the 
 readiness of the Amir to acknowledge the su- 
 premacy of the Shah, provided he would remain 
 at Shikarpore, where one of his sons should 
 be in perpetual attendance on His Majesty ! 
 We were surprised to receive such overtures at 
 a juncture when the Shah was supposed to 
 have reached Candahar. The bearer of the 
 Nawab's letter, Mahomed Qasim, was there- 
 fore dismissed with a mere acknowledgment of 
 its delivery. 
 
 Further accounts had been received from 
 Kabul announcing that great and active exer- 
 tions were making by Dost Mahomed Khan to 
 raise the population of Kabul to join him in 
 resisting the Shah as a religious merit. Every 
 report now bore concurrent testimony to the 
 sense which he entertained of the desperate 
 nature of his situation. Failing in his own 
 
OCCUPATION OF CANDAHAR. 339 
 
 resources, and his attempts to conciliate the 
 affections of his people, it appeared that he 
 was anxious to guard against the probability 
 of a conspiracy to seize him, and be allowed to 
 retire from the country in safety, as he dreaded 
 an insurrection on the one hand, and was sen- 
 sible of his inability on the other to resist the 
 combined attack directed against him from 
 without. He was well aware that he could 
 not leave Kabul without the consent of the 
 people, or he would expose himself and family 
 to insult and injury ; and it was the general 
 opinion that he wanted to make his escape in a 
 quiet manner. It was said also that the people 
 of Kabul, rather than subject themselves and 
 their families to the horrors of a foreign in- 
 vasion, would seize the Amir, and deliver him 
 up to the Shah.* 
 
 On the 7th of May, we were highly rejoiced 
 by the receipt of information from Kabul and 
 Jalalabad of the occupation of Candahar by 
 Shah Shujah, assisted by the army of the 
 Indus, on the llth of the Mahomedan month 
 * These events actually came to pass. 
 
 Q2 
 
340 MOVEMENTS OF AKBAR KHAN. 
 
 Saffer, corresponding with the 27th of April, 
 1839 ; and that the Sirdars of that place had 
 fled to Persia. 
 
 Having every reason to trust to the accuracy 
 of the report, the event was proclaimed by a 
 salute from the British and Sikh artillery in 
 our camp, and congratulations were poured 
 from every one in the city of Peshawr to the 
 Shah Zada. The news was likewise conveyed 
 to Nao Nihal Singh, who declared his satis- 
 faction by ordering a salute from the Sikh 
 artillery under his command ; and the city of 
 Peshawr was illuminated by his orders in the 
 evening. A darbar was also held on the 
 occasion by the Shah Zada to receive the con- 
 gratulations of his adherents and of the mem- 
 bers of the Mission. Studious endeavours 
 were made by the enemy to conceal the fact, 
 and, in consequence, the report reached us two 
 days later than it ought to have done. Ma- 
 homed Akbar Khan was said to have imme- 
 diately engaged himself in selling his grain at 
 a cheap rate, which circumstance was regarded 
 as a proof of his intention to fly. It was sup- 
 
WANT OF A SIKH COMMANDER. 341 
 
 posed that Dost Mahomed intended to follow 
 the steps of his brothers of Candahar, and to 
 retire to Persia via Hazara or Kundooz. 
 
 Letters were addressed to various quarters in 
 Afghanistan, informing our friends of the fall 
 of Candahar, mentioning the immediate inten- 
 tion of the Shah Zada to advance, and inviting 
 them to join him on his way. 
 
 8th.-— We now began to prepare to move to 
 Takal, a place four kos distant to the west ; but 
 before we did so, the presence of a competent 
 officer to command the Sikh force was sen- 
 sibly felt, as Colonel Wade, who had hitherto 
 looked after their troops alone, could hardly 
 attend to them and his other important duties 
 at the same time with satisfaction ; conse- 
 quently when Nao Nihal Singh paid him a 
 return visit, that measure was urgently pressed 
 on his attention. The Kour proposed to refer 
 to the Maharaja, but was told that, as we were 
 about to move, there was no time for such a 
 reference to Lahore ; that his Highness would 
 no doubt sanction the Kour's nomination, who 
 then said that he would send his answer in the 
 
342 DIFFICULTY OF OBTAINING ONE. 
 
 morning. Accordingly, on the morning of the 
 9th of May, I was directed to wait on the 
 Kour, and express to him the desire of the 
 Lieutenant-Colonel for his decision. The 
 Kour at first declared that he had no power to 
 appoint an officer; but proposed to direct 
 General Ventura to join the force, pending the 
 sanction of the Maharaja : but that in the mean 
 time he could not proceed farther than Takal, 
 to which place our camp had now moved. 
 The Kour was informed that, in that event, 
 the presence of a commanding officer with our 
 camp was of little more use than if he re- 
 mained at Peshawr ; that he ought to give us 
 credit for requiring no more than we were 
 entitled to ask by the terms of the treaty. 
 These arguments changed the mind of the 
 Kour ; and, after consulting his courtiers, he 
 said that, although he could not take the re- 
 sponsibility of nominating one solely on him- 
 self, yet if Sir Claude Wade would give him 
 a letter of assurance in the name of the Ma- 
 haraja, he would comply with his wishes. I 
 assured the Kour that the Colonel would 
 
FALSE RUMOURS. 343 
 
 make no objection to such a reasonable request, 
 and reported the matter to that officer, who 
 readily agreed to it, and a letter to the effect 
 desired was given to the Kour. So this simple 
 affair was at last settled after long discus- 
 sions, and an officer joined the camp the 
 following morning. The above will fully illus- 
 trate the objections which the Sikh officers 
 raised in every instance to accede to our requi- 
 sitions. 
 
 The occupation of Candahar by the Shah 
 was not believed by the Sikhs until the fact 
 was confirmed by reiterated proofs. They said 
 that the public announcement of that event by 
 the Shah Zada and the Mission was merely a 
 political act to secure or raise the Afghans in 
 favour of the Shah. Disgraceful rumours of the 
 total defeat of his Majesty and the British 
 army were studiously spread among the people. 
 I heard several declare that the Shah had been 
 killed, and that his remains had arrived in our 
 camp, where they had prudently been con- 
 cealed to prevent any defection. However? 
 time cleared away all these gloomy clouds, and 
 
344 A MUTINY OF 
 
 the people were soon convinced of their de- 
 ception. 
 
 Before leaving our last ground, I omitted to 
 mention a mutiny which broke out in the 
 Najib corps* They ejected their commandant, 
 
 * "A mutiny occurred in the Najib regiment, which 
 but too plainly showed how slight was the discipline 
 that existed among the Sikhs, and very forcibly exhibited 
 to us the qualities of the allies who are to co-operate with 
 us when required. I have already alluded to the little autho- 
 rity possessed by Colonel Jacob over his men. They had 
 now become altogether dissatisfied with him, and taking the 
 law into their own hands, had turned him and his adjutant 
 out of their camp, levelled their tents with the ground, 
 and declared they would have nothing more to do with 
 either of them. As a mark of respect for their Colonel 
 they inverted his chair on the spot where he usually sat, 
 and then, having shotted their guns, quietly awaited the 
 results of their misconduct. Dislike to the officers they 
 had thus summarily got rid of, want of pay, and the unfair 
 manner in which they had been sent to Peshawr (their 
 present appearance in this province being the third within 
 a very short period), were amongst the alleged causes of 
 grievance ; but, to show they had no ill-will towards us, 
 they planted their sentries as usual at sunset ; and when 
 directed to parade by Colonel Wade did so at once. He, 
 however, told them they could no longer form a part of 
 his camp ; and in a few days they removed from their 
 ground, I believe, to the Sikh cantonment." — Barr's 
 Journal, pp. 270, 271. 
 
THE NAJIB CORPS. 345 
 
 a country-born European, Mr. Jacob Thomas, 
 the son of the celebrated officer of the same 
 name in Sindhia's service, and said that they 
 would not serve under him, as he abused and 
 ill-treated them. They stood to their arms 
 and performed the duties of camp as usual, but 
 would allow no one to enter their lines or 
 interfere with their mutinous conduct. The 
 Ghorchera Sowars also treated the kotwal of 
 our bazar in an insulting manner, because he 
 had prevented them, according to the regu- 
 lations of the camp, from distilling spirituous 
 liquors on the Afghan frontier, as it was con- 
 sidered very offensive to these people. Their 
 leaders, Pir Doulat Khan and Jalal Khan, 
 Bhatti, the latter a very rude and boisterous 
 fellow, were summoned to Sir Claude's tent 
 to explain their conduct. They came in a 
 large body, well armed and with their pieces 
 or matchlocks loaded ; on seeing which, they 
 were prevented by the sentry from entering the 
 inclosure of the receiving tent. The poor 
 sentry was knocked down, and they entered 
 the tent, when, observing their excited state, 
 
 Q3 
 
346 THE HINGLEADERS SEIZED. 
 
 the Colonel declined holding any conversation 
 with them, and ordered them back to their 
 quarters. These occurrences were brought to 
 the notice of Nao Nihal Singh, and in two or 
 three days peace was restored in both parties, 
 viz., the Najibs and the Sowars, by putting the 
 ringleaders into confinement; which was a 
 great relief to us, as the former were encamped 
 close to our tents, and we could not move out 
 of them without passing their sentries.* 
 
 10th, llth, and 12th. Camp, TakaL — On 
 hearing of our further advance, Mahomed 
 Akbar advanced also to Chahardeh, a village 
 
 * " On the 9th of May our camp was moved to a spot 
 of ground just beyond the deserted village of Takal, which 
 is situated about eight miles to the west of Peshawr. The 
 right front of our position was formed by the ruins of the 
 Badshah's tope ; one of those singular constructions which, 
 like that at Manikiala, are attributed to Alexander the 
 Great, or his immediate successors. As it had been con- 
 fidently asserted on all sides, that as soon as ever we took 
 up a position at Takal the Khaibaris would attack us in 
 force, every precaution that is necessary to guard against 
 a surprise has been put into requisition, and it is now his 
 orders that the subaltern officer of the day shall go the 
 rounds twice during each night." — Bart's Journal, pp. 
 290, 291. 
 
OUR ENCAMPMENT. 347 
 
 midway between Dhaka and Jalalabad, to 
 encourage the Khaibaris, and had stationed 
 his troops along the line of the road. Dost 
 Mahomed Khan, on being informed of the 
 diversions which were to be made by the 
 troops with the Shah Zada in three different 
 directions, resolved also to abandon his design 
 of detaching any of his force towards Can- 
 dahar. 
 
 Our present ground of encampment, lying 
 between the village of Takal and a ruined 
 Grecian tope similar to that at Manikiala, 
 was confined, and besides the two camps, 
 the Sikh auxiliary force of Mahomedans and 
 our own were intermixed, and caused much 
 confusion ; in consequence of which, on the 
 13th instant, the Shah Zada moved to Koulsir, 
 about a mile off to the westward, while the 
 Sikhs occupied the ground close by, their left 
 flank resting on the village of Safeid Dheri.* 
 
 * " On the 13th we marched to Koulsir, a mile and a 
 half in advance of our position at Takal ; but the Sikhs 
 remain on their old ground. In front of our new en- 
 campment, an arid and stony plain, seemingly unspotted 
 
348 LIEUT. MACKESON JOINS THE CAMP. 
 
 Our ground was very rugged and uneven, the 
 crops having been only just cut down ; and it 
 was divided by several aqueducts and mounds, 
 which took some time before they were cleared 
 off by our party of bildars or pioneers. Small 
 wooden bridges were also made by them over 
 these canals, to cause a free communication in 
 the whole camp ; and as we were now in front 
 of the pass, and likely to remain here a long 
 time, some heights and an old tower near our 
 camp were fortified, and parties of jazaelchis 
 placed in them. 
 
 On the day we reached the last ground we 
 were joined by Lieutenant Mackeson, who 
 arrived alone, leaving his levies and camp at 
 Kohat ; but he was afterwards directed to send 
 for them, and was retained with us to supply 
 the place of Mr. Lord, who, on account of ill 
 health, had been allowed to return to Peshawr. 
 
 by a single patch of cultivation, extends to the base of the 
 Khaibar range, whilst directly before us the white citadel 
 of the Sikh fortress of Fatehgarh is occasionally to be 
 seen through the thick haze, and marks the entrance to the 
 celebrated pass." — Barr's Journal, pp. 293, 294. 
 
PLAN OF THE KHAIBAR PASS. 349 
 
 The diversions which were to have been con- 
 ducted by these officers were therefore assigned 
 to others. 
 
 The want of a plan of the Khaibar Pass had 
 been exceedingly felt, and we remained in ex- 
 treme ignorance of the topography of it from 
 any authentic source. It was therefore ar- 
 ranged on the 15th of May, that General 
 Ventura, accompanied by Lieutenant Macke- 
 son, should reconnoitre its entrance, which, 
 together with a native map kindly supplied by 
 General Court, in a degree obviated the want 
 of a plan. Colonel Wade was prevented by 
 sickness from accompanying them. 
 
 It has been already stated that Tura Baz 
 Khan and Nawab Khan, Piudiali, having re- 
 tired from that place and taken shelter in the 
 Alamzae tribe, were about to be attacked there 
 also by the sons of Sadat Khan and Khalid 
 Khan Khosta ; but the latter were prevented 
 from attempting such a measure by the 
 Alamzae people, who, on the well-established 
 rule of hospitality, would not allow their 
 guests to be molested. When these altercations 
 
350 A PARTY OF TROOPS 
 
 were pending between the two parties, Tura 
 Baz and Nawab Khan applied for reinforce- 
 ment ; and as to draw off the attention of the 
 enemy from the side of Khaibar before we 
 advanced was considered of great importance, 
 Shah Zada Mahomed Saleh, one of the sons of 
 Shah Zada Hashim, was sent on the part of 
 Prince Taimur by the circuitous route of 
 Gandab, with a detachment consisting of four 
 hundred horse, twenty foot, ten swivels, and a 
 party of jazaelchis from the corps of Lieutenant 
 Dowson and Ensign Hillersdon, with orders 
 to make the best of their way to Bajour and 
 rejoin us on our advance to Jalalabad. The 
 Shah Zada was also accompanied by the son 
 of Mir Alam Khan of Bajour, Sayed Nizam 
 Uddin, the elder son of Sayed Babajan of 
 Kuner, who after the captivity of his father 
 had taken refuge in the Bajour territory, and 
 Gul Mahomed Khan, Mutti Khail, as well as 
 some other Arbabs. The first three indivi- 
 duals were likewise requested to collect about 
 one hundred foot and fifty horse each from 
 their respective oolus, for which they were to 
 
DETACHED TO BAJOUft. 351 
 
 be paid by the Shah Zada. This party was to 
 proceed via Shabqadar, situated near the hills 
 opposite the entrance of the Gandab Pass, to 
 support Tura Baz Khan and Nawab Khan in 
 the execution of the enterprise on which they 
 had been despatched. Mir Alam Khan had 
 already proved himself unworthy of reliance 
 by withholding his assistance ; but as he had 
 excused himself for not doing his duty by 
 ascribing his failure to the dilatory conduct of 
 his oolus in assembling, a further trial of his 
 fidelity was considered politic. Another letter 
 was therefore addressed to him on the present 
 occasion, intimating the approach of Shah 
 Zada Mahomed Saleh, accompanied by his 
 own son, and informing him of the strength of 
 the party which he was required to maintain, 
 and to support the prince either by his own 
 presence or otherwise, as might be deemed 
 expedient. 
 
 Mr. Carron, the British agent at Bajour, was 
 also desired to join Shah Zada Saleh on his 
 approach to the frontier of that territory, and 
 was to co-operate with him in any way that 
 
352 INSTRUCTIONS TO MR. CARRON. 
 
 might be essential to secure the success of this 
 expedition, both by the advice which his know- 
 ledge of the affairs of that quarter would enable 
 him to offer, and by the example of his personal 
 energy and exertions in any military operations. 
 Mr. Carron was also informed that his imme- 
 diate duty on joining the camp would be to 
 take charge of the two companies of infantry, 
 which were to be soon after increased to two 
 more; that he was also to superintend the 
 Bazar, and to give the Shah Zada every in- 
 formation and assistance in his power. 
 
 With respect to the Naowaghi chief, the 
 Shah Zada was 'instructed to require from him 
 a restitution of the property seized from the 
 envoys, as formerly stated, and a declaration 
 of his allegiance to the Shah : at the same 
 time a letter was written to Shah Zada Murid 
 Ahmed of Sawat, who had already arrived at 
 Bajour, to excite the people, desiring him to 
 join Mahomed Saleh. This man proved him- 
 self very zealous in supporting the Shah's 
 cause. 
 
 On the arrival of Mahomed Saleh at Shab- 
 
ILL-HEALTH OF MR. LORD. 353 
 
 qadar he was soon joined by Tura Baz Khan 
 and Nawab Khan, Pindiali ; also by Dilasa 
 Khan of Machni ; his brothers, Nawab Khan 
 and Mahomed Sadiq Khan were at his request 
 also permitted to join him, to prevent them, 
 as he said, from joining the enemy and creating 
 more disturbance ; and to encourage them they 
 were desired to collect two hundred men each 
 from their tribe, for whom they were to be 
 paid. They soon set about the business, while 
 Mahomed Saleh engaged himself in completing 
 other arrangements connected with the expe- 
 dition. 
 
 It had been originally designed, as mentioned 
 before, to have deputed Mr. Lord with the 
 Shah Zada on this duty, and his presence at 
 Bajour at the present time was considered 
 highly desirable; but his health prevented 
 him from proceeding. Every reliance, how- 
 ever, was put on the intelligence of Shah Zada 
 Mahomed Saleh, and the personal exertions 
 of Mr. Carron, lo effect the object entrusted 
 to them. 
 
 In these preparations we were occupied for 
 
354 MEETING OF THE GOORKHAS. 
 
 several days, during which a mutiny broke out 
 in the Goorkha battalion, which, together with 
 the Najibs, were now encamped with the Sikh 
 Mahomedan contingent. They were very in- 
 solent to General Ventura, and left the camp, 
 taking with them the two guns belonging to 
 the Najibs.* 
 
 * " We had not been established many days at Koulsir 
 when we received intimation that the Goorkhas, who now 
 formed part of General Ventura's camp, had mutinied. It 
 appeared that the general had been compelled to place 
 their adjutant in confinement for misconduct ; and as he 
 was a favourite with the regiment, his imprisonment was 
 regarded by the soldiers in anything but a favourable light. 
 In the course of the day they unanimously resolved to 
 release him by force ; and to effect their purpose proceeded 
 in a large body to the quarter-guard of the Najeeb bat- 
 talion, where the prisoner was lodged, and demanded his 
 enlargement. This was refused ; and Ventura, happening 
 to come to the spot at the time, determined to repel force 
 by force, and ordered his Goorcherras and guards to load. 
 The Goorkhas, perceiving him to be resolute in his inten- 
 tions, abandoned their design, and returned to their tents, 
 which they soon after struck, and, with colours flying and 
 band playing, marched out of camp, taking along with 
 them two guns that were attached to the Najeeb regiment. 
 No attempt was made to molest them in this, nor were 
 they prevented from moving to Peshawr, where they took 
 up a position not far from the walls of the fort, and where 
 
NEWS OF SHAH SHUJA. 355 
 
 25th May. — We heard that Shah Shuja had 
 sent his tents in advance of Candahar to the 
 fort of Azim Khan, and that it was intended 
 to establish a post at Kelat-i-Ghilzae, a com- 
 manding position on the Ghilzae and Durrani 
 frontiers, between Ghazni and Candahar. It 
 was supposed that the intended advance of the 
 Persians against Herat had prevented the 
 British army from advancing immediately on 
 Kabul. Owing to these reports it was deter- 
 mined to await the receipt of further advices 
 from the camp of the Shah, thinking it pro- 
 bable" that the whole British force might not 
 be able to move at once on Kabul ; but a due 
 regard for the support of our influence re- 
 quired that we should without delay improve, 
 as far as our imperfect means would admit, the 
 efficiency of the Shah Zada's own force, in 
 order that he might be better prepared to act 
 either offensively or defensively, as circum- 
 
 they were permitted to remain in a state of open mutiny, 
 without any attempt being made to overawe them, whilst 
 a report of their conduct was sent to the Maharaja at 
 Lahore."— Bart's Journal, pp. 294, 295. 
 
356 FRESH LEVIES. 
 
 stances might demand. Colonel Wade, there- 
 fore, commenced raising another battalion of 
 levies, the formation of which, from the scarcity 
 of officers, he was obliged to commit to Captain 
 Ferris, who, in addition to his numerous other 
 duties, had been appointed Quarter-Master- 
 General of our force. Lieutenant Mackeson 
 and Mr. Lord, also, were directed to complete 
 the levies of horse which they had raised to 
 five hundred men each, besides two or three 
 companies of jazaelchis. The increase of the 
 levies was considered more advantageous than 
 squandering away the public money on chiefs 
 who could not yet separate themselves from 
 Dost Mahomed Khan, whose power over 
 them, in consequence of the long delay at 
 Candahar, and of the Shah Zada at Peshawr, 
 had not apparently been so much shaken as 
 had been believed, by the capture of the former. 
 Failing in his attempt to raise the people by 
 preaching a religious war, he now began to 
 announce to them the advance of the Persians 
 and Russians against Herat, which kept his 
 people still doubtful as to the course he in- 
 
HOSTILITY OF THE KHAIBARIS. 357 
 
 tended to adopt. A few days after we had 
 arrived at Koulsir a foraging party from the 
 Sikh camp was attacked near the entrance of 
 the pass by the Khaibaris, who carried off 
 some of their camels and killed two or three 
 grass-cutters ; in consequence of which the 
 Colonel sent for Wahab Malik, and desired 
 him to occupy with his party the old deserted 
 fort of Jumrud in front of Shadi Bagiar, the 
 path by which the Khaibaris used to come out. 
 Finding the outlet closed against them, they 
 came down one night to attack the post : 
 several men were killed on both sides ; but 
 Wahab, being reinforced by another friendly 
 tribe, retained his position and did good service 
 until we were prepared to advance. To keep 
 the Khaibaris at a distance, the Durrani horse 
 were directed to send a strong patrolling party 
 along the hills every night, and pickets were 
 thrown further out. On one occasion they 
 came so near those of the Sikhs that they were 
 mistaken for enemies ; and before they had 
 time to answer the challenge a volley was fired 
 at them from the Sikh picket, which wounded 
 
358 LETTER OF AKBAR KHAN 
 
 some men arid horses. To avoid the repetition 
 of such accidents, the Sikh force moved to a 
 position four or five miles off on the road to 
 Choora. 
 
 About this time a letter, which had been 
 addressed by Mahomed Akbar to a chief 
 named Duria Khan, in the Peshawr territory, 
 was intercepted by one of the Arbabs of Takal, 
 named Amir Khan, and delivered to Sir 
 Claude. The translation of it which follows 
 will give an idea of the arts adopted by the 
 enemy to excite the people. Duria Khan is a 
 rebellious chief, and much harasses the Sikhs. 
 
 After compliments — 
 
 " I have received your letter, and am aware 
 of your valour and your devotion to our re- 
 ligion. May the blessing of God be upon you ! 
 The affairs of Candahar, about which you ask, 
 are as follows : — when the execrable tribe (the 
 English) had reached Candahar, Haji Kakar, 
 proving himself a Kafir, and forgetting all his 
 former duty and services, deserted to the enemy, 
 which has caused extreme dismay ; and the 
 Candahar Sirdars, having no alternative, were 
 
TO DURIA KHAN. 359 
 
 obliged to turn themselves towards Girishk 
 and Nadir Ali (the ancient fortress of the 
 Barakzae family), while they themselves with 
 their followers have encamped on the banks of 
 the Helmund river. The infidels have thus 
 got possession of Candahar ; but the servants 
 of the Amir are now collecting forces from all 
 quarters, and stirring up the people around 
 them for their entire extermination. The men 
 also of Turkistan and the Ghilzaes are pre- 
 paring to fight for the faith. From the men 
 of Iran and Roos (Persia and Russia) also, 
 certain intelligence of their approach has come ; 
 and these Nazarenes (Christians) at Candahar 
 are in a state of the greatest anxiety, and well 
 nigh their wits' end, seeing they are about to 
 be attacked from every quarter. At the same 
 time Shah Zada Kamran has applied to this 
 ill-omened tribe for aid to protect Herat against 
 the Russians. When the Firangis at Can- 
 dahar saw affairs taking this turn, they wrote 
 off to their own country for reinforcements; 
 but we trust in God that the heat will now 
 prevent the arrival of any new troops, and that 
 
360 LETTER OF AKBAR KHAN. 
 
 those who are here will be ruined and de- 
 stroyed. With this object in view the Amir is 
 now actively employed ; and whenever Ma- 
 homed Shah (the King of Persia) approaches, 
 he also will advance. The Firangis now in- 
 tend to fortify themselves in Candahar. May 
 God confound these enemies of his religion, 
 and make their faces black ! The people of 
 Islam on all sides are up in arms, and from 
 the Hotki and Tokhi tribes (between Candahar 
 and Ghazni) fifty or sixty thousand men have 
 already assembled and addressed the Amir to 
 send his army. He has accordingly ordered 
 off Mahomed Afzal Khan with three thou- 
 sand horse and ten guns, that he may speedily 
 raise the country about Kelati Ghilzae, and 
 Makhoor, and extirpate the infidels, and enrich 
 himself by their spoils. To-day I also, with my 
 victory-gaining troops and lightning-darting 
 artillery, am here encamped at Chardeh. If 
 all is well, be sure of an early arrival in your 
 quarter, for which be prepared, and send me 
 intelligence of what is going on there, and of 
 your own welfare." 
 
INTENSE HEAT. 361 
 
 I am not aware of any answer having 
 been returned by Duria Khan ; but such was 
 the course which the ruling family of Kabul 
 adopted after the fall of Candahar. However, 
 the people were now too wide awake to be 
 hoodwinked and deceived by the Amir or his 
 sons ; on the contrary, several overtures had 
 been made to Lieut -Colonel Wade by the 
 Durrani leaders with Mahomed Akbar to come 
 over to the Shah Zada on receiving assurances 
 that they would be employed by his father on 
 the same terms on which they then served 
 Dost Mahomed Khan ; but the roads between 
 our camp and them were so strictly guarded, 
 that it was difficult to carry their wishes into 
 effect, and only one or two of them came over. 
 Towards the end of May the heat in camp had 
 become very severe, and many fell sick ; the 
 thermometer in tents rose to 110°, and we all 
 began to dig holes, and live in them like so 
 many foxes.* 
 
 * A variety of expedients were adopted to mitigate the 
 effects of the desperately hot weather ; some of the officers 
 excavating the earth beneath their marquees ; others 
 
 R 
 
362 DOST MAHOMED SENDS 
 
 On the 5th of June intelligence was received 
 of Dost Mahomed's sending off his family on 
 the road to Kholam. He delivered all his 
 
 having only one half of the area dug out, by which means 
 a change of temperature was to be obtained ; whilst a few 
 constructed apartments under ground, at the depth of 
 seven or eight feet. For myself, I preferred the simple 
 canvas with a tatter (khus-khus, screen -wetted), although 
 much warmer ; but there was a dampness in the Sard- 
 hhanas (cool apartments) which in my opinion is not 
 wholesome, and I also dislike the feeling of moisture that 
 invariably clung to the dress after sitting in one for any 
 length of time. F., whose tent was pitched opposite to 
 mine, had built one of these " vaults for the living," on 
 the most approved principles, and was sitting in it, on a 
 certain sultry day, transacting the affairs of his company 
 with his subahdar and havildar, when down came the 
 whole fabric on the top of them, the beams, as they fell, 
 fortunately taking such directions as completely saved 
 them, if not from destruction, at least from broken limbs. 
 I heard the crash, and immediately ran over to assist ; 
 but on reaching the spot, I became convulsed with laugh- 
 ter at the appearance of the gallant captain, who, being a 
 stout man, had perspired freely, and dust from off the 
 clay roof had stuck to his face and plastered it as if with 
 a coating of mud : not a feature was to be distinguished ; 
 and beside him stood the subahdar, a poor, withered- 
 looking old man, who seemed as if he was just issued from 
 a baker's shop. 
 
HIS FAMILY FROM KABUL. 363 
 
 jewels and other valuables to the care of Ma- 
 homed Akbar Khan's mother, his favourite 
 wife. They separated with feelings of great 
 grief and sorrow. This circumstance con- 
 vinced us that the Amir was positively deter- 
 mined on his flight, which proved to be true in 
 the end. 
 
 From the present time to the 6th of August 
 Sir Claude Wade was engaged in establishing 
 his posts at the mouth of the pass in advance 
 of the Sikh frontier, and in keeping Sadat 
 Khan, who had entered the plains near 
 Machni, in check, while Shah Zada Mahomed 
 Saleh was advancing with his force by Nao- 
 wagi towards Bajour, and the Sayeds of Tirah 
 were desired to create a diversion in that 
 quarter. As I remained in camp with the 
 Shah Zada while these operations were carried 
 on, I am not able to describe them from my 
 own observation ; and even had I been present 
 I am sure that I could not do justice to them. 
 I therefore hope that I shall be excused for 
 supplying my own deficiency by inserting the 
 description given of that important part of the 
 
 r2 
 
364 LIEUT. BARR'S JOURNAL. 
 
 expedition from the very interesting and ex- 
 cellent journal published by Lieutenant Barr, 
 which has been sent to me from England by 
 my friend Mohan Lai, and from which it will 
 be observed that I have taken many notes to 
 illustrate my own imperfect diary, which I 
 hope that good gentleman will excuse. 
 
( 365 ) 
 
 Chapter XIV. 
 
 Preparations for advancing — Supply of Water stopped — 
 Stockades erected — General Sickness — Death of Ranjeet 
 Singh— Skirmishing near the Pass — Action with Sadat 
 Khan — Sir C. Wade obliged to go to Koulsir — An 
 Affray between the Mussulmans and Sikhs near Jamrud 
 — Return of Sir C. Wade — His Force — Ill-feeling of 
 the Sikhs to the British Power — Enemies to be en- 
 countered. 
 
 " Preparations were at length made that bore 
 some indications of a speedy advance being 
 contemplated. The levies under Lieutenant 
 Dowson and Ensign Hillersdon were con- 
 sidered sufficiently au fait at their exercise to 
 admit of their joining with the British troops, 
 and taking part in the general duties of the 
 camp. The artillery were busy in constructing 
 ammunition-boxes, to be carried on the backs 
 of mules, and in practising the mounting and 
 dismounting of ordnance from the backs of 
 elephants; and, above all, an advanced camp 
 
366 SANGAS. 
 
 was formed beneath the walls of Fattehgarh ; # 
 and sangas, or rude breastworks of stones, were 
 thrown up on the more commanding positions 
 near the entrance of the pass. These rough 
 pieces of fortification, so close to their own 
 haunts, proved very offensive to the inimical 
 
 * " Considering that with reference to the probable date 
 of the departure of the Shah from Candahar, and the de- 
 claration of the Khaibar chiefs that they would give hos- 
 tages of their good faith when we appeared in the vicinity 
 of Jamrud, and that it was desirable to endeavour to ascer- 
 tain what the intentions of Mahomed Akbar Khan were, 
 in the event of a demonstration to force the pass, it ap- 
 peared to the Lieutenant-Colonel advisable that no further 
 delay should take place in occupying the entrance to the 
 pass in some strength. He proceeded therefore to the 
 spot himself, and lost no time in erecting two stockades, 
 supporting one another, commanding the principal en- 
 trance to the pass, and securing at the same time a com- 
 munication with the Sikh garrison in Fattehgarh, where 
 he formed an encampment of the troops which had been 
 placed at his disposal by the Maharaja specially for service. 
 On the following day he erected two other stockades, 
 which gave complete possession of the entrance, and left 
 Lieutenant Mackeson, with his levies added to the force 
 already there, in charge of the post, visiting the ground 
 occasionally himself." — United Service Magazine for 
 1842, p. 482. 
 
JAMRUD. 367 
 
 Khaibaris, who soon evinced a disposition to 
 get rid of them ; and, on the 9th, came down 
 in some force with an apparent intention of 
 making an attack. Maule, however, having 
 sent a few shells from a 5J inch mortar, arrested 
 their progress ; but the fellows fired well and 
 true, one of their bullets passing between him 
 and Mackeson, and knocking the turban off 
 the head of the latters moonshee, who was 
 standing close to them. 
 
 " On the 10th I relieved Maule at Jamrud, 
 and took there a 6-pounder gun of the Alowalia 
 Raja's, in case an opportunity should occur of 
 getting a few long shots. Ferris accompanied 
 me. There was no appearance of the enemy 
 when we arrived; but as the evening ad- 
 vanced, first one head, and then another, and 
 another,, became visible on the heights in 
 front; until, at length, a small body of jazael- 
 chis from Ali Musjid had collected there. 
 The dread of the shells, however, kept them 
 at a distance ; but they commenced firing at 
 us with their long rifles, and one of their 
 bullets passed over our heads without commit- 
 
368 PRICE OF WATER. 
 
 ting any damage. Shortly after, as night was 
 closing in, and our foes had decamped, we re- 
 turned to the fort of Fattehgarh, where we 
 slept. 
 
 " Early on the following morning Colonel 
 Wade rejoined us from Koulsir, where he had 
 been for a couple of days ; and, on his arrival, 
 we rode to the mouth of the pass for the pur- 
 pose of erecting another sanga on the right 
 bank of the stream, or rather bed of the stream, 
 as the Khaibaris had turned the water into 
 another channel, because the Colonel had re- 
 fused to pay some exorbitant tax they required 
 for allowing it to flow. Ranjeet Singh is com- 
 pelled to give 1200 rupees a month for the 
 little of the 'pure element' that is required 
 for the use of the garrison at Futtehgarh ; and 
 if the money is delayed beyond the stipulated 
 day of settlement, the stream is instantly 
 stopped, which no doubt proves a certain re- 
 medy for the cure of dilatory payment. At 
 the new sanga we were occupied till past eleven 
 o'clock, when the heat of the sun drove us to 
 our camp. 
 
BATTLE-GROUND AT JAMRUD. 369 
 
 " Our fortifications in front of the pass now 
 consisted of four redoubts, three on the left 
 bank and one on the right, the latter of which 
 commanded the entrance, and also afforded a 
 good cross-fire to the most advanced of those 
 on the opposite side. The largest and most 
 elevated in situation was in the centre, and 
 was occupied by a strong body of friendly 
 Khaibaris. The other sangas were occupied 
 by picked men from Dowson's and Hillersdon's 
 regiments, with a few of Lieutenant Mackeson's 
 Multanis. Amongst the neighbouring hills 
 we saw some deserted villages, or rather apo- 
 logies for such, of the Khaibaris, consisting 
 merely of caves dug in the earth, in the most 
 rude manner, or as would be seen in the most 
 savage countries. The site of the battle- 
 ground where the gallant Harri Singh lost 
 his life was pointed out to us, as well as the 
 remains of the fort of Jamrud, near to which 
 the encounter took place. Little, however, 
 beyond a confused-looking mound is to be seen 
 of the latter, it having been demolished soon 
 after the fatal action, and the stronger and 
 
 r3 
 
370 ILLNESS OF SIR C. WADE. 
 
 more substantial castle of Fattehgarh erected 
 in its stead. 
 
 " We again slept within the walls of the for- 
 tress, our beds being ranged side by side on the 
 roof of a building in its interior, to which we 
 climbed by an indifferently constructed ladder. 
 We were joined here by the * Goroo,' or 
 priest of the place, whose apartment was on 
 a level with our quarters, and who, with the 
 greatest coolness in the world, dragged his 
 char-paee, or bedstead, close to ours, and 
 stretching himself on the top of it, was soon 
 in a snore. With nothing but the canopy of 
 heaven for a curtain, we were as cool as it 
 was possible to be at Jamrud, in the middle 
 of summer, or, in other words, we found it 
 unpleasantly warm ; and to add to our griev- 
 ances, the fatigues which the Colonel had gone 
 through at the sanga, brought on fever, from 
 which he suffered considerably during the 
 night. The next morning I accompanied him 
 to Koulsir, where he had a smart attack : but 
 the terrible heat to which we were exposed 
 was already telling upon most of our constitu- 
 
DEATH OF RANJEET SINGH. 371 
 
 tions. Captain Farmer had been laid up at 
 Peshawr, and was seriously ill for some days ; 
 Rattray followed, and was for weeks on the 
 sick list. Corfield has been so extremely ill, 
 that he is to return to the provinces with 
 General Court, whenever that officer proceeds 
 to Lahore with his brigade. Lord has suf- 
 fered so much from fever and ague that he 
 has been compelled to take up his quarters 
 in General Avitabile's house at Peshawr, 
 where he is not so much exposed to the 
 weather. Lieutenant Cunningham, too, has 
 had an attack of fever and been bled ; and 
 some out of the few that remain have also 
 been complaining. 
 
 " On the 2nd of July, official information was 
 received of the death of the Maharaja Ranjeet 
 Singh, who, after a long struggle with life, 
 quitted this world on the evening of the 27th 
 ultimo, bequeathing his kingdom to his eldest 
 son, Kharak Singh, and the famous diamond, 
 the * Kohinoor,' or ' hill of light,' to the 
 temple of Juggernath, besides distributing 
 above forty lacs of rupees in charity, a few 
 
372 HIS SUCCESSOR. 
 
 days before his death.* As soon as he had 
 ceased to breathe, the chief sultana took the 
 hand of Dhian Singh, the vizier, and inserting 
 it into that of Kharak Singh, the new sove- 
 reign, she placed them in that position on the 
 breast of the corpse, and made them swear to 
 be faithful to one another, and to the late 
 Maharaja's wishes. I think it was on the day 
 following his decease that the body was burned, 
 and, melancholy to relate, no less than four of 
 
 * Ranjeet Singh being the only person in the Sikh 
 nation who was well disposed towards his allies in the ex- 
 pedition, his death before that part of it was carried out 
 which depended on their co-operation was a serious and 
 embarrassing event, as it encouraged the hopes of the dis- 
 affected, both among Afghans and Sikhs, of our failure. 
 Its first effect was to create a desire on the part of Nao 
 Nihal Singh, and the Sirdars and troops with him, to 
 hasten back to Lahore, where parties struggling for 
 ascendancy were beginning to form their intrigues. They 
 hesitated for a time between their inclination and duty, 
 but the latter prevailed. No sooner, however, had the 
 Shah Zada advanced than the whole of the reserve broke , 
 up their camp at Attok and marched in haste to Lahore ; 
 but the contingent, the command of which had now de- 
 volved on a Mahomedan officer, viz.. Sheikh Bassowan, a 
 colonel and brigadier in the French legion, remained 
 faithful to its post. 
 
OPERATIONS AGAINST SADAT KHAN. 373 
 
 his wives, and five or seven of his slave-girls, 
 voluntarily sacrificed themselves on the same 
 funeral pyre. 
 
 " A day or two subsequent to this, Wade and 
 Ferris proceeded to the neighbourhood of the 
 Kabul river, as our inveterate foe Sadat Khan 
 had been busily engaged in inciting the popu- 
 lation on its left bank to arm against us. On 
 the 6th, I joined them with a small Sikh 
 howitzer, escorted by a detachment of the 
 Shah Zada Taimur's body guard ; and as the 
 Colonel intended to commence operations that 
 day, and expected me at sunrise, I was obliged 
 to leave Koulsir at 2 a.m. I arrived in the 
 nick of time, as he had just assembled a 
 number of horsemen who were to accompany 
 us, and with whom we forthwith proceeded to 
 occupy a height which overlooks the river, 
 where it quits the Khaibar range, and enters 
 the plain of Peshawr. This view was ex- 
 tremely pretty, the stream, which was far below 
 us, being concealed every here and there by 
 the jutting points of projecting mountains, 
 with a few straggling villages on its left bank, 
 
374 PREPARATIONS. 
 
 fringed, in one or two places, with mulberry- 
 trees ; whilst in the middle of the channel a 
 black rock or two upreared their heads, and 
 broke the force of the current as it flowed 
 swiftly by, causing the water to be lashed into 
 a white foam, and which, as it receded from 
 the obstructions, gradually resumed its un- 
 ruffled appearance. The Momand country, 
 a mere succession of barren and rocky hills, 
 was to the north ; and to the south, and to the 
 east, the valley of Peshawr, over which were 
 spread tracts of cultivation, and clumps of 
 trees, bounded our view ; the high range of 
 the Khaibar mountains being to the west. 
 
 " The largest of the villages was pointed out 
 by Colonel Wade as that which he wished to be 
 shelled ; but it appeared to me beyond the 
 range of the small howitzer we had brought 
 with us : however, T arranged matters to make 
 a trial. Unwilling to commence hostilities, in 
 the hope that the people might yet be induced 
 to come in peaceably, the Colonel still deferred 
 proceeding to extremities, notwithstanding some 
 hours had passed by beyond that he had fixed 
 
SKIRMISHING. 375 
 
 as the limit of his forbearance. Presently ap- 
 peared a couple of horsemen, who were hailed, 
 and asked to join us. They replied only by 
 hurling a torrent of abuse. Ball after ball 
 was sent at them, and although I observed 
 one or two plough up the ground in front 
 of their horses' feet, they managed to escape 
 unhurt; and I was glad of it, as they had 
 displayed much coolness and daring. A party 
 on foot now descended the- hills on the oppo- 
 site bank, and commenced blazing away at 
 us ; but without effect, as we were beyond 
 the range of their matchlocks, though a few of 
 our rifles reached one of the boldest of their 
 set, who had crept to the water's edge, and 
 who would have paid dearly for his temerity 
 had he not been safely ensconced behind a 
 huge rock, upon which the bullets told. 
 
 " This desultory mode of skirmishing con- 
 tinued for some time, and on its ceasing Wade 
 ordered the remains of an old tower to be put 
 into a state of defence, and lodged a guard 
 there. He then proceeded with Ferris down a 
 narrow cut, which brought them to the margin 
 
376 EFFECT OF OUR SHELLS. 
 
 of the river, and opposite to a village, whose 
 inhabitants he previously had warned (in order 
 that the women and children might be sent 
 out of the way) would be attacked unless they 
 consented to acknowledge the Shah Zada. 
 As this cut was no gun road, I was obliged to 
 return by that we had come up, and which, 
 being in many places rather steep, compelled 
 us to have recourse to the drag-ropes, to pull 
 the ordnance over them. Whilst occupied at 
 one of these eminences, a few stray shots were 
 fired at us from the heights above, but did 
 no injury ; and in half an hour I rejoined 
 Colonel Wade. It was now necessary that 
 the gun should be advanced with much pre- 
 caution, to conceal it from a party of horse- 
 men, located beneath a tree contiguous to the 
 village ; and this having been satisfactorily 
 accomplished, the piece was laid and fired : 
 the shell falling in front of them, and bounding 
 onwards over their heads, exploded just beyond 
 their position. ' Sauve qui peut !' was their 
 cry, and away they scuttled to a place of safety 
 as fast as their legs could carry them. Another 
 
ALARM OF THE NATIVES. 377 
 
 shot, aimed at the largest house in the place, 
 plumped into the midst of it, and raised a 
 cloud of dust that took several minutes to 
 settle. Our attention was then directed to a 
 lofty tower, in which numbers of men had 
 taken refuge ; and whilst firing at this, a stray 
 shell happening to descend into a corner of 
 the village, turned out a number of individuals, 
 who proceeded at full tilt across a hill at its 
 back, and behind which another fell, and burst- 
 ing, drove out a number of women who had 
 taken shelter there, and who now, not knowing 
 where to hide themselves from the deadly 
 missiles, again sought refuge in their houses. 
 
 " The Colonel, unwilling to make an unne- 
 cessary sacrifice of life, but determined to show 
 his threats were not to be disregarded with 
 impunity, now ordered the firing to cease, and 
 we moved along the banks of the river until 
 we reached a small village, in front of which 
 the stream makes a considerable bend, thus 
 leaving an open space of ground, which 
 formed an eligible situation for an outwork. 
 A ditch and mound were forthwith dug and 
 
378 NATIVE MARKSMEN, 
 
 thrown up, but as there was nothing more for 
 me to do, I returned to camp, which was 
 pitched near a fortified enclosure, and which I 
 reached at five in the evening, having been in 
 the saddle, with scarcely any intermission, for 
 fifteen hours. I was, as may be supposed, con- 
 siderably well fagged, and, having had nothing 
 to taste since the preceding night, tolerably 
 nigh being famished, and glad to lay hold of 
 a biscuit wherewith to stay the cravings of my 
 appetite. At eight o'clock, Captain Ferris and 
 Colonel Wade having waited until the position 
 was entirely enclosed by a parapet and thick 
 brushwood, by way of an abattis where such was 
 required, came back, and told me that about an 
 hour after I had left, some marksmen had got 
 on to an island within range of their situation, 
 from which they blazed away, and killed one 
 man and wounded two others before they could 
 be dislodged. A strong guard was left to 
 defend the village and ground we had oc- 
 cupied.* 
 
 * From the raw levies and miscellaneous composition of 
 the Shah Zada's force, it was the invariable practice of the 
 
SKIRMISHING. 379 
 
 " A day or two afterwards, Ferris having con- 
 structed a very fair attempt at a battery in the 
 enclosure, we rode there in the evening, taking 
 with us the howitzer, and also a gun that had 
 been sent from the camp at Koulsir on the 
 Colonel's requisition. The left bank of the 
 river was on this occasion crowded with the 
 partizans of Sadat Khan, who was also said to 
 be present ; but they were wary, and kept 
 almost beyond the range of shot. A few 
 shells were sent at a building close to a 
 garden, which we saw with a telescope was 
 filled with men, who soon evacuated it ; and 
 a few shots from the six-pounder in the direc- 
 tion of Sadat Khan caused him and his train 
 to fall back and take up a more distant and 
 respectful position. Several marksmen again 
 crossed over to the island, and a few of their 
 bullets buried themselves in the parapet of 
 
 Colonel, in occupying a position, immediately to fortify it 
 by a stockade, behind which the men might find a security 
 the want of discipline could not supply. For that purpose 
 a large party of Bildars or pioneers always accompanied 
 every detachment, and the country being strewed with 
 stones, these defences were easily and quickly erected. 
 
380 COL. WADE VISITS KOULSIR. 
 
 the battery. Night put a stop to our prac- 
 tice, and we returned to our quarters. A 
 trench had been sunk and a breastwork thrown 
 up the previous day as a defence to the Shah 
 Zada Jamhur's camp, situated a short dis- 
 tance behind the enclosure with the battery, 
 and about a mile and a quarter in advance of 
 our own position. 
 
 " Urgent business now requiring Wade's pre- 
 sence at Koulsir, he left Ferris and myself in 
 charge of the camp near Machni, and as we 
 had the use of his khus khus tent, we contrived 
 to make ourselves tolerably comfortable in 
 spite of the intense heat. # 
 
 " Of an evening we used to ride over to the 
 Shah Zada Jamhur's camp, who was always 
 glad to see us, and generally produced a colla- 
 tion of fruit, which he partook of with us. We 
 then commonly adjourned to the banks of the 
 
 * The Sikhs had refused to despatch a reinforcement 
 which had been requested ; and it being the first occasion 
 on which their disposition to support the Colonel's opera- 
 tions had been practically put to the test, it was essential 
 that he should come to a definite understanding with Nao 
 Nihal Singh on so important a point. 
 
AN AFFRAY. 381 
 
 Kabul river, where, collecting a few fishermen, 
 we made them cast their nets into the water, 
 and in this manner caught numbers of fine fish, 
 chiefly of a species of trout. As we were re- 
 turning from these visits, we would often 
 amuse ourselves by trying the mettle of our 
 steeds against the speed of our escort, which 
 consisted of some thirty or forty horsemen ; and 
 invariably the jemadar of the troop, who was 
 mounted on a long gaunt racer, succeeded in 
 heading us all. 
 
 " During our sojourn near Machni we heard 
 of a serious affray that had occurred at Jamrud 
 between the Mussulmans and Sikhs. How the 
 quarrel commenced is not exactly known, but 
 the latter shut the gates of their fort ( Fatten - 
 garh), and set to firing briskly on their anta- 
 gonists.* Mackeson, who, in addition to the 
 difficult task of conciliating the Khaibar chiefs 
 in its neighbourhood, had charge of our camp 
 
 * Some friendly Khaibaris in the neighbourhood had 
 killed a bullock, a piece of which, it was supposed, had 
 been brought into Lieutenant Mackeson's camp, which 
 caused the outbreak. 
 
382 OUR ADVANCE. 
 
 there, on hearing the disturbance endeavoured 
 to put a stop to it, and for this purpose was 
 advancing to a wicket, when a Chuprassie 
 was shot dead by his side, the Sikhs being 
 heard by his cousin (who had joined him from 
 Lahore a short time ago) to shout out, ' Shoot 
 the Faringhi Sahib,' or 'English gentleman.' 
 In spite of the danger to which he was exposed, 
 Lieutenant Mackeson boldly insisted on being 
 admitted within the fort, where he found the 
 commandant, Boodh Singh, doing everything 
 in his power to quell the tumult. A report of 
 the circumstance was immediately forwarded 
 to Prince Nao Nihal Singh, at Peshawr, who 
 sent Sirdar Lehna Singh to inquire into the 
 matter, and ordered the garrison to be relieved 
 forthwith. Several individuals besides the 
 Chuprassie lost their lives in this ' untoward 
 event.' 
 
 " About the 15th Colonel Wade returned to 
 us ; and everything being now in readiness for 
 an immediate advance on Afghanistan, we left 
 Machni on the 18th, and rejoined our camp at 
 Koulsir the same day. The 19th was a halt, 
 
FORCE OF THE EXPEDITION. 383 
 
 as the Sikh contingent was not quite ready to 
 move ; but on the 20th of July the whole of the 
 force at last quitted Koulsir and marched to 
 Jamrud, where we encamped between the fort 
 of Fattehgarh and our sangas; the latter being 
 still tenanted by the friendly Khaibaris and 
 levies from Dowson and Hillersdon's regiments. 
 The heights, too, that the jazaelchis had oc- 
 cupied when firing upon us were now in our 
 possession, and kept by a body of Ferris's irre- 
 gulars under the personal command of that 
 officer, who had struck across from Machni 
 to Jamrud, instead of returning with us to 
 Koulsir. 
 
 " The force now at the Colonel's disposal to 
 effect the passage of the Khaibar amounted, at 
 a rough estimate, to some nine or ten thousand 
 men, six thousand of whom form the Sikh con- 
 tingent, and are all Mussulmans. The co- 
 operation to be expected from these allies is 
 not of the most cordial description ; for it is 
 well known that the Sikhs, as a nation, are 
 extremely jealous of the British power, and 
 nothing would afford them greater pleasure 
 
384 FEELING OF THE TROOPS. 
 
 than to see it meet with a reverse. Necessity 
 alone compelled Ranjeet Singh to sign the tri- 
 partite treaty ; but having done so, it is but 
 justice to his memory to add, that as far as he 
 was concerned, or when his health would allow 
 him to attend to public business, the engage- 
 ments entered into were observed. Strong, 
 however, as the Khalsas 9 dislike is to us, I 
 believe their hatred to the Khaibaris to be 
 tenfold more bitter ; and therefore we have at 
 least the passions to work on our side, if we 
 have not their will. Of the Afghan levies it is 
 more difficult to speak. Some amongst them 
 have no doubt been led to espouse the Shah 
 Zada's side out of love to his cause ; but the 
 majority, it is to be feared, have done so purely 
 from the desire of gain. Many also are secretly 
 of Dost Mahomed's party, and these, in their 
 quarrels with the Hindustanis, have, on more 
 than one occasion, been heard to express their 
 intentions of paying us off when once within 
 the limits of the Khaibar Pass. Such indivi- 
 duals can only be willing to serve us so long 
 as we continue paramount in power, and they 
 
OUR ENEMIES. 385 
 
 are well paid ; but were we once to meet with 
 a reverse, it does not require much keen- 
 sightedness to pronounce that their weapons 
 would be turned against us. The British 
 sepoys, the Hindustani irregulars, and a few 
 of the Afghan levies, amounting all together to 
 about two thousand men, are therefore the only 
 troops that could be implicitly relied upon; 
 but what is this small number to the host that 
 can be brought against them ! A whole bri- 
 gade of our troops ought to have been sent with 
 the Sikhs, and no doubt would have been, but 
 for the jealousy of Ranjeet Singh. The Com- 
 pany's ikbal* had hitherto been great in the 
 eyes of our opponents, and it is now more 
 necessary than ever that it should continue to 
 be so. 
 
 " The foes we expect to encounter are the 
 Khaibaris in general, and the Afredis in par- 
 ticular, the most bloodthirsty and the most 
 numerous of the three tribes that inhabit the 
 country around the Pass. When united (which 
 fortunately is not always the case), it is com- 
 * Good fortune. 
 
386 THE AFREDIS. 
 
 puted that these lawless marauders can bring 
 from twenty to twenty-five thousand men into 
 the field ; but as some had joined the Shah 
 Zada, and others, it is rumoured, are willing 
 to be bought over, we cannot calculate upon 
 meeting a third, or even a fourth of the num- 
 ber. These would, of course, be supported by 
 Akbar Khan, who is encamped near the west- 
 ern extremity of the Pass, and can move up to 
 their assistance whenever necessary. A por- 
 tion of his men, it is also said, garrisons the 
 fort of Ali Masjid. The possessions of the 
 Afredis lie nearest to Peshawr ; those of the 
 Shinwaris being in the neighbourhood of 
 Dhaka, extending from the entrance there to 
 the vicinity of Ali Masjid. The Orakzaes 
 live more in the interior. 
 
( 387 ) 
 
 Chapter XV. 
 
 March to Jubbagee — The Force is divided — View of Ali 
 Masjid — Gallantry of Lieut. Mackeson — An Attack 
 — Conduct of the Levies — Skirmishing — Ali Masjid 
 captured — Illness of Lieut. Barr — Preparations for 
 advancing — Dhaka — Order issued by Sir C. Wade. 
 
 " The commencement of active operations was 
 hailed by us all with extreme satisfaction, for 
 we were heartily tired of Peshawr and its vici- 
 nity, and longed to see what was at the other 
 side of those hills on which we had been gazing 
 for so many tedious months. On the 21st we 
 marched in the afternoon, under a burning sun, 
 to Kuddum, a mile and a half in advance, 
 where we halted and slept. The next morning 
 a strong party, consisting of artillery, cavalry, 
 and infantry, assembled at day-break, prepara- 
 tory to progressing up the Pass, and seizing 
 on some of the heights in front. The Colonel, 
 with Rattray and myself, joined this force, 
 taking with us a small mortar, suspended upon 
 
 s2 
 
388 OUR MARCH. 
 
 men's shoulders, for the purpose of being car- 
 ried up the steeps where necessary ; the am- 
 munition being conveyed in boxes slung over 
 the backs of a couple of mules. Captain Ferris 
 was, simultaneously, to keep moving with his 
 regiment ' along the tops of the hills, and 
 Mackeson to penetrate from Jamrud with his 
 Multanis and part of the Sikh contingent, by 
 a shorter and more confined pass, the Shadi 
 Bagiar, only adapted for foot passengers and 
 camels. At dawn of day our cortege was 
 ready, and, as we mustered at the extremity of 
 a lofty mountain, tinged by the grey of morn- 
 ing, with a rippling stream running at its base, 
 the scene was one of extreme beauty and ex- 
 citement, crowded as it was with a multitude 
 of troops, and the tribes of the various districts 
 in the neighbourhood who were friendly to our 
 cause, and whose infinity of costumes added 
 greatly to the picturesqueness of the display. 
 
 " After a short interval, everything being re- 
 ported as ready, we commenced our march, 
 having first sent forward a party of Lord's 
 escort as an advanced guard, and who, 
 
THE PARTY IS DIVIDED. 389 
 
 dressed in long blue chupkuns with scarlet 
 cummerbunds and trowsers, and the pointed 
 kuzzilbash cap, looked extremely well as they 
 appeared and disappeared from our sight round 
 projecting rocks. We gradually ascended the 
 Pass, and soon reached a spot so narrow, and 
 confined on either side with cliffs so perpen- 
 dicular, that a handful of resolute men might 
 have stayed our progress for some time. 
 Emerging from it, we presently came to 
 Jubbagee, a Khaibari summer village, con- 
 structed on a, low and somewhat level piece of 
 ground, jutting from the hills on our right, 
 and composed of rude huts thatched with 
 leaves and branches of trees. It was deserted. 
 On the opposite side was an opening in the 
 mountains, from whence a small stream issued 
 after passing through a very confined valley.* 
 11 Here our party was divided : Lieutenant 
 Rattray, with the guns and the Sikh contin- 
 gent, continuing his route along the bed of the 
 main stream, whilst the Colonel and myself, 
 with an escort of horse and foot, and with the 
 * Formed by the Choora range. 
 
390 VIEW OF ALI MASJID. 
 
 mortar, ascended the hills on the right. As we 
 climbed by degrees into loftier regions we felt 
 the temperature becoming more agreeable and 
 refreshing the higher we rose ; but the sun was 
 still exceedingly powerful, and produced a good 
 deal of thirst, which we were glad to slake at a 
 diminutive spring that we fell in with two- 
 thirds of the way up. We rested a short time 
 beneath the shade of some trees that had grown 
 up in its vicinity whilst our followers partook 
 of the grateful element ; and then, dismounting 
 from our horses to walk up a precipitous steep, 
 we shortly afterwards gained the crest of the 
 ridge, which must have been between two and 
 three thousand feet in height. 
 
 " From this eminence we had a beautiful view 
 of the Pass, with the long-desired fort of Ali 
 Masjid in front of us, about four miles distant, 
 and which, situated on a rocky and almost 
 isolated hill, appeared an exceedingly strong 
 place. It is considered the key to the defile, 
 and our present operations are only prepara- 
 tory to our endeavours to obtain possession of 
 it. We looked around in vain for Ferris, who 
 
MACKESON'S SKIRMISH. 391 
 
 was nowhere to be seen ; but in half an hour he 
 joined us, the deep chasms in the hills having 
 caused him to make several detours, which 
 lengthened his journey considerably. Rattray, 
 too, was descried winding along the bed of the 
 stream, and a messenger was despatched with 
 directions for him to halt and form the camp 
 on a piece of level ground a little in advance, 
 but far below where we stood. We could gain 
 no tidings of Lieutenant Mackeson, and were 
 wondering where he could be, when a man 
 arrived and hastily requested that some assist- 
 ance might be sent to him, as he had been 
 driven back by a strong force of Khaibaris. 
 This, from what we could learn, was consequent 
 on the cowardice of a party of Nujeebs, who had 
 accompanied his band of Multanis, and with 
 whom he had at first succeeded in chasing the 
 foe from one post to another, even to occupying 
 a height on the opposite side of the Pass, when 
 the Afredis, receiving reinforcements, made 
 a bold sally, which struck such terror into the 
 Sikh troops that they fled at once. Mackeson, 
 however, retained his advantage as long as he 
 
392 FERRIS GOES TO HIS AID. 
 
 possibly could with the Multanis alone, but 
 increasing numbers having poured in, he had 
 been compelled to fall back upon his present 
 position, where, having thrown up a small 
 breast-work of stones, which in some degree 
 sheltered his men, he nobly maintained the 
 unequal contest. 
 
 "Captain Ferris was forthwith despatched 
 with his regiment of irregulars to the Lieu- 
 tenant's assistance ; and Rattray having been 
 directed to secure the camp below, the Colonel 
 and I proceeded along the heights by an exe- 
 crable path that led us over some steep and 
 rugged rocks, and eventually brought us to the 
 summit of a hill, more level than usual, on 
 which a sanga was immediately commenced, 
 as it flanked the right side of our encampment. 
 We had not been long here, when a note was 
 received from Ferris, begging that the mortar 
 might be at once sent forward, as the enemy's 
 numbers had considerably increased, and our 
 own men's ammunition was fast failing. Ac- 
 cordingly, accompanied by a small guard, I 
 pushed onwards without delay, and, at the 
 
POSITION OF THE ENEMY. 393 
 
 distance of a mile and a half, reached our posi- 
 tion, a rising ground in front of a village sur- 
 rounded by a quantity of brushwood as an 
 abattis, and to which our troops could fall back 
 if necessary. The intervening ground was 
 considerably exposed, and shot after shot was 
 sent at our party as we crossed it, but happily 
 without doing any injury. 
 
 "The enemy, protected by some low stunted 
 trees, were about 350 or 400 yards in advance 
 of the rising ground on which Mackeson's 
 embankment of stones had been thrown up, 
 and also occupied the heights of a range of 
 hills that nearly faced it ; but, being a long- 
 distance off, their firing was not very destruc- 
 tive, though occasionally some of their balls 
 told, whilst that from the former was most 
 deadly. Another of their parties, and most 
 probably some of the garrison from Ali Masjid, 
 as they were dressed in a red uniform, lined 
 the crest of a ridge below our left flank and 
 from thence annoyed our people a good deal. 
 A shell was sent at these fellows, and luckily 
 pitched and exploded amongst them ; the 
 
 s3 
 
394 THE COMBAT CONTINUES. 
 
 success being hailed by our party with a loud 
 huzza, re-echoed again from the surrounding- 
 hills ; but the enemy nevertheless stood fast 
 and continued to blaze away at us, some of 
 their bullets passing over our heads, and others 
 falling short struck the ground and bounded 
 onwards with a whizz like the twang of a bow- 
 string. The next shell was not so happy, for 
 it flew over the narrow ridge and burst harm- 
 less in the hollow on the other side ; a huzza 
 from the red coats in return being faintly borne 
 to us on the wings of {he breeze, as a testimony 
 of their gratification for its innoxious qualities. 
 "This kind of warfare continued upwards of 
 an hour, with more or less success, the balls 
 from our foes in front every now and then 
 passing through a small tree close to a hillock 
 that partially sheltered us, and lopping off the 
 more slender of its branches as clean as if cut 
 with a knife. The heat had now become 
 terrific, and the rays of the noon-day sun 
 darted down with an intensity almost insup- 
 portable. Meanwhile, the dead and wounded 
 were being carried from the breastwork to the 
 
MISCONDUCT OF THE HAW LEVIES. 395 
 
 village in the rear, and amongst the former I 
 observed a particularly fine looking man, whose 
 long black hair swept the ground as his corpse 
 was being dragged away. The nature of the 
 dependence we might place on our raw levies 
 was manifested when their ammunition began 
 again to fail, and who one by one, as the indi- 
 vidual fired off his last cartridge, left the en- 
 closure on the rising ground in spite of ex- 
 hortations, encouragements, and threats to re- 
 main until Lieutenant Mackeson, who had gone 
 for some, should return.* All was in vain, and 
 it was with the utmost difficulty that either 
 Ferris or I could prevail upon a few to wait 
 until the mortar was dismounted and packed. 
 On this being done, a new difficulty arose as 
 to who should carry it, — for with the exception 
 of one, all the bearers had made off whilst we 
 were too busily engaged to observe their move- 
 ments, — and some delay arose ere we could 
 persuade half-a-dozen of the irregulars to take 
 it as far as the village. Had the Khaibaris 
 at this time been aware of the straits to which 
 we were reduced, and had made a bold dash, 
 
396 WANT OF AMMUNITION. 
 
 there is little doubt but they might easily have 
 secured the piece of ordnance, with ourselves, 
 and the small party that staid with us. They 
 were deceived, however, by a few hardy spirits 
 who still plied their matchlocks from the 
 enclosure with unabated vigour, and whose 
 bold front portended that other troops must be 
 at hand ready to support them and take their 
 places. 
 
 "These were at length called in, and our 
 position was now of necessity being abandoned 
 for want of ammunition. The cessation of our 
 fire soon made our intentions known to the 
 Khaibaris, who, preceded by a white banner, 
 were rapidly advancing to occupy the ground 
 we had quitted, when Mackeson happily 
 arrived with reinforcements of men and mate- 
 rial, and perceiving their object, gallantly 
 rushed forward with an huzza, and succeeded 
 in regaining the stockade before the Afredis, 
 who returned to the clump of trees. As all 
 the shells but one had been expended, it was 
 not deemed expedient to unpack the mortar 
 again, and as it was also thought hazardous to 
 
REMOVAL OF THE MORTAR. 397 
 
 leave it at the village during the night, I was 
 obliged to ride back to the Colonel's sanga for 
 assistance to remove it to the camp. Hav- 
 ing obtained an order from him for some 
 coolies, and also received some fresh instruc- 
 tions for Mackeson, I once more retraced mv 
 steps to the scene of active operations, and on 
 my way fortunately discovered a number of 
 the deserters, who, in bands of twos and threes, 
 had concealed themselves behind rocks and 
 cliffs. By dint of persuasion, force, and no 
 small proportion of coaxing, I succeeded in 
 getting them to return with me, and having 
 seen the mortar perched upon their shoulders, 
 proceeded to give the Colonel's message to 
 Lieutenant Mackeson. 
 
 " As I crossed the exposed piece of ground 
 alone, it was easily perceived from my dress 
 that I was a Faringi, and the shots in conse- 
 quence flew around me rather thick. I, how- 
 ever, reached the stockade unhurt, where 
 within I found Ferris and Mackeson comfort- 
 ably reclining on the ground with their backs 
 against the breastwork; and there I joined 
 
398 FIRING OF THE ENEMY. 
 
 them, having first been cautioned to stoop 
 when passing over the interior, as everything 
 that appeared above the wall was immediately 
 struck. Whilst seated here the balls occasion- 
 ally rattled away at our backs, and yielded us 
 the satisfaction of knowing the enemy was 
 wasting his ammunition to no purpose. As it 
 was getting late, I was not able to stay long, 
 so after giving Lieutenant Mackeson his in- 
 structions, I took my leave, re-crossed the 
 stockade, and received another salute of bullets 
 as I returned over the exposed spot, one of 
 which struck the ground not a quarter of an 
 inch from my foot. On reaching camp I felt 
 so exhausted from heat and fatigue, that I 
 threw myself at once on my couch and was 
 soon asleep. 
 
 " The next day was one of comparative rest 
 to me, as my services were not required be- 
 yond the precincts of the camp. Colonel 
 Wade, however, returned about a mile down 
 the Pass to establish a post (which was not 
 effected without opposition) near to where the 
 Afredis, on the previous evening, had been 
 
WANT OF PROVISIONS. 399 
 
 doing considerable damage to our people, be- 
 sides plundering the baggage and purloining 
 sundry camels. It was much about the same 
 spot, too, that Rattray's and Colonel Sheikh 
 Bussowan's troops were fired on when ascend- 
 ing the Pass, by which they lost one man 
 killed and two wounded. As soon as this 
 encampment had been formed, a message was 
 despatched to Captain Farmer, who, with the 
 Shah Zada and the main column, immediately 
 left Kuddum and marched to the new ground. 
 A difficulty of furnishing provisions for the 
 troops presented itself, and compelled Wade 
 to order Ferris back to Peshawr to bring up 
 fresh supplies. 
 
 " On the 24th the Colonel, accompanied by 
 Lord (who had rejoined the camp at Kuddum 
 with renovated health), Dowson, and myself, 
 ascended the range of hills on the left, and gra- 
 dually crowned the heights as we advanced. 
 But little opposition was offered to our pro- 
 gress, for the enemy, who appeared in no 
 great numbers, retreated as we neared, and at 
 length fell back to a respectful distance. I 
 
400 SKIRMISHING. 
 
 obtained a few long shots at them with a six- 
 pounder of the Sikh artillery, which had been 
 brought to the summit of the ridge on an 
 elephant, and a fire from it was kept up at 
 intervals throughout the day. Mackeson, with 
 Maule, had likewise been progressing on the 
 opposite range, where they had some smart 
 fighting, and the camp was moved forward to 
 ground below the village of Lala Cheena, near 
 to which our first day's operations took place. 
 At night Lieutenant Dowson, with a party from 
 his regiment, occupied the heights on the left, 
 and Rattray, with a company of the 20th, those 
 on the right. Mackeson secured his own 
 position. 
 
 " July 25th. — As the storming of the heights 
 in front of Ali Masjid was to form the chief 
 occupation of the day, a company of the 21st 
 under Farmer, and a large body of Sikh troops 
 under Sheikh Bussowan, were added to the 
 irregulars. We again ascended the heights 
 on the left, Dowson's levies and Farmers com- 
 pany, with the Khalsas, gallantly driving be- 
 fore them a party of Khaibaris, who retreated 
 
AN ENGAGEMENT. 401 
 
 forthwith to the summit of a lofty and preci- 
 pitous hill, on which they had erected a sanga, 
 from whence they soon displayed a flag of de- 
 fiance. Captain Farmer, with the Sikh troops, 
 immediately took up a partially sheltered posi- 
 tion directly below them, and commenced a 
 rattling fire, which was returned with equal 
 spirit by the Afredis. Colonel Wade, with 
 Mr. Lord and myself, and one of the Maha- 
 raja's howitzers, occupied a hill behind them, 
 and an order was despatched to camp for one 
 of the British guns to be sent up the Pass as 
 far as the foot of our situation, to be escorted 
 by the grenadiers of the 20th and a hundred 
 of Kharak Singh's ghorcheras. The firing 
 between Farmers troops and the Khaibaris 
 was incessant, but every attempt to remove 
 the latter from their impregnable stronghold 
 proved unavailing. At last they became em- 
 boldened, and were descending somewhat to 
 the left to take Captain Farmer in flank, 
 when a shell from the howitzer had the 
 effect of driving them back to their original 
 station, where they were beyond the range of 
 
402 DIFFICULT COUNTRY. 
 
 such missiles. The British howitzer having 
 by this time arrived, I received Wade's in- 
 structions, and descending to the bed of the 
 Pass, proceeded to put them into execution. 
 
 "At this spot the rocks and cliffs on either 
 side were extremely precipitous, especially those 
 on our right, which indeed were almost perpen- 
 dicular, and surmounted by a tower seized upon 
 in the morning by Lieutenant Mackeson, who 
 had discovered and captured several Afredis 
 concealed in its interior. The gorge formed 
 by these crags closing upon each other bounded 
 the limits of my advance, and from thence I 
 was to fire on a cantonment of Dost Maho- 
 med's soldiers, situated at the base of the hill 
 on which Ali Masjid stands, but concealed 
 from my view by a low intervening ridge 
 sloping from the right. The ghorcheras were 
 then to gallop forward, plunder the place, and 
 retreat with the spoil behind our position. On 
 emerging from the defile, preparatory to wheel- 
 ing into action, we were received by a shower 
 of bullets, fired fortunately from too great a 
 distance to cause any serious injury, though 
 
SKIRMISHING. 403 
 
 sufficiently close to be unpleasant and disagree- 
 able. One hit me on the bridle arm, impress- 
 ing me for the moment with the notion that 
 some one had struck me severely with a stick, 
 and angrily turning round to chastise the sup- 
 posed offender, I was as instantaneously en- 
 lightened as to the true cause of the contusion 
 I had received. Soon after opening our fire, 
 that of the enemy in front ceased, but a couple 
 of jazaelchis, who had ensconced themselves 
 in some hidden position overlooking our left 
 flank, annoyed us a good deal ; and as they 
 were beyond the range of our grenadiers' mus- 
 kets, I was obliged to send to Mackeson for a 
 few of his riflemen to dislodge them. The 
 half dozen that he ordered for the purpose 
 were, however, unable to effect this desirable 
 object, and in spite of their new opponents, 
 the fellows still kept blazing at us. 
 
 " Nothing was now to be heard on all sides 
 but the roar of musketry, momentarily drowned 
 by the louder reports of a zumboor, a mortar, 
 or a howitzer, the discharges from which were 
 re-echoed from the narrow chasms of the Pass. 
 
404 EFFECT OF OUR SHELLS.' 
 
 Meanwhile, I had explained Colonel Wade's 
 commands to the ghorcheras' officers, who re- 
 plied ' that it was the custom of their troops, 
 when once they made an advance, never to 
 retreat ; that they were quite willing to seize 
 upon the cantonments if it was the Colonel's 
 wish, but they would also retain possession 
 of it or fall to a man.' This intimation I 
 conveyed in a pencilled note to Colonel 
 Wade for his instruction, but he, either 
 unwilling to risk so much when there was 
 no actual necessity for it, or foreseeing no 
 proportionate equivalent likely to result from 
 the act, declined allowing them to proceed. 
 After having expended several shells I ceased 
 to fire, but to guard against contingencies, 
 kept several in a state of readiness, to be used 
 as occasions offered ; and half an hour had 
 scarcely elapsed, when some ten or twelve in- 
 dividuals were detected endeavouring to escape 
 from their encampment by the left bank. A 
 couple of rounds sent them back rather more 
 precipitately than they had advanced, and sub- 
 sequently others who attempted the same thing 
 
RELIEVED BY THE SIKHS. 405 
 
 met with no better success. Affairs remained 
 in this state till the evening, when the Colonel 
 directed two guns of the Maharaja's horse 
 artillery and two companies of his infantry, 
 to relieve us, as we had been on duty the 
 whole day; and on their arrival about half- 
 past eight or nine o'clock, I sent the howitzer 
 and British troops to camp ; and then placing 
 the Sikh auxiliaries in a proper position to 
 guard against surprise, I returned to my tent, 
 which I reached at ten p.m. The firing had 
 ceased on both sides when darkness came on, 
 and all was now as still and quiet as it had 
 before been noisy and turbulent. Between 
 eleven and twelve the Colonel came back, to 
 whom I reported the arrangements that I had 
 made with respect to the Sikhs, and who was 
 pleased to express his approbation of them. 
 
 " Throughout the day, Captain Farmer and 
 Colonel Sheikh Bussowan, with their troops, 
 had been considerably exposed, the rugged 
 height held by the Afredis almost entirely com- 
 manding their position, and thus enabling them 
 to fire with tolerably accurate precision into our 
 
406 CAPTURE OF ALI MASJID. 
 
 stockade. Many casualties ensued, one or two 
 men having been killed at the former officer's 
 side and several others wounded ; but rein- 
 forcements having been pushed forward, Far- 
 mer was enabled to maintain his ground, 
 notwithstanding the advantages possessed by 
 his opponents. Mackeson and Maule, on the 
 right, had been doing considerable execution, 
 and one of the latter's shells was pitched with 
 so true an aim, that it fell in the midst of a 
 knot of Khaibaris, five of whom were either 
 killed or wounded by the explosion. 
 
 " Being excessively tired and worn out with 
 much exertion, I was soon in a deep sleep ; but 
 towards morning was roused by Colonel Wade, 
 to tell me that Ali Masjid was in our posses- 
 sion, a party from Captain Farmer's position 
 having silently pushed forward, and, to their 
 surprise, found it vacated, the first individual 
 to enter it being the adjutant to Ferris's irre- 
 gulars, a mere lad, though a very gallant little 
 fellow. Unfortunately for me, the very day 
 on which we had entered the Khaibar, febrile 
 symptoms manifested themselves ; but unwill- 
 
ILLNESS OF LIEUT. BARR. 407 
 
 ing to be absent from my duties at a time 
 when every officer's services were most neces- 
 sary, I had abstained from having recourse to 
 those more violent remedies which most pro- 
 bably would have cured me at once. The 
 subsequent day's exposure to a burning sun, 
 when the fever was on me, — at times so severe 
 as to compel me to recline on the ground, and 
 in this posture give directions for the proper 
 serving of the ordnance, or when the fire had 
 slackened altogether, to throw myself beneath 
 the leafless branches of a stunted tree, there to 
 seek for the little relief its slight shade was 
 calculated to afford, — did not, as may be sup- 
 posed, tend to alleviate my sufferings. Fifty 
 leeches were immediately ordered to my tem- 
 ples ; but though the best that could be pro- 
 cured, they were very indifferent, and extracted 
 but little blood. The consequence was, on 
 the next morning I was obliged to be bled 
 from the arm, as I was in a raging fever, 
 greatly aggravated by the intense heat to 
 which we were exposed ; and on the third day 
 it arose to such a height that I again suffered 
 
408 THE SHINWARIS. 
 
 depletion to a great extent, and was also 
 cupped on the temples. I slightly improved 
 after this, but the fever returned daily as the 
 temperature increased, and I then, on the 
 slightest excuse, used to send every individual 
 out of my tent, as I had got some absurd no- 
 tion into my head, that could I only fall into 
 a swoon for a quarter of an hour, and thus 
 forget my sufferings, I should awake compara- 
 tively well. Every exertion, however, to effect 
 this was in vain ; for although I was so weak 
 that a dozen or two of strides were sufficient 
 to prostrate me, I was unable to produce a 
 faint. 
 
 " In some such state as this I continued, du- 
 ring the week that our camp was pitched in 
 the neighbourhood of Ali Masjid, whilst the 
 Colonel was busy arranging affairs for keeping 
 that part of the Khaibar open which we had 
 just occupied, and in negotiating for a passage 
 through the remainder, which is subject to the 
 Shinwaris; tribes by no means so inimically 
 disposed as the Afredis, and generally more 
 peaceful in their habits. Meanwhile, Captain 
 
SOME WOMEN CARRIED OFF. 409 
 
 Ferris had returned from Peshawr, with the 
 grain for which he had been sent, his march 
 back through the Shadi Bagiar pass having 
 been disputed by the enemy, who fired on his 
 party, and succeeded in carrying off a number 
 of women belonging to the Nujeeb regiment, 
 who, I believe, formed the rear of his escort, 
 and who could not be induced to attempt the 
 rescue of these poor creatures, their servants 
 and concubines.* The result was, that the 
 Khaibaris mounted these unfortunate demoi- 
 selles on their shoulders, and notwithstanding 
 the scratching, kicking, and biting which they 
 used in their defence, for want of better wea- 
 pons, they bore them off in triumph, and car- 
 ried them to their retreats. 
 
 "On the 1st of August, preparations were 
 made for our advance, and Ferris, with the 
 grenadiers of the 20th, and a host of irregulars, 
 was ordered to garrison the fort of Ali Masjid, 
 a by no means enviable situation, as the heat 
 was so oppressive. A depot for stores was 
 
 * The Nujeebs almost always move with their families, 
 who cook for and attend them. 
 
410 LALA-BEG-GH AREI. 
 
 also formed in it, and all the spare - tents and 
 unnecessary baggage were sent there. On the 
 morning of the 2nd we resumed our march; 
 Hillersdon, who, poor fellow, had been dan- 
 gerously ill with fever some days before we 
 quitted Koulsir, and myself, being conveyed in 
 doolies ; and it was with no inconsiderable de- 
 light we found ourselves jostling in the narrow 
 pass with camels, horses, donkeys, mules, bul- 
 locks, men, and women, bag and baggage, as 
 all bespoke a removal from the dreadful hotbed 
 into which we had been plunged so long. In 
 a couple of hours we reached Sir-i-chusma, or 
 the Fountain's-head, where our tents were 
 pitched beneath the shade of a few straggling 
 trees that afforded a slight relief from the sun. 
 I at first felt better for the excitement, but as 
 the afternoon drew on, I again suffered from 
 fever. On the 3rd we moved to Lala-beg- 
 gharri, a village of some size, situated in a 
 more open part of the pass than we had yet 
 seen, and indeed almost deserving the appella- 
 tion of valley. Two tanks are in its neigh- 
 bourhood, from whence the inhabitants obtain 
 
LANDI KHANA. 411 
 
 their chief supply of water ; and the quantity 
 required for our camp must have sadly dimi- 
 nished their store. Many other villages, in- 
 variably protected by a lofty tower, were to be 
 seen from our position, and when within a mile 
 of Lala-beg-gharri, we passed a Grecian tomb, 
 or tope, erected on the summit of a high cliff, 
 and similar in appearance to, though somewhat 
 smaller than, that of Manikiala. A rude 
 Khaibari tower surmounts it, and, from its 
 elevated site, forms a most excellent watch- 
 tower, which no doubt is constantly used. On 
 the 4th we marched to Landi Khana, the road 
 for some distance being very good ; but after 
 crossing the crest of the pass, terminating in a 
 very precipitous and abrupt descent, cut for 
 three miles on the side of a hill. The track 
 here was villanously bad, and in some places 
 nothing but the bare surface of a rock, down 
 the centre of which a deep groove had been 
 worn by the continued action of water, as age 
 after age the superabundance of heavy showers 
 had been carried off by this only channel of 
 exit. To lower the guns down this rocky steep 
 
 T 2 
 
412 PASSAGE OF THE KHAIBAR EFFECTED. 
 
 proved an arduous task, and when night closed 
 in they were still a mile from camp ; it was 
 necessary therefore to halt the following day, 
 to allow of their being rejoined to the force.* 
 At Landi Khana are the remains of two forts, 
 and tradition assigns them as the residences of 
 two noble ranies or queens, who erected them 
 at the extremity of their respective dominions, 
 in order that they might enjoy each other's 
 society ; and, strange to say, the harmony 
 continued until death separated them. On 
 the 6th we left for Dhaka, passing midway 
 a ruined castle on the summit of an isolated 
 hill, in a more open part of the defile than 
 usual, which again becomes enclosed between 
 rocky and precipitous cliffs, before it termi- 
 nates in the small and confined valley of the 
 above name : two partially fortified villages 
 are at one end of the latter. Having now 
 got through the notorious Khaibar Pass, the 
 following order was issued by Colonel Wade : — 
 
 * Dost Mahomed Khan used to pay the Khaibaris 
 one hundred rupees a gun for carrying his artillery by 
 manual force over this steep and rugged pass. 
 
 
ORDER ISSUED BY COL. WADE. 413 
 
 " * August 6th. — Camp Dhaka. The Mission 
 with the Shah Zada having now effected the 
 passage through Khaibar, and the fall of the 
 fort of AH Masjid having been the chief means 
 of removing every opposition to its advance 
 from that place, Lieutenant-Colonel Wade 
 (although the heads of the Governments, whose 
 officers and troops were engaged in the reduc- 
 tion of that fort, are the proper persons to ap- 
 preciate the services performed by them on 
 that occasion) cannot deny himself the per- 
 sonal gratification of expressing his own thanks 
 and acknowledgments to every officer of the 
 British Government for the able and zealous 
 services, rendered by them individually in the 
 operations which led to the attainment of an 
 object which, after a tedious detention at Pe- 
 shawr, has mainly contributed to facilitate the 
 progress of the Shah Zada to Kabul. 
 
 " ' It fell to the lot of Captains Farmer and 
 Ferris, and of Lieutenants Mackeson, Maule, 
 and Barr, in following the directions of Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Wade, to bear the most con- 
 spicuous part in the late military operations ; 
 
414 ORDER ISSUED BY COL. WADE. 
 
 and the gallantry and perseverance with which 
 these officers and the troops in general ac- 
 quitted themselves of their respective duties 
 claim the Lieutenant-Colonel's especial notice : 
 but where every officer, whether immediately 
 engaged in these operations, or in other duties 
 which were allotted to them (of equal import- 
 ance with those which devolved on others), 
 vied with each other in a zealous discharge of 
 them, Lieutenant-Colonel Wade is conscious 
 that, while particularizing some, his obliga- 
 tions are alike due to all ; and in his report to 
 Government he has endeavoured to express 
 his sense of the services of each/ " 
 
( 415 ) 
 
 Chapter XVI. 
 
 The Seven Wells — Shah Zada Jamhur rejoins the Mission 
 — Sadat Khan refuses to submit — Lalpura is taken — 
 Rewards to the Troops — Flight of Dost Mahomed and 
 Akbar Khan — Arrangements for securing the Khaibar 
 Pass — Official intelligence received of the capture of 
 Ghazni. 
 
 I now resume my own journal. On the 6th 
 August, after marching seven miles in a rather 
 open valley, we cleared the Khaibar Pass and 
 encamped at Dhaka, a small village on the 
 right bank of the Kabul river, opposite to the 
 town of Lalpura. The road strong all the 
 way, but widens towards the end; no water 
 the whole distance. 
 
 There are some dry wells midway, known 
 by the name of Haft-chah, or the Seven Wells. 
 It is a dangerous spot, as highway robbers 
 generally lurk there, and fall unawares on 
 poor travellers. I have since learnt that Cap- 
 tain Ferris has cleared one of these wells, but 
 
416 SHAH ZADA JAMHUR REJOINS. 
 
 having to cut through rock, not without great 
 labour and expense. 
 
 On reaching the encampment we were visited 
 by several people of the Jalalabad territory 
 who came forward to .greet the Shah Zada and 
 the British Mission. They brought abundance 
 of fruit with them, and many gosfands (sheep) 
 as presents. Among others, there were one of 
 the younger sons of Sayed Baba Jan and Ma- 
 homed Zaman Khan, Barakzae, together with 
 the Peshawr Arbabs who were in the late 
 ruler's service. They had been waiting here 
 for our arrival since the flight of Mahomed 
 Akbar. After being assured of good treat- 
 ment and proper consideration on the part 
 of the Shah's Government, they were desired 
 to remain in attendance on the Prince until 
 his arrival at Kabul, when they would be in- 
 troduced to his Majesty. 
 
 We were also joined here by the party of 
 troops which had been detached, on our 
 advance into the Pass, with Shah Zada 
 Jamhur, by the Tatara route. He had met 
 with no resistance during his passage from the 
 
SADAT KHAN. 417 
 
 Momand people, to whom he had been op- 
 posed, but gave a long account of the great 
 difficulty of the mountains over which they 
 had to come, and considered himself fortunate 
 in having joined us in safety. For the greater 
 part of the way he said that he and his people 
 were obliged to walk, leading their horses over 
 the rocks and ledges by the reins. All the 
 routes from the Peshawr territory, through the 
 Khaibar and Momand hills to Kabul, meet at 
 Dhaka, and that by Tatara is the most diffi- 
 cult. Travellers going to Peshawr generally 
 drop down the river on Jalas, or rafts sup- 
 ported by inflated skins. Owing to the vio- 
 lence of the stream, which rolls through rugged 
 mountains, no boat can be used. 
 
 Our first object on reaching Dhaka was to 
 bring Sadat Khan, the Momand chief, to some 
 terms, and to make him acknowledge the su- 
 premacy of his rightful sovereign, Shah Shuja. 
 A letter was in consequence addressed to him, 
 informing him of the arrival of the Shah Zada, 
 and inviting him to wait on his Royal 
 Highness, and that he would be generously 
 
 t3 
 
418 . LALPURA TAKEN. 
 
 pardoned for his late misconduct; but if he 
 refused, Lalpura was threatened to be carried 
 by force. Lieutenant Mackeson, who had 
 proceeded a day in advance of us, had written 
 to him to the same effect. We received no 
 answer until next morning, when Sadat Khan 
 declined to appear in person, but offered to 
 depute his son. Another admonitory letter 
 was addressed to him, requiring his submission 
 to the terms prescribed ; but two days passed 
 in silence, without any settlement. At last 
 Sadat Khan was told that if he still continued 
 hostile and obstinate, he would be attacked the 
 next morning ; yet every persuasion failed to 
 restore him to his senses. Colonel Wade pro- 
 ceeded accordingly with a party to assault 
 Lalpura ; and with that view, some rafts were 
 prepared for the passage of the troops across 
 the river; but just as the troops were about to 
 embark, a report was brought of the flight of 
 Sadat Khan to the hills, over which we saw 
 them passing. The fort was therefore occupied 
 and garrisoned by the Shah Zada's troops 
 without any bloodshed, while the town of Lai- 
 
WILES OF SADAT KHAN. 419 
 
 pura was placed in charge of Tura Baz Khan, 
 who was at the time absent on duty towards 
 Bajour with Shah Zada Saleh, but arrived 
 soon after the occupation of the place. 
 
 It afterwards came out that Sadat Khan, 
 feeling afraid, as Lieutenant Barr truly ob- 
 serves, that " the unceasing enmity which he 
 had evinced towards the Shah Zada since our 
 arrival in Peshawr" had deprived him of 
 every just claim to consideration ; and judging 
 of the policy and generosity of others by the 
 secret treachery of his own countrymen, had 
 no sooner heard of the flight of Dost Ma- 
 homed than he hastily despatched Nawab 
 Khan of Pindiali, the half-brother of Tura 
 Baz, whom it will be recollected that Sadat 
 Khan had previously seduced, with letters to 
 some of his friends, European and Native, 
 about the court, full of expressions of loyalty 
 and devotion, for which he had erroneously 
 been receiving credit. These letters were ac- 
 companied by an earnest request for a. firman, 
 or royal mandate, addressed to himself, which 
 he foolishly thought he had only to show the 
 
420 NUR MAHOMED KHAN. 
 
 Prince and Sir Claude Wade to be reinstated 
 in his chiefship. Without hearing the other 
 side of the story, as is too often the case with 
 those who act with haste, and led by the 
 advice of others, the Shah gave the messenger 
 the mandates for which he had petitioned, who 
 brought and delivered them ; but the conduct 
 of Sadat Khan to the last had shown how 
 unworthy he was of the confidence which had 
 been placed in him, and how heedlessly the 
 authorities at Kabul had acted in listening 
 to the one-sided statements of a persevering 
 enemy. 
 
 It has been said that the late chief did not 
 possess any legitimate claim to the Momand 
 chiefship, and that he seized the place, and 
 took the life of Nur Mahomed Khan, the 
 father of Tura Baz and son of Moizullah Khan, 
 who had been confirmed as chief by Taimur 
 Shah, the father of Shah Shuja, had continued 
 in it during the reign of his successors, Shah 
 Zaman and Shah Shuja, and been deprived of 
 it only during the supremacy of the Barakzais. 
 It has been shown that Sadat Khan had pur- 
 
UNPOPULARITY OF SADAT KHAN. 42 1 
 
 sued a system of open hostility which proved 
 extremely embarrassing to the progress of the 
 Shah Zada, as well as to the friendly disposi- 
 tion of his adherents ; and even went the length 
 of expressing himself contemptuously of him 
 for his connexion with Firangis as infidels. All 
 these circumstances showed Sadat Khan unfit 
 for the enjoyment of his ill-gotten acquisition; 
 besides, from the dependence of the passage by 
 the Khaibar Pass on the Momand territory, it 
 was thought essential for its safety that the 
 chiefs at either end of the Pass should be 
 completely in the interest of the Shah. With 
 regard to the popularity of the two chiefs, it 
 was stated, that on a late occasion, when Amir 
 Khan, the chief of Naowaghi, found it neces- 
 sary to seek the aid of Sadat Khan, the latter 
 was not able to join him with more than sixty 
 men of his tribe, nor did any inquiries among 
 the peasantry of the country show that he 
 possessed any hold on their affections ; more- 
 over the circumstance of several men who had 
 deserted Lalpura in consequence of the oppres- 
 sions exercised by the late chief having has- 
 
422 SIR C. WADE S ORDER. 
 
 tened to return to the place after an absence of 
 several years, proved that his rule was not 
 altogether popular.* 
 
 1th. — Camp, Dhaka. The force with the 
 Shah Zada having now forced the Pass, Sir 
 Claude Wade expressed his thanks and ac- 
 knowledgments to every European and native 
 officer commanding the Sikh as well as the 
 Shah Zada's levies, and the detachment of the 
 British troops, for the able and zealous ser- 
 vices rendered by them individually in the 
 operations which had led to the attainment of 
 our object after a tedious detention at Peshawr. 
 A donation of five thousand rupees, lately 
 
 * The measure and choice of Sir Claude Wade in de- 
 throning one chief of suspicious character and elevating 
 another, appeared judicious in the time of the disasters 
 in 1841-2; for it was Tura Baz Khan who stood by the 
 British when all the Afghan chiefs had deserted them. 
 It was the new chief of Lalpura who became the medium 
 of communication between our heroic garrison of Jalalabad 
 and the Peshawr authorities ; and, above all, it was he who 
 escorted the supplies of ammunition, grain, and money to 
 them when they were in great need. (Mohan Lai's Life 
 of Dost Mahomed Khan, p. 272.) On the evacuation of 
 Afghanistan he was abandoned to his fate. 
 
FLIGHT OF DOST MAHOMED. 423 
 
 made by Nao Nihal Singh on the part of the 
 Sikh Government to the British troops and 
 those of the Shah Zada, was ordered to be dis- 
 tributed ; and on the same occasion a present 
 of an equal sum was made to the Sikh troops 
 by Colonel Wade in the name of the British 
 Government. 
 
 A report was received to-day of the arrival 
 of Shah Shuja with the British army at Kila 
 Qazi, about five kos from Kabul, and that he 
 would soon enter that city. It was further 
 stated that Ghazni had been stormed and taken 
 by the British army, when Gholam Haidar, 
 the son of Dost Mahomed Khan, had been 
 captured. We also heard, that on the capture 
 of Ghazni the latter had deputed Nawab Jabbar 
 Khan to make terms, if possible, for himself, 
 and the release of his captive son ; but the 
 negociation not being so favourable as he 
 wished the Amir had fled to Bamian, and from 
 thence to Bokhara, leaving his guns and camp 
 equipage behind ; and that he was chased by 
 a party of the Shah's troops, but was not over- 
 taken. It was likewise stated that he would 
 
424 PROCEEDINGS OF AKBAR KHAN. 
 
 have boldly resisted the British army had he 
 not been betrayed by his people. The very 
 Gholam Khana of Kabul, in whom he had 
 placed his chief reliance, refused to try the 
 issue of a battle ; and, on the contrary, had 
 produced to him letters of assurance from the 
 Shah, whose authority they declared their 
 readiness to acknowledge : seeing which, the 
 unfortunate Dost Mahomed had no other 
 alternative than to seek safety in flight. 
 
 It was reported that Mahomed Akbar Khan, 
 from the effects of sickness brought on by the 
 fatigues endured by him in his retreat, had 
 not been able to overtake his father; but it 
 proved to be incorrect. After our arrival at 
 Dhaka, we heard that Mahomed Akbar had 
 proceeded as far as Lowaragi, within nine 
 miles of Ali Masjid, in order to encourage the 
 Khaibaris and the garrison to resist us, and 
 that he was actually at the place on the day 
 we arrived at Lala China, opposite that fort. 
 It had, we found out, been agreed between 
 Khan Bahadur Khan and Akbar Khan, that 
 the former should ask the Mission a further 
 
CONTENT OF THE PEOPLE. 425 
 
 delay of three days ; but his application made 
 when entering the Pass had prudently been 
 rejected by the Colonel. His object in asking 
 this time was to collect his whole Oolus 
 in the interim; but he soon discovered that 
 he could no longer play his tricks, which 
 obliged Akbar Khan to leave the Pass and to 
 return to Kabul precipitately. At that time 
 some of the Maliks of the Kuki Khail tribe 
 were the only Khaibaris in our favour. 
 
 9th. — Camp, Dhaka. Since our arrival here 
 we had several proofs of the satisfaction of 
 the people in the change of masters. The 
 chiefs and the Maliks of the neighbouring- 
 country came from every quarter to declare 
 their adherence to the Shah. Among others, 
 those of Kama, Khosta, Beshbolak, Hazarnao, 
 Basoul, &c, besides many officers of the late 
 Government, who were immediately attached 
 to Mahomed Akbar, joined our camp. The 
 people of the country also resorted freely to it, 
 and supplies became abundant. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that only such of the 
 Khaibar chiefs and Sadat Khan, who were 
 
426 FORCE LEFT AT DHAKA. 
 
 connected with the Sikhs, should have been 
 the foremost in declining our overtures and 
 opposing the advance of the Prince; from 
 which it might reasonably be supposed that 
 they were secretly acting in concert with the 
 Sikh officers, who were professing to corre- 
 spond with them to forward our cause : but to 
 counteract the mischievous effects of a double 
 communication, Sir Claude Wade, some time 
 before leaving Peshawr, had required the Sikh 
 authorities to desist, a measure which the Ma- 
 haraja confirmed. 
 
 To preserve the safety of our communication 
 through the Khaibar Pass by some permanent 
 system of control, was considered essential 
 before we advanced farther. Arrangements 
 were made, therefore, to leave a strong detach- 
 ment near the western extremity of the Pass, 
 besides the troops which had been left at Ali 
 Masjid, and in different parts of Khaibar. Ac- 
 cordingly the following portion of the force 
 then present with us was ordered to remain at 
 Dhaka under Lieutenant Dowson, with out- 
 posts at Landi Khana, and the Haft-chah, and 
 
GARRISON OF LALPURA. 427 
 
 in a stockade on the top of the Pass, between 
 the latter place and Lalabeg Gharee, viz. : 
 
 Dowson's levy; the two disciplined batta- 
 lions of infantry, formed of Mahomedans from 
 the Campoo, and commanded by Zorawar 
 Singh ; the whole of the Sikh artillery, with 
 the exception of the howitzers and mortar be- 
 longing to General Court's corps, and the two 
 six-pounders attached to the Najeeb battalions. 
 
 A party of Ghorcheras, with a company 
 from the Prince's own personal guard, was 
 left to form the garrison on the part of Shah 
 Shuja in the fort of Lalpura, and a party of 
 sappers and miners, or Bildars, was placed at 
 the disposal of Mr. Mackeson,* to make the 
 road of Landi Khana and Ali Masjid practi- 
 cable for artillery, as it was by manual labour 
 that our guns were brought over the former, 
 and there was an obstructing rock below the 
 fort of Ali Masjid which was ordered to be 
 destroyed. 
 
 * A cousin of Major Mackeson, employed to assist him 
 in his duties, and to take charge of the works in Khaibar. 
 
428 LALPURA. 
 
 Without establishing these posts it would 
 have been impossible to overawe the Khaibaris 
 or preserve a safe communication through the 
 Pass, as afterwards proved to be the case. 
 Engagements were at the same time entered 
 into with the Shinwari people, by which they 
 were to protect it within their precincts, re- 
 serving to the Shah, as in the time of the 
 monarchy, the right of levying duties on the 
 passing merchandise, which, during the late 
 Government, was solely enjoyed by the Khai- 
 baris. 
 
 Before leaving Dhaka, the troops which had 
 been organised for Shah Zada Jamhur's ex- 
 pedition were discharged ; and, though against 
 his inclination, he was desired to return to 
 Peshawr. A similar order was issued to 
 Mirza Hasan Ali, the person who had been 
 employed towards Tirah. Recruiting to sup- 
 ply vacancies was at the same time prohibited, 
 a measure which caused some murmurs among 
 the people who expected their services also 
 would soon be dispensed with ; but a strict 
 
CAPTURE OF GHAZNI. 429 
 
 regard to the interests of his Majesty predo- 
 minated, and every superfluous expense was 
 avoided. 
 
 The town and the fort of Lalpura stand in a 
 commanding position on the left bank of the 
 Kabul river, and present a fine and interesting 
 view to the eyes of a traveller, after passing 
 through the bare and burnt hills of Khaibar. 
 The presence of a force on the other side of 
 the river is considered rather a favourable 
 situation to secure the safety of the route by 
 it, and act as a salutary check on the Momand 
 and other tribes in the hills across the stream. 
 
 Mr. Mackeson was directed to clear out the 
 fort of Lalpura, and to erect some barracks 
 inside, which rendered it both safe and com- 
 fortable for the troops. 
 
 On the 12th, official intelligence having 
 been received of the capture of Ghazni, which 
 we had only heard before as a report, and of 
 the flight of Dost Mahomed Khan, a salute of 
 twenty-one guns was fired from the different 
 batteries in camp in honour of these important 
 events to the British Government and its illus- 
 
430 CAPTURE OF GHAZNI. 
 
 trious allies. There was a great profession of 
 rejoicing at the end of our hostile operations. 
 Congratulations upon congratulations were 
 poured upon us by the Afghans, who, although 
 they felt somewhat twisted in their hearts by 
 the conquest of their country by those whom 
 they had been calling Kafirs, yet now joined 
 in every way in hurling curses on the heads 
 of the disloyal family of the late ruler. 
 
( 431 ) 
 
 Chapter XVII. 
 
 Hazarnao — Order of March — Pillaging of the Sikh Troops 
 — Jalalabad — Reception of the Prince there — Stores 
 left behind by Akbar Khan — Intrigues of Raja Golab 
 Singh — Chaharbagh — Tatang — Gandamak — Guns and 
 Camp Equipage of Akbar Khan taken— Jagdalok — 
 Rash Measures of the Shah's Government — Khurd 
 Kabul — Troops paraded previous to entering Kabul. 
 
 We now grew exceedingly anxious to advance 
 on Kabul, of which we had so long heard. 
 Having completely established our authority 
 in Khaibar and Dhaka, and being fully assured 
 of the security of the Pass to travellers and 
 merchants, as well as our own daks (post), 
 on the morning of the 13th August we quitted 
 Dhaka. The people who were left behind 
 appeared rather disappointed that they were 
 not to have the pleasure of seeing Kabul ; but 
 they patiently submitted to the maxim, that 
 " necessity has no law." 
 
 Encamped at Hazarnao, distant nine miles. 
 
432 ORDER OF MARCH. 
 
 Close to the encampment commenced the 
 Khurd or Little Khaibar Pass, being a mile 
 and a-half in length over slate rock, and in 
 one or two places narrow and awkward, and 
 our progress was in consequence very slow ; 
 Lieutenant Mackeson with his own party and 
 Hillersdon's levy formed the advanced guard, 
 marching half an hour after daybreak. We 
 now moved in the following order : — the de- 
 tachment of British horse artillery and remain- 
 ing companies of native infantry ; the Shah 
 Zada's personal guard, horse and foot ; the 
 four pieces of artillery in charge of Lieutenant 
 Maule; Lord's Risala, the Colonel's escort from 
 the Sikh Government, arid the French batta- 
 lions of Sikh infantry, with two guns, which 
 accompanied the Prince to Kabul. The Na- 
 jeebs and the detachment of Ghorcheras, with 
 two guns, formed the rear- guard, and did not 
 leave the ground until the baggage was cleared ; 
 every other precaution was taken to guard it, 
 and a party of Bildars was ordered to accom- 
 pany the artillery on the line of march to re- 
 move such obstacles to the progress of the 
 
THE LITTLE KHAIBAR. 433 
 
 guns as there might be on the road. Not- 
 withstanding its narrowness, we met with no 
 accident in this little pass, everything having 
 safely reached the next camp, though our guns 
 did not arrive till noon; those belonging to 
 the Sikhs got sooner over the bad ground from 
 their guns being lighter, and their horses, of a 
 more hardy kind, were always accustomed to 
 drag them over rough and hilly countries. 
 Those who followed us could form no idea 
 of this pass or of the Landi Khan a, or the 
 Shadi Bagiar, in the great one. We ourselves 
 were surprised to see them six weeks after- 
 wards, so much had they been levelled and 
 improved by the officers left ill Khaibar on 
 our advance for that and other purposes.* 
 
 * " Our first march through the celebrated Khaibar 
 Pass, which is in fact the northern gate of India. From 
 our camp on the river bank we moved across a barren 
 shingly plain for a couple of miles, when we entered the 
 pass, two mountains rising on either side to a height of 
 2000 feet, leaving a space between their feet of about 100 
 yards in width. Beyond this the passage opens out' to 
 about a quarter of a mile, which continues with slight va- 
 riation for about eight miles over a tolerably good road, 
 and then begins the work. At this spot, where a strong 
 
 U 
 
434 A BURIAL-GROUND. 
 
 About mid-way to camp our notice was at- 
 tracted by an extensive burying-ground. Each 
 
 piquet of ours is posted, you begin to ascend up the very 
 steep side of the mountain, on a road cut out of the solid 
 rock. This continues about twelve feet wide for three 
 quarters of a mile, during which you ascend nearly 2000 
 feet. It is very much the same as one of the hill roads of 
 the Himalayah, only worse from being all loose, and till 
 lately was almost impracticable ; but we have had 200 men 
 at work on it for some weeks, and it is now comparatively 
 perfect. 
 
 " After getting up this worst part, the road still continues 
 much the same, though now not ascending, for another 
 three quarters of a mile, in which are two short but very 
 steep ascents, which bring one to another stockade and 
 strong party of our irregulars, posted so as to defend this 
 end of the pass. Beyond this we had about another mile 
 of indifferent road, and three more tolerably good, which 
 brought us to a small mountain valley and fort called 
 Gurrhee Lala Beg ; distance in all about thirteen miles. 
 To say this pass is bad is far too mild a word. I never 
 contemplated anything at all to be compared to its strength ; 
 and I can only say that, if a position is wanted to defend 
 India on, this spot would be totally impregnable if pro- 
 perly defended by Europeans. From this we travelled 
 seven miles along the pass over a tolerable road, except 
 one or two bad spots, to Ali Masjid. This place, which 
 commands the whole Khaibar, was the place at which the 
 chiefs levied their passage-money on all travellers, for 
 which its situation absolutely prevents their having a hope 
 
GRAVE-STONES. 435 
 
 grave was marked by a piece of stone between 
 three and four feet high erected at the head of 
 it. These stones, placed close to each other, 
 presented a curious sight, and verified the 
 saying that every nation has its own manners 
 and customs, as such graves are not found in 
 India, and those we had seen on crossing the 
 
 of escape. It is very strongly situated on the top of a 
 solitary mountain, rising direct from the mountain -stream 
 below, which here runs through a passage of certainly not 
 more than twelve feet wide. Though the place is in fact 
 commanded by the heights around, so cragged and steep 
 are they, that no hope of a gun being taken up them could 
 be held out. 
 
 " Marched to Jamrud. Instead of keeping down the 
 banks of the stream, as we ought to have done, we must 
 needs go a short cut, and anything like the road or moun- 
 tain footpath (for it was nothing else) I never saw. It 
 was, for some three miles, at first up and down the rocky 
 mountains, and then along a pathway on the side of one 
 about three feet wide, which at length led down to a dry 
 Nala, leading out into the plain of Peshawr, near the new 
 fort of Jamrud ; so that we have at last got into the plains, 
 and away from those cursed mountains." — Fane's Five 
 Years in India, pp. 211-215. 
 
 Captain Fane, who had entered Afghanistan with the 
 army of the Indus by the Bolan Pass, returned with Sir 
 Claude Wade's mission from Kabul. 
 
 u2 
 
436 HAZARNAO. 
 
 Indus were rudely heaped together as of those 
 who fell in battle. 
 
 Our encamping ground at Hazarnao was 
 good and open, and water in abundance. In 
 a small pool near the village, we observed 
 numbers of tame fish. No one catches them ; 
 if any one do so, it is superstitiously believed 
 that he is liable to be affected with leprosy. 
 Good policy, and not fear of the supposed con- 
 sequence, I dare say, prevented our camp- 
 followers from preparing a palatable dish of 
 these sacred fish. 
 
 Hazarnao is a small village containing about 
 two hundred houses. Supplies were abundant 
 and cheap. The proprietors of the place are 
 respectable Afghans, and came out to meet the 
 Shah Zada with baskets of fruits and vege- 
 tables as he approached. Mir Abul Hasan 
 Khan and Mulla Shakur, the Shah Zada's 
 officers who had been sent in advance to 
 Jalalabad from Dhaka to conciliate the people 
 on their way, had been cordially received, and 
 made every arrangement for our reception. 
 
 15th. — Chahardeh, distant nine miles, the 
 
CHAHARDEH. 437 
 
 place where Mahomed Akbar had formed his 
 cantonment on our arrival at Peshawr, the 
 road tolerable all the way, winding* through a 
 rocky ridge of hills about midway. Another 
 road lies along the river Lundy, through 
 Basoul, a large village, and is shorter but not 
 so good, there being a marsh to pass; suffi- 
 cient water on the way as well as in the camp. 
 Across the river, on the steep face of a high 
 hill, near the top, we saw several rows of caves 
 inhabited by thieves and shepherds. There is 
 a more direct route to Chahardeh through 
 Batticot, but as that place is in the midst of a 
 stony desert, water was very scarce. Small 
 parties only can conveniently pass that way. 
 
 The Sikh troops, being in the habit, within 
 their own territory, of destroying the culti- 
 vation and carrying away anything they like, 
 commenced the same practice here, and pil- 
 laged some of the Bhoosa (fodder for cattle), 
 and fuel belonging to the people of the village. 
 The matter was brought to the notice of the 
 Colonel, and officers commanding corps and 
 detachments were reminded of the necessity 01 
 
438 THE KHOSTA COUNTRY. 
 
 placing sentries to protect the crops wherever 
 the camp was pitched, and strictly to caution 
 their men against committing these depre- 
 dations. 
 
 The village of Chahardeh is large, and 
 situated on the right bank of the Lundy or 
 Kabul river. The Khosta country on the 
 other side, studded with green fields and 
 orchards, looked very beautiful, and presented 
 an interesting and refreshing scene after the 
 barren and rocky country we had lately seen. 
 It is inhabitated by the Momand people ; the 
 head of whom is Khalu Khan, then present in 
 our cam pi We, at least myself, had a high 
 notion of the places we now saw, as they were 
 much extolled by the Afghans ; but on a near 
 view of them we were disappointed, for they 
 looked mere small villages, with tattered sheds 
 and ugly mud huts. Mahomed Akbar, during 
 our detention at Peshawr, amused himself in 
 building a temporary residence for coolness on 
 the banks of the river near Chahardeh. The 
 climate of the country between Jalalabad and 
 Peshawr is exceedingly hot. What the late 
 
ALIBAGHAN. 439 
 
 Captain Burnes mentions of the pestilential 
 wind in the Batticot desert and its fatal effect 
 is too true ; we heard of one or two instances 
 during our sojourn at Takal ; but I will not 
 mention any fact traced by that or any other 
 distinguished traveller, unless I find any differ- 
 ence between their observations and mine. 
 
 Our ground of encampment was on either 
 side of a small Nala, a mile west of the village, 
 covered with reeds ; until the tents were pitched 
 most of us took shelter from the sun under 
 some trees in a Faqir.s shrine close to the 
 village. Marching in a hostile country is very 
 inconvenient; we could not send our tents 
 ahead, and they were obliged to be struck and 
 moved in the morning at once. 
 
 16th. — Alibaghan, twelve miles. The road 
 was in some parts over strong ground, and no 
 water met with till within half a mile of the 
 camp, which was on an open plain close to the 
 river. Passed through a defile called Soorkh 
 Diwar, a dreary-looking place, where Sir 
 Alexander Burnes seems to have been falsely 
 
440 JALALABAD. 
 
 alarmed by his Persian guide, although the 
 spot is a famous haunt for banditti. 
 
 On arriving at our encampment some of 
 the citizens of Jalalabad came out to greet the 
 prince. Some of them brought a quantity of 
 fine water-melons and plenty of grapes, which 
 supplied us with delicious refreshment after a 
 long march. They were well received and 
 kindly treated, and then believed their change 
 of masters a propitious event, as they expected 
 it would lead to a prosperous and settled reign. 
 Near the camp we passed a Kahrez, or the sub- 
 terraneous canals used in Persia and parts of 
 Afghanistan for supplying water to irrigate 
 their fields. The Shah's authority was intro- 
 duced and readily admitted in every district as 
 we passed along, on the assurance of a recog- 
 nition of their rights by the Shah, before whom 
 they were desired to present themselves. 
 
 17th. — Jalalabad, six miles; road good all 
 the way, though much intersected by cuts and 
 canals ; spacious ground for encampment out- 
 side the gateway, west of the town, but soil very 
 
JALALABAD. 441 
 
 sandy ; a watercourse supplied the camp with 
 water. 
 
 The population of the town seemed much 
 more numerous than is mentioned by Captain 
 Burnes in his travels, but still the place looked 
 in a ruinous state. It is enclosed by a high 
 mud wall pierced with loopholes, which had 
 fallen down in some parts, particularly towards 
 the river where the ground was very rugged 
 and broken. On the southern or opposite face 
 of the fort was the residence of the Governor 
 with a small garden of limes and cypresses, a 
 part of which had been used by Mahomed 
 Akbar as a magazine, and where we found 
 cannon balls, &c. strewed about. Near the 
 western gate is the tomb of a Mahomedan 
 saint, and at one of the angles to the south 
 a shady grove of trees occupied by a Hindoo 
 Faqir, who is allowed to follow his religion 
 without hindrance in the midst of the Afghans. 
 There are many Hindoo shopkeepers in the 
 town, by whom their Hindoo shrine is sup- 
 ported. 
 
 It was very gratifying to see the manner in 
 
 u3 
 
442 SAYED HASHIM. 
 
 which the Prince was greeted on his ap- 
 proach to Jalalabad by the inhabitants of the 
 city, who assembled in crowds to receive him. 
 We remained there three days, during which 
 the Maliks and the leading men of the country 
 came to profess their allegiance to the new 
 government with alacrity. From 1 the repre- 
 sentations of the people, it would appear that 
 Akbar Khan, in his endeavours to support an 
 army disproportionate in extent to the terri- 
 tory subject to his rule, was obliged to make 
 exactions and to levy contributions on them, 
 which had rendered his rule oppressive, and 
 made them hail with satisfaction the prospect 
 of amelioration which the new order of things 
 seemed to promise. 
 
 The only chief who yet remained openly 
 rebellious was Sayed Hashim, the new ruler of 
 Kunar. A conciliatory letter was addressed to 
 him and also to the Ghilzae chief, Mahomed 
 Shah Khan, who, on the flight of his son-in-law 
 Mahomed Akbar, had retired to his own place, 
 desiring them to make their appearance, when 
 their case would be taken into consideration. 
 
AFFAIRS OF KUNAR. 443 
 
 The former sent his cousin, and the latter his 
 brother named Dost Mahomed ; and from the 
 reports we heard of their intentions, they would 
 most likely have come and waited on the Shah 
 but the precipitous measures taken at Kabul 
 for the restoration of Sayed Bahauddin to 
 Kunar (forgetting that great projects are often 
 ruined by precipitation), as will soon appear, 
 alarmed that chief and others, and prevented 
 them from trusting in the sincerity of our 
 overtures. 
 
 Had the Shah's government consulted those 
 who were then on the spot and acquainted with 
 the subject, and avoided haste, the lives and 
 property which were subsequently lost in the 
 recovery of Kunar, and asserting his power in 
 that quarter, might have been saved. 
 
 The royal authority was established through- 
 out the Jalalabad territory, and Mir Abul 
 Hasan Khan, the Sandukbardar, or keeper of 
 the King's wardrobe, was appointed the go- 
 vernor of it, pending the orders of his Majesty. 
 A quantity of powder and about five hundred 
 rounds of ball which had been left by the 
 young Sirdar, together with some unwrought 
 
444 CLIMATE. 
 
 materials for making gun-carriages and saddles 
 for swivels, were found and handed over to the 
 Shah's officers. People were also sent in dif- 
 ferent directions to recover other property of 
 which we had heard belonging to the late 
 ruler. Such is the frail nature of mankind, 
 that the very same men to whom they had 
 bowed and obeyed most humbly the other 
 day were now detested and treated as an 
 enemy. 
 
 The climate of Jalalabad is highly admired 
 by the natives as producing extreme cold and 
 heat within twelve kos. # The Safeid Koh, or 
 Snowy Mountain, is visible, and presents an 
 imposing view. The Kajja district, which is 
 well known for its fine pomegranates sent to 
 India, is also situated towards the hills within 
 this province. The town of Jalalabad is of 
 
 * " Afghanistan generally presents more changes in 
 scenery and climate than any country in the world ; and a 
 striking instance of both occurs at this place : in the first, 
 in the immediate change from the barren and stony track 
 we have so lately been travelling through, to the rich 
 valley of Jalalabad ; and again from the extreme cold of 
 the highlands of Kabul to the heat of the country around 
 us." — Fane's Five Years in India, pp. 207, 208. 
 
INTRIGUES OP THE SIKHS. 445 
 
 itself very hot, and subject to high winds in 
 the summer weather. 
 
 While we were here repeated reports were 
 received from Peshawr that the Sikhs, although 
 precluded by the tripartite treaty from holding 
 any intercourse of a political nature with the 
 Afghan states beyond their own frontier, yet 
 finding us out of their way, were attempting 
 to establish an influence of their own with 
 the tribes in Khaibar. They also employed 
 the agency of Sirdar Pir Mahomed Khan to 
 incline the people of Sawat and Buner to 
 acknowledge their government, and attempted 
 at the same time, through his elder brother, 
 Sultan Mahomed Khan, to extend their in- 
 fluence in other directions beyond Kohat. A 
 correspondence was also said to have been 
 carried on between Raja Golab Singh and the 
 Malikdin Khail and the Kuki Khail people. 
 These attempts, which were premature in some 
 instances and altogether unwarranted in others, 
 were encouraged by the new clarbar, and con- 
 firmed the report we had previously heard of 
 the intrigues between the Sikhs and the Af- 
 
446 GOLAB SINGH. 
 
 ghans on their frontier. One of the Raja's 
 objects was to exact from Sultan Mahomed 
 the cessation of the trade in salt carried on 
 through Kohat and the territory of the Sayeds 
 in Tirah. The Raja was said to have even 
 gone so far as to station his own people in that 
 quarter with the view of working out his design 
 and embarrassing the government of Shah 
 Shuja. Experience of the character and policy 
 of the Sikhs, and especially of the deep and 
 artful ways of Golab Singh, assured us of the 
 truth of these reports. They looked with 
 great jealousy on the success which the British 
 arms had lately met with in Afghanistan, and 
 were ready, as has been seen from the begin- 
 ning, to create obstacles ; and a strict watch 
 on their actions was constantly necessary to 
 keep them within their proper bounds. Hav- 
 ing now no fear of the presence of Colonel 
 Wade nor his Mission near Peshawr, they re- 
 turned to their old machinations, and were, 
 it is believed, in a great measure, the cause of 
 the commotions which broke out in Khaibar 
 while we were in Kabul. A letter was ad- 
 
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE AFGHAN CHIEF. 447 
 
 dressed to Kour Nao Nihal Singh, drawing 
 his attention to the proclamation which had 
 been issued on the reduction of Ali Masjid, 
 indicating the leading persons in Khaibar, 
 who, by their late conduct, had proved them- 
 selves hostile to the interests of the Shah, 
 and requesting that the Kour would require 
 his officers to desist from carrying on the 
 communications in which they were engaged, 
 without a due regard either to the obliga- 
 tions of their duty to the British Govern- 
 ment or to that of his Majesty. At the 
 same time Shah Zada Taimur was advised to 
 address letters in the name of his father to all 
 the chiefs of the places not inserted in the 
 tripartite treaty as belonging to the Sikh Go- 
 vernment, informing them of the restoration 
 of the Shah to the throne of Kabul, and claim- 
 ing their allegiance to him as their rightful 
 Sovereign. The object of these letters was to 
 put the people on their guard against the 
 deceptive plan of the Sikhs ; but the disaf- 
 fected had hesitated not to yield a ready ear 
 to their proposals, as the course of events and 
 
448 GARRISON LEFT AT JALALABAD. 
 
 the subsequent outbreak, not only in Khaibar, 
 but the Ghilzae country, led us partly to be- 
 lieve. 
 
 It being considered necessary to leave a part 
 of the troops at Jalalabad, Hillersdon's levy, 
 the Najeeb battalion under Captain Jacob, 
 one hundred Sowars, together with that por- 
 tion of Mackeson's levies still with him, were 
 ordered to remain stationed here until further 
 orders. The two guns attached to the Najeeb 
 battalion, the howitzer and mortar received 
 from General Court, and the piece of artillery 
 and ten swivels attached to the Shah Zada's 
 guard, were likewise left with the force above 
 detailed. A company of the 21st regiment 
 N. I., of the British detachment, was also 
 ordered to remain at the place, under the com- 
 mand of a Subehdar, there being no European 
 officer present with it. 
 
 Lieut. Mackeson was also to remain for the 
 purpose of aiding the officers of the King in 
 establishing his authority, and likewise for the 
 protection of his Majesty's interests, in that 
 important district, and the safety of the road 
 
CHAHARBAGH. 449 
 
 between Peshawr and Kabul. He was also 
 invested with the general control, both po- 
 litical and military, of the force left behind. 
 In consequence of the number of the sick in 
 hospital, they were also left at Jalalabad.* 
 
 Having arranged affairs there, we quitted 
 that place on the 21st inst., and moved to 
 Chaharbagh ; distance, four and a half miles ; 
 road sandy, and rather heavy. Encamping 
 ground to the left of the stream, with a water- 
 course running through it 
 
 Owing to the force left at Jalalabad, there 
 was a change in the order of march. The 
 
 * " At noon the thermometer never stood lower than 
 102°, and a hot wind blew all the day ; but at night it 
 became so cold that counterpanes and blankets were abso- 
 lutely necessary to defend us from its influence. In addi- 
 tion to one-third of the several regiments and detachments 
 being on the sick report, numbers were daily swelling the 
 list, and amongst others the surgeon, who about this time 
 was laid up with fever, brought on by exposure and atten- 
 tion to his arduous duties. Amongst the levies deaths 
 were frequent ; and to such a height did the sickness at 
 last attain that it became necessary to make arrangements 
 for the reception of the invalids at Jalalabad, as there was 
 no carriage to convey them further." —Barr's Journal, 
 pp. 359, 360. 
 
450 BALABAGH. 
 
 advanced guard was formed by the Rissala of 
 the Prince's personal guard ; while the British 
 detachment was paraded in front. Mr. Lord 
 having received permission to proceed to 
 Kabul in advance of the Mission, the Rissala 
 raised by him was ordered to escort him to 
 that place. He was also accompanied by 
 Mulla Shakur, the Shah's minister, who pro- 
 ceeded in advance to give a detail of the 
 expedition in person. 
 
 Chaharbagh is a royal garden, but since the 
 fall of the monarchy it has been much ne- 
 glected. It has a dilapidated summer-house, 
 and is amply watered by artificial canals, cut 
 from the Soorkhab river not very far oft*. 
 
 22nd. — Marched at daybreak, and encamped 
 at Balabagh, eight miles distant; road over 
 strong ground, and heavy the whole way. 
 Encamped a mile from the village of Balabagh, 
 on a broken and confined spot ; a water-course 
 close by, of good water. 
 
 Balabagh is a small village, situated near an 
 old garden of the same name on the banks of 
 the Soorhkab, and off the main road. Fatiabad 
 
TATANG. 45 1 
 
 is the more direct course, which we were 
 obliged to leave through the mistake of our 
 guide. 
 
 During this day's march, I rambled into the 
 country to the right of the road ; and passing 
 the villages of Sultan pur paen and Sultanpur 
 bala* to Balabagh, saw them to great advan- 
 tage. I was delighted to see the artificial canals, 
 and the waterfalls and gardens, along their 
 course. Nature seemed to take pains in 
 adding to the verdure of the scene ; and the 
 sight was highly refreshed by the display of 
 various thriving trees. The land appeared very 
 rich and productive, and the climate most 
 agreeable. We had been gradually ascending 
 since we left Jalalabad. On the right was the 
 Kabul river, with a high rocky range running 
 parallel to it ; on the other side of which is 
 the valley of Lughman, and on our left was 
 an extensive plain stretching to the foot of 
 the Raja and Hissarak ridges. The fort of 
 Tatang, which belongs to Nawab Jabbar Khan, 
 
 * Paen means the lower ; bala, the upper. , 
 
452 NAWAB JABBAR KHAN. 
 
 and is much extolled for its fine healthy situa- 
 tion, is about a mile from Sultanpurbala, 
 below the range to the right, and is a very 
 retired and enchanting place. The Nawab 
 himself is the founder of the village, and has 
 laid out two gardens, which have not yet 
 reached to maturity. It is the winter retreat 
 of the Nawab and his family, and contains a 
 convenient mansion for their accommodation. 
 Notwithstanding its beauty, the place looked 
 very gloomy from the want of tenants, and the 
 absence of its master. The subjects of the 
 Nawab, both Hindoo and Mussulmans, who 
 remain, have much respect for him. He is not 
 a prejudiced man or a bigot, but regards alike 
 with benevolence the infidel and the faithful. 
 A Hindoo shrine, which he has built at Tatang 
 besides a mosjed, is sufficient proof of his im- 
 partiality. It was not without grievous dis- 
 appointment that we saw this place abandoned 
 by the self-exile of its good master, and wished 
 him an immediate return to it with the enjoy- 
 ment of the work of his own hands. After the 
 above was written, I learned that the Nawab 
 
GANDAMAK. 453 
 
 returned to Kabul with the family of Dost 
 Mahomed Khan. He is the friend of every- 
 one, and the first and best the English ever had 
 in Afghanistan.* 
 
 23rd. — Gandamak ; distance, thirteen miles. 
 Road over strong ground, gradual ascents and 
 descent, formed by hills of loose sandstone, till 
 a place called Nimla is reached, famous for its 
 beautiful garden, which abounds with flowers 
 and trees of great size ; but it is now in a very 
 neglected condition. Nimla is also known as 
 the place where Shah Shuja was defeated, and 
 lost his throne. A turn to the right leads to a 
 steep and stony ascent half a mile in length ; 
 
 * " Instead of keeping along the line of march, we turned 
 off towards the river and passed through some very fine 
 country to the house and estate of Jabbar Khan, an elder 
 brother of Dost Mahomed, whom neglect has driven away, 
 although he has always been notoriously our best friend in 
 Afghanistan. He was much respected in the country, and 
 never interfered in any way in its political squabbles. His 
 house was a very extensive one, situated in the midst of 
 splendid cultivation, and his people had prepared a break- 
 fast of a lamb stuffed with nuts for our benefit. His de- 
 parture is universally regretted, both by Europeans and 
 natives."— Fane's Five Years in India, pp. 205, 206. 
 
454 GANDAMAK. 
 
 after which the road runs along the ridges of 
 the hills, with a very gradual ascent for two 
 and a half miles, till another long descent 
 shows the plain. Two more miles of good road 
 brings to the bridge of Gandamak, which being 
 in ruins, we had to cross the stream, the left 
 bank being rather steep and stony though 
 short. On approaching the bridge is observed 
 a large piece of white stone, which is celebrated 
 for its beneficial quality in strengthening or 
 curing defects of sight : native travellers who 
 pass break off a piece from it for that purpose. 
 1 found, however, on trial, that it is merely a 
 popular prejudice, and the stone is quite desti- 
 tute of the quality which is ascribed to it. Close 
 to the bridge is a spring under a willow tree : 
 the water of it is very pure, transparent, and 
 cold ; people generally stop here to drink. 
 
 Leaving the bridge we soon after came to 
 another stream of the same description, from 
 which the road continued good to camp. En- 
 camping ground on a fine open plain near the 
 garden, and water-courses on all sides. 
 
 Gandamak is a small village, with a garden 
 
GANDAMAK. 455 
 
 a short distance off. It is peopled by the 
 Mama Khail people, the head of whom is Mir 
 Afzal Khan, the son of the Amin-ul-mulk, the 
 person who lately distinguished himself in 
 supporting the cause of the Shah, and harass- 
 ing Mahomed Akbar by raising disturbances 
 to cut off his communications between Jalala- 
 bad and Kabul. As already mentioned, he 
 joined us when we entered Khaibar, and had 
 been in friendly correspondence with us all 
 along. He brought us plenty of fresh grapes 
 from his garden, and abundantly supplied the 
 camp with everything requisite. Gandamak 
 is in a beautiful valley, where we had a good 
 view of the Safeid Koh. Some of the party 
 returned with Mir Afzal to visit his castle, and 
 returned much pleased with their visit. He 
 was very anxious to give us every proof in 
 his power of his hospitality and devotion. We 
 found the climate of Gandamak very cool 
 and refreshing. 
 
 The road as above stated being very difficult 
 and rough, the guns did not reach the camp 
 till very late, and some pieces arrived the next 
 
456 AKBAR KHAN'S GUNS TAKEN. 
 
 morning. We were in consequence obliged to 
 halt on the 24th inst. It also appeared that a 
 party of Bildars which were to have come with 
 us had by mistake been left at Dhaka, and the 
 nature of the road in advance was stated to be 
 equally bad. Some were therefore hired from 
 the villages with such tools as are used by 
 them, and sent ahead in charge of a non- 
 commissioned officer, and some of Mir Af- 
 zal's people, with instructions to remove 
 such obstacles as might impede the progress 
 of the guns. I must not forget to mention 
 that, during Mahomed Akbar's retreat, it 
 appeared that he had been compelled to 
 abandon the whole of his artillery and bag- 
 gage, and that after leaving Gandamak, so 
 hard pressed had he been, that he had with 
 difficulty effected his escape with only a few 
 followers. Seventeen of his swivels with 
 ammunition and equipments, which had been 
 left at Khosta, were, on the requisition of the 
 Colonel, made over to us before we quitted 
 Jalalabad. A large brass gun called the Qazee 
 had been abandoned by the young Sirdar on 
 
CAPTURE OF CANNON. 457 
 
 the road near Balabagh,* and on his arrival at 
 Gandamak, where it appears he first received 
 the news of the fall of Ghazni, he determined 
 to abandon the remainder of his guns, consist- 
 ing of twelve very good pieces of artillery, two 
 of which had been captured from Shah Shuja 
 on his defeat at Candahar in 1833, and two 
 from the Sikhs in the battle of Jamrud in 1837. 
 Most of these were traced out and taken pos- 
 session of by people who were sent ahead to 
 secure them. From the latter a salute was 
 fired in honour of the Shah's restoration, and 
 they were all ordered to Jalalabad to be dis- 
 posed of according to the Shah's orders.f 
 
 * This gun was afterwards one of the trophies of 
 General Pollock's army, which he wished to convey to 
 India; but it was burst and abandoned in Khaibar, in 
 consequence of the rapidity of our retirement from Kabul. 
 
 t " Notwithstanding I had suffered from an attack of 
 ague in the morning, I was able to walk (my first essay 
 for a long time) a short distance to inspect some ordnance 
 that had been abandoned by Mahomed Akbar Khan during 
 his flight from the Khaibar, and which fell into our hands 
 here. It consisted of ten or twelve brass cannons, mostly 
 of small calibre ; and I omitted to mention that between 
 Jalalabad and Chaharbagh we passed a very large brass 
 
 X 
 
458 THE SOORKHAB. 
 
 Some parts of Akbar Khan's camp equipage, 
 a few horses, draft bullocks, and jazails, con- 
 stituted the other property which fell into our 
 hands on the occasion, but we did not claim 
 them as prize.* 
 
 26th. — Marched from Gandamak at day- 
 break, and encamped on the bank of the Soor- 
 khab, of the stream so called from the red 
 colour of its water. Road up and down hills 
 the whole way, over stony and uneven ground. 
 Some of the ascents and descents rather long 
 and steep ; crossed the stream by a dilapidated 
 stone bridge built by Ali Mardan Khan. This 
 stream, of which I have already spoken, forms 
 the natural boundary between the Jalalabad 
 and Kabul territories. The Afghans say that 
 the hot climate ceases on this side of the bridge, 
 and the cold begins to be felt on the other ; 
 
 gun, mounted on a most rudely-constructed carriage, the 
 naves of the wheels being about two feet and a half in 
 diameter, and the felloes thick in proportion, which he had 
 also been unable to carry away in his retreat." — Bart's 
 Journal, pp. 362-3. 
 
 * The Sikhs afterwards claimed their guns, and they 
 were restored to them. 
 
JAGDALOK. 459 
 
 but no such exact difference was experienced 
 by us. As we proceeded farther on towards 
 Kabul the climate became much cooler and 
 more agreeable. 
 
 From Soorkhab commences the Ghilzae 
 country, and Jhoke, the capital of their terri- 
 tory, is situated about ten kos off to the left 
 hand. Aziz Khan is the principal chief of 
 these Ghilzaes, and Mahomed Shah Khan of 
 those in Lughman. The land is said to be 
 fertile, but very little cultivation is to be seen. 
 The people are given to predatory habits. 
 Our ground of encampment was very limited, 
 and the tents were crowded together ; supplies 
 are scarce. The guns not having again 
 reached the camp till very late, the order for 
 the march was countermanded, and on the 
 27th we halted ; but an officer with the ad- 
 vanced guard proceeded at daybreak for the 
 purpose of improving the roads, and making 
 it as practicable as time would admit. Our 
 guns had now to be dragged almost the whole 
 way by main force. 
 
 28th. — Jagdalok, twelve miles. A grove of 
 
 x2 
 
460 THE FORT. 
 
 mulberry trees denotes this place. Formerly 
 there was a fort, and the Afghan monarchs on 
 their way from and to Kabul used to encamp 
 here. It is also the place where Shah Zaman, 
 one of them, was blinded, by his eyes being 
 pierced with a needle by order of Shah Mah- 
 mud, his half brother. Close to the last ground 
 is a steep and difficult ascent, then a gentle 
 slope along the side of a hill, then in the bed 
 of a stream for a long distance, then another 
 long and steep ascent, on the top of which is 
 an old ruined fort, where in the time of the 
 Moguls a strong garrison was posted to keep 
 the road. They did not trust as we did to 
 the neighbouring tribes for that important 
 measure, but their own military force; down 
 a stream for three miles, and then into camp. 
 A most tedious march for the artillery ; stony 
 ground the whole way, very bad encamping 
 ground except for a few tents amongst the 
 trees: a part of the camp was pitched under 
 them, and a part opposite the grove of trees. 
 
 There is no village on the roadside but one 
 at some distance to the left of it. On reaching 
 
BARIKAB. 46 1 
 
 the ground, the Malik of the place brought a 
 small quantity of grapes which were very ac- 
 ceptable, and received with many thanks from 
 people whose profession is to live only by rob- 
 bing others. 
 
 29th. — Barikab, ten miles distant. 
 
 The road passed down a stream for about 
 three miles, narrow in many places, with high 
 and steep rocks on both sides, up a steep 
 ascent, over ridges of hills with further descents 
 and ascents then to the bed of a stream to 
 camp. The road covered with round stones 
 and rough the whole way, without a vestige 
 of cultivation. Barikab, or the " Thin Water," 
 so called from being a very narrow stream, 
 is the site of an old fortification by the side of 
 the streamlet. It was likewise originally built 
 for the protection of the road. No encamping- 
 ground but for a small party just about the 
 bed of the stream : the camp was scattered over 
 its bed and on the adjoining ridges. Supplies 
 and forage very scarce ; water abundant. The 
 guns had to go round by the Peridarra, or 
 Faiery's Pass, following the course of a stream 
 
462 LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY 
 
 to the right. In the narrowest part of it the 
 precipices on each side almost meet, leaving 
 barely room for the carriage to pass. It is a 
 wild and picturesque spot, with a spring trick- 
 ling from the rocks. 
 
 A letter was received from the Secretary to 
 the Government of India in reply to the report 
 made by Sir Claude Wade of the operations 
 which led to the capture of the fort of Ali 
 Masjid, and the following extract of it was 
 published by him in his orderly-book for the 
 information of the officers serving with his 
 Mission. 
 
 1. "I am directed to acknowledge the re- 
 ceipt of your despatches under date of the 27th 
 and 29th ultimo, reporting the fall of Ali 
 Masjid, and in reply to state the Governor- 
 General has much satisfaction in acknow- 
 ledging the energy and determination evinced 
 by officers and men in the approach to the fort 
 and the previous operations. 
 
 2. " It is particularly creditable, I am de- 
 sired to remark, to troops so raised and consti- 
 tuted as those with the Shah Zada, that they 
 
TO SIR CLAUDE WADE. 463 
 
 remained for several hours exposed to the fire 
 of the enemy without evincing impatience or 
 hesitation. 
 
 3. " The conduct of the Maharaja's Mussul- 
 man contingent is also highly creditable ; and 
 it is the intention of the Governor- General to 
 request that Colonel Sheikh Bussowan may be 
 permitted to accept a sword from him in testi- 
 mony of his high satisfaction. 
 
 4. " You will not fail to apprise Captain 
 Farmer, Lieutenants Mackeson and Maule. Mr. 
 Lord, and the other officers with you, of his 
 Lordship's gratification at their zeal, prompti- 
 tude, and gallantry." 
 
 30^. — Teizeen, distant eight miles.* Close 
 to the last ground a short but steep ascent, 
 then along the sides of the hills by a suc- 
 cession of gradual ascents and descents up a 
 stream, over the most rough and stony ground 
 that we had ever seen, for three or four miles, 
 till we came to the mud wall of another Mogul 
 
 * There is a shorter road between Gandamak and 
 Teizeen, across the mountains called Karkatcha. It 
 comes out at Seh Baba, in the Teizeen valley. 
 
464 THE GHILZAES. 
 
 fortification. Turned off the bed of the stream 
 by a path to the left, and then reached the 
 camp, which was on good ground, but not 
 capacious. Supplies abundant; water from 
 the stream. On the road we met numbers of 
 wandering people, with their families and pro- 
 perty, going down to the warm regions of Ja- 
 lalabad and Peshawr to pass the winter. 
 Several flocks of sheep were also seen being 
 driven by the Ghilzaes in the same direction. 
 They remain absent from their cold mountains 
 during the winter, and as soon as summer 
 returns they also return to their own haunts. 
 Such a free and rural life is very agreeable to 
 these independent people. A good quantity of 
 fruits was received from my friend Mohan Lai, 
 as well as some other of our acquaintances at 
 Kabul. Several persons also came out to 
 meet the Shah Zada. Among others was 
 Ghous Mahomed Khan, with some of his re- 
 latives and friends, the chiefs of the Logar 
 tribe. As already mentioned, these people 
 were the first to throw off the authority of 
 Dost Mahomed ; to excite disturbances, and 
 
RASH MEASURES OF THE SHAH. 465 
 
 to distract the enemy, confiding in our as- 
 surances that they would be approved and 
 rewarded for their conduct, and Logar being 
 nearer on the road to the Shah than the route 
 by which his son Taimur was advancing, by 
 our advice they joined his Majesty before his 
 entrance into Kabul ; but their services were 
 not appreciated. They had not been performed 
 before himself nor any of the British officers 
 with him ; and being no longer thought of any 
 use, the men retired to their homes disgusted. 
 We were also informed of another rash and 
 questionable measure of the Shah's Govern- 
 ment, which caused a general suspicion of his 
 designs. Haji Khan, Kakar, the first to desert 
 from the enemy and join the King near Can- 
 dahar, who had been sent with some European 
 officers and a party of cavalry to pursue Dost 
 Mahomed, was, on a charge of conniving at 
 the escape of the Amir, put in confinement 
 along with Aminulla Khan Logari, one of the 
 principal chiefs of that tribe.* This sudden 
 
 * The man who incited the insurrection in Nov. 1841, 
 by proclaiming the intention of the British Government 
 
 x3 
 
466 AZIZ KHAN. 
 
 act of the English, however pleasing to some, 
 naturally alarmed the Afghan nobles; and 
 those who had come to Kabul to offer their 
 homage instantly fled, from a dread of sharing 
 the same fate, which prevented others also from 
 coming to court. Among the fugitives were 
 Aziz Khan and some other Ghilzae chiefs who 
 had adhered to the late ruler to the last : and 
 yet at the time we entered his territory he was 
 
 " to banish every suspected Afghan to London." Read 
 Lieutenant Eyre and Mohan Lai. The former says, " The 
 two great leaders of the rebellion were Aminulla Khan, 
 the chief of Logar, and Abdulla Khan Achakzae, a chief 
 of great influence, and possessing a large portion of the 
 Pisheen valley. Aminulla Khan had hitherto been con- 
 sidered one of the staunchest friends of the existing 
 government, and such was the confidence placed in him 
 by the Vazir that he had selected him to take charge of 
 Himza Khan, the lately superseded governor of the Ghil- 
 zaes, as a prisoner to Ghazni. This man now distin- 
 guished himself as one of our most inveterate enemies. 
 The immediate cause of the outbreak in the capital was a 
 seditious letter addressed by Abdulla Khan to several 
 chiefs of influence at Kabul, stating that it was the design 
 of the Envoy to seize and send them all to London !" — 
 Eyre's Journal of the Disasters in Afghanistan, pp. 
 15-17. 
 
WANT OP CONFIDENCE. 467 
 
 working hard to endanger the road; for on 
 our arrival at Teizeen we heard that it was 
 beginning to be infested by the Ghilzaes, in 
 consequence of which the Colonel took the 
 necessary precautions to guard against sur- 
 prise or accident. The Afghans now appeared 
 to lose their confidence in the new Government. 
 Had the Shah and his advisers acted with pru- 
 dence, and not at once have put Haji Khan in 
 arrest, the commotions which followed would 
 not probably have occurred. Every one now 
 began to be fearful of appearing at court, and 
 every assurance failed to dispel their alarm.* 
 
 * When the ministers and a good many followers of the 
 Amir returned from Turkistan, they told us that he, the 
 Amir, instead of having the slightest hope or thought of 
 the good offices of Haji Khan in delaying the march of the 
 English, not only threw loads of abuse on his head when- 
 ever his name was mentioned, but concluded that he would 
 do all to facilitate the means of his being overtaken. 
 Whatever the faults of Haji Khan Kakar were, it was very 
 impolitic to punish him. He was three months ago nomi- 
 nated Nasir-ul-daulah, with a considerable salary; and 
 now we made him a prisoner, and banished him to India. 
 We gained no good by this, but rather shook the con- 
 fidence of many other chiefs. Immediately his fate was 
 known in the capital of Afghanistan, Aziz Khan, the 
 
468 KHURD KABUL. 
 
 31 st. — Khurd Kabul, thirteen miles. A 
 tedious march. Close to the last encampment 
 another steep ascent; then up a stream for 
 three miles in a narrow defile called the Tung- 
 i-Tarikee to the Haft Kotal, or " Seven 
 Heights," a steep pass, the first part over stony, 
 the latter over good ground ; then two miles 
 of good road to Qabar-i-Jabbar. Here also, to 
 the left of the road, a ruined fort is to be seen. 
 It was built by some of the Mogul governors 
 
 principal chief of the eastern Ghilzaes, fled from Kabul, 
 fearing that he might be forced to share the fate of Haji 
 Khan ; and Yar Mahomed Khan, the Vazir of Herat (as 
 it will be observed by the official extracts), called us the 
 " faithless dogs" in the presence of Major Todd, the 
 British Envoy, alluding to the case of Haji Khan. Sir 
 Claude Wade was in the meantime directed to conciliate 
 Aziz Khan, the Ghilzae chief, and endeavour to restore 
 confidence enough to induce him to wait upon the Shah 
 and the Envoy. He had great difficulty to efface from his 
 mind the suspicion and fear which had been already im- 
 planted in his heart by the example of our treatment of 
 Haji Khan ; yet at length he succeeded in persuading him 
 to meet the expectations of the Kabul Government. He 
 gave him letters of recommendation, pledging his word for 
 honourable treatment, in addition to the reward he was 
 promised ; but very little attention was paid by us to his 
 stipulations. 
 
SAYED BAHAUDDIN. 469 
 
 of Kabul, and now only serves as a haunt for 
 highway robbers. Jabbar, whose remains lie 
 beneath the above tomb, is said to have been 
 one of the principal men of the Ghilzae tribe, 
 and his memory is held by them in great 
 reverence. The Ghilzae robbers generally 
 hide themselves in the tomb, and if they suc- 
 ceed in their predatory excursion, make an 
 offering to their departed forefather for assist- 
 ing them in their success. Thus this great 
 robber has still high command over the minds 
 of his posterity. 
 
 The rest of the road was good. Encamping 
 ground just off the stream ; water abundant, 
 but few supplies. Saved Bahauddin, the ejected 
 chief of Kanar, arrived in camp on his way 
 to Jalalabad. It will be remembered that he 
 had been sent to Kabul, and there confined; 
 but on the flight of the Amir he obtained his 
 liberty. He told us that Shah Shuja had 
 issued a letter patent to him to resume the 
 territory then held by Sayed Hashim, and a 
 mandate was also precipitately issued by his 
 Majesty to the latter to evacuate it, without 
 
470 BUTKHAK. 
 
 awaiting, as has been said, the result of the 
 negotiations in which we were engaged for the 
 recovery of the territory, and the submission of 
 its actual possessor. Such a strange measure 
 surprised every one much, and the disastrous 
 consequences which issued from them were 
 easily foretold. The Sayed, without any as- 
 sistance in men or money, now proceeded to 
 procure the evacuation of his territory, believ- 
 ing that he could effect it by the mere aid of 
 the royal mandate, which was very absurd, and 
 he afterwards learned to repent his folly. 
 
 1st Sept, — Butkhak, nine miles. Road enters 
 another narrow defile, called the pass of Khurd 
 Kabul, with high perpendicular sides ; a stream 
 flows down it, which is crossed many times, for 
 four or five miles. The road then turns off to 
 the left over a good level piece of ground, and 
 opens into a very fine extensive valley, at the 
 extremity of which the city of Kabul is situ- 
 ated. We heard that the road was infested by 
 the Ghilzaes after we had passed it, and that 
 two or three travellers, going to Jalalabad, had 
 a very narrow escape, and we saw these rob- 
 
BUTKHAK. 471 
 
 bers in passing, perched on the tops of the hills, 
 with their matchlocks in hand ; but our party, 
 owing to good care and vigilance, came through 
 without meeting with any accident.* 
 
 Butkhak, so named by Mahmoud of Ghazni, 
 having buried the idols of Somnath at this place, 
 is a small village surrounded by a high wall. 
 After passing through bare hills, and a rocky 
 
 * " On the 1st of September we moved to Butkhak, our 
 road for the first five miles being confined to the Khoord 
 Kabul pass, a narrow defile bounded on either side by 
 precipitous and lofty mountains, whose frowning summits 
 darkened the chasm, as in the early morning we crossed 
 and recrossed a small rivulet that rapidly sped down its 
 shingly bed. We then entered on an open valley, bounded 
 on the west by a low range of hills, which concealed the 
 long-desired city of Kabul from our sight, and in half an 
 hour arrived at our encampment. Some stragglers having 
 lagged in the pass, were attacked by the Ghilzaes, who 
 killed one or two, and wounded the remainder before they 
 could effect their escape. In the evening we were re- 
 joined by the guns that last night had remained near the 
 Haft Kotal, the men having with the greatest difficulty 
 succeeded in dragging them up the stupendous ascent of 
 the pass under the superintendence of Maule, who has had 
 charge of them ever since leaving Gundamuk, and to 
 whom, therefore, much credit is due." — JBarr^s Journal, 
 p. 367. 
 
472 THE TKOOPS INSPECTED. 
 
 and most dreary looking country, our eyes 
 were refreshed by seeing some verdure here 
 and there about the village. With the assist- 
 ance of a telescope, we had a fine view of the 
 scattered camps of the Indus army, pitched on 
 the slopes and summits of low hills ; and had 
 also a partial glimpse of the town. The en- 
 camping ground spacious, and water and sup- 
 plies abundant. As the Prince was to be 
 received in' state by his father at Kabul, the 
 troops forming his personal escort, or otherwise 
 attached to the Mission, which were now re- 
 duced to about one thousand men, were ordered 
 to clean their arms and accoutrements, and 
 prepare for the ceremony. We consequently 
 halted on the 2nd instant against our inclina- 
 tion, as every one was anxious to see Kabul. 
 In the evening of that day, the troops in camp 
 were paraded and inspected minutely by the 
 Colonel, who also explained to the officers the 
 intended order of march. 
 
( 473 ) 
 
 Chapter XVIII. 
 
 The Shah Zada arrives at Kabul — The City— State of the 
 Country — Murder of Colonel Herring — Misconduct of 
 the Shah — Order of Merit — An Execution — Sir Claude 
 Wade takes leave of the Shah and of the Prince. 
 
 On the 3rd of September the Prince proceeded 
 towards Kabul, distant nine miles. All the 
 officers and troops appeared in full dress, and 
 the cavalcade moved in grand style; the de- 
 tachments of cavalry consisting of one hundred 
 picked Ghorcheras in their gorgeous dresses of 
 shawls and silks ; a troop of Lancers from the 
 French Legion, and the Rissala of his High- 
 ness' s personal guard ; formed lines on the left 
 and right of the road, and attended him in that 
 ofder with a band playing before them. About 
 two miles from the encampment of Lord Keane's 
 army, the Shah Zada was met by the British 
 detachments of artillery and infantry, with us 
 his two companies of irregular infantry, the 
 two pieces of the Sikh artillery, and the French 
 
474 APPROACH TO LORD KEANE'S CAMP. 
 
 auxiliary battalion, together with two compa- 
 nies of Colonel Wade's own escort, who had, 
 agreeably to instructions, gone in advance to 
 await the arrival of the Prince and received 
 him here in two lines forming a street.* 
 The approach to Lord Keane's camp was very, 
 imposing; numerous lines of tents were scat- 
 tered about the heights, and the people crowded 
 on all sides to see the sight, and recognise 
 their friends in our party. As the Prince 
 passed by the camp he was received with an 
 honorary salute from the British artillery, and 
 a distinction becoming his rank by a deputa- 
 tion from his Majesty and the Envoy and 
 
 * "At length the day arrived on which we were to 
 reach the long-desired goal, and as my health had con- 
 siderably improved, I resolved, with the doctor's per- 
 mission, to take part in the procession. Accordingly, 
 on the morning of the 3rd of September, I stepped into 
 my litter, and having been carried half way, mounted my 
 charger, and drew up my detachment on the right of the 
 road. On the Shah Zada's appearing in sight, we saluted 
 him with twenty-one guns, also a signal for the troops at 
 Kabul to get under arms ; and as he neared us we wheeled 
 into column, and headed the procession." — Barr's Journal, 
 pp. 367-8. 
 
RECEPTION OF THE PRINCE. 475 
 
 Minister at his court, and by his Excellency 
 the Commander-in-Chief of the grand army 
 in person. The procession was now much in- 
 creased in numbers, but no confusion occurred, 
 everything went on as at first. As we entered 
 the seat of empire the crowd increased more 
 and more ; the balconies and terraces of the 
 houses were filled with women wrapped in 
 barqas or long veils to see their Prince. A 
 man on the part of the Shah preceded him 
 and cleared the way, which was necessary, as 
 the streets were very narrow, and we advanced 
 very slowly. The bustle was great ; the spec- 
 tators stood admiring the procession ; they ob- 
 served that his Majesty himself even did not 
 make his entry in such majestic style. At 
 length we entered the Bala Hissar and the 
 palace, where his Royal Highness was received 
 by the King his father, who welcomed him on 
 his arrival, and seated him by his side among 
 the other princes. After a while the Mission 
 retired to the camp, which was pitched to the 
 north-east of the city, close to the walls of the 
 fort in a meadow with a small garden in the 
 
476 VIEW OF KABUL. 
 
 rear. The Prince now no longer formed a part 
 of our camp ; he withdrew to the residence 
 assigned to him within the fort by his Majesty. 
 
 The road was good all the way ; about half- 
 way came to a stone bridge made by Dost 
 Mahomed Khan through a marsh formed by 
 the Logar river. The city did not present any 
 striking view from without, nor has it any con- 
 spicuous building to distinguish it at a distance. 
 
 The first object on our arrival at the place 
 was to see the city, which I did the same day 
 in the company of my friend Mohan Lai. The 
 bazars were so crowded that we did not pass 
 through them easily. Kabul is certainly a 
 very busy and noisy place, and was made more 
 so at present by the presence of our armies in 
 its vicinity. Numbers of the camp followers, 
 European soldiers and Indians, were seen 
 mixed with the natives making their respective 
 bargains, or satisfying their curiosity. The 
 shops appeared to be well supplied with every- 
 thing ; the fruit in particular was arranged 
 with great taste, and presented a fine sight ; 
 the shops of the bakers, confectioners, drapers, 
 
ITS BAZARS. 477 
 
 &c, also looked very well, decorated with the 
 different articles which they professed to sell. 
 " If you want to purchase victual for any or- 
 dinary number of guests, you can get them 
 ready prepared in one shop ; or if you want to 
 organize an army of ten thousand men you 
 can procure everything to equip it in one day." 
 These are the remarks which a Kabuli would 
 make in favour of his native place, and they 
 certainly do not partake of much exaggeration. 
 Of all the bazars of Kabul the Chaharchata 
 is the best and finest I have ever seen. It was 
 commenced by the celebrated Ali Mardan 
 Khan, but not finished by him. A part of it 
 was said to have been repaired by the late 
 ruler. The roof, which is vaulted, appears to 
 be much damaged, and has many large cracks. 
 The people expected that Shah Shuja would 
 take early notice of the tottering state of this 
 noble building.* The city does not contain any 
 good houses, which are mostly made of sun- 
 dried bricks, two stories high. It seemed, 
 
 # 
 
 * It was destroyed by the army on our return to Kabul 
 in 1842. 
 
478 TRADE. 
 
 however, to be well-peopled, and its bazars 
 always crowded from early morning till even- 
 ing. It is supposed that if well managed, and 
 with proper attention to commerce, the pros- 
 perity of Kabul is capable of being doubly or 
 trebly increased within a few years. 
 
 The common people and the merchants 
 seemed much delighted at the change of 
 government ; trade has been greatly promoted, 
 and every one is said to have made a good 
 fortune during the short stay of the army. 
 Almost all the people, Europeans and Indians, 
 purchased something, and no doubt were 
 highly charged for every thing by the natives. 
 The approaching return of the army made the 
 purchasers very brisk, as every one wished to 
 take some presents from Afghanistan for his 
 family or friends in India ; but soon afterwards 
 an order arrived from Government, which pre- 
 vented the whole of the troops from returning, 
 to the great regret of the Kabulis, as it partly 
 stopped the sale of their goods ; however, they 
 had filled their purses with their exorbi- 
 tant profits. It was said that since Ahmed 
 
THE AFGHAN NOBILITY. 479 
 
 Shah's time,* they had never made so much 
 money. 
 
 The nobility of the country did not, how- 
 ever, consider themselves as well off as the 
 lower classes of the people. By the late ruler 
 they were treated very attentively, almost on 
 equal terms, and enjoyed much influence, 
 while now they were obliged to undergo many 
 hard ceremonies. In the first place, they found 
 it very difficult to obtain an admittance to the 
 royal presence ; and those who by flattering 
 the darbars or ushers could do so, were made 
 for hours to stand at a respectful distance 
 before his Majesty with their hands folded in 
 a most humble manner, and often compelled 
 to retire from the darbar without being allowed 
 to say a word to the King. Exclusive of this 
 degradation of their dignity, they were de- 
 prived of the many benefits which they enjoyed 
 during the late Government, and saw that they 
 had now no voice in its councils. f 
 
 * The first Durrani king of the Afghans, and the 
 grandfather of Shah Shuja. 
 
 *f " The more we found the people quiet, the more steps 
 
480 THEIR DISGUST. 
 
 All these circumstances offended the Dur- 
 rani and Kasalbash nobility to a high degree, 
 and they appeared quite disgusted with the 
 Shah and his allies even at the time of our 
 arrival at Kabul, when he had not been a 
 month there. They often remarked that they 
 had believed that the Shah would enjoy the 
 same absolute power that he possessed before 
 his dethronement, but that they were altogether 
 deceived, and now found him merely a puppet 
 in the hands of the English. I heard some of 
 them often scolding each other for favouring 
 the Shah's cause and deserting Dost Mahomed, 
 who they said was like one of their own 
 brethren. They also used to say that if they 
 had but resisted his Majesty's advance with 
 the British army, they would have been vic- 
 
 we took in shaking off their confidence. We neither took 
 the reins of government in our own hands, nor did we give 
 them in full powers into the hands of the Shah. Inwardly 
 or secretly we interfered in all transactions, contrary to 
 the terms of our own engagement with the Shah ; and 
 outwardly we wore the mask of neutrality. In this manner 
 we gave annoyance to the King on the one hand, and dis- 
 appointment to the people on the other." — Mohan Lai's 
 Life of Dost Mahomed Khan, p. 313. 
 
PROGRESS OF DISAFFECTION. 481 
 
 torious; for they now saw that the British 
 troops were only looking formidable from 
 having a horde of camels and numberless tents 
 which they carried with them, that they were 
 not so in reality or in numerical strength.* 
 
 Such were at that time the opinions and sen- 
 timents of the nobles of Kabul ; and to these cir- 
 cumstances, as well as to two or three other 
 rash measures to which I have alluded, may be 
 ascribed the origin of the disaffection which 
 
 * " The Amir Dost Mahomed would have certainly 
 given us one or two battles before his flight to Bamian, 
 had he had to oppose us only on one side. We, however, 
 threatened him at once in three different directions : be- 
 sides that, we had to a considerable degree caused him to 
 mistrust the chiefs and people around him. From the 
 south, the army of the Indus, after obtaining possession of 
 Candahar, and taking the fortress of Ghazni, had reached 
 within a few marches of his capital ; and on the north, or 
 in Kohdamam, it was only about twenty miles from the 
 city, we had succeeded in inducing his own subjects, the 
 Kohistanis, to stand up against him ; and from the east 
 side we had sent the Shah Zada Taimur, the eldest son of 
 the king, with about 10,000 foot and horse, through the 
 Panjab, to divert the attention of the Amir towards Jalala- 
 bad and Khaibar ; and we thus prevented his son Mahomed 
 Akbar from joining his father in Kabul/' — Mohan Lai's 
 Life of Dost Mahomed Khan, pp. 248, 249. 
 
 Y 
 
482 THE KAZALBASHES. 
 
 destroyed the merit of the policy of restoring 
 Shah Shuja to that country. 
 
 During our stay in Kabul I often received 
 invitations, especially from the Kazalbash 
 people, with whom I became acquainted 
 through my friend Mohan Lai, and had many 
 opportunities of examining and observing 
 their habits and manners. They are a very 
 social and familiar race of people, very fond 
 of good living and good clothing, and every 
 other luxury within their reach; and really 
 they seem to live from hand to mouth, and 
 have nothing to spare. Their parties are very 
 pleasant and agreeable, and on the whole I 
 was highly delighted with their society. They 
 appear much more polished in their man- 
 ners than their neighbours, the Afghans, who 
 are considered by them a very headstrong race. 
 It is proverbial when they happen to make any 
 mistake or to go wrong, to say that it was 
 " Afghani," or like an Afghan. When they 
 sit down in a mahjil, or assembly of guests, 
 they will make you laugh excessively by tell- 
 ing their tales and anecdotes in a mimic way. 
 
SHlRIN KHAN. 483 
 
 Among others, I was often very much amused 
 by the gay Naeb Mahomed Sharif, who is cer- 
 tainly a very odd and ingenious man. 
 
 The head of the Jawan Sher people, one of 
 the branches of the Kazalbashes, is Khan 
 Shirin Khan. He is a very fine, courteous- 
 looking person, and possesses great influence 
 in his tribe. During the late Government he 
 was considered a chief of great weight: the 
 Shah has also employed him in his service 
 with six thousand Sowars of his own tribe, 
 and treats him more kindly than any other of 
 his race.* 
 
 Notwithstanding these favours Shirin Khan 
 also appeared to be disaffected, and did not 
 like his situation ; saying that he was not so 
 respectfully treated as before the restoration. 
 He also added, that on the approach of his 
 Majesty to Kabul, when he went out to greet 
 him, as he passed, the Hindustani people on the 
 way called out to him, $t That is a Nawak- 
 haram, or disloyal ;" and uttered some other 
 
 * He used to correspond with the Shah in his exile at 
 Lodianah. 
 
 y2 
 
484 STATE OF THE COUNTRY. 
 
 terms of abuse ; and that this was the taunting 
 manner in which they were all regarded by 
 the conquerors. In fact, these slight circum- 
 stances tended to increase the dislike of his 
 people to the Shah, even among his old friends. 
 Great dissatisfaction began generally to pre- 
 vail, and some satiric couplets also were in 
 circulation among them, which they took a 
 pleasure in repeating. Such beginnings were 
 a sign of a bad ending. 
 
 The country was already in a disturbed 
 state; the communication between Jalalabad 
 and Kabul became daily more difficult, the 
 Dawk runners were being plundered and mo- 
 lested by the Ghilzaes. Lieutenant Conolly 
 and an envoy on the part of Shah Shuja, 
 going to Lahore with some horses, as a present 
 for Kharak Singh, and to escort Lady Mac- 
 naghten to Kabul, were stopped even so close 
 by as the pass of Khurd Kabul ; and although 
 they were escorted by a large party of horse 
 and foot, were only able to effect their pas- 
 sage with great difficulty. The Kohistan of 
 Kabul was likewise in rebellion ; to quell which 
 
MURDER OF COLONEL HERRING. 485 
 
 1 
 
 Gholam Khan, the Popalzae chief, who had 
 before been employed in inciting them against 
 Dost Mahomed, was hastily despatched.* 
 In the opposite direction Lieut.- Colonel Her- 
 ring, who was coming with his regiment 
 from Candahar, had been murdered between 
 Ghazni and Kabul ; and a force was sent to trace 
 out and punish his murderers. The country 
 towards Bamian was likewise reported to be 
 disaffected ; a detachment, along with Mr. 
 Lord, was despatched to that quarter to pre- 
 serve tranquillity, and watch the movements 
 of Dost Mahomed Khan and his son Akbar. 
 The communication through Khaibar was still 
 kept open, but only by tjie presence of the 
 numerous troops we had left there and at 
 Dhaka and Jalalabad ; as in consequence of 
 
 * It is strange that Mir Masjidee, who is mentioned by 
 Lieutenant Eyre as " putting himself at the head of a 
 powerful and well organised party in 1840, with the 
 avowed intention of expelling the Feringees and over- 
 turning the existing government," so soon after should be 
 also of the number of those who was the foremost to fight 
 for the Shah, and to receive for that purpose a Shah Zada 
 in disguise in their country ! 
 
486 IMPRUDENCE OF THE SHAH. 
 
 ■ 
 
 the chiefs, who came with the Shah Zada 
 to Kabul (to be presented to the King for 
 the purpose of having their respective claims 
 and relations to the new government settled), 
 being treated ill, the chiefs were disgusted. If 
 they went to the Shah they were referred to 
 the Envoy, and so from the one to the other ; 
 and the result was that nothing was done for 
 them by either during the month we remained 
 at Kabul. 
 
 A few days after our arrival General Wilt- 
 shire quitted with his division, to return to 
 Bombay, and punish Mehrab Khan, Birohi, 
 the chief of Belochistan ; in which they suc- 
 ceeded. Such was the state of affairs in the 
 country which, instead of reducing, required 
 the active employment of the whole army. 
 
 Shah Shuja seemed to take very little notice 
 of what was passing. He did not act like a 
 person who was responsible for the conse- 
 quences, but submitted in everything to his 
 supporters. He only cared about holding his 
 darbar, and in speaking in a very haughty 
 way to the people. The Durranis, who had 
 
GARDENS OF ASTALIF. 487 
 
 joined Prince Taimur on his expedition, were 
 received as coldly as the other chiefs. Al- 
 though they had been recommended very 
 strongly for their loyalty by both the Shah 
 Zada and Colonel Wade, they complained that 
 no consideration was shown to them, and many 
 of them, wearied out and tired of waiting, 
 returned in disgust to their homes. Europeans 
 and natives even then observed the change, 
 which clearly foreboded some misfortune, yet it 
 did not appear to make any serious impression 
 on those in authority.* 
 
 I am sorry to say, that owing to the un- 
 settled state of the country, we had not an 
 opportunity of making any distant excursions, 
 and seeing the* celebrated gardens of Astalif, 
 in the kohdaman, or skirts of the hills, which 
 are spoken of in high terms of praise by the 
 natives. Kabul mostly depends for its supplies 
 of fruit on these gardens. I had, however, the 
 satisfaction of making some rambles into the 
 gardens to the north-west of the city. They 
 
 * The account of every writer on the subject has 
 sadly confirmed the truth of these early observations. 
 
488 TOMB OF BABER. 
 
 appeared well laid out, and watered by the 
 canals cut from the Kabul stream. The fruit 
 was ripe, and we had the pleasure of pulling 
 them off with our own hands, and eating them 
 fresh. The grapes and sarda* are produced 
 in profusion here ; but the Kabul bazars are 
 supplied with them only from Astalif. There 
 were such quantities of grapes sent to us as 
 presents that we used to make our horses 
 feed on them. The natives do not eat them 
 in this month ; they consider them yet in 
 a raw state, but they enjoy them in the 
 winter season. I think this was the chief 
 cause of the illness of the Indians. They cer- 
 tainly ate too much fruit, and became ill with 
 dysentery, but it was seldom attended with any 
 fatal effects. 
 
 We also visited the tomb of the Emperor 
 Baber, which is in a perfect state of ruin, and 
 were sorry to find the remains of that noble 
 emperor lying so neglected. If Shah Shuja 
 would restore the tomb to its former splendour, 
 it might be done without much expense, as 
 * The delicious melon of Kabul. 
 
VALLEY OF KABUL. 489 
 
 the slabs of marble which formed it are lying 
 scattered here and there ; and such a work 
 would redound to his good name and popu- 
 larity. The garden in which the tomb stands 
 lately served as a stabling to Dost Mahomed 
 Khan's horses, which were tied under its fine 
 grove of trees. The pickets of the horses were 
 still visible. It was said that the late ruler had 
 little or no regard for tombs or such like places. 
 
 From the summit of the hill behind Baber's 
 tomb we had a magnificent view of the valley 
 of Kabul, which is extremely rich and beau- 
 tiful on that side of the city. Seating ourselves 
 on a dilapidated baradari, built there by Shah 
 Zaman, we observed the interesting valley to 
 great advantage. The face of nature appeared 
 fully animated, and perfect verdure refreshed 
 the sight in every direction within a circum- 
 ference of twelve miles. 
 
 Passing a barren and hilly country from 
 Peshawr to Butkhak, I had considered it quite 
 unworthy of conquest by the British arms; but 
 on seeing the valley of Kabul, I thought its 
 labours were well compensated. 
 
 y3 
 
490 CLIMATE. 
 
 The climate of Kabul is very delightful and 
 healthy, but the cold predominates. In the 
 month of September, at night, we could not 
 sleep in tents without quilts or blankets, but 
 the days were not so cool. At noon the sun 
 did not feel agreeable. The winter of Kabul is 
 said to be very severe ; but it is a time of great 
 enjoyment to the rich, who collect sufficient 
 supplies for the consumption of their families 
 during that season, and never step out of their 
 houses when it snows. It is then called the 
 Gandab'ahar, or the dirty weather, and the 
 communication becomes very scarce and diffi- 
 cult throughout the country. The poorer 
 classes of the people generally go to pass the 
 winter in warmer climates, and business almost 
 remains at a stand in the city. 
 
 Two or three days after our arrival, the 
 Sikh officers who had accompanied the Prince 
 were introduced to his Majesty, on which 
 occasion they were presented with khilats. 
 Their troops were likewise inspected by the 
 Shah, who was joined on that occasion by the 
 Commander-in-Chief and the Envoy and mi- 
 
THIEVES. 491 
 
 nister at his court. The party seemed well 
 pleased with the discipline and exercise of the 
 Sikhs, and his Majesty made a present of 5000 
 rupees to be distributed among the sepoys. The 
 Afghans seemed much surprised at the able 
 manner in which the Sikh troops acquitted 
 themselves. 
 
 When we had been encamped a few days, the 
 thieves began to annoy us. Scarcely a night 
 passed that they did not attack stragglers from 
 the British encampment, and cut to pieces 
 those they caught. Sheikh Bussowan, the Sikh 
 Sikhs, commander, reported the occurrence to 
 Sir Claude, and proposed that he should place 
 a picket of his men in ambuscade on the road 
 from Beymaroo by the Siah Sang heights 
 which were in the rear of our camp, stating 
 that, in their warfare with the Afghans, the 
 Sikhs had found this the only way of dealing 
 with them. The Colonel gave his consent; 
 and the following night, these villains, who 
 were bold enough to come in a party of eight 
 or ten, were intercepted by a volley from our 
 picket which killed and wounded four or five 
 
492 THE NEW ORDER OF MERIT. 
 
 of them, who proved to be notorious thieves ; 
 and such was the effect it produced, that not 
 only our own camp, but those in our neigh- 
 bourhood for many days, were quite free from 
 molestation. No one had dared to fire a shot 
 into our camp until we came to Kabul. 
 
 On the 17th of September, the European 
 officers who were attached to the Mission 
 attended the court of the Shah for the purpose 
 of being present on the occasion of his Majesty 
 conferring on the principal officers of the 
 British Government an order of merit which 
 he had newly instituted. Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Wade, Major Mackeson, and Mr. Lord 
 were among those who had accompanied the 
 Shah Zada on whom his Majesty conferred 
 the order ; and they felt highly gratified by 
 these marks of his royal distinction : but they 
 were not justly bestowed on some, and with- 
 held from others who deserved them. Captain 
 Farmer, the officer who to his command of 
 the British detachment had added the general 
 control of Dowson's and Hillersdon's levies, 
 amounting to 1500 men, well merited the same 
 
MEDALS. 493 
 
 consideration for his gallant and worthy con- 
 duct in the late operations ; but that officer was 
 neglected, and so was our excellent Sikh com- 
 mander, Colonel Sheikh Bussowan. The latter, 
 considering his rank and that he was in the 
 service of an old ally of the British Govern- 
 ment, fully deserved to be distinguished by the 
 Shah, along with the European British officers 
 of equal rank with him. # 
 
 We heard that his Majesty contemplated 
 also conferring a medal on the whole of the 
 officers and troops, whether of the British Go- 
 vernment, or his own commanded by British 
 officers, present at Ghazni ; but no similar 
 mark of distinction was thought of for the 
 Sikh troops, &c. employed towards Peshawr, 
 and in the reduction of Ali Masjid. This 
 measure was supposed by the people to have 
 proceeded from the unjust partiality of the Shah 
 and his advisers to the British troops under his 
 own eye. Every one who has seen or is likely 
 
 * However great their deeds of gallantry or devotion, 
 the natives of India are seldom named or thought of on 
 these occasions. 
 
494 AN EXECUTION. 
 
 to see the Khaibar Pass will easily conceive 
 the difficulties which the troops with the Shah 
 Zada must have undergone in forcing it, well 
 protected and defended as it is by a race of 
 independent men who had hitherto never 
 yielded to the arms of any nation ; and at the 
 same time judge whether these troops did not 
 deserve to be honoured equally with their 
 brother officers of Ghazni* 
 
 During our stay, a man was executed. He 
 was a native of Kabul, and hanged for murder- 
 ing his own wife, on the plea of her being a 
 loose woman, and having prostituted her chas- 
 tity to a stranger. The murderer was seized 
 and tried by the officers of the Shah, and sen- 
 tenced to be hanged. 
 
 On the evening of his execution, a mob, as 
 usual ori such occasions, assembled in pro- 
 digious numbers, filling the whole plain in 
 front of the palace, adjoining the western face 
 
 * " The small fort of Ali Masjid has from its situation 
 long held the Sikhs in check ; and it is not upon record 
 that the celebrated Khaibar Pass has ever previously been 
 forced." — Extract Jrom Lord Auckland's Letter to the 
 Secret Committee, Simla, Aug. 29, 1839, 
 
AN EXECUTION. 495 
 
 of the Bala Hisar, where the execution took 
 place. As the miserable creature was being 
 conducted by a party of the troops from the 
 jail to the scaffold, the people generally ex- 
 pressed their displeasure at the sentence. 
 They remarked that the prisoner, according to 
 the usages of the country, was quite right in 
 taking the life of his wife, who, they said, 
 justly deserved death for her conduct; and 
 that the present measure would only en- 
 courage the women to prostitution with im- 
 punity ; which some of the bystanders disputed 
 by contrary arguments, and spoke of the 
 oppressions to which the female sex were sub- 
 jected by their cruel husbands. However, the 
 majority were of the former opinion, and the 
 people loudly cried out against the injustice of 
 the Government. The prisoner did not appear 
 to feel any compunction or remorse, but 
 seemed quite resigned to his fate. The mob 
 which had surrounded the gallows was dis- 
 persed by the military, and on another order 
 having been received from the Shah (who was 
 then passing the place to take the air) to carry 
 
496 OUR SOJOURN AT KABUL. 
 
 the sentence into effect, the hangman has- 
 tened to throw the halter round the prisoner's 
 neck, and he was instantaneously launched into 
 eternity. He soon died, and the body, which 
 remained hanging for some time, was afterwards 
 removed and buried. Although the justice of 
 the sentence may not be doubted, yet it was 
 very impolitic in the actual state of affairs. 
 The Kabul women are notorious for their 
 intrigues, and the punishment inflicted on the 
 man gave them full liberty to act as they 
 pleased; and hence the indignation of the 
 people, a result which was considered very 
 detrimental to the interests of the Government 
 in its infancy.* 
 
 The time of our short sojourn at Kabul was 
 chiefly employed by the Mission in communi- 
 cation with the Envoy and minister at the 
 court, — in settling such matters as required 
 immediate attention, the principal of which was 
 the final disposal of the levies and establish- 
 ments which were entertained in the service of 
 
 * Vide Mohan Lai's Life of Dost Mahomed Khan for 
 the causes which led to the insurrection in Kabul. 
 
RETURN OF SIR C. WADE. 497 
 
 the Shah Zada, and of the officers who accom- 
 panied the Mission ; besides the consideration of 
 the most eligible plan for the settlement of the 
 Khaibaris, and the permanent security of the 
 passage through their territory, which was an 
 object of the first importance : yet we had been 
 nearly a month at Kabul without anything 
 being asked on the subject ; and the chiefs, in 
 despair, had, in the meantime, returned to 
 Khaibar without giving any one notice of their 
 intention. 
 
 These points having been arranged, and the 
 Shah having promised to provide the necessary 
 parwanas or orders to reassure the Khaibaris 
 and confirm them in their rights and privi- 
 leges, Sir Claude Wade prepared to return with 
 the Sikh auxiliary troops to India. The 
 British detachment was made over to the 
 Commander-in-Chief, as well as such of the 
 British officers as were not transferred to the 
 Shah. Lieutenants Maule and Rattray were 
 among the latter. The former of these officers 
 was appointed to raise a corps of Kohistanis 
 for service in that quarter. His departure was 
 
498 LIEUTS. MAULE AND RATTRAY. 
 
 regretted by every one, more especially by the 
 officers and men of the Shah Zada's household 
 and personal guard, with whom he had become 
 a favourite by his mildness of temper, and 
 for kind manners towards them. Lieutenant 
 Rattray was nominated an assistant in the 
 political department, to accompany Mr. Lord 
 to Bamian.* Lieutenant Cunningham was 
 
 * Of these three excellent men not one survives. The 
 fate of Mr. Lord has already been given ; that of Lieu- 
 tenants Maule and Rattray is subjoined : — " On this day 
 (3rd Nov. 1841) Lieutenant Richard Maule, commanding 
 the Kohistanee regiment, which on its return from Zoor- 
 mut had been stationed at Kahdarra in Kohistan, about 
 twenty miles north-west of Kabul, with the object of 
 keeping down disaffection in that quarter, being deserted 
 by his men, was, together with local Lieutenant Wheeler, 
 his adjutant, barbarously murdered by a band of rebels. 
 They defended themselves resolutely for several minutes, 
 but at length fell under the fire of some jazails. Lieu- 
 tenant Maule had been previously informed of his danger 
 by a friendly native, but chose rather to run the risk of 
 being sacrificed than desert the post assigned him. Thus 
 fell a noble-hearted soldier and a devout Christian. The 
 following is an outline of what had taken place in Ko- 
 histan from the commencement of the insurrection up to 
 the present date. ***** 
 
 In the course of the forenoon of the 3rd of November 
 
ORDER FROM GOVERNMENT. 499 
 
 the only one who still remained in our camp ; 
 
 but we were afterwards joined by Lieutenant 
 
 J. Anderson as an acting assistant. At first it 
 
 was intended that Sir Claude should conduct 
 
 the return of the returning portion of the army 
 
 through the Panjab; but an order having 
 
 arrived from Government countermanding the 
 
 departure of the whole army from Afghanistan, 
 
 it was determined that the Mission should 
 
 retire, leaving Lieutenant Mackeson, who had 
 
 come to Kabul, to conduct Sir John Keane with 
 
 his escort as far as Peshawr, where he was to 
 
 make over his charge to another officer, who 
 
 would be appointed to relieve him. 
 
 On the 4th of October, Colonel Wade, with 
 
 the remaining members of the Mission, went to 
 
 Major Pottinger had an interview with a number of the 
 more influential chiefs in his house or fort, and about noon 
 went into the garden to receive those of inferior rank, 
 accompanied by his visitors ; here they were joined by 
 Lieutenant Charles Rattray, Major Pottinger's assistant 
 (the Major had succeeded Mr. Lord). While thus en- 
 gaged, this most promising and brave young officer appa- 
 rently became aware of intended foul play, and turned to 
 leave the place, when he was immediately shot down." — 
 Eyre's Journal, pp. 38, 68, and 70. 
 
500 SIR CLAUDE AND HIS OFFICERS 
 
 court to take leave of the Shah, who was sit- 
 ting in private on a chair in his palace. It was 
 a large and extensive square, open, with a 
 garden in the centre, and surrounded by build- 
 ings made of beautifully carved wood, but it 
 had fallen into decay and required much repair. 
 It was built by some of the Mogul emperors. 
 
 Shah Shuja expressed his regret to part 
 with us so soon, and especially with the 
 Colonel, whom he had known, and been so 
 long intimately associated with at Lodianah. 
 He made a long speech ; and amongst other 
 topics spoke of the scantiness of his resources, 
 and many wants, observing that he was very 
 economical in his expenditure, and tried to 
 keep it within his income, which was said, 
 no doubt, to reach the ear of the Governor- 
 General. He added that, besides his army 
 and other public expenses, he had a large 
 family to provide for ; that the number of the 
 Shah Zadas alone amounted to upwards of a 
 hundred persons ; and that each of them re- 
 quired a handsome allowance. He was com- 
 plimented on his desire to economise, and 
 
TAKE LEAVE OF THE SHAH. 50 1 
 
 every wish was offered for the prosperity of 
 his government. His Majesty next desired the 
 Colonel to endeavour to reconcile the parties 
 on the side of Jalalabad and Peshawr, who 
 had fled from Kabul, and alienated themselves, 
 as he said, from him ; requesting that every 
 exertion might be made to reclaim them ; and 
 repeating his intention of addressing letters on 
 his own part to each of the rebellious chiefs, 
 directing them to negotiate their terms of 
 allegiance through that officer* The Shah 
 then desired Sir Claude Wade to convey his 
 acknowledgments to his Lordship the Go- 
 vernor-General, and dismissed the Mission 
 without any honorary marks of favour. We 
 were all surprised at the omission, as it was 
 contrary to the custom of every court on 
 similar occasions. He afterwards, however, 
 sent a sword, with a few pieces of cloth, 
 and ahorse, to the Colonel, but nothing to any 
 one else. 
 
 After leaving the Shah, we went to take 
 
 * These letters, though promised next day, were never 
 sent. 
 
502 THEY TAKE LEAVE OF THE PRINCE. 
 
 leave of Prince Taimur, who was living in a 
 confined place in the outer court of the palace. 
 As we had long been together, the parting- 
 scene with him was very painful ; both parties 
 could not suppress a deep sigh as they sepa- 
 rated, and heartily wished well to each other. 
 The Shah Zada is a very good man, and 
 popular ; but he is thought to be too good and 
 inexperienced in the ways of the world to 
 make a statesman. Spectator as he is of the 
 passing events, it is hoped that his mind may 
 improve.* 
 
 * " The prince is kind in the extreme, and has on 
 several occasions sent me lumps of hardened snow to 
 apply to my temples when throbbing with pain. His 
 attentions to Maule, for whom he has taken a fancy, are 
 unbounded, and day after day large trays of fruit and ice 
 are brought to him with the prince's salaam. It is a pity 
 he is so deficient in energy, as his whole nature is replete 
 with the milk of human kindness ; and without it he will 
 never be able to control the tumultuous passions of the 
 turbulent Afghans, should it ever be his lot to rule over 
 them. Consequent on the events that have lately oc- 
 curred in Afghanistan, the prince is again a pensioner of 
 the British Government in India." — Barr*s Journal ', 
 pp. 358-59. 
 
HIS CHARACTER 503 
 
 Having been constantly kept within his 
 father's haram from his childhood to the pre- 
 sent time, it is not surprising that he should 
 know so little of the world. 
 
( 504 ) 
 
 Chapter XIX. 
 
 Departure from Kabul — Correspondence with the Ghil- 
 zae Chiefs — Adventures of Shah Zada Mahomed Saleh 
 — Murder of Sirdar Cheit Singh — Communication with 
 Sadat Khan — Ill-health of the Troops at Ali Masjid 
 — Colonel Wade takes leave of the Sikh Troops — Out- 
 break of the Khaibaris. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 5th inst. we 
 quitted Kabul on our return to Lodianah, and 
 the separation from our Afghan and Kabul 
 friends was one mingled with joy as well as 
 sorrow ; the former because we were glad to 
 find that we were again proceeding to our 
 native land and our friends and relatives ; and 
 the latter, because we were sorry to leave Kabul 
 without seeing its winter and spring .* 
 
 * The feeling of delight that pervaded the army when, 
 after so many hardships, it once more turned its face 
 towards Hindostan, was universal ; and I may say, the 
 regret that filled the breasts of those who were destined to 
 remain in Afghanistan was as unanimous. Many appoint- 
 ments in the Shah's service had been offered to officers, 
 
COLD WEATHER. 505 
 
 For the sake of protection several parties, 
 both European and Native, availed themselves 
 of our escort to return to India. Among the 
 former were Colonel Sandwith of the Bombay 
 cavalry, and Captain Fane whom we had 
 known at Lahore during the visit of Sir Henry 
 Fane to celebrate the marriage of Kour Nao 
 Nihal Singh in 1837. 
 
 The weather was now getting cold ; so 
 much so that on re-entering the pass of Khurd 
 Kabul our fingers were almost benumbed, and 
 we could hardly keep hold of the reins of our 
 
 and declined by them ; and even soldiers who could have 
 got salaries of 100 or 200 rupees per mensem, in lieu of 
 their comparatively trifling pay, refused to remain behind 
 on even these (to them) splendid terms. The paradise 
 that all expected to see in the beauties of Afghanistan had 
 faded as we advanced, and a dreary spectacle of barren 
 mountains and swampy valleys occupied its place. True 
 it is, a few bright gleams of scenery do occasionally meet 
 the eye, but they are scarce, and travellers in their hasty 
 journeys have allowed their thoughts to dwell on these 
 lovely spots, rendered more beautiful by the contrast of 
 the surrounding country ; and in their descriptions have 
 forgotten to mention the more marked features of the 
 province, which consist of desolation and barrenness." — 
 Barr's Journal, pp. 380-81. 
 
506 THE GHILZAES. 
 
 horses. A sharp wind blew in our faces, and 
 the water on the sides of the Nah which 
 flowed down the pass was completely frozen.* 
 There is a footpath over the hills to the left, 
 which people generally prefer in winter. 
 
 The Ghilzaes, observing how things were 
 going on at Kabul, had now become very bold. 
 At night, while encamped at Khurd Kabul, we 
 could hardly sleep, the thieves being very 
 troublesome in their excursions. The 3rd Ca- 
 
 * " On the 17th we moved to Khurd Kabul, the ascent 
 of the narrow defile leading to it being accomplished in a 
 cold wind that cut us to the skin, whilst the splashings 
 from the water, as we crossed the stream, froze before it 
 could drop from the skirts of our cloaks or the tips of our 
 steel scabbards. The next day we marched to Tezeen, and 
 as we neared the summit of the lofty Haft-Kotal, we 
 passed the dead body of a native who had evidently died 
 from the severity of the weather, and who with out- 
 stretched arms was lying flat on his face, apparently having 
 fallen in that position while making a last struggle to gain 
 the top. He had been stripped of every rag. Not far 
 distant the corpse of another was seen in the cleft of a 
 ravine, which the poor fellow had entered with the vain 
 hope of screening himself from the keen blast that hurried 
 up the pass, and where, instead of the repose of sleep, he 
 had found a more lasting rest in death !" — Barr's Journal, 
 pp. 383, 384. 
 
COMMUNICATION WITH AZIZ KHAN. 507 
 
 valry with a quantity of treasure was encamped 
 here on its way to Kabul, and the thieves were 
 probably encouraged to annoy us in conse- 
 quence of the tempting prize before them. 
 
 On our way to Jalalabad Sir Claude Wade 
 opened a communication with Aziz Khan and 
 the Ghilzae chiefs, by inviting them to join him, 
 with a view to effecting a reconciliation between 
 the Shah and themselves. At first, such was 
 their alarm from the arrests which had taken 
 place at Kabul, that they hesitated to come. 
 Some of them, as already stated, were amongst 
 those who had joined the Shah Zada in our way 
 to that city, but had retired to their homes from 
 the same cause. At length, on our arrival at 
 Soorkhab, after some negotiation, and many 
 assurances of good faith and protection, Aziz 
 Khan promised to come ; but when the time 
 came he still showed a distrust of our in- 
 tentions, proposing that the Colonel should 
 visit him first in his own fort, attended by a 
 few followers, which Sir Claude declined ; but 
 offered instead to send a Reesh Safeid and con- 
 fidential agent of his own, as well as a Saved, 
 
 z 2 
 
508 SIR CLAUDE WADE'S CONFERENCE 
 
 who was a highly respectable native of Loo- 
 diana, named Bheka Shah, to inspire his con- 
 fidence ; which had the intended effect. Aziz 
 Khan agreed to hold a conference with the 
 Colonel in the garden of Nimla, on encamping 
 near which the next day, Sir Claude went 
 himself to the place, and ordered it to be pre- 
 pared for the reception of the Ghilzae chief, 
 whom we soon afterwards saw approaching 
 from the hills with about a thousand of his 
 armed retainers, with drums beating and 
 colours flying. After they had alighted, the 
 Colonel sent some supplies of fruit and forage 
 to them, with a friendly message, that agree- 
 ably to appointment, he would now be happy 
 to visit the Khan whenever he liked. His 
 reply was very gratifying. He said he would, 
 if allowed, come himself to the Colonel's tent, 
 where he arrived, accompanied by Khodabaksh 
 Khan, Sadatmand Khan, Mirza Khan, and 
 Himmat Khan, the Ghilzae chiefs, without a 
 single armed follower ! They said that their 
 hesitation in coming arose chiefly from their 
 dread of the machinations of their enemies at 
 
WITH THE GHILZAE CHIEFS. 509 
 
 Kabul. They frankly observed that they had 
 no other desire than that of proving their alle- 
 giance to the Shah, and performing his service, 
 as they had done that of Dost Mahomed while 
 he was in power ; that their principle was to 
 acknowledge the supremacy, and to serve the 
 Government of the reigning chief; and that 
 though allied by marriage with the late Ruler 
 of the country, they had no interests in com- 
 mon with him ; that Aziz Khan himself, it was 
 well known, seldom attended his court, and 
 that his only anxiety was to preserve his 
 honour. On the strength of the Shah's re- 
 quest, they were assured of his favour and 
 consideration if they would appear in his pre- 
 sence. They expressed their readiness to do so 
 on the arrival of his Majesty at Jalalabad, 
 where he was soon expected to pass the winter. 
 A letter of introduction was accordingly de- 
 livered to them for the Envoy and Minister, 
 explaining the interview which had taken 
 place with these chiefs, and the principal 
 object of their solicitude; after which they 
 
510 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 took their leave, with mutual pledges of satis- 
 faction.* 
 
 Mahomed Shah Khan, another great Ghilzae 
 chief, did not make his appearance ; but he 
 proposed to depute, and actually did, his 
 brother, who had joined the Shah Zada on our 
 advance to Kabul, but quitted us before we 
 arrived there, in consequence of the arrests at 
 that place. A letter of introduction and as- 
 surance was also sent to him, and he was 
 desired to wait on the Shah, or send his brother 
 to make terms for him. 
 
 On our return to Jalalabad we found Shah 
 Zada Mahomed Saleh and his party, together 
 with Mr. Carron and Sayed Bahauddin, en- 
 camped there. Since I took leave of him at 
 Peshawr, I recollect that I have made no allu- 
 sion to him. I shall therefore give a brief 
 account of his adventures. It appears that 
 
 * The manner in which these pledges and assurances 
 were treated by the authorities at Kabul has been already 
 stated in a preceding note from Mohan Lai's * Life of 
 Dost Mahomed Khan.' 
 
SHAH ZADA MAHOMED SALEH. 511 
 
 on receiving authentic intelligence of the fall 
 of Ali Masjid, Mahomed Saleh with his party 
 advanced to Pindiali, then occupied by Sadat 
 Khan's people, which he captured without 
 much resistance, at the period of our arrival at 
 Dhaka, on our way to Kabul. Further opera- 
 tions in that quarter being considered useless, 
 a letter had been written to him from that 
 place to disband his newly levied troops, to 
 send the Durrani Sowars to camp, and to 
 return himself to Peshawr, and there to wait 
 the orders of his Majesty, who in fact did not 
 wish to be at the expense of retaining him, 
 although one of his own family. The pro- 
 posal did not please the young Prince, who 
 unfortunately determined not to lay down his 
 arms without trying to signalize himself by the 
 performance of some important military action. 
 Instead of obeying the order which he had 
 received, he proceeded to punish Nawab Khan 
 of Naowaghi, and besieged his fort. Mahomed 
 Saleh had now been joined by Mr. Carron 
 from Bajour, the chief of which territory still 
 avoided acting in concert with him. In his 
 
512 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 new companion the Prince found one as war- 
 like as himself. Soon after an engagement 
 took place between the parties, and the battle 
 was well sustained by both for some time. At 
 last the besiegers were repulsed, and obliged 
 to retreat, partly on account of the misconduct 
 of their people, and partly owing to the scar- 
 city of supplies, for which they were much 
 straitened. Their loss was, however, not be- 
 yond a few lives, among whom was Khan 
 Mahomed Khan, a Popalzae chief, who had 
 joined us at Lahore, and one of the best of 
 the Khawanin. He was of a very respectable 
 family, a gallant soldier, and is said bravely 
 to have led the assault against the enemy : his 
 fall chiefly occasioned the disaster. The most 
 surprising part of the story is, that a few days 
 before his death the Khan came to our camp 
 when at Dhaka on some private business; 
 and when leaving us told me in a very 
 grave manner that he took leave of me for 
 ever, as he was sure that he would never 
 return alive, if, as he expected, Mahomed 
 Saleh attacked Naowaghi : and ultimately his 
 
SHAH ZADA MAHOMED SALEH. 513 
 
 prediction was literally verified, as if he had 
 seen his death before his eyes. His loss was 
 much felt and lamented in our camp. The 
 defeated party afterwards thought of no other 
 plan than of advancing across the hills to 
 Jalalabad, where they hoped to be comforted 
 in their distress. Just as it was on its way, 
 Sayed Babujan or Bahauddin, accredited by 
 the royal mandate to recover his lost terri- 
 tory, was proceeding towards Kuner. On 
 coming in contact with the above party, he 
 induced its commander to support his cause, 
 assuring him of being provided by himself 
 with the means of maintaining his levies. 
 Notwithstanding that the young Prince had 
 been repeatedly and strictly enjoined to desist 
 from hostilities, he accepted the Sayed's offer, 
 thinking it gave a hope of retrieving his 
 character. 
 
 The combined troops then proceeded against 
 Kuner by the Nurgal route, where they 
 met with a shameful defeat from Sayed 
 Hashim, and were compelled to retire to Jala- 
 labad, after enduring many hardships and pri- 
 
 z 3 
 
514 NEGOTIATIONS WITH 
 
 vations on the way. I should mention that 
 they had arrived there before we quitted Kabul. 
 Sayed Bahauddin now entirely threw himself 
 on the support and favour of his Majesty for 
 the recovery of his territory, urging that he 
 had suffered for his ill-timed declaration in his 
 favour, as has already been mentioned, and 
 for giving shelter to Mr. Carron, the British 
 news writer, who had been left in Kabul by 
 Sir Alexander Burnes on the failure of his 
 negotiations ; that he had now neither credit 
 nor money to effect his object ; and that, all 
 his own exertions having failed, he relied 
 now only for assistance on the Shah's troops, 
 and offered to pay for them rather than employ 
 the peasantry of the country, on whom he could 
 not depend. The Sayed's application was, it 
 appears, granted ; but a conciliatory course was 
 recommended to be tried in the first instance, 
 and Sir Claude Wade was authorised by the 
 Shah to open a communication with the rival 
 chief in actual possession of Kuner. 
 
 On our arrival at Jalalabad, a letter was 
 accordingly addressed to Sayed Hashim, and 
 
SAYED HASHIM. 515 
 
 forwarded to him by a person in the confidence 
 of both parties. The Sayed, in reply, offered 
 to accept any reasonable terms ; and by the 
 advice of the Shah's officers at Jalalabad, it 
 was settled that each party should be limited 
 to the territory possessed by him before the 
 expulsion of Sayed Babujan, a proposal with 
 the justice of which every one was satisfied and 
 contented, excepting the foolish Babujan, who, 
 still relying on his influence at court, expressed 
 some hesitation to it on his part, wishing to 
 have the whole of a territory, which, in conse- 
 quence of their former disputes, had been 
 divided between him and his rival. The 
 Colonel would not, however, admit his ob- 
 jection, and entrusted the settlement of the 
 case, on the proposed terms, to Aghajan, the 
 Government renter of Jalalabad, and a clever 
 man, who was well acquainted with the local 
 affairs from having been for some time its go- 
 vernor in the late reign. But I do not know 
 how the matter ended, further than that the 
 plan was not executed, and that after the 
 
516 IMPRUDENCE OF THE SHAH. 
 
 arrival of the Shah at Jalalabad, Sayed Ba- 
 hauddin succeeded in procuring the services 
 of a part of the British army to enforce his 
 own claim, which led to the siege of Pashut, 
 from which the troops were driven back, but 
 during the night Sayed Hashim quitted the 
 place, and became a fugitive; he and Sadat 
 Khan joining each other in disturbing the 
 peace of the country. After a time we heard 
 that they had both been persuaded to pay their 
 respects to the Shah, when it was found politic 
 to restore Sayed Hashim to his share of Kuner ; 
 but Sadat Khan was not so easily gained over, 
 and continued refractory to the end. 
 
 Had the course proposed by Colonel Wade 
 been followed with the Kuner Sayeds, as well 
 as the other disaffected chiefs in the Jalalabad 
 territory, much bloodshed and disorder, it is 
 the general belief, might have been avoided. 
 We afterwards heard with extreme grief that 
 in presenting themselves, as they had been 
 directed, to the Shah at Jalalabad, the chiefs 
 whom he had conciliated a second time were 
 
MAHOMED SALEH. 5 1 7 
 
 not well treated, which entirely destroyed their 
 faith in our words and promises.* 
 
 On leaving Jalalabad, our fighting friend 
 Mahomed Saleh was desired to disband his 
 party with the exception of the Durrani horse, 
 who were to join the Khawanin at Kabul, and 
 to return to Peshawr ; but he was permitted to 
 
 * " Whatever we might boast of our diplomatic successes 
 during the campaign of Afghanistan, we were certainly 
 very wrong in not keeping up our adherence, even for a 
 short time, to those engagements and promises which we 
 had so solemnly and faithfully made to the various chiefs, 
 in return for their taking up our cause and abandoning 
 their long-known and established masters. Our letters, 
 pledging our honour and Government to reward and ap- 
 preciate their services for our good, were in their hands ; 
 and as soon as we found that the chiefs of Candahar were 
 fled, and there was no necessity for wearing longer the airy 
 garb of political civilities and promises, we commenced to 
 fail in fulfilling them. There are, in fact, such numerous 
 instances of violating our engagements and deceiving the 
 people in our political proceedings, within what I am ac- 
 quainted with, that it would be hard to assemble them in 
 one series. I shall, however, mention them in their proper 
 places, and the time in which they were made, in order to 
 show how soon they were forgotten, through our vain 
 pride of power, and of our tact shown in the temporary 
 and speedy gaining of the people." — Mohan LaVs Life of 
 Dost Mahomed Khan, pp. 208, 209. 
 
518 MURDER OF 
 
 await the arrival of his Majesty at Jalalabad, 
 for the purpose of being presented to him. 
 Here we took leave of the Shah Zada and his 
 party. Mr. Carron was placed at the disposal 
 of the Envoy and Minister at the court of Shah 
 Shuja, but did not long survive, having died of 
 fever, brought on by the hardships which he 
 had encountered in Kuner and Bajour. 
 
 We received a report from Lahore on our 
 way to Dhaka of the horrible murder of Sirdar 
 Cheit Singh, the favourite of Kharak Singh, 
 then Maharaja of Lahore. It was stated that 
 he was assassinated in the palace on the 8th of 
 October, by Raja Dhian Singh and Kour Nao 
 Nihal Singh, accompanied by their wicked 
 associates. They had demanded the removal 
 of Cheit Singh, which his master having boldly 
 refused, they were determined to carry their 
 point, and having formed a conspiracy to take 
 his life, the Kour proceeded on the morning of 
 that day to the palace, on pretence of paying 
 his duty to his father, preparatory to his pre- 
 tended departure to bathe in the holy pool of 
 Amritsir. The door of the palace was at once 
 
SIRDAR CHEIT SINGH, 519 
 
 opened to him without suspicion, and the 
 Kour and the Rajas, viz., Golab Singh and 
 Dhian Singh, with others of their party, ap- 
 proached his Highness, and by the assistance 
 of candles (for it was before daybreak) sought 
 out and seized Cheit Singh ; one of them, 
 Atr Singh, Sindhanwalia, laid hold of the 
 Maharaja by the hair and dragged him outside 
 the palace, lest he should have recourse to some 
 violence on observing the murder of his 
 favourite ; when those who were inside bar- 
 barously fell on their victim and put him to 
 death in a very cruel manner. His body was 
 chopped in pieces ; three or four other persons 
 shared the same fate. The remains of the 
 favourite were buried inside the palace, and the 
 Maharaja was said to be in a state of stupidity, 
 brought on by fear, from which he did not 
 recover for some days. We now saw the motive 
 of Nao Nihal Singh in wishing to leave us 
 when he heard of the death of his grandfather. 
 The object of his ambition was to usurp the 
 throne of his father, and in the Rajas of Jam- 
 moo and their partisans he found ready means 
 
520 MISSION OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL. 
 
 to assist him. Some days before this event 
 took place, a mission had been dispatched by 
 the Kour and his party, as if from Kharak 
 Singh, to the Governor-General in return for 
 one which it appeared had just left Lahore 
 from his Lordship ; the presence of which, at 
 that particular time when each was intriguing 
 against the other, is believed to have encou- 
 raged Raja Dhian Singh, Bhae Ram Singh, 
 and others, to carry out their project. 
 
 In the opinion of impartial people it was 
 certainly thought the Mission of the Governor- 
 General had been sent too soon ; that he should 
 have waited a little longer to see the course of 
 events, as the Sikhs were labouring in great 
 suspense, since the death of Ranjeet Singh, and 
 might at that time have been made to do any- 
 thing agreeable to the wishes of the British 
 Government to confirm the succession, as it 
 had been desired and left by the Maharaja, 
 who had for many years been the faithful 
 friend and ally of the English, and on whose 
 good advice and guidance his son Kharak 
 Singh had depended. 
 
SETTLEMENT WITH SOME CHIEFS. 52 1 
 
 On our return to Dhaka a letter was re- 
 ceived from Sadat Khan, expressive of his 
 willingness to meet Lieutenant- Colonel Wade ; 
 and we heard that he arrived at Goshta after 
 we had passed that place. He was recom- 
 mended to wait there the expected arrival of the 
 Shah, who he was told would no doubt take 
 his case into consideration. A communication 
 was also held with Khalid Khan, Khosta, who 
 again waited on us at Chahardeh to renew 
 his pledges of loyalty. A letter of introduc- 
 tion was delivered to him for the King and Sir 
 W. Macnaghten, of similar import to those 
 which had been given to others, with which he 
 was likewise desired to wait on his Majesty on 
 his arrival at Jalalabad, when a permanent 
 arrangement respecting his jaghir would be 
 made with him. On our way a settlement was 
 also effected with the Maliks of Basoul and 
 Hazarnao, confirming to them their villages 
 on the terms on which they had enjoyed them 
 before ; but they were prevented from levying 
 duties on passing merchandise, the right of 
 which the sovereign of the country was only 
 
522 DISCONTENT OF THE KHAIBARIS. 
 
 entitled to exercise. Among other negotia- 
 tions for the same object, our friend Tura Baz 
 Khan, as present ruler of the Momand tribe, 
 agreed to take the rents of seven and a half 
 villages which had formerly belonged to his 
 family, instead of the collections made by him 
 on the transit trade. 
 
 Reports of these interviews and their results 
 were transmitted as they occurred to the au- 
 thorities at Kabul ; but we neither heard any- 
 thing further about them nor of the promised 
 parwanas from the Shah for the Khaibaris, 
 though urged to be sent, as they were known 
 to be in a restless state when we left the court. 
 
 We were not therefore surprised to learn on 
 our arrival at Dhaka that Khan Bahadar Khan 
 and his son Abdul Rahman, the chiefs of the 
 Malikdin Khail, were collecting their men in 
 the vicinity of AH Masjid. Abdul Rahman 
 was one of those who had attended us to 
 Kabul, in the hope of settling his business 
 with the Shah ; but it appeared that he had 
 been sadly disappointed in the manner of 
 his reception at Kabul after the assurances 
 
MORTALITY AT ALI MASJID. 523 
 
 which he had received from the Shah Zada 
 and Colonel Wade, and the whole tribe 
 having lost their confidence, were resolved to 
 show their independence. The Sikhs were 
 also reported to have encouraged them to at- 
 tack that fort ; but failing in their endeavours 
 to obtain support from the other chiefs in 
 Khaibar, those of the Malikdin Khail had, 
 for the time, abandoned their design. To 
 prevent however any surprise, the troops at 
 Dhaka and Jalalabad were ordered by the 
 Colonel to concentrate immediately in the 
 valley of Lala Beg, near Ali Masjid ; and 
 further measures were taken at the same time 
 to occupy the pass with other troops. 
 
 Besides these causes of disaffection, the 
 Khaibarees saw the critical condition to which 
 the troops at Ali Masjid, Dhaka, and Jalalabad 
 had been reduced by sickness and mortality 
 from the pestilential climate of those places. 
 The reports we received exhibited an extra- 
 ordinary number of deaths among the troops 
 generally, but especially at Ali Masjid. A 
 company of the 20th Native Infantry, consist- 
 
524 STATE OF THE GARRISON. 
 
 ing of sixty men, had lost no less than twenty- 
 three since the month of September; while 
 the rest were in too sickly a state to perform 
 any duty; Captain Ferris himself being also 
 a severe sufferer. In fact, on our arrival at 
 Ali Masjid we found almost every sepoy in a 
 wretched state, and reduced to a mere skeleton. 
 We could not but sympathise with them, but 
 they were enjoined to continue at their post 
 until the arrival of Lieutenant Mackeson with 
 the portion of the army 'returning to India, 
 when they would be relieved. Captain Ferris 
 was also informed of the precautions which 
 had been taken to reinforce his garrison and 
 the outposts in Khaibar, and the necessity of 
 relieving them every month from the new 
 cantonment at Lala Beg. 
 
 I ought to mention that on our way from 
 Kabul letters were repeatedly sent to all the 
 Khaibar chiefs, informing them of the day on 
 which Sir Claude Wade would be at Ali Masjid, 
 and inviting them to meet him there, which 
 they failed to do, although we waited for them a 
 day beyond the appointed time, which con- 
 
THE SIKH TROOPS DISMISSED. 525 
 
 vinced us that the treatment they had ex- 
 perienced from the Court had filled them 
 with rage and distrust; yet, that every- 
 thing might be done to reassure and en- 
 courage them to return, a proclamation was 
 issued by the Colonel to the whole of them, 
 not to be disheartened ; that Lieutenant Mack- 
 eson would be there in a few days with full 
 powers on the part of the Shah's Government 
 to attend to their claims and see them right- 
 fully settled. 
 
 We halted a day also at Peshawr, which was 
 employed in settling the accounts of the Mis- 
 sion with General Avitabile, and in taking 
 leave of the disciplined battalions of Sikh in- 
 fantry and the Ghorcheras, forming the Ma- 
 homedan contingent which had returned with 
 us. The ceremony was a melancholy one. 
 They paraded and formed a square, to receive 
 Sir Claude, who made a speech to them, 
 acknowledging the bravery and perseverance 
 with which they had performed their duty. 
 While we were engaged in encouraging the 
 Sikh troops to remain at their post, the Darbar 
 
526 THE SIKH TROOPS DISMISSED. 
 
 was urgently requesting their withdrawal alto- 
 gether from Afghanistan; and although no 
 troops had been raised to supply their place, 
 yet, in the absence of the Colonel from Lahore, 
 it will be seen that Raja Dhian Singh and 
 the Kour either took, or were very impro- 
 perly allowed to have, their own way in this as 
 well as in other matters, without regard to 
 the probable consequences. 
 
 The Najib and Aligol battalions had been 
 left at Ali Masjid and Jalalabad ; that belong- 
 ing to the French legion being the only portion 
 of the troops which accompanied us to Lahore. 
 I have mentioned in former parts of my journal 
 the delays and difficulties we had to contend 
 with before the Mahomedan contingent was 
 formed. The occasion now seemed to have 
 arrived for deciding whether the Sikhs were to 
 maintain it. By the tripartite treaty they were 
 required always to have such a force in readi- 
 ness at Peshawr ; and it is much to be regretted 
 that instead of being made to observe this 
 important article of the treaty, they should at 
 once have been permitted to urge the return 
 
OUTBKEAK OF THE KHAIBARIS. 527 
 
 of their force. Referring to the state of 
 Khaibar before we left Peshawr, the attention 
 of General Avitabile was seriously drawn to 
 the necessity, notwithstanding the orders 
 of his court, of detaining the contingent. A 
 report of the circumstance was at the same 
 time made to Lahore, and the Sikh Darbar 
 reminded of their obligation; but the troops 
 hearing that their Government wished them 
 to be withdrawn, marched off; and we heard 
 that on the outbreak in Khaibar, which 
 afterwards occurred, when ordered by General 
 Avitabile to halt and return, they would not 
 obey him, although they had not then re- 
 crossed the Indus. Such was the change which 
 the death of Ranjeet Singh had produced ! 
 
 On the 24th of October we quitted Peshawr 
 and hastened on our return to India. We had 
 scarcely passed the Tope of Manakiala, when 
 we received intelligence of an outbreak in 
 Khaibar. It was reported that on the night of 
 our departure from Peshawr, the Khaibaris, 
 headed by Khan Bahadar Khan, &c, had 
 attacked the troops in Ali Masjid, but were re- 
 
528 OUTBREAK OF THE KHAIBARIS. 
 
 pulsed ; that they repeated their attack on the 
 following night also without any success, 
 having previously attacked the positions occu- 
 pied by the Najibs on the heights of Lala 
 China, who were so much reduced by death 
 and sickness that they do not appear to have 
 resisted the attack. The Khaibaris rushed 
 sword in hand into their stockade or sanga, 
 and compelled them to fly, with the loss of 
 many killed and wounded, including those 
 who were too sick and helpless to move. 
 During the prevailing sickness in September 
 they had lost their old commandant, Praem 
 Singh, who had joined Ranjeet Singh from 
 Holkar's service after the battle of Mahedpore 
 in 1819 with his corps, and been in command 
 of these men for fifty years ; which likewise 
 dispirited them and destroyed their discipline. 
 The chief instigator of these disturbances was 
 Khan Bahadar Khan. We were happy, how- 
 ever, to learn that the troops which had been or- 
 dered into the Pass from Dhaka and Jalalabad 
 on our arrival at the former of these places, had 
 opportunely arrived at Ali Masjid, and pre- 
 
OUTBREAK OF THE KHAIBARIS. 529 
 
 vented any serious injury being done to the gar- 
 rison ; but the defeat of the Najibs emboldened 
 the Khaibaris to renew their attacks, and harass 
 the portion of the army which was returning 
 with Sir John Keane ; and they were not put 
 down without much bloodshed. 
 
 2 a 
 
( 530 ) 
 
 Chapter XX. 
 
 The Khaibaris attack Lala China — Imminent peril of 
 Captain Ferris — Supplies to Ali Masjid — The Sikhs 
 attacked by the Afridis — Further operations against the 
 Khaibaris —Little confidence to be placed in the Sikh 
 troops— Skirmishing near Lala China— Baggage aban- 
 doned — Departure from Peshawr. 
 
 For a description of the military operations 
 which ensued, I must again refer the reader to 
 the journal of Lieutenant Barr, who was 
 then returning with Lord Keane. It was, I 
 think, a great mistake to withdraw any of the 
 British or Sikh troops from the country, as it 
 had not been conquered, although they had 
 marched to Kabul.* 
 
 * In speaking of the causes of the triumph of the 
 British army in Afghanistan, on the entrance of the Shah 
 in the first instance, and of the subsequent discontent of 
 the people, Mohan Lai, in his Life of Dost Mahomed 
 Khan, says : " Undoubtedly we held possession of Kabul ; 
 but its late ruler was not in our hands, and there was 
 therefore sufficient reason for apprehension that as long as 
 he or any of his sons were at liberty and fugitives on our 
 
OUTBREAK OF THE KHAIBARIS. 531 
 
 " From Ferris I received the particulars of 
 the late assaults of the Khaibaris, who com- 
 menced them by attacking a post at Lala 
 China, garrisoned by 500 Najeeb soldiers, 
 the majority of whom they succeeded in 
 slaughtering : the rest with difficulty made 
 their escape to Jamrud. Having committed 
 this terrible massacre, they proceeded to attack 
 Ferris's position, at the fort of Ali Masjid, but 
 were repulsed with some loss ; and night draw- 
 ing on, compelled them to desist. The next 
 day, F. went to Lala China, and interred no 
 less than 300 bodies of the Najeebs ; and when 
 it is considered that many of those who reached 
 Jumrood jnust have been severely wounded, it 
 is very probable no more than 150 survived 
 
 northern frontiers, there would be no difficulty for the 
 people of Kabul to invite him whenever we gave them any 
 annoyance. Yet notwithstanding these points of grave 
 concern, we sent a large portion of the army back with 
 Lord Keane to India, and interfered in the administration 
 of the country, and introduced such reforms just on our 
 arrival as, even in India, the quietest part of the world, 
 Lords Clive and Wellesley had hesitated to do but slowly, 
 and to extend over many years." 
 
 2a2 
 
532 DANGER OF CAPTAIN FERRIS. 
 
 that terrible onset. Another attack on the 
 part of the Khaibaris was expected, and, as 
 the sequel proved, was not long in being made. 
 F. had, however, prepared a warm reception 
 for them, and he described the appearance of 
 the pass, as they advanced, to be nothing but a 
 sea of heads. Onwards they came till within 
 thirty or forty yards of a low wall, behind 
 which a party of picked men had been re- 
 clining with their matchlocks in readiness, and 
 who, starting up at the word of command, 
 poured a deadly and unexpected volley into 
 the midst of the foe, which caused them to 
 send forth an unearthly and terrific yell, 
 heightened by the shrieks and groans of the 
 wounded. Ferris then, at the head of a party 
 of horsemen, at hand for the purpose, boldly 
 galloped forward, and was in the act of turn- 
 ing round to give a shout of encouragement to 
 his followers, preparatory to charging, when 
 he discovered he was, with one exception, 
 alone ; the cowardly sowars having hung back. 
 He was, by this time, close to, and partly in- 
 termixed with, the Khaibaris, who could have 
 
HALT AT PESHAWR. 533 
 
 killed him in an instant ; and how they al- 
 lowed him to escape he knows not to this day. 
 They, however, had suffered enough, and only 
 thought of making off with their dead and 
 wounded ; and thus affairs remained when the 
 returning army reached Ali Masjid. As F. 
 had only irregulars to depend on for the 
 defence of the Khaibar, he applied to Sir John 
 Keane for two companies of infantry, which 
 were granted to him ,• and those of the 27th 
 Native Infantry, under Lieutenant Laing, that 
 had escorted the treasure to Kabul, were or- 
 dered on the duty. 
 
 " On the 6th we moved to Kuddum, a few 
 stray shots having been fired at the guards in 
 charge of the baggage ; and on the 7th we 
 halted at Koulsir, close to the ground so long 
 occupied by the Mission, and which was now 
 covered with fields of grain. The next morn- 
 ing we marched to Peshawr, and encamped on 
 the eastern side of the city, where we were 
 only to have remained a couple of days ; but a 
 longer sojourn was rendered necessary, as the 
 Sikh troops could not be prevailed upon to con- 
 
534 DEFEAT OF THE NAJIBS. 
 
 vey grain to the garrison at Ali Masjid, who 
 had but a day or two's provisions left. To 
 effect this desirable object, it therefore became 
 necessary, on the 10th, to send two companies 
 of the 21st Native Infantry under Farmer, and 
 one of the Sappers and Miners under Lieu- 
 tenant Macleod, of the Engineers, on that 
 duty, accompanied by 500 Sikh soldiers, and 
 escorted by a squadron of cavalry and two 
 guns to the entrance of the Pass. They suc- 
 ceeded in making over their charge in safety ; 
 but on their return were opposed by the Khai- 
 baris in force, who boldly attacked them as 
 they were threading the hills. The Najibs, 
 without attempting resistance, immediately 
 took to flight, hamstringing such camels as 
 obstructed their progress : and, at last, our own 
 sepoys, having expended all their ammunition, 
 were obliged to follow the example thus set 
 them of showing a quick pair of heels. The 
 Afridis, perceiving the dismay they had 
 created, threw down their matchlocks, and ad- 
 vanced to close quarters, with their deadly 
 knives ; and the ferocity with which they used 
 
ORDER OF GENERAL AVITABILE. 535 
 
 these murderous weapons was spoken of as 
 being quite fiendish. A large booty and a 
 vast number of camels fell into the enemy's 
 hands, and were forthwith transferred to their 
 strongholds. The conduct of the Sikh troops 
 on this occasion gave so much offence to 
 General Avitabile, that he, in his capacity of 
 Governor, denied them admittance into the 
 town of Peshawr, and ordered any of them 
 that should be seen in it to be severely beaten 
 with a slipper, the most derogatory punish- 
 ment that can be inflicted on a native.* 
 
 " After this defeat, it was necessary for the 
 returning army to remain at Peshawr until 
 Colonel Wheeler, who, with the 48th Native 
 Infantry, had been sent for from Jalalabad, 
 
 * The Sikhs, whose dread of the Khaibaris was always 
 great, were terrified at the slaughter of the Najibs ; no 
 less than 10,000 of the regular Sikh troops were employed 
 to occupy the heights between Ali Masjid and Jamrud, 
 a distance of only five miles, to keep open the Pass during 
 the advance of Sir G. Pollock, in 1842. The Najibs were 
 principally Hindoos, and both they and the Sikhs wanted 
 the fitness of the Mahomedan contingent, which, as had 
 been anticipated, was not now forthcoming for such service. 
 
536 AMMUNITION SENT TO JAMRUD. 
 
 should arrive to the succour of the garrison of 
 Ali Masjid, as that fort was now sure of being 
 attacked by the Khaibaris. Meanwhile balled 
 ammunition was being made up in our camp 
 as fast as possible, and all the available in- 
 fantry, including the drafts for the 2nd Eu- 
 ropean regiment, were sent to Jamrud on the 
 14th, to proceed from thence to the assistance 
 of our troops in the Pass, whenever such a step 
 might be necessary. At twelve o'clock the 
 same night, I was ordered off with a couple of 
 6-pounders and a Risallah (troop) of Local 
 Cavalry, to escort a quantity of ammunition 
 to the troops at Jamrud, who were to take it 
 on to Ali Masjid. We reached the camp at 
 Jamrud at nine a.m., and immediately on ar- 
 rival made the ammunition over to Captain 
 Prole, 37th Native Infantry, who commanded. 
 "My tent was once more pitched amidst 
 scenery with which I was familiar; but the 
 landscape, though the same, had been changed 
 in some of its accompaniments. It is true, the 
 Sangas still existed, and were even occupied by 
 the friendly Khaibaris, who, to show their zeal 
 
THE SIKHS WILL NOT CO-OPERATE. 537 
 
 for our service, had kept up an incessant fire 
 (whether necessary or not is unknown) during 
 the previous night; but the immediate camp 
 was altered, and in lieu of Durrani horsemen 
 and raw Afghan levies, it was filled with 
 British sepoys and European soldiers. 
 
 " It was at noon, the day after I joined Prole's 
 camp, that the political agent (Mackeson), 
 having received no tidings from Dowson (who 
 commanded at Ali Masjid, consequent on 
 Ferris's departure for Peshawr, again very ill), 
 and being anxious about his safety, ordered us 
 to move forward ; but a letter from D., in 
 which he stated that he thought he could yet 
 hold out without assistance, having reached us 
 after we had advanced about a mile and a half, 
 we returned to our old position. Mackeson 
 had on this occasion directed the Sikh troops 
 to enter tJte Pass 'by the main route, to create a 
 diversion; but in spite of his arguments, and 
 those of Colonel Courtlandt, an officer in the 
 Maharaja's service, who was to have gone 
 with them, they refused to do so, shielding 
 themselves under the excuse, that their orders 
 
 2 a 3 
 
538 MOVEMENTS OF THE KHAIBARIS. 
 
 were to accompany the British troops, and that, 
 therefore, whichever way they went, the Khalsas 
 would follow. 
 
 " Negotiations were now set on foot with the 
 Khaibaris, and it was hoped some amicable 
 arrangement would have been entered into, 
 when a communication from Dowson informed 
 us that they had appeared in considerable 
 numbers, and had hoisted a black flag close to 
 the tower above the gorge near Lala China. 
 Mackeson, fearing that Colonel Wheeler had, 
 at his requisition, taken a more circuitous route 
 by Choora, and would not therefore be in time 
 to succour Dowson, ordered an advance to take 
 place the following morning. Accordingly, at 
 daybreak we commenced our march, my own 
 duty being merely to accompany the troops to 
 the entrance of the Pass (the Shadee Bagiar, 
 where there is no gun road), as it was thought 
 a small sanga which commanded the gorge 
 might be in the Khaibaris* possession ; and if 
 so, they were to have been dislodged by a few 
 shrapnels. Before reaching this defile, a sort 
 of council was held to consider whether it 
 
PEELING TOWARDS THE SIKHS. 539 
 
 would be most advisable to trust the baggage 
 to the care of the Sikh regiments, or to a small 
 party of peasants who lived in the neighbour- 
 hood of Peshawr, as the British troops were 
 only sufficient to guard the long line of camels 
 that carried the ammunition. So meanly was 
 the courage of the former thought of that it 
 was unanimously resolved to commit it to the 
 charge of the villagers ; and this disposition 
 having been completed, the column again 
 moved on. As we neared the entrance, it 
 became evident that the sanga was unoc- 
 cupied, and a party under Farmer having 
 been pushed forward to secure it, I wished 
 them all a successful expedition, and, agree- 
 ably to instructions, commenced my return 
 march to Peshawr, accompanied by the Ri- 
 sallah of Local Cavalry. 
 
 " At 4 p.m. I rejoined the camp at Peshawr, 
 and in the course of a day or two we received 
 accounts of Prole's detachment, who had safely 
 convoyed the ammunition to Ali Masjid. For 
 the first three quarters of the distance our 
 troops were allowed to pursue their way un- 
 
540 A SKIRMISH. 
 
 molested, but on approaching the heights near 
 Lala China (a favourite spot of the Khai- 
 baris) they were fired on, and met with con- 
 siderable opposition. The majority of the 
 officers being in blue surtouts, were very con- 
 spicuous amongst the soldiers, and the Afri- 
 dis took good care to select them for their 
 marks, and with such true aim, that Prole and 
 Macmullen fell almost at the same moment, 
 both severely wounded in the thigh. A party 
 of sappers, under M'Leod, immediately rushed 
 up the hills, and gallantly drove the enemy 
 from their position ; and the convoy eventually 
 arrived at its destination, with the loss of 
 several men killed and wounded. Colonel 
 Wheeler, with the 48th, having been obliged 
 to abandon the Choora route, on account of 
 the road being impracticable for guns, reached 
 Ali Masjid the next morning, and the follow- 
 ing day, after having strengthened the garrison, 
 marched from Jamrud by the main Pass. 
 Negotiations of an amicable nature having 
 been made with the chiefs, it was thought 
 there would be no opposition. Still, the 
 
ATTACK ON THE BAGGAGE. 54 1 
 
 crowds of Khaibaris that occupied the heights, 
 and the known treachery of the tribes, ren- 
 dered it necessary to move with caution. The 
 Colonel had not advanced very far, when the 
 true intentions of the Khaibaris were manifest, 
 for they made a desperate attack on the bag- 
 gage, and such camels as could not be carried 
 off they hamstrung, by which means the loads 
 eventually came into their hands.* Colonel 
 
 * The fidelity of the Khaibaris and the safety of the Pass 
 itself were attainable only while they could see that we really 
 possessed the power of punishing them for any breach of the 
 former, and of securing the latter by the presence of our 
 own or the Shah's troops, on the system which had been 
 adopted in the time of the Mogul emperors. They were 
 never to be restrained by the mere force of engagements ; 
 Lieutenant Mackeson's presence only led to a partial truce, 
 as the promised parwanas had not even yet been issued ; 
 and it was not until nearly a month afterwards, when Sir W. 
 MacNaghten himself came through the Pass and saw its 
 formidable difficulties, that any settlement of terms was 
 made with them, which they broke no less than three times 
 afterwards : in the first place on account of some dispute 
 among themselves regarding a fair distribution of the allow- 
 ance settled on them ; secondly, from some complaint of a 
 real or imaginary grievance in our conduct to them ; and 
 lastly, after the insurrection in November, 1841 — thus 
 showing that they were not to be bound by any obligations 
 of good faith beyond the scope of their convenience. 
 
544 AFFAIRS AT LAHORE. 
 
 grievances to that officer, whom he considered 
 in the light of a brother, and who was a sincere 
 friend of his late father ; which put his son on 
 his guard, and they were determined that he 
 should have no opportunity of communicating 
 with him in person. He was now strictly 
 watched and kept in a state of arrest, being 
 merely a puppet in the hands of his son, and 
 surrounded by his creatures, his own old and 
 confidential servants being removed from about 
 him. 
 
 The Maharaja was said to have been bewil- 
 dered by the savage and cruel treatment of his 
 son. We learnt from good authority that he 
 used sometimes to burst into tears, and was 
 heard to say that he would never be satisfied 
 until he had fully revenged the death of his 
 favourite. He also expressed his surprise that 
 the British Government should have received 
 the Mission of his son without inquiry, and 
 encouraged these outrages by its silence. 
 
 The Maharaja once attempted to fly from 
 his persecutors to the British frontier, but was 
 overtaken and carried back to his house, or 
 
AFFAIRS AT LAHG ^ 
 
 more properly to his dunge< 
 highly mortifying to every 
 vernments to see the successor ot so ceic_. 
 a ruler as Ranjeet Singh so miserably treated ; 
 and that the British Government, which had 
 made so many pledges of friendship and pro- 
 fessed such a sincere and lasting regard for the 
 government of his father, should have remained 
 a passive spectator of the bloody deeds of his 
 grandson to destroy the rightful authority of his 
 own son. What is the world to think of such 
 a policy ? # 
 
 Every dread of the displeasure of the British 
 Government or its officers being removed, the 
 Court of Lahore now became a scene of in- 
 
 * The motive was non-interference ; but its undoubted 
 effect was anarchy and confusion, brought about by a 
 succession of personal struggles for power, which, having 
 caused the extermination, by the assassination of each other 
 of the principal actors, destroyed the vital principle of the 
 State, and led to an assumption of its authority by a 
 mutinous soldiery, productive of a state of disorganization 
 in its aifairs, on which we have ultimately justified a 
 military interference in them, which a timely exercise of 
 our political influence would have averted. 
 
He 
 
 HALT AT LAHORE. 
 
 trigues which I leave others to describe, as there 
 are subjects connected with it which I am afraid 
 would not be agreeable to some of the parties 
 concerned, and perhaps neither safe nor becom- 
 ing in me to disclose.* Such was the state of 
 affairs at Lahore on our arrival. The town 
 looked dull and melancholy, as if its pros- 
 perity had died with Ranjeet Singh. The 
 ashes of that renowned chief have been depo- 
 sited within the walls near the Saman Burj, 
 where we took leave of him on our departure 
 for Peshawr. A magnificent tomb was being 
 built over him, the plan of which was pre- 
 sented to Lieutenant-Colonel Wade. 
 
 We halted there one day ; and on the evening 
 of the 11th of November, 1839, the Colonel 
 proceeded by Dak, or express, to wait on Lord 
 Auckland, by his desire, at Karnal, and our 
 Sikh escort was dismissed, while the rest of the 
 Mission proceeded to Lodianah, which we 
 reached on the 19th, and were glad to find 
 
 * An account of the progress of these intrigues, as given 
 by the author, is left out. 
 
ORDER OF THE GOVERNORGENERAL. 547 
 
 ourselves at the end of our journey after an 
 absence of exactly one year. On the same 
 date an order was published by the Governor- 
 General relating to the operations of the army 
 across the Indus, of which the following is a 
 paragraph : — 
 
 "His Lordship has also much satisfaction 
 in adding that the best acknowledgments of 
 the Government are due to Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Wade, who was employed on the Peshawr 
 frontier, and who, gallantly supported by the 
 officers and men of all ranks under him, and 
 seconded by the cordial* aid of the Sikh go- 
 vernment, an aid the more honourable because 
 rendered at a painful crisis of its affairs, opened 
 the Khaibar Pass, and overthrew the authority 
 of the enemy in that quarter, at the moment 
 
 * Inasmuch as Ranjeet Singh himself 'personally repre- 
 sented the Sikh government, the term is quite applicable, 
 but no further, as has been shown in the narrative of the 
 expedition ; and to show how long their co-operation 
 lasted, their Mahomedan contingent, which would have 
 proved of the greatest aid to meet those sudden exigencies 
 which occurred, was never efficiently maintained after the 
 Mission returned to Lodiana. 
 
548 VINDICATION OF 
 
 when the advance of the forces of Shah Zada 
 Taimur could most conduce to the success of 
 the general operations." 
 
 Here my journal ends ; and in bringing it 
 to a conclusion, it may be expected that I 
 should make some observations on the course 
 of policy which led to the events I have related, 
 and their disastrous result ; but in so humble 
 an individual as myself, anything that might 
 be said on that subject can be of little import- 
 ance. I cannot however refrain from observing 
 that the failure of the scheme was not a 
 necessary consequence of its adoption. 
 
 If the intrigues and designs of Russia were 
 such as to demand a decisive interference on 
 the part of the British Government in the 
 affairs of Afghanistan, it is remarkable that the 
 means of counteracting them, by the restora- 
 tion of Shah Shuja, should not only have 
 been pointed out to the Governor- General by 
 every authority on the spot, including Sir 
 Alexander Burnes and the gentlemen of his 
 mission, but that it should have occurred, 
 without concert, at the same time to the 
 
THE BRITISH POLICY. 549 
 
 authorities in England ; a coincidence which 
 marks a weight of testimony in favour of the 
 decision of Lord Auckland, and a concurrence 
 of opinion as to the expediency of the measure, 
 to which future historians will, I am confident, 
 do full justice, when the prejudice of parties 
 has subsided ; and which was borne out in an 
 extraordinary degree, as my readers will have 
 perceived, in the almost unanimous consent 
 with which the Afghans hailed the return of 
 their lawful sovereign, and deserted Dost 
 Mahomed Khan and his brothers. It was not 
 until they were deceived in the promises which 
 had been held out to them, and they found that 
 the Shah was made a puppet in the hands of 
 his supporters, that they began to distrust the 
 intentions of the English, and set the authority 
 of both the one and the other at defiance. 
 Even then the Afghans could not but observe, 
 that in the determined resolution and bravery 
 with which Sir William Nott at Candahar and 
 Sir Robert Sale in Jalalabad defended and 
 maintained their isolated positions, they had 
 
550 CONCLUSION. . 
 
 to deal with a power over which they would 
 never have been able to acquire the fatal 
 ascendancy they did at Kabul, if affairs had 
 been managed there with equal skill and deter- 
 mination. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 London : Printed bv Wtlliam Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street. 
 
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MR. MURRAY'S HOME AND COLONIAL LIBRARY. 3 
 
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 VIII. 
 
 GREEK GRAMMAR FOR SCHOOLS ; 
 
 Or.MATTHUE's Grammar. Abridged by Blomfield. Revised, by Edwards. 12mo, 3*, 
 
 GRjECjE GRAMMATICS RUDIMENTA MINORA. 
 
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 GRMCM GRAMMATICS RUDIMENTA: PARS POSTERIOR, 
 SIVE SYNTAXIS. 
 
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 XI. 
 
 ENGLISH NOTES FOR LATIN ELEGIACS; 
 
 Designed for early Proficients in the Art of Latin Versification. 
 By the Rev. W. Oxenham, M-A., Second Master of Harrow School. 12mo, 4*. 
 
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 259 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
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