PERSONAL RECORDS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 KANDAHAR CAMPAIGN, 
 
 BY 
 
 OFFICERS ENGAGED THEREIN. 
 
 EDITED AND ANNOTATED, WITH AN INTRODUCTION, 
 
 BY 
 
 MAJOR A?. HE 
 
 (Late King's Dragoon Guards), 
 
 AUTHOR OF 'THE STORY OF THE ZULU CAMPAIGN,' 'THE MILITARY 
 INSTITUTIONS OF FRANCE," ETC. ETC. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 DAVID BOGUE, ST. MARTIN'S PLACE, TRAFALGAR SQUARE. 
 
 1881. 
 
5 
 
 As 
 
 MORSE 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PBINTED BY STRANGEWAYS AND SONS, 
 Tower Street, Upper St. Martin's Lane. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 I t!Eo tije Kigfjt ^otu tlje (ari of Eptton, (K.C& 
 
 ETC. ETC. 
 
 MY LORD, 
 
 IN venturing to dedicate to your Lordship these fugitive 
 Records of the Kandahar Campaign, I believe they contain the 
 recorded opinions and conclusions of many of my friends and 
 comrades, who, like myself, have served amongst Asiatics, and 
 studied the question of our Indian North-western Frontier not, 
 I trust, in a party, but in a purely impartial spirit and whose 
 views are based upon some experience of the Afghan character 
 and the social features of the race. 
 
 At the present moment it would seem as though the chief end 
 and aim of the Administration which rules our policy in 1881 
 were directed to the iconoclastic measures of undoing, with the 
 hammer and the hatchet, whatever structures the calm and de- 
 liberate intellect of the late Cabinet thought fit to carry out. 
 The triumphant response to your Lordship's vindication of your 
 frontier policy, while acting as Her Majesty's representative in 
 the Queen's Asiatic Dominions, given spontaneously in the 
 House of Lords, is, I venture to believe, but a reflex of the, 
 sober and honest opinions of all civil and military authorities 
 who value England's honour more than party prejudice. 
 
 The bright heritage of your Lordship's name, while recalling 
 noble thoughts clothed in pure and polished phrase, in the pages 
 of one whose intellect and powers were without equal in his day, 
 has suffered no diminution in its halo at your hands ; and in 
 letters, diplomacy, and the Senate, your countrymen recognise 
 a worthy successor to one whose pages contain no mean or 
 ignoble sentiment. As a poor tribute to your Lordship's literary 
 and diplomatic labours, I am asked by the writers of the following 
 letters to offer you these ' Records of Kandahar ; ' which city, if 
 now surrendered, we must at no future date, I believe, again 
 fight for ! 
 
 Your Lordship's most obedient Servant, 
 WALLER ASHE 
 
 Major (Late Kings Dragoon Guards}. 
 
 511507 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 FROM the days of Alexander to those of Napoleon 
 Military Fame has been one of the sweetest, if 
 not the most coveted, of human distinctions; and 
 although we read of 
 
 ' The shepherd kings of patriarchal times, 
 Who knew no brighter gems than summer wreaths, 
 And none but tearless triumphs/ 
 
 such potentates belong, I fear, but to a fabled 
 age that Arcadia which is born only of the 
 poet's inspiration. From the commencement of 
 authentic or reliable history, battle and conquest 
 have ploughed the soil where civilisation and 
 progress have subsequently reaped a fair and 
 goodly harvest. From the loftiest monarch to 
 his meanest subject war has ever been one of the 
 fatal penalties imposed on life ; for, as long as the 
 present world shall last, there will be, I opine, not 
 wanting those who covet their neighbours' lands, 
 and, consequently, owners who object to the sur- 
 
viii Preface. 
 
 render of their inheritance. That pax perpetua 
 of which Leibnitz speaks, but which is, alas ! 
 found only in ' God's acre/ will never, I believe, 
 dawn upon this earth until our human nature 
 shall change into Utopia, and until the ideal of 
 a Sydney shall be found. 
 
 From the dark and awe-inspiring Presence 
 that overshadows the realm of the Czars, to the 
 paltry, yet subtle venom of the reptile crew, who, 
 usurping the name of Patriot and of Irishman, 
 crawl over the sister kingdom with a track of 
 seditious slime, there will be incentives to possess 
 le bien cCautrui which can only be met by armed 
 defence and the antidotal remedies of lead and 
 steel. Happily, however, for England, the growth 
 of our vast empire has been like that of the forest 
 oak the dowry of generations; while, certainly of 
 late, annexation and confiscation of territory have 
 been, with few exceptions, more thrust upon us 
 than coveted; while 
 
 * The big wars 
 That make ambition virtue ' 
 
 have for many years found little favour with our 
 kings, our ministers, or our people. 
 
 But the Conservative patriotism, which, with 
 all deference to Iconoclasts of the Parnell and 
 
Preface. ix 
 
 Bradlaugh type, still, as of old, animates the 
 heart and the honest intelligence of these islands, 
 teaches us to maintain the unity, as well as the 
 honour and dignity, of this great empire won by 
 the courage and enterprise of our forefathers, and 
 bequeathed to us as a heritage, of which, as a 
 nation, we may well be proud. 
 
 Our Indian Empire, if commenced and founded 
 in invasion and conquest, was a necessity of the 
 time, and the choice of rule lay only between 
 France and England between Lally Tollendal 
 and Clive between the Courts of Versailles and 
 Saint James ; and, in fact, became simply a 
 question whether Paris or London should give 
 laws and civilisation to the greater part of Asia. 
 If most of our Colonies have grown up in peace 
 and prosperity, they have, even now, to claim 
 very frequently the protection of the mother 
 country ; and our men and ships are a necessary 
 part of our integrity of empire. It is not by the 
 holy Gospel alone, nor by the missionary zeal 
 and self-abnegation of our pioneers to remote and 
 savage places, that the barbarian can be tamed 
 into the shepherd or the dweller in cities. He 
 will, even in his gentlest moments, occasionally 
 
 dine off his missionary, and too often gives a 
 
 A 2 
 
x Preface. 
 
 decided preference to the ' fire-water of the pale 
 faces ' rather than to the abstemious teachings of 
 Sir Wilfrid ! 
 
 If, then, we may admit that war is sometimes 
 a sad necessity, it is well to know that our de- 
 fenders have not, in our time, become degenerate 
 or unworthy of the old days, when England 
 meant but one small island, and our forefathers* 
 only boundary was the sea that washed our cliffs. 
 The unhelmed front of Harold was pierced by 
 the barbed Norman shaft at Sanglac ; but his 
 spirit and Saxon soul hovered over the ada- 
 mantine squares that held the bloody slopes of 
 Mont St. Jean. Drake, Frobisher, Hawkins, 
 Howard, and Raleigh, come back to our Navy in 
 such sea-captains as Nelson, Hood, Collingwood, 
 and Jervis. The prototypes of Rupert's fiery 
 Cavaliers gallop again with that beau sabreur, 
 Cardigan, in the ' Valley of Death ' at Balaclava ; 
 while Cromwell's 'Ironsides' live once more in 
 the British 'Heavies' that followed Scarlett, and 
 burst like an avalanche through the Ruski's 
 squadrons. To remind us of Creci, Poictiers, and 
 Azincourt, have we not Blenheim, Ramilies, 
 Oudenharde, and Malplaquet, renewed again in 
 Talavera, Salamanca, Vittoria, and Thoulouse? 
 
Preface. xi 
 
 It cannot, therefore, but be satisfactory to see 
 that our military history repeats itself in the ex- 
 ploits of, and the reputations won in the field by, 
 the leaders that we now possess ; and we may 
 remember, not without pride, that India and our 
 first Eastern Empire were alike the schools and 
 training-ground of Clive, Napier, Hardinge, 
 Gough, Rose, Colin Campbell, Outram, Have- 
 lock, Michel, Hope Grant, as well as of their 
 successors, Mansfield, Chelmsford, Garnet Wolse- 
 ley, Evelyn Wood, and, last not least, Frederick 
 Sleigh Roberts, whose deeds find passing record 
 in these pages. 
 
 Having many relatives, friends, and former 
 brother -officers, among the staff and regiments 
 lately or still serving at the front in Afghanistan, 
 and with whom I have maintained a constant 
 and uninterrupted correspondence since the war 
 operations commenced at the mouth of the 
 Khyber, I have felt considerable interest in 
 noting the varied phases of the campaign ; and 
 have been enabled to collect such material details 
 as only eye-witnesses can give. From the letters, 
 journals, chronicles, and sketches, sent to me from 
 the scenes of action, and aided by such poor ex- 
 perience as twenty years' regimental and staff 
 
xii Preface. 
 
 service allows to me as a soldier, I have essayed 
 to write a History of the present Afghan War, 
 which, I trust, will shortly be in the publisher's 
 hands. But as it seems to me that the Kandahar 
 episode forms a complete act and chapter in the 
 drama now continuing, I have placed together 
 these fugitive records of General Roberts' great 
 march and victory while the interest is yet warm, 
 and while the question of the Durani capital and 
 its retention or surrender are before the Parlia- 
 ment and the public. 
 
 Some six years' service with my late regiment 
 in India, and a personal acquaintance with many 
 officers of note or standing serving now or lately 
 at the seat of war, gave me opportunities and 
 channels of information of which I gladly availed 
 myself in following the fortunes of the campaign, 
 and in watching the distinctions won by regiments 
 and individual officers with whom I had marched 
 and lived under Sir Frederick Paul Haines, and last 
 served in India; and the names of Generals Prim- 
 rose, Hills, Roberts, Biddulph, Browne, Gough, 
 and Gordon ; and of Colonels George Luck, 
 Galbraith, Macpherson ; Majors Oliver and 
 Ready, and all the 66th ('Old Berkshires ') ; 
 and lastly, not least, the comrades of my first 
 
Preface. xiii 
 
 corps, the 85th Light Infantry, recall pleasant 
 memories of a soldier's life. 
 
 The following records relate only to the Kan- 
 dahar episode of the war, in which I was particu- 
 larly interested, having many old friends in the 
 66th and other regiments therein engaged, whose 
 picturesque letters were, as I received them, 
 by their permission, transcribed by me, as nearly 
 as possible without curtailment or alteration, and 
 handed for publication to my friend, the Editor 
 of a leading London paper, while I retained the 
 originals to assist me, as an aide me'moire to- 
 wards my forthcoming Afghan History. 
 
 Many of these letters were not only quoted 
 but copied in extenso in various London, provincial, 
 Irish, Scotch, and even Indian journals. As I 
 had merely to arrange them, and, with care, place 
 them in due order of date and locality, I can 
 claim no merit save that which a military experi- 
 ence of twenty years may give ; but I may be 
 perhaps excused in believing that, in complete- 
 ness of detail, graphic and picturesque description, 
 and technical professional knowledge, they were 
 not excelled by any contemporaneous correspond- 
 ence from the seat of war ; and such, I am glad to 
 know, was the expressed opinions of English and 
 
xiv Preface. 
 
 foreign officers of high rank, whose letters to me 
 were most gratifying. The letters dated Kan- 
 dahar, July 30-31, if compared with the official 
 despatches published months after, will be found 
 to be singularly minute and correct in all matters 
 of detail. Vide the description of the defence at 
 the walled enclosure at Maiwand, and other 
 episodes of the battle. 
 
 Certain critics, however, who carefully con- 
 cealed their identity, chose to question the validity 
 of the letters in question, on the grounds, firstly, 
 that the letters dated Kandahar, July 30-31, could 
 not have arrived in London (from Kandahar) at 
 the date of their publication ; and, secondly, that 
 the battles therein described were not like any 
 battles seen by the critic ! 
 
 To the first of these objections I have to say, 
 that the battle of Maiwand was fought on the 
 27th July, and the British army was routed and 
 flying on the afternoon of that day. Survivors of 
 that engagement Major Oliver and others, to 
 wit reached Kandahar on the morning of the 
 28th, and sent despatches to England on the 
 3Oth, which despatches, making every allowance 
 for disturbed roads, &c., could find no difficulty in 
 reaching London on 2Qth August ; while the 
 
Preface. xv 
 
 letter I received first was not published till 7th 
 September, and the same mail brought me Indian 
 newspapers of a much later date than my letters. 
 
 To the anonymous ' Moltke,' who finds fault 
 with my friend's descriptions of battles, I can only 
 say, that the account was penned by spectators, 
 or rather, I should say, actors in the scenes de- 
 scribed ; and written by officers whose services 
 and professional knowledge are justly appreciated 
 by the military authorities, although they, unfor- 
 tunately, failed in writing to the taste of their 
 anonymous critic, and have not described the 
 fight at, and retreat from, Kushk-i-Nakhud, as 
 the critic would have done ! 
 
 The moment I read the letter of the masked 
 slanderer who questioned the authorship of the 
 letters I had received and sent for publication, I 
 wrote to the journals which had inserted his com- 
 munications, giving my name, army rank, address, 
 and vouchers for my correspondence, and de- 
 manded the name and rank of the person who 
 signed himself ' Soldier,' and who, under that dis- 
 guise, assailed me and my friends. I stated my 
 willingness to place the original letters I had 
 received in the hands of any responsible gentle- 
 man, on condition that ' Soldier ' would unmask. 
 
xvi Preface. 
 
 As my challenge remains unaccepted, I con- 
 clude that ' Soldier ' possesses no right to that 
 honourable title, but has his own reasons for 
 ' keeping dark/ while I may justly, I believe, 
 apply to him the fable of the ass who assumed 
 the lion's skin, but was discovered by his bray. 
 
 WALLER ASHE, 
 
 MAJOR (late K.D.G.). 
 
 BALNACREE HOUSE, TIPPERARY, 
 March 1881. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 DEDICATION V 
 
 PREFACE . Vii 
 
 INTRODUCTION xix 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IN GARRISON WITH GENERAL PRIMROSE .... I 
 
 ON RECONNAISSANCE WITH GENERAL HILLS . . II 
 
 KANDAHAR * GUP,' ABDURRAHMAN, AND AYUB ... 17 
 
 WITH GENERAL BURROWS OPINIONS OF THE WALI . . 23 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CONDITION OF KANDAHAR AFTER BURROWS' DEPARTURE . 34 
 
 WITH GENERAL BURROWS MUTINY OF WALl'S TROOPS . 40 
 
 IN KANDAHAR AFTER THE MUTINY MILITARY SITUATION 53 
 WITH GENERAL BURROWS CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE 
 
 BEFORE THE BATTLE 60 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BATTLE AND DEFEAT OF MAIWAND .... 69 
 
 AFTER THE BATTLE HORRORS OF THE NIGHT RETREAT . S^ 
 
 STATE OF THE KANDAHAR GARRISON AFTER MAIWAND . 98 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VALEDICTORY VISITS IN CABUL ABDURRAHMAN . . 112 
 
 IN CABUL THE NEWS FROM KANDAHAR THE RELIEVING 
 
 COLUMN 120 
 
 BANQUET TO GENERAL ROBERTS THE NEW AMEER THE 
 
 MARCH 130 
 
xviii Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ON THE LINE OF MARCH WITH THE RELIEVING COLUMN 144 
 
 THE SORTIE FROM KANDAHAR VILLAGE OF DEH KWAJA 159 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WITH GENERAL HILLS IN CABUL INTERVIEW WITH THE 
 
 AMEER EVACUATION OF THE CITY BY GEN. STEWART 1 70 
 
 WITH SIR FREDERICK ROBERTS ARRIVAL AT KANDAHAR 178 
 
 CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE BEFORE THE BATTLE . . 1 88 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE VICTORY OF BABA WALI . . . . . 198 
 
 AFTER THE BATTLE CAVALRY PURSUIT BURIAL OF THE 
 
 DEAD 212 
 
 AFTER BABA WALI A NIGHT-RIDE WITH GOUGH IN PUR- 
 SUIT OF THE ENEMY 224 
 
 THE SITUATION IN KANDAHAR PEACE, HONOURS, AND 
 REWARDS BREAKING UP OF THE KANDAHAR FIELD 
 FORCE RETIREMENT TO INDIA 24! 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE Afghan war, which commenced on the 2Oth of 
 October, 1878, may be divided into three distinct 
 periods : namely, I, From the expiration of Lord 
 Lytton's Ultimatum on the above date, and the ad- 
 vance of our troops, up to the signing of peace at 
 Gundamuck on May 27th, 1879; 2 > From the outbreak 
 at Cabul and the massacre of Sir Louis Cavagnari on 
 Sept. 3rd, 1879, to the entrance into the Afghan capital 
 by Sir Frederick Roberts on October I2th following; 
 and, 3, From Ayub's advance from Herat to the Hel- 
 mund on June 7th, to his defeat by our troops at 
 Kandahar on Sept. ist, 1880. These 'Records' deal 
 only with the latter episode. 
 
 That we must be prepared for a fourth period and 
 further episode of this war I believe to be inevitable, 
 and I can scarcely doubt that Ayub will neglect the 
 opportunities our present Government have given him, 
 and the temptations we have offered by the ridiculous 
 haste with which Cabul and our garrisons were ev,acu- 
 ated, and the country denuded of troops, before Ab- 
 durrahman was well seated on the throne. The extra- 
 ordinary policy which dictated what may, without 
 exaggeration, be termed an ignominious flight from 
 all those coigns of vantage won with our blood and 
 treasure, and by the heroic self-sacrifice of our troops 
 under Generals Roberts, Stewart, and Browne, must, 
 
xx Introduction. 
 
 in the eyes of impartial England, be alone held 
 responsible for whatever further bloodshed may result. 
 The same fatuity which hurried our victorious soldiers 
 from the plains of Ulundi to those of Aldershot, leaving 
 Zululand, Basutoland, and the Transvaal, in a fermenting 
 and feverish unrest ; the same inaction and want of 
 purpose which has encouraged rebellion in Ireland, and 
 which has, as it were, offered a premium to violence 
 and murder; now impose a tax upon the energy and 
 purse of all our public departments of this Empire, in 
 a manner and to an extent never before paralleled. 
 Who can possibly deny that the blood of our soldiers 
 shed at Kushk-i-Nakhud and Deh Kwaja, and our ter- 
 rible loss of prestige at those affairs, were not the imme- 
 diate and swift retributions of the quieta non movere 
 policy, which left our most important conquest, Kanda- 
 har, with a garrison one half its proper strength, and 
 which compelled General Primrose to still further deplete 
 the same, by detaching General Burrows to the Helmund, 
 to be cut up in detail by Ayub Khan ? Fortunately for 
 us, the Afghan Prince was precipitate and rash in his 
 advance from Herat, for if he had waited another 
 month, the splendid force collected by Sir Frederick 
 Roberts at Cabul would, in accordance with the behests 
 of the Home Government, have been on its way to 
 England, and Kandahar, unhelped and unrelieved from 
 Cabul, must have fallen. 
 
 What has been the course pursued by the Govern- 
 ment since ? Having, by the outlay of a vast sum, and 
 by the splendid march achieved by our most successful 
 General, saved Kandahar from massacre, anarchy, and 
 the hireling swords of Ayub's soldiers, it is gravely 
 announced in Parliament that England will, in a short 
 
Introduction. xxi 
 
 time, renounce the bulwark and the defence we have 
 won, and restore to an uncertain dynasty the prize 
 which forms the natural key to the most important 
 portion of our Indian frontier, and which can, at any 
 future time, be readily unlocked by Russian gold, if not 
 by Russian steel and lead. 
 
 When the people of England learned, from a passage 
 in the Queen's speech at the opening of the present 
 Parliament, that it was the intention of our Government 
 to withdraw our forces from Kandahar, they naturally 
 were led to believe that such a course must have been 
 advised and dictated by the judgment and opinions of 
 the most competent authorities, namely, our best and 
 most experienced Indian administrators, and our mili- 
 tary advisers on this particular subject. Of course, to 
 the great mass of the British public, the vast magnitude 
 of the issues involved by the retention or evacuation of 
 the Durani capital would scarcely be realised, and they 
 naturally felt assured that the measure contemplated 
 would not have been thought of, unless the opinions of 
 the most competent authorities in India and England 
 had been taken. But gradually it has been found that 
 such has by no means been the case, for neither the 
 Government of India, which, it may be allowed, is the 
 authority most responsible for the integrity of our 
 Eastern Empire, and its immunity from invasion and 
 conquest, nor our best Indian military authorities, have 
 been at all consulted in the matter. 
 
 If we may allow that the subject must be looked 
 upon and discussed purely upon political and military 
 reasons, let us by all means obtain and be guided by 
 those political and military authorities whose honour 
 is known to be above party feeling, and whose expe- 
 
 b 
 
xxii Introduction. ' 
 
 rience and knowledge of Indian history are worthy of 
 reliance. That having been compelled and forced, most 
 unwillingly, into this Afghan war of 1878, and having 
 won such a position of advantage as Kandahar, we 
 should be acting with deliberate and suicidal policy 
 were we to abandon it, I venture to maintain, knowing 
 that I am merely asserting the opinions and convictions 
 of ninety-nine men out of a hundred who, like myself, 
 have served in India, and look with utter astonishment 
 at the present attitude of the Government. 
 
 If we ore to look upon history as a guide in matters 
 of this ki.-id, we have only to remember that nearly 
 every invasion of India from the north-west, in ancient 
 or modern times, has been preceded by an advance 
 upon, or towards, Kandahar. From 536 B.C., when 
 Afghanistan formed the eastern portion of the Medo- 
 Persian empire founded by C>rus, down to 1878, when 
 Chamberlain's mission was rejected by Shere Ali, the 
 western capital has been the point de mir, and one of, if 
 not the most coveted coigns of vantage. Alexander, 
 Salukas Nikator, the Parthians, the Sassanides, the 
 Saracens and Arabs, the Tartars, Mahmood, Genghis 
 Khan, Tamerlane, Baber, Nadir Shah, Ahmed Khan, 
 and the numerous other rulers who have attempted to 
 gain a footing in Hindostan, have nearly always made 
 the district of the Helmund their principal attack. 
 
 The experiences of the late as of the former wars we 
 have had with Afghanistan show plainly how difficult 
 is the march from Quetta to Kandahar, and how useless 
 would the former be as an outpost were the latter held 
 by an enemy. General Roberts marched more quickly 
 from Cabul to Kandahar than did General Phayre to 
 the latter place from Quetta. 
 
Introduction. xxiii 
 
 Let us examine briefly, but in detail, the reasons which 
 have been set forth by those who advise the abandonment 
 of this strategic position : The disinclination of our 
 native troops to serve in Afghanistan, and the difficulty 
 of recruiting ; the injustice of possessing ourselves of a 
 district which forms part of a neighbouring and in- 
 dependent country; finally, the expense involved, and 
 the difficulty of supplying and maintaining our garrison. 
 In the first place, in regard to our native troops, I 
 believe, and, indeed, have reason to know, that our 
 Sepoys feel most acutely the disgrace of retiring 
 from our conquest, and would most willingly serve in 
 Afghanistan if periodically relieved and allowed to 
 return to their families. The difficulty of recruiting is 
 purely imaginary, and we have only to seek in the 
 proper sources to get together as fine a frontier native 
 army as can be formed anywhere amongst the Sikhs, 
 Goorkhas, and other races who are hereditary foes to 
 the Afghans proper. As to the injustice we commit, 
 we need only to read the honest and impartial state- 
 ments of officers who have lately returned from the 
 Durani city, to see and acknowledge that it is the 
 Kandaharis themselves who are the most anxious 
 for us to remain those very people who dwell in 
 the Pishin Valley, on the slopes of the fertile Kojak 
 Kotal, in the country between Kandahar and the 
 Helmund, and in the city of Kandahar itself, and who 
 dread our departure as the greatest calamity that can 
 befall them ! 
 
 Are those advocates of evacuation aware of whom 
 and what the Kandaharis are, and come from ? They 
 are certainly not Afghans ; and a study of any of the 
 old chronicles of the district will show that they are 
 
xxiv Introduction. 
 
 descended from the Turkis, the Kizilbashis, the Tajiks, 
 and the Khorassanis, who lived in or near the city in 
 prosperity before the Afghan spoilers came down upon 
 them to rob and murder from the hills around. How 
 have the Afghan rulers treated Kandahar and the 
 Persian element since? In 1709 the Persian Governor 
 and his nobles were treacherously murdered at a 
 banquet by the chief of the Ghilzai tribe, and since 
 then years of oppression, tyranny, spoliation, and de- 
 vastation of commerce and agriculture, have been the 
 unhappy lot of these people, until our troops have given 
 them that protection which they now ask us to con- 
 tinue, but which Mr. Gladstone wishes to take from 
 them ! 
 
 For more than a century and a half, and I have the 
 authority of Colonel Malleson, Sir Richard Temple, 
 and other experienced officers and historians for saying 
 this, barbarism has oppressed and ground these people 
 to the dust. Each successive Governor has ruled on 
 the same lines namely, to tax and impose to the 
 utmost, and to drain all the industry and wealth of 
 Kandahar, as a means whereby treasure might be 
 transmitted to be spent at Cabul. 
 
 Finally we come to the question of expense, and here 
 we have only to remember what vast changes a railway, 
 in part completed, would effect. It has been estimated 
 that the retention of Kandahar would cost us 2,ooo,ooo/. 
 per annum, and, even allowing such a sum to be correct, 
 what would such an outlay be compared with the peace 
 and security of our vast Indian Empire ? But with our 
 occupation and the consequent security to life and pro- 
 perty; with roads and steam, and those improvements 
 which follow in the footsteps of civilisation, trade 
 
Introduction. xxv 
 
 and commerce would increase with rapid growth, and 
 the surrounding districts, which are now half desert and 
 wild, would teem with agriculture and riches. What 
 portions of our Indian province were self-supporting 
 when we first annexed them ? Certainly not Scinde, 
 nor the Punjab, nor Burmah, but all of these are now a 
 source of revenue rather than an expense. What better 
 authority can we have on this subject than Sir Richard 
 Temple, a financier of experience, one acquainted with 
 Kandahar, its people, and its undeveloped sources of 
 wealth, under a wise and civilised rule? Sir Richard 
 has not long returned from the Durani city, and knows 
 the feelings and the aspirations of the inhabitants. He 
 is well acquainted with the people and their disposition 
 towards us, which he assures us is most favourable, while 
 in the surrounding districts he describes the occupiers 
 of the soil to be industrious and peaceable, wanting only 
 a firm and good rule to make the districts as prosperous 
 as any we possess in the East. With Kandahar in our 
 possession, we can make it the mart and emporium for 
 Central Asia, a vast bazaar of trade, commerce, and 
 agriculture, a landmark of progress and civilisation, 
 and the finest bulwark England can hold against the 
 inevitable, but dark and sinister, designs of Russia. 
 
 Although this little book refers only to the Kandahar 
 episode of the campaign, I have thought it not out of 
 place to offer in the Introduction some data which may 
 serve as a reference to those who have not paid attention 
 to the history of the Afghan power and its varied peoples 
 and nationalities, and who have not followed the political 
 phases of our Indian north-western policy. In this view 
 I have sketched briefly the origin and growth of the 
 Afghans as a power, and given a summary of our former 
 
xxvi Introduction. 
 
 wars with them ; while I have added a short notice of the 
 geographical features of the country and a description 
 of our line of frontier, together with a synopsis of the 
 events which, year by year, led up to the Ultimatum of 
 Lord Lytton and our invasion of the Ameer's territory. 
 
 In his admirable work on Afghanistan, Colonel 
 Malleson tells us that the oldest European authority 
 on the subject of Afghanistan is Han way, and ac- 
 cording to him Mahomedanism was introduced into 
 the country towards the end of the ninth century. At 
 this time Afghanistan formed part of the dominion of 
 the Somani Princes, who ruled over a great part of 
 Central Asia, and whose, capital was Bokhara. During 
 their sway, which lasted 1 20 years, Afghanistan first 
 came into notice. On the death of Abdul Melek 
 of the Somani dynasty in 961 all the high officers of 
 State assembled to elect a successor. With the excep- 
 tion of Alptegin, who, originally a Turki slave, had risen 
 to be Governor of Khorassan, they voted for Moursun, a 
 member of the royal house. To punish him for his con- 
 duct, Moursun deprived Alptegin of his governorship. 
 On his being subjected to further persecutions, and 
 finding his life in danger, Alptegin rebelled, and 
 escaping to Ghuzni, proclaimed himself independent. 
 Balkh, Seistan, and Herat adhered to the Somanis ; 
 but Eastern Afghanistan favoured Alptegin, who suc- 
 ceeded in consolidating his power and founding the 
 celebrated Ghuznivide dynasty. The most remarkable 
 member of this family was Mahmud,the son of Alptegin's 
 daughter. He made eleven incursions into India, annexed 
 the Punjab to his dominions, occupied several districts, 
 sacked many towns in Hindostan, and extorted tribute 
 from numerous Rajahs. He also conquered Samarkand, 
 
Introduction. xxvii 
 
 Bokhara, and Persia. In 1187 Khusru, the last of the 
 Ghuznivide dynasty, was deposed, and soon after mur- 
 dered by Ghyas-u-Din, Chief of Ghor, who had for some 
 years previously been gradually stripping that prince of 
 his dominions. Ghyas-u-Din associated with himself his 
 brother Mahammad Ghari, who, on his death, became 
 sole ruler. That prince invaded India, and, conquering 
 Delhi and the surrounding country, left as his viceroy 
 a favourite slave, Kutb-u-Din. On Mahammad Ghari's 
 death, Kutb-u-Din extorted from Mahammad's son and 
 successor, Mahmoud, the empire of Delhi ; Mahmoud 
 retiring to his ancestral home in the mountains of Ghar, 
 retaining, however, ( the overlordship ' over Afghanistan. 
 Taj-u-Din, in the last days of Mahammad Ghari, whose 
 slave he was, had seized and proclaimed himself King 
 at Ghuzni. He and Mahmoud combining conquered 
 Herat and Western Afghanistan, but failed to recover 
 from the King of Kharism Afghan Turkestan. The 
 latter monarch, indeed, soon made himself master of all 
 Afghanistan. 
 
 About 1219 Genghiz Khan subdued the kingdom of 
 Kharism and its independency, Afghanistan. Under the 
 rule of this monarch and his successors Afghanistan re- 
 mained until 1251. In that year the Governor of the 
 Punjab for the King of Delhi seized upon Ghuzni and 
 Cabul. It would seem, however, that they were speedily 
 recovered by the Maghols, for in 1336 we find a Ghorian 
 Prince seated on the throne of Ghuzni and acknowledging 
 the suzerainty of the Maghols of Central Asia. The 
 fourth of this second Ghorian dynasty asserted his 
 independence, but in 1383 the dynasty itself came to 
 an end, the redoubted Timour Leng having conquered 
 Afghanistan. On his death Afghanistan was broken up 
 
xxviii Introduction. 
 
 into provinces ; Herat, the then capital of Khorassan, 
 being governed by one and Ghuzni by another prince of 
 his family. Tirnour's great-grandson, Abusaid, reunited 
 the scattered portions of the great conqueror's dominions 
 into one empire ; but on his death they were again par- 
 titioned. 
 
 At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Baber, 
 after many alternations of fortune, succeeded in building 
 up an empire which comprised Afghanistan, Central 
 Asia, the Punjab, and India. When he expired in 1530 
 his eldest son, Humayun, mounted the throne of Agra ; 
 a younger son, Kamran, being the semi-independent 
 sovereign of Cabul, Ghuzni, and Kandahar. A few 
 years later Kamran extorted from his brother the 
 cession of the Punjab and the territory south of the 
 Sutlej as far as Hansi and Hissar. Humayun, driven 
 from India by a competitor for the throne, after a pro- 
 longed struggle succeeded in subduing Kamran and ren- 
 dering himself master of Afghanistan, and subsequently 
 invading India reconquered the latter. 
 
 He was succeeded in Hindostan by his son, the 
 famous Akbar ; and in Afghanistan by his youngest 
 son, whose mother was the Regent. Akbar was during 
 the early part of his reign only the nominal suzerain of 
 Afghanistan, his attention being taken up by other 
 parts of his vast empire. Eventually, however, on 
 account of his brother's misconduct towards him, the 
 suzerainty was enforced. On his brother's death, in 
 1585, Akbar nominated a viceroy to rule at Cabul. 
 Kandahar had, soon after the accession of Akbar, been 
 conquered by the Persians, but it was recovered in 
 1603. In 1622 it again fell into the hands of the Per- 
 sians. Fifteen years later it was traitorously surren- 
 
Introduction. xxix 
 
 dered to the Emperor of Delhi. In 1647 tne Persians 
 once more captured Kandahar, and the Emperors of 
 Delhi this time lost it for even 
 
 In 1709 the Ghilzai tribes in the neighbourhood of 
 Kandahar, weary of the tyranny of Persia, were induced 
 by one of their chiefs, Mir Vais by name, to shake off 
 the yoke. By treachery Mir Vais and his adherents 
 assassinated the Persian Governor and his principal 
 officers, and by stratagem obtained admission into the 
 town. Elected King by the assembled chiefs, he suc- 
 ceeded in maintaining his position ; and may be said to 
 have been the person who consolidated the scattered 
 atoms of the Afghan race into one nation. His son, 
 Mahmud, conquered Persia and was crowned Shah. On 
 the death of Mahmud in 1725 Kandahar became vir- 
 tually independent of the Afghan Sovereign of Persia. 
 A few years later Nadir, a Turki adventurer of mean 
 family, rose to power; and on the I3th of January, 
 1730, he annihilated the Afghan army, and replaced the 
 son of the deposed Shah on the throne. In 1736 he 
 himself assumed the crown. In 1737 Nadir advanced, 
 by Herat and Farrah, which submitted without resis- 
 tance, on Kandahar ; and after a year's siege induced 
 it to surrender on honourable terms. In the following 
 year he captured Ghuzni and Cabul. In 1747 Nadir 
 was assassinated by his nobles, when Ahmed Khan, 
 one of the officers of the Afghan contingent, having 
 vainly attempted to avenge his sovereign's death, 
 proceeded, accompanied by the whole contingent, to 
 Kandahar. On arrival at that city the chiefs of the 
 principal tribes of Afghanistan assembled to deliberate 
 on the course to be adopted. 
 
 The result was a determination to throw off the 
 
xxx Introduction. 
 
 yoke of Persia, and the election of Ahmed Khan as 
 King of the Afghans. Changing the name of his tribe 
 from Abdali to Durani, he was the founder of the 
 dynasty of that name. Hastening to extend his power 
 he marched on Ghuzni, which surrendered without a 
 shot, and on Cabul, which he easily captured. Invading 
 then the Punjab, he crossed the Sutlej and reached 
 Sirhind, where he was defeated by the troops of the 
 Emperor of Delhi. Hastening back, he had reached the 
 Indus when he heard of the Emperor's death. On this 
 he retraced his steps, marched on Lahore, induced the 
 unsupported Governor to submit, and then appointing 
 him his Viceroy of the Punjab, returned to Kandahar. 
 His next exploit was the conquest of Herat, which he 
 annexed to the Afghan kingdom. He then invaded 
 Khorassan, but was worsted and forced to retreat. He 
 compensated himself for this disaster by the conquest in 
 1752 of Kashmir. In 1756, on the death of Ahmed 
 Shah's Viceroy, the Mogul Emperor sent an army to 
 reoccupy the Punjab and establish his own nominee as 
 governor. Ahmed soon drove him out, and, his de- 
 mands for compensation being refused, crossed the 
 Sutlej, and occupying Delhi that place became a scene 
 of plunder and massacre at the hands of his insub- 
 ordinate soldiers. Marrying, and causing his son Taimur 
 to marry, princesses of the royal family, Taimur's 
 bride brought as her dowry the Punjab and Scinde. 
 Leaving as Vizier at Delhi one of his adherents, Ahmed 
 returned to Kandahar. He was at once called on to 
 subdue the Governor of Scinde. Him he defeated but 
 gave him honourable terms, granting him semi-inde- 
 pendence, only requiring that his suzerainty should be 
 acknowledged, and that a Belooch contingent should be 
 
Introduction. xxxi 
 
 furnished in payment when needed. He then marched 
 to India, which had fallen under the sway of the 
 Mahrattas. These, in 1761, he utterly defeated at the 
 battle of Paniput Replacing the Mogul Emperor on 
 the throne of Delhi he returned to Kandahar. In 1762 
 he was summoned to the Punjab to put down the Sikhs, 
 and had scarcely overcome them in a decisive battle at 
 Sirhind than he was informed that his capital was in 
 revolt. Hastening back by the Girnal Pass to Ghuzni, 
 he soon re-established his authority in Kandahar. In 
 1767 he again drove the turbulent Sikhs from the 
 plains of the Punjab to the hills. In 1773 he died from 
 a cancer in the mouth. 
 
 Of this remarkable man it has been said : ' The chief 
 merit to be ascribed to Ahmed Shah is undoubtedly the 
 consolidation of the Afghan tribes. He made of them 
 a nation. The chiefs whom he failed to conciliate he 
 reduced. Forming a council composed of a leading 
 chieftain of each tribe, consulting with its members and 
 often adopting their advice, he was able to concert 
 measures which commended themselves to the general 
 body.' 
 
 His son and successor, Taimur, had not the character 
 and energy of Ahmed, and he was frequently harassed 
 by rebellion. During his reign Scinde and Balkh be- 
 came virtually independent of him, and the seeds of 
 further dismemberment were sown. Zaman Shah, the 
 fifth son of Taimur, was elected, on the death of the 
 latter, his successor. Of his elder brothers, Humayun 
 was Governor of Kandahar and Mahmud of Herat. 
 Marching against Humayun, Zaman Shah defeated him 
 and drove him from the kingdom, but patched up an 
 accommodation with Mahmud. Rebellion having shown 
 
xxxii Introduction. 
 
 itself in the Punjab, Zaman Shah marched to quell it. 
 Recalled by tidings of risings nearer home, he retraced 
 his steps ; but to follow his career would be profitless. 
 It is sufficient to say that in 1799, being at Lahore with 
 a view to invading India, he was recalled by the tidings 
 that the Shah of Persia, instigated by the English, who 
 were alarmed at the idea of an invasion of India, was 
 threatening Khorassan. 
 
 This was the first occasion that Afghanistan came 
 within the scope of Anglo-Indian politics. At the close 
 of 1799 a conspiracy to depose Zaman Shah, whose 
 tyranny had become unbearable, was betrayed. The 
 leader of the conspiracy, Payandah Shah, the chief of 
 the Barukzyes, and several of his associates, were 
 executed, and Payandah's eldest son, Fathi Khan, 
 receiving timely warning, fled to join Mahmud, who 
 was striving to induce the Shah of Persia to espouse his 
 cause. Urged by Fathi Khan, Mahmud appeared at 
 Farrah, and issued an appeal to the natives. The 
 Barukzyes and other Durani tribes flocking to his 
 standard, he besieged and took Kandahar. He subse- 
 quently captured Cabul, and Fathi Khan, having gained 
 over Zaman Shah's principal supporters, Zaman was 
 seized and blinded. 
 
 Under Mahmud's lax rule the empire soon began to 
 diminish. Khorassan was seized by the Persians, and 
 the Punjab south of the Indus threw off his yoke. At 
 length his brother, Shah Sujah, rebelled against and 
 displaced him. 
 
 The new monarch having, however, failed to con- 
 ciliate Fathi Khan, who had submitted to him, that chief 
 caused constant rebellions against him, which were with 
 difficulty suppressed. In 1808 the English, for the first 
 
Introduction. xxxiii 
 
 time, entered into direct relations with the Afghans, Mr. 
 Mountstuart Elphinstone being the envoy. That gentle- 
 man was well received, and succeeded in concluding at 
 Peshawur a treaty, of which the principal article was 
 * that neither the French nor any other foreign Euro- 
 peans should be permitted to have a footing in his 
 dominions.' Mahmud and Fathi Khan, taking advan- 
 tage of the King's absence, seized Cabul, met Shah 
 Sujah near Gundamuck and completely defeated him. 
 Shah Sujah, nevertheless, continued the struggle for 
 several years, but with constant ill-success, till in 1811, 
 seized by the Sikh Governor of Attock, he was sent a 
 prisoner to Kashmir, when he was shortly afterwards 
 allowed to join his family at Lahore. Escaping in 1815, 
 he sought an asylum at Loodiana, in British territory. 
 On Mahmud's restoration to the throne all real power 
 was assumed by Fathi Khan, and one of the first acts of 
 this Afghan king-maker was, aided by Runjeet Singh, 
 to bring back Kashmir to its allegiance. In every way 
 he displayed the utmost vigour and capacity, and the 
 kingdom had never been so prosperous. He had, how- 
 ever, a cruel and remorseless enemy. Mahmud's son, 
 Kamran, having under the most cowardly circumstances 
 murdered his cousin, Fathi Khan declined to give him 
 any public employment. At length Kamran found an 
 opportunity for revenge. Mahmud's brother, Feru- 
 zudin, Governor of Herat, having refused to admit the 
 Vizier into the town, the latter succeeded in making him 
 a prisoner, and sent him off under an honourable escort 
 to Cabul. 
 
 The day after his departure Dost Mahomed, con- 
 trary to the express commands of his brother, plundered 
 the seraglio and offered a gross insult to Mahmud's 
 
xxxiv Introduction. 
 
 daughter, who had married Feruzudin's son. Dost 
 Mahomed was at once disgraced and placed in confine- 
 ment by the Vizier. This was not, however, enough to 
 satisfy the malice of the enemies of the latter, and 
 Kamran extorted from the King an order that Fathi 
 Khan should be blinded. Kamran, keeping this order 
 secret, proceeded to Herat, dispelled Fathi Khan's sus- 
 picions, and one morning, when Fathi Khan paid 
 Kamran a visit, that prince caused him to be seized and 
 deprived of sight. 
 
 This atrocity caused the downfall of the Sudozye 
 dynasty. The brothers of the Vizier at once collected 
 forces, which were placed under the command of Dost 
 Mahomed. Cabul was occupied by the Barukzyes after a 
 victory, and Dost Mahomed and his brother, Mahomed 
 Azim Khan, Governor of Kashmir, marched with 4000 
 men to meet Mahmud and his son Kamran. Mahmud 
 had, on the approach of the Barukzyes, fled to Ghuzni, 
 where he was joined by Kamran, who had hastened from 
 Herat to assist his father. Altogether they had 12,000 
 men, but these all went over to the Barukzyes as soon as 
 the latter appeared, and Mahmud and Kamran fled to 
 Kandahar. They, however, halted on the way to wreak 
 a last vengeance on Fathi Khan, who was murdered in 
 the King's presence, Kamran striking the first blow. 
 After numerous wanderings they reached Herat, which 
 still remained faithful to them, and thereby acknow- 
 ledging the suzerainty of the Shah of Persia they 
 succeeded in establishing themselves. 
 
 In 1829 Mahmud died, at the instigation, it is said, of 
 Kamran, who himself was assassinated by his Vizier, 
 the infamous Yar Mahomed, who had dethroned him the 
 previous year. A few years later Yar Mahomed was 
 
Introduction* xxxv 
 
 himself murdered. A period of anarchy and confusion 
 followed the dethronement of Mahmud ; the Barukzye 
 brothers, each governing different districts, worked 
 without concert. At length Azim Khan established 
 himself at Cabul as chief administrator of the kingdom, 
 but he was not readily obeyed by either the tribes or his 
 brother in the Afghan Turkestan, and Badakshan having 
 recovered their independence, and Runjeet Singh having 
 conquered Kashmir, Moolta Dera, Ghazi Khan, and 
 Attock, was threatening Peshawur. Azim Khan, taking 
 with him Dost Mahomed, marched to meet the Sikhs, 
 and was utterly defeated at Noushera. Azim Khan died 
 shortly afterwards, bequeathing to his son, Habib Ulla, 
 the Cabul district 
 
 Of the Barukzye brothers, Dost Mahomed was at 
 Ghuzni, Purdel Khan and two of his brothers were at 
 Kandahar, while Sultan Mahomed was at Peshawur. A 
 civil war broke out among the brothers, the upshot of 
 which was that Purdil Khan remained in possession of 
 Kandahar, while Dost Mahomed was ruler of Cabul, 
 Ghuzni, and Jcllalabad, Sultan Mahomed being obliged 
 to content himself with Peshawur. 
 
 In 1834 Shah Sujah, who had, a few years after 
 Mahmud's flight from Cabul, made a futile attempt to 
 gain the crown, traversed the Bolan, entered Afghanistan, 
 and besieged Kandahar. Anxious to ascertain whether 
 Shah Sujah would be supported by the British, Dost 
 Mahomed sent an envoy to Loodiana to inquire. The 
 answer seems weak and ambiguous. It was to the effect 
 that the British would not support Shah Sujah, but that 
 he had their best wishes. How history repeats itself! 
 Reassured, Dost Mahomed marched against Shah Sujah, 
 and in a desperate battle defeated him. Shah Sujah 
 
xxxvi Introduction. 
 
 fled, and after some wanderings regained his old asylum 
 at Loodiana. After this victory Dost Mahomed, feeling 
 himself virtual sovereign of Afghanistan, resolved to 
 establish this fact formally in the eyes of the world. 
 The Duranis had called themselves kings, but then 
 they had a kingdom. A practical man, Dost Mahomed, 
 condemned titles indicative of a state of affairs which 
 did not exist, saying, ' I am too poor to support my 
 dignity as a Sirdar ; it would be absurd for me to call 
 myself a king.' He decided, in consultation with the 
 chief, to assume the modest title of Ameer-ul-Momerin 
 Commander of the Faithful. Dost Mahomed an- 
 nounced his elevation to the Governments and of the 
 States bordering his own, the Sikh and the British 
 Governments excepted. Thus, through their injudicious 
 treatment of Dost Mahomed, the Indian Government 
 took the first step towards alienating the Afghans. 
 
 Runjeet Singh had taken advantage of Shah Sujah's 
 invasion to add Peshawur to the Punjab, and though 
 the Afghans made several attempts to regain their lost 
 dependency they never succeeded. In 1837 the Persians 
 laid siege to Herat. Dost Mahomed sought, by means 
 of a British alliance, to check Persia and recover 
 Peshawur. Taking advantage, therefore, of the arrival 
 in India of a new Governor-General, Lord Auckland, he 
 sent him a complimentary letter, and mentioned his 
 grievances against the Sikhs. Lord Auckland declined 
 to interfere, but announced his intention of sending a 
 mission to Cabul to discuss commercial topics. 
 
 In the meantime Dost Mahomed's brother at Kan- 
 dahar, dreading the strength which he would gain by an 
 English alliance, sent applications for support both to 
 Persia and Russia. Persia gave a favourable reply, and 
 
Introduction. xxxvii 
 
 Russia sent an envoy, Captain Vikovitch, to Kandahar. 
 Captain Burnes, the Envoy of the British Government, 
 was well received at Cabul, which city he reached in 
 September 1837. He had, however, no power to deal 
 with political matters. The Ameer opened his heart 
 to him, and did all he could to secure the friendly aid 
 of the British, abstaining so long as the matter was 
 doubtful from any intercourse with Vikovitch, who had 
 arrived from Kandahar. When, however, he saw that 
 Lord Auckland was not to be moved, he threw himself 
 into the arms of Russia. Vikovitch promised money, 
 the restoration of Herat, and to negotiate with Runjeet 
 Singh. He also, with the Ameer's consent, brought to 
 a conclusion the treaty between the Kandahar princes 
 and Persia, by which the latter promised to aid the 
 Afghans with troops. This close connexion between 
 Afghanistan and Persia, with the shadow of Russia in 
 the background, alarmed the Indian Government, and 
 they determined to take vigorous action. The Liberals 
 were then in power, and Colonel Malleson, one of our 
 best authorities, scathingly deals with the deviation from 
 their cardinal principles on this occasion. He says that 
 their policy was at all events remarkable : 
 
 ' They proposed to depose the ruler who, out of the chaos 
 resulting from the expulsion of the Sodozyes, had evoked at 
 least a semblance of order, a form of good government, and 
 most certainly a respect for authority . . . and to replace him 
 by a prince who had already enjoyed under, for Afghanistan, 
 favourable circumstances, the opportunity of ruling and had 
 failed; who, when subsequently treated with as to the conditions 
 of his return by the Barukzye Chiefs, had acted in a manner 
 which plainly showed that he had learnt nothing and forgotten 
 nothing. . . . The subsequent conduct of the Government was 
 still more extraordinary ; with the raising of the siege of Herat 
 
 c 
 
xxxviii Introduction. 
 
 all pretext for interference had disappeared. The Kusso- 
 Persian- Afghan alliance had collapsed. The dangers with 
 which it was suffered to be fraught had been proved to be non- 
 existent ; their very shadows had disappeared. A Lieutenant 
 of Artillery had made the political situation in Western Asia 
 more favourable to England than it had been at the time of 
 Burnes' mission, for he had caused the Russo-Persian bubble 
 to burst under the very nose of the Ameer of Cabul and his 
 brothers.' 
 
 The project of re-establishing Shah Sujah was, 
 however, persevered in, with what disastrous results we 
 all know. 
 
 It would have been superfluous to write a detailed 
 history of the first Afghan war, for the subject had been 
 ably and exhaustively treated by Sir John Kaye. I 
 give, therefore, a mere outline, and this outline demands 
 no notice from us. I therefore pass on to the period 
 between 1842 and 1869. 
 
 In 1854 Dost Mahomed, alarmed at the intrigues of 
 Persia, determined to seek support of the English, and 
 the same year concluded a treaty of alliance with them. 
 The result was, in 1856 the Persians besieged Herat. 
 England declared war against the Shah, and in the early 
 part of the following year another treaty was concluded, 
 by which we engaged to aid the Ameer, to defend his 
 dominions, and to grant him during the war a subsidy 
 of io,ooo/. per month. It was also provided that the 
 Ameer was to send a Vakil to reside at Peshawur, that 
 during the war English officers were to reside at Kan- 
 dahar, Cabul, or Balkh, or all three places, and that on 
 the conclusion of peace they were to be replaced by a 
 native Vakil, who was to reside at Cabul. Colonel 
 Lumsden and two other officers were in consequence 
 sent to reside at Kandahar. 
 
Introduction. xxxix 
 
 On the determination of the war with Persia, Ahmed 
 Khan, a nephew of the Ameer, became ruler of Herat on 
 a quasi-independent footing ; but, intriguing with Persia, 
 Dost Mahomed besieged and took Herat, he himself ex- 
 piring in the moment Of victory. At his death the whole 
 of Afghanistan acknowledged his rule, for Kandahar had 
 some time previously recognised him as Sovereign. The 
 events which followed are, thanks to the recent debates 
 and Parliamentary papers, fresh in the memories of all. 
 It is needless, therefore, to recapitulate them. It need 
 only be said, that even before Lord Lytton arrived in 
 India we had by our stolid policy thrown Shere Ali into 
 the arms of Russia, and that we might easily have secured 
 him as a firm ally. 
 
 As regards Shere Ali personally, there are no grounds 
 for the most unpatriotic doctrinaires and humanitarians 
 considering him an interesting victim. He has been 
 spoken of as 'cruel, ungrateful, and self-seeking,' and 
 draws attention to the treatment which he accorded to 
 those who were most instrumental in establishing him 
 on the throne. The three adherents who had rendered 
 him the greatest services were his son Yakub Khan, 
 his brother Aslam Khan, and his nephew Ishmael 
 Khan. Yakub Khan he enticed, under the most 
 solemn promises of safety, from Herat to Cabul, and 
 then threw him into the dungeon, in which he lingered 
 until his father's flight ; Aslam Khan he caused to be 
 strangled ; Ishmael Khan he drove an outlaw to 
 Lahore, where he died. 
 
 Nearly forty years have elapsed since the last British 
 expedition to Afghanistan took place. With its policy 
 and its general results I do not now propose to deal. I 
 will only say that the British advance upon the Afghan 
 
xl Introduction. 
 
 capital was a complete success, and that its object the 
 overthrow of Dost Mahomed was easily accomplished. 
 It was after the occupation of the capital that the struggle 
 commenced which is associated in the public mind only 
 with the greatest disaster that ever befell our arms in 
 India ; and it is of that struggle that we now propose 
 to give as detailed an account as our space will allow. 
 
 It was on the I3th of January, 1842, that from the 
 ramparts of Jellalabad, a fortress garrisoned by a brigade 
 under the command of Sir Robert Sale, there was ob- 
 served a fugitive British officer bending over his horse's 
 neck, making his way to the fort. That officer was 
 Dr. Brydon, the solitary survivor, as we supposed for 
 many months, of the British army occupying Cabul. 
 Dr. Brydon, who had received several wounds and lost 
 one hand by a sabre cut, had managed to escape by the 
 stoutness of his horse. Of 16,000 men, women, and 
 children, who had left Cabul with him on the 6th 
 January, he alone was there to tell the melancholy 
 tale, although it subsequently became known that a 
 few officers and soldiers, and Englishwomen, were de- 
 tained in captivity. 
 
 This is the disaster which has thrown into oblivion 
 all the glories of the Afghan campaign, and which Lord 
 Carnarvon and Mr. Baxter lately held up to us as a 
 warning against any further intervention in the affairs of 
 Afghanistan. And this is how it came about. After 
 the dethronement of Dost Mahomed and his deporta- 
 tion to Loodiana as a State prisoner, Shah Sujah, a 
 creature of the Indian Government, was placed upon his 
 throne, and a British force remained in occupation of his 
 capital, under the command of General Elphinstone, an 
 officer of no experience or capacity, and a confirmed 
 
Introduction. xli 
 
 valetudinarian. With him were associated the British 
 Knvoy, Sir William Macnaghten, and Sir Alexander 
 Burnes, a civilian of great promise. The British force 
 occupying Cabul consisted of 4500 men all told, in- 
 clusive of one English regiment (H. M. 44th Foot) ; 
 some 12,000 camp followers were attached to the 
 force. On the 2nd November a rising took place in 
 Cabul, and an attack was made upon Sir Alexander 
 Burnes' dwelling, in which he and his brother were 
 killed. General Elphinstone withdrew all his troops 
 into the cantonments, leaving the commissariat fort, 
 containing all his supplies, to be guarded by a few 
 troops, who speedily abandoned their post. From 
 this moment the resistance of the British troops was 
 only a question of time, as every day brought them 
 closer to starvation. After a month of spiritless defence, 
 during which the numbers of the enemy had enormously 
 increased, negotiations were resorted to. But it soon 
 became clear that Akhbar Khan, the leader, was only 
 trying to gain time ; and still no active steps were taken 
 by the British Commander to confront the difficulty. 
 To add to the miserable prospects of the garrison, a 
 heavy fall of snow covered the ground. Six weeks after 
 the rising a pretended programme was submitted to the 
 British Envoy, to which he assented, and in accordance 
 with which, unaccompanied by any escort, he went to 
 meet Akhbar Khan. Sir William Macnaghten paid with 
 his life for his credulity. He was shot through the head 
 by Akhbar Khan, and his body was exposed in the 
 principal bazaar of Cabul. 
 
 General Elphinstone, not even yet convinced of the 
 depths of Afghan duplicity, again opened negotiations, 
 instead of endeavouring to cut his way through the 
 
"xlii Introduction. 
 
 enemy ; and finally, on the 6th of January, he marched 
 out with upwards of 4000 fighting men and 12,000 
 camp followers. Almost immediately the massacre 
 commenced ; the rear guard was attacked, the guns 
 captured, and every mile the army traversed had to be 
 won with the sword. Want of food and excessive cold 
 paralysed the native troops, so that they were cut down 
 without any attempt at resistance. The soldiers of 
 the 44th Regiment were destroyed almost to a man. 
 General Elphinstone surrendered to Akhbar Khan, and 
 eight ladies, including Lady Sale and Lady Macnaghten, 
 put themselves under his protection. 
 
 At Jugdulluck, only thirty-five miles from Cabul, 
 there were, with the exception of a few prisoners, 300 
 survivors out of the 16,500; and of these the only one 
 left on the I3th of January, seven days after leaving the 
 capital, was Dr. Brydon, who died about four years ago. 
 
 Sir Robert Sale, commanding at Jellalabad, had 
 received an order from General Elphinstone in captivity, 
 authorising him to evacuate the fort and retire into 
 British territory. But his answer was to prepare to 
 defend it to the last extremity. For three months the 
 fort was besieged by an immense Afghan force, who 
 were repulsed at every assault, and finally, on the 7th of 
 April, severely beaten and driven off with heavy loss by 
 the garrison. Had Sir Robert Sale been in command 
 at Cabul, we should not have to record the disastrous 
 retreat of the British force. On the i6th of April the 
 advanced guard of the avenging army under General 
 Pollock came in sight of Jellalabad, and the heroic 
 garrison was finally relieved. 
 
 As soon as intelligence reached the Indian Govern- 
 ment of the destruction of the Cabul army, it resolved 
 
Introduction. xliii 
 
 on prompt measures for the relief of General Sale at 
 Jellalabad, and the punishment of Akhbar Khan's 
 treachery. Accordingly a strong force was immediately 
 pushed up to Peshawur, and on the 5th of April General 
 Pollock, without waiting for his full strength, marched 
 upon the Khyber Pass with 8000 men. The Khyber 
 was then, as it is now, in the hands of the Khyberees, 
 who exacted a heavy toll from all who desired its 
 passage, whether Afghan or English, and an attempt 
 was made to purchase their neutrality. But General 
 Pollock could not brook delay, and as the negotiations 
 were necessarily protracted, he determined to force the 
 Pass. He found the entrance fortified, and held by a 
 considerable body of the enemy. His dispositions were 
 soon made. Detaching two strong columns by a cir- 
 cuitous route to clear the heights to right and left, he 
 held the main body of his army at the mouth of the Pass, 
 ready to storm. But the two columns having once 
 reached the heights, drove the enemy rapidly before 
 them, and the entry was unopposed. 
 
 Discouraged by this first success, the enemy retreated 
 along the Pass, not even occupying the fort of AH 
 Musjid, which commands a formidable defile in the 
 Khyber. Within ten days General Pollock had emerged 
 from the Pass, and on the i6th of April had effected a 
 junction with the brave garrison of Jellalabad. Having 
 so far successfully effected his object, the British General 
 rested his force in order to give time for supplies and 
 reinforcements to come up, the intense heat of the 
 weather rendering active operations in the field imprac- 
 ticable. 
 
 On the 2Oth of August he began his march upon 
 Cabul with a force of about 8000 men, including two 
 
xliv Introduction. 
 
 English regiments, and three days afterwards completely 
 defeated an Afghan army of 1000 men near Gundamuck. 
 But now began the chief difficulties of the expedition. 
 From Jugdulluck to the end of the Khoord Cabul Pass 
 the scene of the massacre of the Cabul army there 
 was a distance of some forty-two miles to be traversed, 
 in which deep ravines, rocky watercourses, and narrow 
 defiles, closed in by perpendicular heights, had to be 
 traversed. The cliffs were lined by bodies of the enemy, 
 and one after another had to be cleared as the British 
 army moved forward. At the valley of Tezeen he 
 halted his troops, and the Afghans, under the command 
 of Akhbar Khan, coming up in great force, attacked and 
 drove in his pickets. The following day General Pollock 
 commenced his attack, and a pitched battle of a most 
 desperate character took place, cavalry and infantry 
 taking part in it. In the end the enemy, numbering 
 16,000 men, were defeated with great slaughter, and the 
 Pass was forced. 
 
 By the I5th September General Pollock had crossed 
 the Khoord Cabul Pass, and pitched his camp on the 
 racecourse of Cabul. On the following day the British 
 standard floated over the Bala Hissar, the citadel, and 
 within a week all the prisoners taken from the Cabul 
 army were restored. So much for the difficulties of a 
 direct advance from Peshawur upon Cabul when con- 
 ducted by a resolute and capable commander. 
 
 In the meantime a rising, akin to that which had 
 resulted so disastrously to our arms at Cabul, had taken 
 place in Kandahar. General Nott was in command 
 there with 10,000 men, and, like Sir Robert Sale, refused 
 to obey General Elphinstone's orders for withdrawal. 
 But it was thought prudent to reinforce his command, 
 
Introduction. xlv 
 
 and for that purpose General England marched up from 
 Scinde through the Bolan Pass to Quettah ; but at the 
 Kojak Pass his advanced guard met with a disastrous 
 repulse, and was compelled to fall back. 
 
 Whilst these operations were proceeding the British 
 garrison at Ghuzni had been compelled to surrender 
 from starvation. General Nott thereupon determined to 
 make a simultaneous movement upon Cabul, and on the 
 /th of August he started with a view, if necessary, to 
 reinforce General Pollock. The country through which 
 he had to pass, though not so difficult as that on the 
 Peshawur route, still presented very great natural 
 obstacles, and afforded more than one stand to the 
 enemy. On the 29th of August the Afghans gave 
 battle in a well-chosen position, but were defeated with 
 great loss. On the 5th September he reached Ghuzni, 
 and made preparations for attack upon the fortress, 
 which, like -the surrounding hills, was held in con- 
 siderable strength by the enemy. In the night the 
 fortress was captured, and General Nott, as a punish- 
 ment for Afghan treason, razed the fortress and the city 
 to the ground. From Ghuzni the British force moved 
 on to Cabul, and fought one more battle with complete 
 success, finally effecting a junction with General Pollock 
 at the Afghan capital. 
 
 When the work of punishment had been completed, 
 the three armies General Pollock's, General Nott's, and 
 General England's evacuated Afghan territory in com- 
 pliance with orders from Lord Ellenborough, but not 
 before they had exacted a terrible vengeance for the 
 Cabul massacre, and achieved a series of brilliant suc- 
 cesses, which, but for the memory of the disaster to 
 General Elphinstone's army, would have been remem- 
 
xlvi Introduction. 
 
 bered always amongst the greatest triumphs of the 
 British flag. 
 
 I have contented myself with a bare recital of facts, 
 because the Afghan war of 1841-2 is almost invariably 
 spoken of as if it had begun and ended in shame, and 
 because there is a disposition in some quarters to 
 magnify the difficulties of an Afghan campaign. But 
 the narrative I have given affords its encouragements as 
 well as its warnings. We have not gone backward 
 within the last forty years in military organization. We 
 have better arms, more knowledge of the country, 
 readier means of reinforcing and supplying our troops. 
 Above all, we are not likely to make the mistake of 
 appointing an incapable man or creating a divided 
 responsibility. The story of the Cabul massacres is one 
 of overweening confidence in Sir Alexander Burnes, 
 extreme credulity in Sir William Macnaghten, and 
 absolute weakness in General Elphinstone. The combi- 
 nation was enough to have ruined an empire it actually 
 lost an army. But the splendid achievements of 
 Pollock and Nott restored the honour of our flag. It 
 is treason to their memory to croak over the earlier 
 disaster. 
 
 The north-west frontier of India may be said to 
 commence at the Guntrab Pass, in the uppermost corner 
 of Kashmir, whence, running in a south-westerly di- 
 rection, it strikes the Baroghil and Kamarbund roads, 
 entrances from the Pamir steppes to the British do- 
 minions. It then, generally speaking, follows the course 
 of the river Indus to Torbela, a few miles north of the 
 junction of the Cabul river with its parent stream. As 
 far as this point there are no roads worthy of the name 
 between Afghanistan and India. 
 
Introduction. xlvii 
 
 From Torbela the frontier line takes a sweep round 
 the Peshawur Valley, and, to avoid the Afridi lands, juts 
 back to the river at the Narai Sir. It now bears west- 
 ward to Thull, on the Kuram river, and then runs 
 parallel to the Indus until it reaches the sea, the water- 
 shed of the first low ranges of the Sulimani range being 
 the actual recognised official border-line between Cabul 
 and British India. To protect this line we have military 
 stations of greater or lesser strength, guarding, as it 
 were, the entrance of the main thoroughfares between 
 the two countries, such as Hoti Mardan and Peshawur 
 in Yusufz'ae ; Kohal, at the eastern extremity of the 
 Kuram route ; Bunnoo, opposite the Dawar Valley 
 road ; Dera Ishmael Khan, in front of the Gomal ; Dera 
 Ghazi Khan, conveniently near the Sakhi Sarwar ; 
 Rajanpore, near the Dera Bugti road ; and Jacobabad, 
 at the mouth of the Bolan. Connecting the military 
 posts is a road, unmetalled and unbridged, running the 
 entire length of the border ; whilst similar roads, useless 
 in rainy weather, are constructed to the mouths of the 
 various passes. In advance of the larger stations 
 enumerated, there are close on a hundred small outposts 
 (garrisoned either by detachments of regular troops 
 or else by local levies), for the purpose of watching the 
 lesser passes and preventing the irruption of these and 
 other raiders. 
 
 The British cantonment, Jacobabad, the eastern 
 extremity of the Bolan Pass, was built by General John 
 Jacob, the founder of the Scinde School, which has 
 produced a body of men who have never ceased to press 
 upon Government the necessity of extending our borders 
 to the westward. It is a small but thriving place, the 
 centre of a flourishing trade .between Scinde and 
 
xlviii Introduction. 
 
 Kandahar, and is the head-quarters of a very fine body 
 of irregular soldiers, the Scinde Frontier Force, which, 
 although it has never had the opportunities of seeing 
 service, like its Punjab comrades, would doubtless work 
 well if called upon. The main frontier road runs north 
 from this, connecting all the stations we have described 
 with Peshawur. The population is about 5000. In 
 pursuance of the policy which he had been sent to India 
 to inaugurate, Lord Lytton, in October 1876, threw for- 
 ward the southern frontier a distance of 202 miles to 
 Quetta, at the western end of the famous Bolan Pass. 
 There were commercial as well as military reasons for 
 this step, owing to the powerlessness of the Khan of 
 Khelat to exercise authority over the Belooch chiefs of 
 that part of the country. These had been in the habit 
 of harassing the whole district, and thus interfering 
 with the large trade between Scinde and Kandahar. 
 
 It has ever been our object to encourage the Pourn- 
 dah merchants, who carry the goods of the English and 
 Indian markets to the bazaars of Central Asia, and it 
 was deemed advisable to locate a British force at the 
 further extremity of the Pass, in order to keep it clear for 
 traffic. Undoubtedly the military reasons for this step 
 were equally grave. Russia, ever since the Crimean 
 War, had been slowly, but none the less surely, pushing 
 her way southward and eastward in the Steppes. 
 Turkestan, Tashkand and Samarkand, Bokhara and 
 Khiva, had been incorporated into her empire ; Merv 
 even was threatened. Under these circumstances it was 
 necessary for our Government to make a decided move 
 in order to secure thoroughly the main roads leading to 
 British India. Quetta consequently was garrisoned, and 
 the Bolan Pass sealed. As this Pass is now in British 
 
Introduction. xlix 
 
 dominion, and is one of the roads to Kandahar, a brief 
 description of the road between Jacobabad and Quetta 
 will suffice. 
 
 As far as Dadur, at the foot of the mountain ranges, 
 the road is across a sandy desert, intersected here and there 
 by very deep nullahs and dry watercourses. In the im- 
 mediate vicinity of Dadur, which is 1 14 miles distant, there 
 is a great deal of fine cultivation, and this might, and 
 probably will, be made the site of a strong position. 
 
 Leaving Dadur the road drops into the bed of the 
 Bolan stream, which it ascends for forty-four miles. 
 The hills on either side are bleak and bare, their 
 summits often inaccessible. At some places they open 
 out to the distance of nearly a mile, at others they close 
 to within fifty yards. The roadway is over loose 
 boulders, very trying to man and simply killing to cattle. 
 From the Sar-i-Bolan, or head of the stream, the path- 
 way, for it is little more, descends into the Dasht-i- 
 Bedoalat plain, and thirty miles further Quetta is 
 reached. 
 
 It is but another instance of our national dilatori- 
 ness in military matters, that although years have 
 elapsed since we occupied Quetta, avowedly for the 
 purpose of establishing a military position to flank our 
 present frontier, no steps have been taken to improve 
 the road, which formed such a serious obstacle to Sir 
 John Keane's advance in 1839. 
 
 At the distance of a few miles beyond the Bolan 
 Pass stands this small town of Quetta, the capital of the 
 district of Shawl, in latitude 30 11'. Its height above 
 the level of the sea is 5 500 ft. It is a poor, miserable 
 town, consisting of a sort of mud edifice called a fort, 
 built upon a mound of earth, and having about 400 
 
1 Introduction. 
 
 wretched mud hovels, with flat roofs, clustered around 
 its foot. 
 
 The district of Shawl is situated between the 29 50' 
 and 30 50' of N. latitude, and the 66 4' and 67 20' of 
 E. latitude, and is bounded on the north by the Takht-a- 
 Pul mountains, on the south by the Bolan range, on the 
 east by those of Zingoon and Tharkoo, and on the west 
 by Chuhultan. The general aspect of this country is hilly, 
 rocky, and sterile, particularly on the south side, but where 
 mould exists (which is the case on many of the northern 
 faces) vegetation is luxuriant, and a variety of English 
 trees, shrubs, and herbs, are to be found ; such as cherry, 
 almond, hawthorn, carberry, &c. &c., also the juniper, 
 which grows to a height of from 18 to 30 feet. 
 
 Within eight miles of Quetta there is a forest of the 
 above description on a piece of table-land, which affords 
 an inexhaustible source of fire-wood, and also rafters 
 for building. The wood of the juniper is exactly similar 
 to that used in cedar pencils, and the scent equally 
 aromatic. The assafcetida grows in abundance on these 
 hills, many of which are composed of mica and chalk. 
 Coal of a uniform description is found in the Bolan 
 Pass. Around Quetta are numerous orchards filled 
 with apricots and almond-trees, peaches, apples, and fine 
 poplars, with vines trained up their limbs. 
 
 Since our occupation its defences have been im- 
 proved, barracks built for native troops, and a strong 
 garrison thrown into it, from its position as a natural 
 support to Kandahar, or even the Pishin Valley. 
 Quetta is now likely to become a military station of 
 great importance. 
 
 Intervening between our own frontier, the main 
 features of which were described in the foregoing pages, 
 
Introduction. li 
 
 and the eastern borders of Afghanistan, lies a broad 
 belt of rugged, inhospitable mountains, bounded on the 
 north by the semi-independent khanates of Central 
 Asia, on the south by the Bolan Pass, on the east by the 
 British outposts, and on the west by the imaginary line 
 drawn from Jellalabad, through the Shutargardan Pass, 
 to the Khojak, between Quetta and Kandahar. 
 
 Putting aside any consideration of the tribes dwelling 
 to the north of Torbela, because the country is quite im- 
 practicable for military operations, it will be necessary 
 merely to enumerate those lying within the boundaries we 
 have just described. It is through this tract of land that 
 the many roads between Cabul and British India run, and 
 therefore our intercourse with the tribes inhabiting it 
 will be far more constant, and, let us hope, of a far more 
 amicable nature, than it has been hitherto. It is a stain 
 on our national character for geographical enterprise that 
 we are so profoundly ignorant of this border-land of ours. 
 A glance at most of the maps shows that they have 
 been filled in by conjecture, and that with the exception 
 of those small patches traversed by our troops in the 
 many frontier expeditions, we know no more of the 
 Suliman and Sufaed Koh ranges than we did forty 
 years ago. The line of the Indus is. delineated by a 
 series of vague dots, between Skardo and Tahkote, 
 although in its entirety its left bank is within British 
 territory. How is this ? Simply because each successive 
 Government of India has stifled the spirit of adventure, 
 and the thirst for knowledge so deeply implanted in the 
 minds of our countrymen have forcibly prevented non- 
 officials from crossing the border, and threatened with 
 dismissal any Government servant offending in like 
 manner. The consequence is, that no Englishman has 
 
Hi Introduction. 
 
 visited the majority of the country inhabited by these 
 border tribes since Masson fearlessly travelled in Af- 
 ghanistan in the early part of this century, and our 
 information is necessarily vague, incomplete, and 
 often inexact. 
 
 This rugged tract of mountainous country is peopled 
 by a series of wild, fanatical, and mountain tribes, who 
 defy the authority of their nominal ruler, the Ameer of 
 Afghanistan, and resent equally strongly any inter- 
 ference by us. The tribes of the north are fiercer, 
 more untamable, than those of the south. Accustomed, 
 from the early period of their history, to dash down 
 from their mountain fastnesses and ravage the plains 
 stretched out, rich, smiling, and fertile, at their feet, they 
 have ever harboured feelings of animosity towards the 
 strong hand which took those plains under its protec- 
 tion, and the Government of India have never hesitated 
 to follow up and punish marauding bands which en- 
 tered British territory. It is said that these tribes can 
 turn out a quarter of a million of fighting men, and this 
 is doubtless well within the mark ; but it should be 
 borne in mind, that until we reach the Beloochis, 
 south of Dera Ismail Khan, who generally own loyal 
 obedience to their hereditary chief, there is not a single 
 instance of a clan that is not divided against itself, so 
 that spontaneous action on the part of the northern 
 sections need not be assumed. 
 
 It may be well to group these tribes geographically, 
 placing in the first section those Pathans, or Pushtu - 
 speaking classes, who dwell north of the Khyber Pass ; 
 in the second section, those inhabiting the lofty ranges 
 intervening between the Khyber and the Kuram ; in 
 the third, those who live in the heart of the Suliman 
 
Introduction. liii 
 
 ranges, between the Kuram and the Gomal route ; and, 
 lastly, those Belooch tribes which lie between that road 
 and the Bolan. Before entering into a detailed descrip- 
 tion of these tribes, it may be well to mention that the 
 Mahabun mountains, north-west of Peshawur, and the 
 Bozdar country, north of Dera Ghazi Khan, the 
 ranges immediately contiguous to our frontier, are 
 peopled by thirteen different clans, whose conduct 
 has necessitated no fewer than thirty separate punitory 
 expeditions. 
 
 Commencing, then, with the first section, we have 
 the Jadoons, the Bonairs, the Swatis, the Ranazais, 
 and Mohmands, lying along our border ; in rear of them 
 are the Bajawaris, the Ningraharis, and Shinwarris : in 
 the aggregate these muster no less than 6o,coo fighting 
 men. Against the five first we have undertaken nine 
 separate wars. 
 
 Between the Khyber and the Kuram are the Afridis, 
 the Orakzais, the Turis, Zaimukts, Jazis, Chamkanis, 
 Mangals, and Ghilzais ; these latter, indeed, form a backing 
 to all the clans from Jellalabad to the western end of the 
 Gomal, and can probably put 50,000 men in the field, 
 the remaining five being of about the same strength. 
 
 From the Kuram to the Gomal lie contiguous to 
 our frontier the large Vaziri tribe, which numbers at 
 least 40,000 men, indifferently armed, but dashing, gal- 
 lant fellows. Behind them lie the Jadrans, Khostwals, 
 Dawaris, Gurbuz, numbering perhaps 30,000, and in 
 rear again the Ghilzais. 
 
 South of the Gomal we have the various Belooch 
 clans of Bozdars, Kasranis, Sheoranis, Osteranis, Ketrans, 
 Lagharis, Maris, and Bugtis, and behind them the large 
 Afghan tribe of Kakars : these may be computed at 
 
 d 
 
liv Introduction. 
 
 100,000 men. All these tribes are nominally subjects 
 of the Ameer, but there are few from whom he collects 
 revenue, none whose territory he dare enter for that 
 purpose unaccompanied by a powerful force. He has 
 fortified posts in the Mohmand, Shinwarri, Khost, 
 Kuram, Ghilzai, and Kakar territory, the residences of 
 Deputy-governors, who annually, at the head of a force, 
 perambulate the country, screwing out the taxes from 
 the scowling Pathan. 
 
 These tribes differ but little in their natural charac- 
 teristics ; the northern clans are fairer in complexion 
 and more powerful in build than the southern. They 
 are also, as a rule, more friendly to our rule, and at first 
 sight more open-hearted, frank, and honest. It is, however, 
 impossible to trust any one of them, and a description of 
 one suffices for all. They are, as a rule, fine athletic 
 men, whose springy steps and proud, defiant mien, 
 denote their mountain origin; lean, hardy, and muscular; 
 they have long gaunt faces, high cheek-bones, prominent 
 noses, and dark complexions. They are brave in action, 
 fearless in the defence of their homes, make as a rule 
 good soldiers, though, in common with all Orientals, are 
 apt to break away directly a flank attack against them 
 is developed. 
 
 Such, then, is a brief description of the tribes, and 
 of our connexion with them. Since we first became 
 neighbours, the whole of these, if the scheme of recti- 
 fication of our frontier be carried out by the retention 
 of Kandahar, will be swept within our boundaries, and 
 become subjects of our own. Whether a closer ac- 
 quaintance with us and the justice of our rule will 
 lead them to tolerate or even welcome us as conquerors, 
 or whether it will convert them into more inveterate foes, 
 
Introduction. Iv 
 
 is still an open question ; but the balance of opinion 
 inclines to the fact, that ere we persuade them to enlist 
 in our service they will learn to know the difference 
 between our justice and the tyranny of their former 
 oppressors. 
 
 Kandahar is the ancient capital of the Durani 
 Empire and the burial-place of their kings, and is 
 situated between the Argandab and Turnak rivers, 
 89 miles south-west of Khelat-i-Ghilzai, and 144 
 north-west of Quetta. It is built on a level plain 
 well covered with cultivation. The town is surrounded 
 by lofty mud walls, with large circular towers at the 
 flank, a deep and wide ditch adding to its strength. 
 Though nearly four miles in circumference, it is stated 
 by Bellew, who lived there nearly six months, and has 
 twice visited it, to contain not more than 20,000 houses. 
 These are generally built of sun-dried bricks and have 
 flat roofs, though some of the dwellings of the richer 
 classes are covered with chunam a glistening white 
 plaster, which in the distance gives them the appearance 
 of marble. The tomb of Ahmed Shah, an octagonal 
 structure overlaid with coloured porcelain bricks and 
 surmounted by a golden dome surrounded by small 
 minarets, is the most striking building in the city, and 
 attracts the eye of the traveller from afar. 
 
 The trade between Kandahar and Herat is carried 
 on by Persians, who bring down silk, copper, weapons 
 of all sorts, horses, and carpets, taking back felts, skins, 
 and camels'-hair cloaks. The Povindahs, or nomad 
 Ghilzai tribes, carry on the trade with Hindostan by the 
 Gomal and Bolan Pass. 
 
 From the latest accounts we have of the city given 
 in the following letters it cannot be considered a power- 
 
Ivi Introduction. 
 
 ful fortress ; the weakness of the parapets and small 
 dimensions of the ditch would cause a besieger provided 
 with a siege train but little trouble. Its strategic value, 
 however, is great : being the first and only place of any 
 strength, or where supplies in any quantity could be ob- 
 tained between Herat and the Indus, it naturally is 
 regarded with a jealous eye by all who look upon an ex- 
 tension of our frontier as desirable. Sir Henry Durand 
 drew up a very able memorandum connected with the 
 defence of this city. 
 
 Cabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is 103 miles from 
 Jellalabad, 88 from Ghuzni, and 318 from Kandahar ; it 
 is situate near the junction of the Cabul and Logar rivers, 
 at the western extremity of a spacious plain, in an angle 
 formed by the approach of two ridges of hills ; these 
 completely encompass it on three sides, the fourth only 
 being open, whence the roads from Ghuzni and Jellala- 
 bad approach the city. Its elevation is 6396 feet. The 
 hills completely overlook the city, there being only a 
 narrow path between the city wall and their base. 
 These hills are steep, bare, and rocky, and crowned with 
 a long line of wall, having round towers occurring at 
 regular intervals, which is carried up their nearly per- 
 pendicular sides, along their summits, and across the 
 narrow entrance that lies between them. This wall was 
 intended as a defence against the Ghilzais, and shut up 
 all entrance from the west ; but it has been allowed to 
 fall into ruin. 
 
 The town of Cabul is in length, from east to west, 
 about a mile ; and in breadth, from north to south, half 
 a mile. It is surrounded by a high but weak mud wall, 
 and has no ditch. East of the town, and separated from 
 it by a ditch, on the top of a rocky eminence, stands the 
 
Introduction. 1 v i i 
 
 fortress of Bala Hissar; and on the slope of this acclivity 
 are situated the king's palace and gardens, with an ex- 
 tensive bazaar, surrounded by a wall and ditch, and 
 separate from the city. Above the fortress, upon an 
 eminence overlooking not only the fortress itself, but the 
 level all around it, is the citadel, and within this fort 
 a brother of Dost Mahomed built a palace which 
 he called Koolah-i-Feringee, or the European Hat ; 
 and which, very curiously, became, during the British 
 occupation in 1839, the hospital of the I3th Light 
 Infantry. 
 
 The population, according to Burnes, consists of 
 60,000 souls. The Cabul river, which enters at the north 
 of the gorge from the west, flows eastward, close under 
 the northern wall ; and a rich slip of meadow land, 
 covered with gardens, rises up from its northern bank to 
 the base of the hills on that side, increasing in breadth 
 as the river flows eastward. 
 
 Herat, the capital of one of the most important, and 
 certainly the richest, district in Afghanistan, is com- 
 monly called ' The Key of India.' It is situated in a 
 fertile and well -watered valley, about thirty miles in 
 length and fifteen miles in breadth. The city is nearly 
 square in shape, surrounded by a lofty mound of earth 
 from forty to fifty feet in height, and of immense thick- 
 ness, surrounded by a brick wall about twenty feet high. 
 Outside all is a wet ditch. Each face is about a mile 
 in length ; thus the city occupies nearly a square mile of 
 ground, and its population is estimated at 50,000 souls, 
 who are mostly Shiahs. Vambery gives an amusing 
 account of the various races to be seen in the bazaar 
 Afghans, Hindoos, Tartars, Turkomans, Persians, and 
 Jews. Every one carries weapons, and to be in the 
 
Iviii Introduction. 
 
 fashion it is necessary to take a whole arsenal about 
 with you. 
 
 Herat is essentially a city of trade, being the em- 
 porium between Cabul, Kandahar, Hindostan, Persia, 
 and Turkestan. Its chief manufactures are carpets, 
 which are renowned in Asia, and fetch high prices. 
 Varieties of the most delicious fruits are grown here, 
 and the ordinary necessaries of life, such as bread and 
 meat, are cheap and plentiful. The climate is healthy ; 
 though for two months in the year the heat is exces- 
 sive, for the remaining ten it is delightful. Its history 
 is one long tale of wars, sieges, and rebellion. In 1157 
 it fell into the hands of the Turkomans, who completely 
 destroyed it. In 1232 Jangiz Khan besieged it for six 
 months, and on its capture massacred 160,000 of its 
 inhabitants. In 1398 Miran Shah laid the place waste 
 and decimated the inhabitants. In 1477 Jehan Shah 
 once more destroyed it. In 1554 and 1607 the Uzbegs 
 twice sacked it. In 1370 Nadir Shah besieged and took 
 it ; and twenty years later Ahmed Shah Durani, after 
 a siege of fourteen months, gained possession of the 
 place. Zaman Shah, in 1805, carried the place ; and 
 in 1816-19-21-22-23 the Persians made various efforts 
 to seize it. In 1824 the ruler, Kamran, after a temporary 
 absence, returned from Farah and found the insurgents 
 had gained possession of the place ; after a short and 
 bloody encounter he recovered it. In 1 837 Yah Mahomed, 
 assisted by Eldred Pottinger, drove off the Persians, after 
 having been closely besieged for over six months. In 
 1836, in spite of previous treaties, the Persians laid siege 
 to it once more, and obtained possession of it in October 
 of that year : they abandoned it, however, at the close of 
 the war with England in 1857. Dost Mahomed, in May 
 
Introduction. lix 
 
 1863, after a siege of ten months, captured the city, which 
 has since remained a portion of the Afghan kingdom. 
 
 Its occupation by the British has been the dream of 
 our anti-Russian party, and there are many reasons to 
 be urged in favour of such a course. Herat is a point 
 which must necessarily be seized by any army invading 
 India. It is a fruitful district, and affords a favourable 
 spot for the concentration of troops prior to an advance 
 eastwards towards the Indus. The roads are easy, pro- 
 visions for an army to be found in plenty en route, and 
 the means of transport abundant. The tribes in the 
 immediate neighbourhood are powerful and warlike, 
 and, as we have lately seen, are capable of turning out 
 50,000 horsemen and 25,000 foot : these, under Euro- 
 pean training and guidance, might be converted into 
 an admirable irregular force. These reasons apply 
 equally well to the construction of a defensive post 
 at Herat to bar the invasion of India, as they do to 
 its importance as a point of concentration to an army 
 advancing eastward. 
 
 The letters and telegraphic despatches which during 
 the Conservative Administration passed between the 
 India Office at home and the Viceroy in Calcutta or 
 Simla are, I believe, a full vindication of the policy the 
 Government was compelled to adopt, and the theory 
 of quieta non movere, or ' masterly ^inactivity,' so per- 
 tinaciously urged by Lord Lawrence and his school, 
 finds a complete answer in the pages of those blue 
 books which record our ineffectual endeavours to con- 
 ciliate the late Ameer Shere Ali Khan. How these 
 pacific overtures were rendered abortive by the head- 
 strong monarch who fled from his throne and his king- 
 dom at the approach of the British army, and the 
 
Ix Introduction. 
 
 manner in which events were hurried on by the cir- 
 cumstances connected with the reception of a Russian 
 mission in July 1878, and the rejection by the Ameer of 
 the special embassy accredited to his court by Lord 
 Lytton, are points to be duly and impartially considered 
 by those who take any interest in the honour and the 
 welfare of our Indian dominions. 
 
 The various communications which from time to 
 time passed between the Government at home and that 
 of India, ending with Lord Salisbury's despatch of the 
 4th of October, 1877, contain a complete exposition of 
 the general policy of the British Government towards 
 Afghanistan, and set forth, I venture to believe, the con- 
 siderations which then induced Her Majesty's Govern- 
 ment to endeavour to place their relations with the 
 Ameer on a more satisfactory footing. 
 
 In order, however, that the reader may have no mis- 
 apprehension on this subject, I deem it necessary to 
 recapitulate some of the more salient features of that 
 policy, and to have the progress of events which have 
 led to the present condition of affairs in Afghanistan. 
 It is almost needless to recall the differences of opinion 
 which have for years, and under various governments, 
 existed, and indeed still exist, among the most eminent 
 authorities on the subject of the frontier policy to be 
 pursued by our Indian Government. These differences, 
 I maintain, have had reference rather to the methods to 
 be followed than to the objects in view. The consistent 
 aim of the British Government during a series of years 
 has been to establish on its north-western frontier a 
 strong, friendly, and independent State, with interest, as 
 far as possible, in unison with those of the Indian 
 Government, and ready to act in certain eventualities 
 
Introduction. Ixi 
 
 as an auxiliary in the protection of our frontier from 
 foreign intrigue or aggression. The treaty of 1855, 
 negotiated by Lord Dalhousie with the approval of 
 Lord Aberdeen's Government, and still in force, bears 
 witness to the importance then attached to friendly 
 relations on our part with Afghanistan. To quote one 
 phrase will give an idea of the whole : ' The treaty gives 
 to the Government of India on its western frontier as 
 complete security against a foreign and distant enemy 
 as it is possible for us in the nature of things to compass.' 
 
 Since the period, however, of the transfer to the 
 Crown of the direct administration of India the question 
 has assumed a special prominence, and this growing 
 interest in the subject has been the result partly of the 
 increased responsibilities assumed by Her Majesty's 
 Government in maintaining her Indian Empire, and 
 partly of the intestine disorders to which Afghanistan 
 became a prey after the accession of Shere Ali Khan in 
 1863. Upon Lord Lawrence devolved, at that time, 
 the direction of the policy to be adopted in this new 
 state of affairs, and that statesman, it is well known, 
 considered that the objects of the British Government 
 would be best obtained by abstaining from active inter- 
 ference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, and by the 
 friendly recognition of the de facto rulers of that country, 
 or of portions of it, without undertaking inconvenient 
 liabilities on their behalf. On this basis Lord Lawrence 
 considered that the British Government would have the 
 greatest chance of gaining the permanent friendship 
 and alliance of the Afghan people. 
 
 The outposts of Russia were at that time distant 
 from the borders of Afghanistan, and his Lordship's 
 Government attached no special importance to the 
 
Ixii Introduction. 
 
 probability and danger of the growth of the former 
 Power in the direction of India, which they considered 
 would, in any case, best be restrained, or at least 
 rendered innocuous, by a friendly understanding on the 
 subject between the English and Russian cabinets. I 
 need not say that the views of that day were, on the 
 subject of their relations with Afghanistan, in complete 
 harmony with those of Lord Lawrence. They had no 
 desire to exercise active influence in Cabul, nor to inter- 
 fere in the conflicts then rife between contending parties 
 in Afghanistan, so long as those conflicts did not 
 jeopardise the peace of our frontier. This policy was 
 therefore adhered to, although, it must be allowed, not 
 without a certain amount of inconvenience during the 
 civil war which raged after Shere Ali's accession to the 
 throne, and perhaps might not have been unsuited to 
 the exigencies of the time. But the final and unaided 
 success of the Ameer in regaining his throne in the 
 autumn of 1868 in some measure changed the position 
 of affairs, and, in the opinion both of Lord Lawrence 
 and of Her Majesty's Government, justified some inter- 
 vention in his Highness's favour, and the grant to him 
 of such assistance in money and arms as appeared con- 
 ducive to the maintenance of his authority. 
 
 The policy followed by Lord Mayo's administration 
 in its dealings with Afghanistan was, to a considerable 
 extent, in accord with the course of action thus finally 
 adopted in the autumn of 1868 by his predecessor. 
 While, however, Lord Mayo did not deviate in any 
 material degree from the attitude of non-interference 
 in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, which had been 
 so long maintained, he recognised Shere Ali as the de 
 jure as well as the de facto ruler of that country, and, in 
 
Introduction. Ixiii 
 
 a letter addressed to that prince, engaged to view with 
 severe displeasure any attempt on the part of his rivals 
 to disturb his position. This step, added to the marked 
 personal influence obtained by Lord Mayo over the 
 Ameer, was sufficient at the moment to remove a certain 
 feeling of resentment which had been generated in his 
 mind by the apparent indifference shown by the British 
 Government to the result of his struggle for power, and, 
 at the same time, rendered his Highness's position at 
 Cabul more assured than that of any previous ruler. 
 
 It must be remembered that the advances of Russia 
 in Central Asia had not, up to this period, assumed 
 dimensions such as to cause uneasiness to the Indian 
 Government. Lord Mayo agreed, therefore, to the 
 views of his predecessor, inasmuch as he considered that 
 the best means of averting interference on the part of 
 Turkestan in the affairs of Afghanistan would be by a 
 frank interchange of views on that subject between the 
 Government of Her Majesty and that of the Czar. Her 
 Majesty's Government had independently arrived at the 
 same conclusion, and, early in 1869, initiated friendly 
 negotiations at St. Petersburg, which terminated in a 
 very distinct understanding on this subject, and in the 
 recognition by the Czar's Government of the limits of 
 the Ameer's territories in complete accord with the 
 wishes of Shere Ali as well as those of our Government. 
 
 The policy of his predecessors was in nearly all 
 respects followed by Lord Northbrook, although the 
 rapid development of events in Central Asia was 
 gradually compelling our Government to closer relations 
 with the ruler of Cabul. Then came the capture of 
 Khiva by the army of the Czar in the spring of 1873, 
 and the total subordination of that Khanate to Russia 
 
Ixiv Introduction. 
 
 caused Shere Ali considerable alarm, and doubtless led 
 him to question and consider the pledges with reference 
 to his kingdom which had been given to him by England 
 and by his Imperial Majesty the Czar. Actuated by 
 his fears on this score, his Highness sent a special envoy 
 to Simla in the summer of that year, charged with the 
 duty of expressing his anxieties to the Government of 
 India. 
 
 Finding that the object of the Ameer was to ascer- 
 tain definitely how far he might rely on the help of the 
 British Government if his territories were threatened by 
 Russia, Lord Northbrook's Government was prepared to 
 assure him that, under certain conditions, the Govern- 
 ment of India would assist him to repel unprovoked 
 aggression. But it so happened that Her Majesty's 
 Government at home did not share Shere Ali's appre- 
 hension, and the Viceroy ultimately informed the Ameer 
 that the discussion of the question would be best post- 
 poned to ' a more convenient season.' 
 
 This announcement, although conveyed in the most 
 conciliatory language, was received most unfavourably 
 by his Highness, and the policy which dictated it was 
 unintelligible to his mind, while he received it with 
 feelings of disappointment and perhaps resentment. 
 His reply to Lord Northbrook's communication was 
 accordingly couched in terms of ill-disguised sarcasm, 
 and he took no notice of the Viceroy's proposal to 
 depute a British officer to examine the northern frontier 
 of Afghanistan. The Ameer then showed his displeasure 
 by refusing permission to Sir Douglas Forsyth and 
 Colonel Gordon to return from Kashgar to India 
 through Cabul, while he left untouched a gift of 
 money lodged to his credit by the Indian Govern- 
 
Introduction. Ixv 
 
 ment, assuming at the same time a general attitude 
 of sullen reserve. 
 
 Such, then, was the aspect of affairs when the Con- 
 servatives came into office in 1874. The maintenance 
 of Afghanistan as a strong and friendly power had at all 
 times been the object of British policy, although the 
 methods adopted in attaining that object had not 
 always met with such success as was desirable. Its 
 accomplishment was nevertheless a matter of grave 
 importance, and had now to be considered with reference 
 to the rapid march of events in Turkestan. It was 
 impossible for Her Majesty's Government to regard 
 with indifference the probable influence of those events 
 upon the character of an Asiatic prince whose do- 
 minions were brought within a steadily narrowing circle 
 between two great military empires, and, although no 
 immediate danger appeared to threaten British interests 
 on the frontier of Afghanistan, the situation in Central 
 Asia had undoubtedly become sufficiently grave to 
 suggest the necessity of timely precaution. Her 
 Majesty's Government, therefore, considered that the 
 first step necessary in this respect was the improvement 
 of their relations with the Ameer himself. With this 
 object in view they deemed it expedient that his High- 
 ness should be invited to receive a temporary mission at 
 Cabul, in order that an accredited British envoy might 
 confer with him personally as to the events which were 
 then taking place, might assure him of the desire of the 
 British Government that his territories should remain 
 safe from external attack, and, at the same time, might 
 point out to him the extreme difficulty of attaining that 
 object unless it were permitted by him to place its own 
 officers on its frontier to watch the course of events 
 
Ixvi Introduction. 
 
 beyond it. True it was that the relations of the Ameer 
 with the Russian Governor-General of Turkestan had 
 of late become more intimate, and that a correspon- 
 dence with that official had commenced with the 
 Cabul durbar in 1871, and which at one time had 
 caused serious disquiet to the Ameer, was being carried 
 on with increased activity, while his Highness's original 
 practice of consulting the Indian Government as to the 
 replies to be sent to General Kaufman's communica- 
 tions had been discontinued. Nevertheless Her Majesty's 
 Government were willing to believe that Shere Ali, if 
 his intentions were friendly, would be ready to join them 
 in measures advantageous to himself and essential for 
 the protection of common interests. 
 
 Few will deny that these interests and responsibilities 
 had morally devolved upon England on behalf of the 
 safety of Afghanistan as a friendly and independent 
 Power, and of the protection of our Indian north-west 
 frontier. Looking, therefore, to the imperfect informa- 
 tion available in regard to the country ruled over by the 
 Ameer, and to the responsibilities we had incurred in its 
 behalf, the Government of Lord Northbrook had in 1873 
 expressed an opinion that the temporary presence in 
 Afghanistan of a British officer, as then suggested by 
 them, would go far to allay any feelings of mistrust 
 lingering in the minds of the Afghan people, and might, 
 at the same time, prepare the way for eventually placing 
 permanent British representatives at Cabul, Herat, and 
 elsewhere. Encouraged by this opinion our Government 
 arrived at the conclusion, that although Lord North- 
 brook's efforts to attain the desired object had not met 
 with the success they deserved, the time had come when 
 the measure thus indicated could no longer be postponed. 
 
Introduction. Ixvii 
 
 The Indian Council had, indeed, while fully alive to 
 all the advantages likely to eventuate from the measure, 
 frankly represented to Lord Beaconsfield's Government 
 the difficulties attendant to its initiation, while Lord 
 Lytton's predecessor believed the time and circum- 
 stances of the moment to be anything but opportune for 
 placing British agents on the Afghan borders, he being 
 of opinion that such a step should be deferred till the 
 progress of events justified more specific assurances to 
 Shere Ali, which might then possibly be given as a 
 treaty, followed by the establishment of agencies at 
 Herat, Kandahar, and other places. 
 
 Her Majesty's Government, however, were unable to 
 agree in this view. They deemed it probable that, if 
 events were thus allowed to march without measures of 
 precaution on the part of the British Government, the 
 time would have passed when representations to the 
 Ameer could be made with any probability of a favour- 
 able result, and they considered it important that the 
 actual sentiments of his Highness, in reference to which 
 so many different opinions were held by various authori- 
 ties, should be tested in due time. 
 
 When, therefore, Lord Lytton left England to assume 
 the Viceroyalty, our Home Government instructed his 
 Lordship to offer to Shere Ali the same active counte- 
 nance and protection which he had previously solicited 
 at the hands of the Indian Government. It was clearly 
 impossible, however, to enter into any formal engage- 
 ment in this sense without requiring from the Ameer 
 some substantial proof of his unity of interests with the 
 British Government. Our Secretary of State, therefore, 
 authorised the Viceroy to concede to his Highness 
 substantial pecuniary aid, a formal recognition of his 
 
Ixviii Introduction. 
 
 dynasty so far, indeed, as it would not involve England 
 in active interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, 
 and an explicit pledge of material support in case of un- 
 provoked foreign aggression ; but Lord Lytton was at 
 the same time directed not to incur these heavy respon- 
 sibilities unless Shere Ali, on his part, was prepared to 
 allow a British agent, or agents, access to the positions in 
 his territories (other than at Cabul itself) where, without 
 prejudicing the personal authority of the ruler, they could 
 acquire trustworthy information of events calculated to 
 threaten the tranquillity or independence of Afghanistan. 
 
 The measures which the Viceroy adopted on his 
 arrival in India to give effect to the explicit instructions 
 he had received were, I believe, undoubtedly framed 
 with much discretion, and ina spirit of consideration 
 towards Shere Ali. Lord Lytton's native aide-de-camp, 
 Ressaldar Major Khanan Khan, was sent to the Ameer, 
 charged with the duty of informing him of his Ex- 
 cellency's desire to depute temporarily to his capital, 
 or to any other point in Afghan territory agreeable to 
 his Highness, a special Envoy, whose mission was not 
 merely to be one of compliment but one for the dis- 
 cussion of matters of common interest to the two 
 Governments ; and his Excellency took care to convey 
 to his Highness verbal assurances of the friendly 
 character of his advances to him. What then followed is 
 a matter of history Shere Ali positively declined to 
 receive any envoy, and distinctly rejected all overtures ! 
 
 Lord Lytton's next step was to exhort, in a serious 
 but most temperate manner, the Ameer to consider well 
 the consequences of an attitude which might end in com- 
 pelling the British Government to look upon him thence- 
 forth as a prince who voluntarily desired to isolate his 
 
Introduction. Ixix 
 
 interests from those of the British Government. In a 
 most conciliatory spirit Lord Lytton abstained from 
 pressing upon the Ameer the reception of our Envoy, 
 and his Excellency at the same time acceded to a sug- 
 gestion made by Shere Ali, to the effect that his Vakeel 
 at Cabul should make personal representations to the 
 Viceroy on behalf of the Ameer. These representa- 
 tions proved eventually to be merely a recapitulation 
 of grievances dating from 1872, and it may not be out 
 of place to enumerate them : (i.) The communication 
 which the Ameer had received from the late Viceroy in 
 1874 on behalf of his rebellious son, Yakub Khan, whom 
 he had imprisoned. (2.) The decision on behalf cf the 
 Seistan boundary. (3.) The gifts sent by the late 
 Viceroy direct to the chief of Wakhan, who is a 
 tributary to the Ameer. (4.) The repeated rejection 
 of his previous requests for an alliance, and a formal 
 recognition of the order of succession as established by 
 him in the person of his son, Abdullah Jan. 
 
 These grievances would seem to have weighed heavily 
 on the prejudiced mind of Shere Ali, and Lord Lytton 
 did not lose a moment in assuring the Ameer, through 
 the Vakeel, that it was the sincere desire of England to 
 cultivate a friendly feeling towards him, and on his 
 part as Viceroy it was his wish to remove, by a frank 
 exchange of views, all causes of irritation on the Ameer's 
 mind, while at the same time his Excellency was most 
 willing to receive an Afghan Envoy at Peshawur, in lieu 
 of our sending Sir Lewis Pelly to Cabul. Lord Lytton's 
 Vakeel thereupon returned to Cabul, charged with the 
 duty of explaining to the Ameer, with the assistance of 
 a clearly worded aide memoire, the very favourable treaty 
 which the British Government was prepared, upon certain 
 
 e 
 
Ixx Introduction. 
 
 conditions, to negotiate with him, and its desire to heal 
 up all differences with him. But his Highness manifested 
 no cordiality in his reception of the Vakeel ; and he de- 
 puted to Peshawur his Minister, Synd Noor Mahommed 
 Shah, there to carry on, with Sir Lewis Pelly, the nego- 
 tiations with Her Majesty's Government the negotia- 
 tions which the Viceroy had deemed of sufficient im- 
 portance to be undertaken on Afghan soil, and with the 
 Ameer himself. 
 
 Although the Ameer had been informed in writing 
 both of the concessions which the British Government 
 was ready to grant to him, and the conditions thereunto 
 attached ; and although it was signified to him, at the 
 same time, that it would be useless for him to send his 
 Envoy to Peshawur, unless his Highness was prepared 
 to agree to these conditions as the basis of the proposed 
 treaty, it became apparent in the course of the con- 
 ference that the Minister had received no specific autho- 
 rity to accept them. Moreover, the language and general 
 demeanour of Shere Ali, which had for long been dubious, 
 now became perfectly inimical, and the Viceroy, therefore, 
 judiciously took advantage of the sudden death of the 
 Envoy to discontinue the negotiations, the basis of which 
 had been practically rejected. 
 
 From the outset of these complications the whole 
 conduct of the Viceroy, in his dealings with the Ameer, 
 met with the entire approval of Her Majesty's Govern- 
 ment. As Lord Lytton's predecessor observed, in a 
 despatch dated October 4, 1877, Her Majesty's Govern- 
 ment had been in hopes that the advantages they were 
 willing to render would have been accepted by the Ameer, 
 would have been accepted in the same spirit in which 
 they were offered. At the same time, we cannot but 
 
Introduction . 1 xx i 
 
 remember, that the attitude assumed by Shere AH for 
 some years past had been so ambiguous and eccentric, 
 that we might have been, to a great extent, prepared for 
 the results. Still, the failure was not held by Lord 
 Lytton as a ground for total inaction and continued 
 acquiescence in the existing state of relations with the 
 Ameer ; and the conclusion was arrived at, that while 
 the prevailing uncertainty as to his Highness's disposi- 
 tion rendered caution necessary in their advances, it was 
 in itself a reason for adopting steps which would elicit 
 the truth. From this point of view Her Majesty's Go- 
 vernment could not regard the result of the Peshawur 
 conference as altogether unsatisfactory, inasmuch as 
 they were no longer left in doubt as to the reality of 
 the Ameer's alienation, which, up to this time, had been 
 a matter of speculation. On the other hand, the pro- 
 ceedings at the conference, and the previous negotiations, 
 had placed before the Ameer, in a clear light, the views 
 of our Government as to our existing obligations towards 
 him, and had, at the same time, informed him of the 
 terms, so favourable to his own interests, on which they 
 were willing to draw closer the bonds of union between 
 the two countries, and to place the mutual relations on a 
 footing more advantageous to both. 
 
 The overtures of our Government having been thus 
 slighted, it was held that no course remained open but 
 to maintain an attitude of vigilant attention and reserve, 
 until such time as Shere AH could be brought to realise 
 his own position and his own interests. This was the 
 opinion of the Viceroy, and had been conveyed to the 
 Afghan Envoy by Sir Lewis Pelly ; and Lord Lytton, 
 since the close of the Peshawur conference, adopted 
 a policy in accordance with this view. 
 
Ixxii Introduction. 
 
 While carefully watching the progress of events in 
 Afghanistan, so far, at least, as our imperfect means of 
 obtaining information existed, Lord Lytton carefully 
 abstained from all interference in them, in the hope that 
 time would enable his Highness to realise the dangers 
 accruing to himself by the rejection of our friendly 
 advances. That hope was not, however, destined to 
 be realised. Shere Ali, as we have seen, persisted in 
 his unfriendly isolation, and ultimately, having two 
 years before declined to receive a British Envoy, even 
 temporarily, within his territory, on the ground that he 
 could not guarantee his safety, nor thereafter be left 
 with any excuse for refusing to receive a Russian 
 mission, welcomed with every appearance of ostentation 
 an Embassy from the Czar, despatched to his court at a 
 time when there "were indications that an interruption 
 of friendly relations between this country and Russia 
 might be imminent. 
 
 Under these circumstances, the Viceroy represented 
 to Her Majesty's Government that a policy of inaction 
 could no longer be continued, and that the reception of 
 the Russian mission, at such a time and under such 
 circumstances, left him no further excuse for declining 
 to receive at his capital an Envoy from the British 
 Government. 
 
 Lord Lytton proposed, therefore, to demand the 
 reception of a mission to Cabul, headed by an officer 
 of rank in the person of Sir Neville Chamberlain, 
 whose name and family were held in high esteem by 
 the Ameer. This proposal was agreed to by the Home 
 Government, for it was self-evident that a potentate 
 who willingly admitted to his capital at a most critical 
 period Envoys of a Power which at the moment might 
 
Introduction. Ixxiii 
 
 be regarded as making its advances with objects not 
 friendly to the British Government, could not reasonably 
 refuse to receive a mission from a Power with which he 
 had been in continual alliance. 
 
 In the Council of the Governor-General, Lord Lytton 
 did not anticipate any such refusal, and Her Majesty's 
 Government saw no reason to question the soundness 
 of his Excellency's opinion on this point, based as it 
 must have been on the best available information. 
 
 The anticipations of both the Viceroy and the 
 British Government were, however, disappointed by the 
 event. In a friendly letter carried to Cabul by the 
 Nawab Gholam Hussein Khan, Lord Lytton informed 
 the Ameer of the date on which Sir Neville Chamberlain 
 was to leave Peshawur, and ample time was given to 
 Shere AH to issue orders to his local officials for the 
 reception of the mission. It was also intimated to the 
 Ameer that a refusal to accord a free passage to 
 the mission would be regarded as an act of hostility. 
 The orders, however, sent to the Afghan officials at 
 AH Musjid were the reverse of what our Viceroy had 
 a right to expect, and Major Cavagnari, who went in 
 advance of our Envoy, was distinctly informed that any 
 attempt to enter Afghan territory would be resisted 
 by force, of which an ostentatious display was at once 
 made. 
 
 This conduct on the part of the Ameer was in all 
 respects without justification. He was aware, from 
 various communications addressed to him by the former 
 Viceroy, that the Russian Government had given 
 assurances to Her Majesty's Government to regard his 
 territories as quite beyond its sphere of action ; he 
 was also aware that the whole policy of the British 
 
Ixxiv Introduction. 
 
 Government, since his accession to power, had been to 
 strengthen in every way his authority and his power, 
 while protecting him from foreign aggression. Although 
 the methods adopted by our Government may not have 
 been at all times in accordance with his own, he had 
 received since his accession abundant evidences of good 
 will, manifested by large gifts of money and arms, as 
 well as by its successful efforts in obtaining from the 
 Czar's Government its formal recognition of a fixed 
 boundary, agreeable to himself, between his kingdom 
 and the neighbouring khanates ; his subjects had been 
 allowed to pass freely throughout India, to the great 
 benefit of the trade and commerce of his country ; and 
 in no single instance had the Ameer himself, or any of 
 his people, been treated unjustly or inhospitably within 
 British jurisdiction. 
 
 By every bond of international courtesy, as well as by 
 the treaty engagement of 1855 existing between the two 
 countries, binding him to be the friend of our friends and 
 the enemy of our enemies, the Ameer, Shere Ali, was 
 bound to a line of conduct the reverse of that which, to 
 his cost and destruction, he adopted. 
 
 Lord Lytton, in reporting the slight which had been 
 put upon our Empire by Shere Ali, expressed his 
 conviction, and that of the Indian Government, that 
 this act deprived the Ameer of all further claim upon 
 the forbearance of the British Government, and neces- 
 sitated instant action. Her Majesty's Government, 
 however, were unwilling to accept the evasive letter 
 brought from Cabul by our messenger, Nawab Gholan 
 Hussein Khan, as the final answer to our Government, 
 and it was accordingly determined to give the Ameer a 
 short time for reconsideration. 
 
Introduction. Ixxv 
 
 Although our Government fully acknowledged, as 
 binding on them, the pledges given by Sir Neville 
 Chamberlain to the friendly chiefs and people who 
 undertook the safe-conduct of his mission, they decided 
 to make one more effort to avert the calamities of war, 
 and with this object the Viceroy was instructed to 
 address the Ameer a demand, in temperate language, 
 requiring a full and suitable apology, within a given 
 time, for the affront which he had offered to the British 
 Government, the reception of a permanent British 
 Mission within his territories, and reparation for any 
 injury inflicted by him on the tribes who attended Sir 
 Neville Chamberlain and Major Cavagnari, as well as 
 an undertaking not to molest them hereafter. These 
 instructions were promptly carried into effect by the Go- 
 vernment of Lord Lytton, and the Ameer was distinctly 
 informed that, unless a clear and satisfactory reply were 
 received by the 2Oth of November, the Viceroy would, 
 in Her Majesty's name, be compelled to consider his 
 intentions as hostile, and to treat him as an enemy. A 
 precis of the above facts was written by Lord Cranbrook 
 (at that time the Secretary of State for India), and was 
 not only sent to India for the Viceroy's information, 
 but was published, by Her Majesty's command, for the 
 general information of the public, who might certainly, 
 on its perusal, have reason to say, ' Thrice is he armed 
 that hath his quarrel just.' 
 
 The ultimatum having been allowed by Shere Ali to 
 expire on the 2Oth November, war was declared, and 
 the frontier crossed on the 2ist by three columns, 
 acting on the Khyber, the Kurram, and the Quetta lines 
 of attack. The objective point of the two northern 
 columns was Cabul, that of the southern Kandahar. 
 
Ixxvi Introduction. 
 
 Ali Musjid, at the mouth of the Khyber, fell on the 
 2 ist, and the Kurram stream was crossed at dawn on 
 the same day. The Peiwar Kotal was stormed early 
 in December ; Jellalabad was occupied, and General 
 Donald Stewart was pushing on through the Bolan, 
 the Pishin, and the Khojak, towards Kandahar, when 
 the arrival of winter frost and snow caused a pause 
 in operations. 
 
 Meanwhile, the death of Shere Ali caused his son 
 Yakub to treat with us, and the peace of Gundamuck 
 was signed on May 27th, 1879. 
 
 Then came the massacre of our Embassy, and the 
 taking of Cabul by General Roberts, and other opera- 
 tions which led up to the Kandahar campaign of 1880, 
 the records of which are here given from the rough 
 jottings of officers engaged therein. 
 
 WALLER ASHE. 
 
PERSONAL RECORDS OF THE 
 KANDAHAR CAMPAIGN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IN GARRISON WITH GENERAL PRIMROSE. 
 
 Kandahar^ June 27. 
 
 SINCE I last wrote to you from this ancient capital of 
 the Durani Empire, and where are buried the kings of 
 that race, many changes have taken place in our garrison, 
 which, I frankly confess, is considered by many of us as 
 far too weak for the duties we may yet have to perform. 
 Built on a level plain covered with cultivation, sur- 
 rounded by lofty mud walls, with large circular towers 
 on the flanks, and deep and wide ditches, having a cir- 
 cumference of nearly four miles, this place should be 
 held by a much larger force than our General has now 
 at his disposal. The city itself cannot at present be 
 considered a powerful fortress, and although Colonel 
 John Hills, our commanding Engineer, has considerably 
 strengthened some of the outworks, there remains much 
 to be done to render the place secure against such troops 
 as we understand Ayub has collected during his advance 
 from Herat. Thirty-six guns and fifteen strong regi- 
 ments of infantry, together with a formidable cavalry force, 
 are, it is reported on the best authority, under the Herat 
 ruler ; while an advanced brigade, under a good and 
 
 B 
 
2 Personal Records of 
 
 experienced soldier, Luinob, formerly Governor of Tur- 
 kestan, are known to be en route. With the force under 
 General Primrose, weakened by numerous detachments 
 at Khelat-i-Ghilzai, Thall Chotiali, Gatai, Melkarez, 
 Kushdil-Khan-Ka-Killa, Chaman, the Sangan Valley, 
 and along the Bolan, we are beyond all question too 
 small a garrison for the size of the defences. Ayub, by 
 the most recent accounts, is well aware of these facts, 
 and is not the man to neglect the opportunity he now 
 holds with the means at his disposal. His proclamations 
 to the soldiers have reached some of the rich merchants 
 of this city, and have caused no inconsiderable uneasiness, 
 and indeed consternation, amongst those of the inhabit- 
 ants who have been friendly to us since our entry here. 
 The Prince is playing a bold game, and holds out hopes 
 to his mercenaries of plunder and loot, which have irresis- 
 tible attractions to such soldiers. He impresses upon 
 them the fact that we have spent millions of rupees in 
 payment of supplies since our occupation of Kandahar, 
 and that property of all kinds will be the reward of the 
 brave men who help him to chase away the hated 
 Feringhi from the capital of the Durani kings. All these 
 items of gossip come to us daily through the medium of 
 the Persian traders who come from Herat with silk, 
 copper, horses, carpets, cloaks, and ornamental weapons, 
 taking back felts, skins, camels' -hair garments, and 
 British rupees ; while along the Bolan, Gomal, and 
 Khojak, the Povindahs, or nomad Ghilzais, make known 
 all our deficiencies and weak points. Colonel Hills and 
 all our best engineer authorities are of opinion that this 
 place cannot be considered by any means a powerful 
 fortress, inasmuch as the weakness of the parapets and 
 small dimensions of the ditch would cause a besieger, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 3 
 
 with even a moderately powerful train, but little trouble, 
 were his guns properly served ; and as we are tolerably 
 certain that Ayub does not depend solely upon native 
 artillery officers, we have every reason to wish our 
 ordnance to be at least double its present strength. But, 
 independently of its capacity as a fortress, we must 
 remember that its strategic value is very considerable, 
 being the first and only place of any strength, or where 
 supplies in any quantity could be obtained, between 
 Herat and the Indus. Some considerable time back Sir 
 Henry Durand drew up a very able memorandum con- 
 nected with the defences of the city, and it is much to 
 be regretted that since our occupation some of his sug- 
 gestions were not acted upon, as recommended by 
 Colonel Hills. 
 
 In 1824 the ill-fated Shah Sujah marched against 
 Kandahar, but, after displaying great bravery, was de- 
 feated by Dost Mahomed and compelled to raise the 
 siege, with a loss of 2000 men. He retired on Shikapur, 
 but in 1839 once more entered the city accompanied 
 by Lord Keane, when no resistance was offered. During 
 the rebellion of Cabul, thanks to the good management 
 of General Nott, in spite of numerous attempts to gain 
 the city on the part of the Ghilzais, the British remained 
 masters until the end of August 1842, when, in obedi- 
 ence to instructions from home, Nott evacuated it and 
 marched on Cabul. Since then it has often changed 
 hands, but was finally captured for Shere Ali by his 
 then gallant though unfortunate son Yakub Khan, 
 after the severe battle of the Helmund on the ist of 
 April, 1868, since when it has remained the capital 
 of Southern Afghanistan. You will remember, in my 
 former letters, how I told you of General Stewart's 
 
4 Personal Records of 
 
 entry into Kandahar, on the Qth January last year. 
 The importance of holding the second city of the em- 
 pire since then can scarcely be over-estimated in either 
 a political or a military point of view. The possession 
 of Quetta and 65 miles of the Bolan in its rear gave us 
 an overwhelming advantage in this in comparison with 
 other Afghan wars, and we shall indeed be most remiss 
 should we not take advantage of this weak point in our 
 enemy's line of defence. In 1839 Sir John Keane took 
 23 days in covering the distance between Quetta and 
 Kandahar, and the further march to Ghuzni occupied 
 him 24 more days. From Kandahar to Cabul is about 
 200 miles by the road which passes by Ghuzni, and our 
 generals commanding at these points can easily join 
 hands by the Logar Valley, taking the comparatively 
 strong fortress of Ghuzni as a point dappui. 
 
 In spite of the weakness of our force at Kandahar it 
 has been decided, not by General Primrose, who is too 
 prudent a leader to incur needless risks, but by what is 
 pleasantly called * higher authority,' to despatch General 
 Burrows to Girishk, on the Helmund river, to effect a 
 junction with the Wali Shere Ali, our new ruler, in order 
 to check the advance of Ayub Khan, who, as I have 
 already stated, is advancing in force from Herat. The 
 strength of Ayub's force has, I venture to state, been 
 considerably underrated, as, since he left Herat, he has 
 been continually reinforced by adherents and by deserters 
 from the Wali's troops. General Burrows received his 
 instructions a couple of days back to take with him 
 for the above duty a force of 2270 men, made up as 
 follows : E B., R. H. Artillery, 6 guns ; 6 companies 
 66th, or the ' Old Berkshire ' Regiment, 500 bayonets ; 
 the ist and 3Oth Bengal Native Infantry, 1000 bayonets; 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 5 
 
 a company of Native Sappers, 70 men ; the 3rd Bombay 
 Cavalry, 350 sabres ; the 3rd Scinde Horse, 200 sabres. 
 Yesterday, at daybreak, this force was paraded and 
 addressed by our chief, after a long consultation had 
 been held with General Burrows and the officers com- 
 manding corps. 
 
 I need not tell you how many years I have had the 
 pleasure of knowing and serving under General Prim- 
 rose, and I do not suppose any of those who have 
 appreciated his talents as a staff officer will deny to him 
 those qualities which make up a good leader in the field. 
 His untiring energy, fertility of resource in moments of 
 emergency, invaluable forethought, and invariable con- 
 sideration and courtesy towards those under his com- 
 mand, have made him one of the most esteemed as well 
 as most popular generals in our service. Since General 
 Stewart's departure for Cabul his successor has had no 
 easy time of it. Notwithstanding the optimist platitueds 
 uttered by the supporters of the Liberal Government, 
 and the assertions that the war is over, the General and 
 those of his staff known to be in his confidence are of 
 strong opinion that dark and dangerous clouds, although 
 at present no bigger than the proverbial ' man's hand,' 
 are gathering in the south-westerly portions of Afghan- 
 istan. The announcement so prematurely made upon 
 assuming office by the Gladstonian Cabinet, of their 
 anxiety at all hazards, and at almost any price, to with- 
 draw our troops, has had the effect of a spur upon the 
 ready .imaginations and energies of the disaffected fac- 
 tions of this sadly divided kingdom. Latent ambitions 
 and dormant hopes of power and aggrandisement have 
 been fired by the change of policy. Each pretender 
 to the succession has redoubled the promises formerly 
 
6 Personal Records of 
 
 made to his adherents, and none more vigorously and 
 steadily than Ayub Khan, who, with his partisans, sees 
 that the time is now opportune to strike a blow at our 
 irresolution. While we daily receive instructions in 
 regard to preparations for our diminution of military 
 force in this part of the country, we are not without 
 intelligence from the camps of our enemies, who see in 
 our preparations for departure not a sign of good will, 
 but an evidence of a prudence bordering on fear. Only 
 two days ago, General Primrose gave audience to some 
 wealthy and friendly citizens of Kandahar, who asked to 
 be allowed to deposit the bulk of their property in our 
 treasury. These men showed letters to our chief from 
 persons in authority at Herat, advising them of Ayub's 
 determination to march with all speed upon the western 
 capital, where plunder and rapine would reward the 
 devoted band who drove out the English dogs. With 
 the arrival of the new Viceroy, the departure of Lord 
 Lytton, and the reductions which are on all sides 
 ordered under the new regime, we have given causes 
 for grave anxiety to those portions of the Afghan nation 
 who would prefer the just rule of England to the exac- 
 tions and confiscations of their own princes. By our 
 negotiations with Abdurrahman, and our contemptuous 
 disregard of Ayub, w r e are fast alienating the confidence 
 of the Kandaharees, who have no wish to be left to their 
 fate when we evacuate their territory. In the interviews 
 at which I have been present between General Primrose 
 and some of the chief men of this city, the arguments I 
 have cited above have been most ably set forth by men 
 whose influence and experience of native feeling well 
 entitle them to be considered authorities. When General 
 Primrose announced to our visitors that Mr. Lepel 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 7 
 
 Griffin had been summoned to Simla to a conference 
 with the Viceroy on the claims and merits of Abdur- 
 rahman, one of the citizens remarked in Persian that the 
 subdivision of the country, and its being handed over in 
 separate governments to different Walis, would, in his 
 opinion, be a course more acceptable to the majority of 
 the well-disposed population than the complete cession 
 of Afghanistan to one ruler, who would be certain to 
 meet determined opposition from his rivals. Abdur- 
 rahman has, he added, certain claims which are not to be 
 disputed ; but the strong partiality he is known to 
 possess for Russia, and his slowness in showing his hand 
 to our Viceroy, make him altogether a dangerous 
 selection. 
 
 'What do you consider of the other candidates?' 
 asked the General, after he had listened attentively to 
 the arguments adduced by the speaker. 
 
 ' Failing the nomination of Abdurrahman, there 
 would be the young Musa Jan, who, with a regency 
 chosen from among his own relatives during his minority, 
 would have the strong support of the Ghuzni people and 
 those of Kohistan,' replied the Sirdar, who was evidently 
 no admirer of either Abdurrahman or Ayub Khan. 
 
 ' I believe/ added the other chief, ' that any member 
 of Dost Mahomed's family would be acceptable to the 
 Cabulees, who are by no means pleased at the present 
 negotiations with Abdurrahman.' 
 
 The parade of General Burrows' small force for the 
 support of Shere Ali at Girishk was a smart affair, and 
 came off under the critical eyes of General Primrose on 
 a piece of ground admirably suited for the purpose. A 
 wide plain, stretching away to the banks of the river, 
 and here and there intersected by small canals and 
 
8 Personal Records of 
 
 watercourses, over which our active Engineers and 
 Sappers had erected temporary cask and plank bridges, 
 strong enough for the passage of field artillery, afforded 
 plenty of space for the troops. On the General's 
 arrival the troops were wheeled from column into line, 
 and were formed up as follows : On the right and left 
 flanks were half-batteries of the E B., R.H.A., looking in 
 splendid condition, the guns, harness, men, and horses, 
 showing admirably the care bestowed on this branch of 
 our little force; next, on the right, came the 3rd Bombay 
 Cavalry, admirably horsed and commanded ; on the left 
 flank the two squadrons of the Scinde Horse, dressed in 
 that most picturesque of military costumes, the thick 
 turban and loose collarless shirt, with smart cummer- 
 bund round the waist, their arms being the long and 
 deadly bamboo lance which has lately proved such an 
 admirable weapon. The 66th, or ' Old Berkshires,' with 
 six strong companies, occupied the centre of the line, 
 commanded by as gallant a soldier as we have in the 
 service, Lieut. -Colonel James Galbraith, with Majors 
 Oliver and Ready as his seconds in command. The 
 native regiments were on either flank next to the 
 cavalry, while the camels, elephants, and baggage-carts, 
 were formed in rear. With General Primrose rode 
 Major Burnett, 2nd battalion I5th Foot, his assistant 
 adjutant-general ; Major Adam, assistant quartermaster- 
 general ; Colonel French, commanding Royal Artillery ; 
 Lieut. -Colonel Hills, commanding Royal Engineers; 
 the two brigade majors, and Deputy Surgeon-General 
 O'Nial, principal medical officer. This brigade is under 
 the command of Brigadier - General Burrows, and is 
 under orders to march towards Girishk, on the Helmund 
 river, where the Wali Shere AH will join us with his 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 9 
 
 troops, and where the combined force will be used to 
 hold in check the troops of Ayub advancing from Herat. 
 Meanwhile these preparations in no way interfere 
 with our usual garrison amusements ; and under our 
 excellent chief we have theatricals, racing, polo, cricket, 
 and all the usual delassements peculiar to Indian canton- 
 ment life. Our little garrison is in excellent health and 
 spirits, supplies are plentiful, and the people apparently 
 quiet and friendly. From Cabul our news is not quite 
 so satisfactory. General Hills is about marching with a 
 brigade to disperse a gathering in the Logar Valley, and 
 writes to his brother, who commands the Engineers 
 here, to say that Mir Batcha holds a strong position 
 near Farrah, while his cavalry pickets prowl along the 
 roads between Cabul and Kohistan. He is forcibly 
 collecting revenue, and his people have carried off a 
 number of horses belonging to Sirdars friendly to our 
 rule. Bahadur Khan Abdul, Gholam Hyder Charkh, 
 and two thousand Jadrans and Mongals, are plundering 
 the district ; the Ghazais in Maidan are daily becoming 
 more audacious, and several encounters have lately 
 occurred between them and the villagers of the Logar. 
 The supplies are becoming scarce in Cabul, and the 
 poorer classes of the population are suffering bitterly. 
 Such are the prospects so glowingly foreshadowed by 
 those who have already discounted the promises of 
 ' peace at any price ' for this poor country. Meanwhile 
 our protege, Abdurrahman, has taken advantage of our 
 overtures to send a circular to the Sirdars announcing 
 that the English Government has offered him the sole 
 Ameership of united Afghanistan ; meaning, of course, 
 to include Kandahar. This has so disconcerted and 
 alarmed Hashim Khan that he has fled from Cabul and 
 
io Personal Records of 
 
 established himself at Cherki, near Khurd Cabul, where 
 a large collection of Yakub's Sepoys are daily flocking 
 in to his colours. In deciding the future of Afghanistan 
 we cannot forget those who have thrown in their for- 
 tunes with us, nor can we leave, by the too hurried 
 withdrawal of our troops, these unfortunate people to be 
 plundered and massacred. Afghanistan has been for 
 years the hardest problem Indian statesmen have had to 
 solve. It would scarcely seem that the recent change of 
 politics and Ministry at home has strengthened our 
 position in the country, or improved our prestige amongst 
 the people. I sincerely hope that my forebodings may 
 be eventually cleared away by the course of events ; but, 
 being on the spot, we who are actors on the scene have 
 more opportunities of forming opinions than those whose 
 wish is father to the thought, and who tell us in print 
 that the present war is over. 
 
 Girishk, towards which General Burrows is ordered, 
 is a village situate on the right bank of the river Hel- 
 mund, 73 miles west of Kandahar, and 290 south-east 
 of Herat. Its strategical value is great, and, guarding 
 as it does the high road to Merv and the fords on the 
 Helmund, its possession is of vital importance. Con- 
 flicting opinions are held as to its strength, but as none 
 of these are of modern date they are comparatively 
 valueless. There is no doubt it might, with the ex- 
 penditure of labour and money, be made an admirable 
 advanced post for an army occupying Kandahar, and its 
 occupation at a future time will be an earnest that we 
 intend to delineate our new frontier on truly strategical 
 grounds. But with our small garrison I cannot but 
 consider that we should not divide our strength, and 
 repeat the errors which led to Isandwhlana. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 1 
 
 ON RECONNAISSANCE WITH GENERAL HILLS. 
 
 Cavalry Camp, Zurgun Shahr, July 2. 
 
 FIFTEEN hours in the saddle, forty miles' ride, and as 
 pretty an affair, won almost entirely by Farme blanche, 
 as we soldiers can ever hope to get, must be my excuse 
 for a short despatch by this mail. And all this it was 
 my good fortune to share in but yesterday. When, not 
 many years back, as I remember, under the last Glad- 
 stonian Ministry and Cardwellian regime, Sir William 
 Harcourt and Mr. George Trevelyan talked of our 
 military dandies, who preferred to hard knocks the 
 ' sweet shady side of Pall Mall,' I opine we did not 
 much care for such a sneer, and since then we have had, 
 I venture to say, sufficient examples to show that the 
 hard fare and hard knocks of camp life are more envied 
 by our jeunessc doree than the club and drawing-room 
 luxuries enjoyed by our brethren in your little * village' 
 on the Thames. Such are our egotistical reflections, 
 and to such conclusions did we arrive when last evening 
 the ' calumet of peace ' was smoked around the camp- 
 fire in front of my tent ; and when we were honoured, 
 when the fight was over and our horses and wounded 
 cared for, by the presence of two of the most popular 
 men in our service General ('Jemmy') Hills, V.C., 
 and his dashing brigadier and beau sabreur, Brigadier 
 Palliser. 
 
 The affair came to pass in this wise. Towards the 
 end of the last month General Hills was told to organize 
 an expedition for the purpose of dispersing a somewhat 
 threatening gathering in the Logar Valley, and for this 
 purpose he took with him a small force of infantry and 
 
1 2 Personal Records of 
 
 Palliser's cavalry brigade, consisting of the 1st and 2nd 
 Punjab Cavalry and the loth Bengal Lancers, making 
 at most not more than 550 sabres and lances. Mean- 
 while, on the afternoon of the 28th, Major Evans Smith, 
 General Hills' chief political officer, came into camp 
 with news to the effect that our old enemy, Mahomed 
 Hassan Khan, had instigated a large number of the 
 Zurmuts to gather under his command in the fastnesses 
 of the valley. It would not be easy, nor even will it be 
 now necessary, for me to describe the variety of scenery, 
 of rock, vale, hill, mountain, forest, and stream, of this 
 beautiful portion of the Ameer's dominions, inhabited, 
 however, by as troublesome sets of clans as this country 
 of clans can produce. Imagine Scotland say a portion 
 of the Trossachs combined with a little of Norway 
 and a soup$on of the tropical features of the West Indies, 
 where alternate sunshine and snow, fertile corn-field and 
 palm-grove, are neighbours to, and overshadowed by, 
 terrific crags and inaccessible peaks, over which the 
 savage beast of prey ranges and the leaping torrent 
 foams then perhaps you can, in ' your mind's eye,' 
 picture the scenes through which good steeds carried 
 us during our late expedition. 
 
 But on service the soldier, and above all the cavalry 
 man, has but little time to linger over the beauties of 
 river or tree, of stream or mountain ; and as our ad- 
 vanced pickets and flankers felt their way with stealthy 
 caution by the fertile plain, through the dense groves of 
 date and palm, and as we watered our horses in each 
 rippling stream, a vigilant look-out was kept by our 
 vedettes in front and rear. I rode with General Palliser 
 part of the way, and afterwards with Major Atkinson, 
 ist Punjab Cavalry, and with Captain Bishop, 2nd 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 13 
 
 Punjabs, and I am glad to let their friends at home 
 know what they, perhaps, would omit to state that 
 they both displayed such cool and steady courage, as 
 well as conspicuous valour, that they have both been 
 mentioned for the Victoria Cross. 
 
 About noon on our second day's march our scouts 
 brought us in intelligence that the enemy's pickets were 
 in force along the three converging roads leading from 
 Padkhao to Altimore. Their main body of cavalry, 
 acting as an advanced guard, held the large village of 
 Padkhao, which is situated on a small stream about 
 twelve miles south of our present camp at Zurgun 
 Shahr. I was allowed to go out at 3.30 a.m. on the 1st 
 with our advanced guard, consisting of detachments 
 from our three corps, numbering fifty sabres, and com- 
 manded by my friend Atkinson, who had with him 
 young Leslie Bishop as second in command. About 
 four miles from Padkhao Shana I rode with a couple of 
 files, both good shots, to a small rocky eminence upon 
 our right, and where we noticed the ruined walls of a 
 dismantled fort. From this coign of vantage we could 
 see without being seen, and, with delight, we observed a 
 column of some thousand or twelve hundred infantry 
 moving parallel to us and on our right flank in the 
 direction of Altimore. 
 
 Leaving my men to watch, I galloped back to our 
 Brigadier, who was most anxiously waiting my return ; 
 and he at once, seeing the ground was fairly practicable, 
 ordered our whole line to form to the right, and charge ! 
 Never was any movement better timed. As our well- 
 drilled squadrons swung round at a canter into line, not 
 a man was out of place ; not an interval was lost ! Our 
 first line consisted of the 1st Punjab Cavalry on the 
 
1 4 Personal Records of 
 
 right and the ipth Punjab Cavalry on the left, with the 
 2nd Punjabs in rear as support. The Brigadier, upon a 
 splendid grey Arab of great substance and speed, rode 
 ten horse - lengths in front, with his A. D. C, young 
 Barrow, close on the right rear, both keeping the line 
 as steady and as straight as on parade. The ground at 
 first was sloping downwards, intersected by several 
 small watercourses, and here and there some awkward 
 boulders, over which my horse twice or thrice nearly 
 came to grief. The men, however, were steady, kept 
 their horses \vell in hand, and took the time from their 
 squadron-leaders. After we had gone about six hundred 
 yards the ground became more level, more free from 
 obstacles, and our chief allowed us to improve the pace. 
 When we were within half a mile of the enemy his 
 cavalry apparently about 700 sabres broke and fled, 
 leaving the unfortunate footmen to their fate. 
 
 We were now cantering at an easy pace across a 
 level and open plain, rising slightly as we advanced, the 
 best possible ground for a charge of cavalry ; and when 
 we came within about three hundred yards of the 
 Afghan infantry their generals managed to rally them 
 into some kind of separate squares to receive our shock. 
 They were, however, too late, and our fellows in the 
 front line got in amongst them before they were quite 
 formed. Never did I see such a deroute. Never did I 
 hear such a clash of horse against man, of sabre against 
 shield, of lance against foeman's breast. Palliser, Barrow, 
 and Atkinson, were in front, with Gordon, ipth, on their 
 right flank. The squadron and troop-leaders came 
 next, and our long, unbroken line of turbaned squadrons 
 behind, with lance and sabre at the engage. ' Well 
 done, the 1st ! ' 'Steady, my lads!' 'Go it, Bob!' 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 15 
 
 ' Bravo, Jack ! ' Such were the European exclamations 
 from officer to officer along the line while we broke the 
 half-formed squares, and engaged hand-to-hand with 
 our foe surprised, but, for a time, at bay. 
 
 The ground now became more broken, ana as our 
 formation was, in a measure, gone, the footmen were 
 enabled for a short time to hold their own against the 
 sowars, whose horses were somewhat blown. Had the 
 Afghan cavalry at this juncture been at hand, and 
 taken us in flank, we might have lost severely ; but 
 they did not return, while our second line of reserves 
 and supports coming up completed the route of our 
 antagonists. 
 
 The pursuit was continued for more than five miles, 
 and until the fugitives who survived managed to obtain 
 some shelter from the hills which bounded the plain, 
 which, when we recrossed it, we found was strewn with 
 arms, standards, and all sorts of debris, amongst which 
 were many guns of English make, including Martinis 
 and Sniders. Two hundred and fifty bodies of the 
 enemy, I am told, were counted on the plain ; but I will 
 not dwell on such ghastly details, which are the neces- 
 sary consequences of human battle. 
 
 Our loss was wonderfully small, considering the stand 
 made by our enemy. Burrows had a narrow escape, and 
 would have been speared had not one of his jemmadars 
 pinned the man with his lance. Three of our men killed, 
 and only some twenty-two wounded, made up our casu- 
 alties. Mahomed Sultan and Mahomed Synd Khan were 
 the principal Afghan leaders, while the rank and file were 
 nearly all Zurmuts. 
 
 We reached our camp at Zurgun Shahr about seven 
 the same evening, having, as I have said, been some 
 
1 6 Personal Records of 
 
 fifteen hours in the saddle, and covering some thirty- 
 five or forty miles ! 
 
 Meanwhile coming events are already casting their 
 shadows before, and certain engineering operations are 
 on the tapis at Cabul, which to an observant mind seem 
 to point to a change of masters in the city. Mahomed 
 Jan has made overtures, and purposes, we hear, writing 
 to our authorities to announce the possibility, under 
 certain conditions, of his adhesion to the rule of Ab- 
 durrahman as Ameer. But Abdurrahman is as reticent 
 as was General Monk at the time before Charles II.'s 
 restoration, and although he is marching towards the 
 capital he is taking a long time on the road. Should we 
 withdraw our troops from Cabul as soon as we have 
 sanctioned the proclamation of the new Ameer ? Most 
 of us, as you must know, are anxious to get away, but 
 the time is not yet come for the abandonment of this 
 place ; nor should we, in justice to the friendly portion of 
 the population, leave them to rapine and plunder as 
 once before we did. However, as we hear rumours of 
 orders to the Engineers to undermine the forts and other 
 defences we built around the city, we must assume that 
 orders of some sort have been given from home. 
 Letters at the same time come to us from Kandahar 
 and the West which cause no inconsiderable excitement 
 here, and it is more than whispered that Ayub Khan, 
 with banner and drum, is already on the march from 
 Herat to the Durani capital. If this be true, and we 
 retire from here, we shall have the whole country once 
 more in arms against us, and all our work will have to 
 be done over again. Even these vague rumours of 
 Ayub's advance have made the people here assume an 
 insolent and defiant attitude. To make matters worse, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 7 
 
 in case of a march with any large force from Cabul, 
 provisions and forage are becoming very scarce, so we 
 should have infinite difficulty in providing supplies, and 
 much more in carrying them. 
 
 KANDAHAR * GUP,' ABDURRAHMAN, AND AYUB. 
 
 Kandahar, July 3. 
 
 LITTLE did I imagine, when, in a somewhat idle hour 
 and mood, I sat upon a stool in front of my comfortable 
 tent, and called to my faithful native for ' brandy 
 pawnee,' and my pens, ink, and paper, to send you home 
 the ' short but simple annals of the poor ' English 
 soldier, who does his sultry campaign in what they term 
 at home the * Gorgeous East,' that events would have so 
 rapidly marched towards the denouement of the present 
 ' situation.' A celebrated English general officer, more 
 renowned for a good seat in the saddle and a sonorous 
 word of command than for writing in the Addisonian 
 style, once immortalised himself in his comments upon a 
 court-martial by observing that ' the president of the 
 said tribunal had seemed to have lulled himself in a 
 conviction.' Here we who are in a measure behind the 
 scenes, and who, I may at once allow, neither take too 
 pessimist nor too favourable a view of our present status 
 quo, are unwillingly impelled to the strong belief that a 
 third campaign is upon the eve of commencement. The 
 parade of Burrows' small brigade, less than 2500 men, 
 of which I gave you a description in my last, the 
 denuding of our already attenuated garrison in this to 
 my mind most important of our frontier bastions against 
 
 C 
 
1 8 Personal Records of 
 
 Russian advance ; the irresolution of our new protege, 
 Abdurrahman ; his doubtful popularity ; and, above all, 
 the vigour and boldness of his rival, Ayub Khan, who 
 we know is marching in force vid Girishk upon Kan- 
 dahar, all point to more serious fighting in the south 
 and west of this most unhappy country. 
 
 ' I want a hero ! an uncommon want, since, I own, 
 each day brings forth a new one/ was said of yore by 
 the author of Don Juan, and might be aptly quoted by 
 those of the new regime in your Indian Councils at 
 home, who wish to find a safe and reliable successor to 
 poor Yakub Khan. Abdurrahman, I suppose, is con- 
 sidered our trump card, but as General Primrose said to 
 me the other day, ' We might as well place the country 
 under the protectorate of a Kaufmann, or any other 
 Russian friend of our new Ameer !' Hashim Khan, as 
 we heard, and as I told you, fled from Cabul with most 
 of his treasure on the night of the 25th ult., the moment 
 he heard of Abdurrahman's probable advent to the 
 northern capital, and we now hear from reliable sources 
 that his object is and has been to make a strong party 
 with the Ghilzai faction, with whom he has been long 
 coquetting, against our proposed negotiations with the 
 man he dreads. Abdurrahman, meanwhile, with all the 
 will and art of his father, has, I find, been carefully 
 misrepresenting the tenor of the proposals made to him 
 by our trusting officials, whose promptings come as we 
 know from home. Hashim Khan is now at Cherki, near 
 the Khurd Cabul, and has with him more than 5000 
 Sepoys, disbanded from the late Ameer's mercenary army. 
 He has, I know, listened to the flattering overtures of 
 Abdulla Khan, and their united action may cause our 
 rulers much trouble. We now come to a still more 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 19 
 
 troublesome factor in the settlement of the new dynasty, 
 and this is Mir Batcha, whose pickets are now holding 
 the roads between Cabul and Kohistan. He and his 
 myrmidon, Mir Said, have forcibly collected the revenue 
 on the present harvest, and are therefore equipped with 
 the sinews of war and ready at a moment to take the 
 field. To gain additional adherents this most bitter 
 enemy to the English has, I find, been travelling from 
 village to village and from house to house preaching a 
 sort of Jehad, or religious war, with the Koran in his 
 hand, and adjuring the people to rise, when the time 
 shall come, to sweep the Feringhi into the sea ! Baba 
 Kushkar, Dakre, Furseeh, and places near Kariz Mir, 
 are now the hotbeds of discontent, where the Kohis- 
 tanis, under Mirzoo-shah, the brother of Mir Batcha, are 
 armed and drilled. Letters from Maidan tell us that 
 the gathering daily swells to large proportions. Five 
 thousand infantry and fifteen hundred sabres are, we are 
 told, ready to march, and amidst the villages at night 
 are to be seen watch-fires and other signals. To-day 
 we hear that Mahomed Jan has arrived as far as Killar 
 Amir, in the Logar Valley, and that he has with him no 
 less than 3700 men, whom he is leading on to Chark, 
 where Yakub's old Ghuzni faction has promised to rise 
 in support. Five thousand well-armed men are col- 
 lected at Killaishakaga, where Tarakis, Wardaks, and 
 Tayaks are daily arriving to serve under Mahomed Jan. 
 All these items of menace, however, fade into insig- 
 nificance when we look to Herat and the armament 
 now being collected, organized, and disciplined under 
 one of, if not the best of Afghan generals, Ayub Khan. 
 This man has shown such evidences of military skill 
 that he should by no means be despised, and were he to 
 
20 Personal Records of 
 
 gain a point or two In the impending game, our 
 situation here would be more than serious. All the 
 best authorities, upon whom we depend for information, 
 assure our chief that Ayub's artillery and cavalry are 
 highly disciplined by leaders not taught in native wars, 
 and that the calibre and working of the guns are far 
 different to the weapons we encountered at AH Khel 
 and on the Peiwar Kotal. We received some valuable 
 information yesterday from two of the most unmitigated 
 scoundrels I ever beheld, and these were a couple of the 
 Wali's Sepoys who deserted from Kandahar some 
 months ago, served under Ayub at Herat, and returned 
 as spies to our head-quarters. As I was sent for to the 
 General's quarters the other morning to interpret the tale 
 they had to give, I may describe to you what happened, 
 remarking, however, that their story must be accepted, 
 as Afghan information generally should be, with con- 
 siderable caution and many grains of salt. To those 
 who do not know General Primrose I may describe him 
 as a well-knit, middle-sized, middle-aged, and most 
 soldier-like man, of about sixty years of age. Long 
 staff service and native experiences of the Indian Sepoy 
 have given him an intuition into the Asiatic character, 
 which comes in most usefully in cases like the present, 
 where we have to deal with a cunning and duplicity 
 seldom to be equalled in other armies. The General is a 
 fair Hindostani scholar, but has not had sufficient 
 practice to master the local idioms of the Afghan 
 tongue, and he did me the honour to allow me to 
 translate for him. The two troopers brought before us 
 were certainly fine specimens of savage humanity, and 
 their mien and bearing were in keeping with the daring 
 adventures they had courted and gone through. The 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 2 1 
 
 taller and elder sowar, who was clad in the ragged 
 remains of what was once a picturesque and workman- 
 like uniform, consisting of the dark purple turban, grey 
 tunic, and well-worn knickerbockers, was the spokes- 
 man, and answered my questions with an apparent 
 frankness which made it difficult to separate fact from 
 fiction. 
 
 * What have you to say to prevent your being tried 
 by court-martial and shot as deserters ?' said the 
 General, as he fixed his eyes full upon the men, who 
 stood firm and uprightly at attention at the foot of the 
 table at which we sat. 
 
 * We did not desert, Sahib,' said the tall soldier, 
 as he saluted in the most graceful manner. ' We were 
 in the village near here one afternoon last year, and 
 were taken prisoners and sent away to Herat, where 
 we pretended we were glad to escape to our own 
 people.' 
 
 ' And then,' asked our chief, ' what did you do ? ' 
 1 We drilled with Ayub, and were promoted as 
 non-comrnissioned officers, but seldom received any 
 pay, unless our money was taken from the villagers 
 around the city. For six months we served, until we 
 were sent with the advanced guard of Ayub on the 
 march towards Kandahar, and one night we saddled our 
 horses and came away, travelling only by night and 
 resting while the sun was high/ 
 
 General Primrose now suggested that the men should 
 be examined separately, and this was accordingly done, 
 the result being that both their accounts tallied to 
 a certain extent, and confirmed in a great measure the 
 reports we had previously received of the drill and equip- 
 ment of Ayub's levies, and the foreign organization we 
 
2 2 Personal Records of 
 
 had long suspected. The younger of these deserters 
 was a mere lad, and made a more favourable impression 
 upon us than his more truculent comrade. He had been, 
 from some previous knowledge and aptitude, drafted 
 into the artillery, and from his accounts we are led to 
 the strong conviction that Ayub is tolerably well sup- 
 plied with breech-loading guns, as well as with small arms 
 of that description. The Prince's popularity amongst 
 his men was much emphasised by our interlocutors, who 
 were evidently anxious to let us know that he was an 
 enemy not to be despised. His cavalry, they also 
 assured us, was formidable, both in numbers and dis- 
 cipline, and was daily gathering recruits from numerous 
 desertions from the troops formerly in Yakub's pay. 
 While the examination continued, one of our staff came 
 in to announce to the General that the father, mother, 
 and two sisters of the young soldier, all Kandaharees, 
 craved an interview to become hostages for his safety, as 
 they were under the impression that, as appearances 
 were against him, he would be tried by drumhead 
 court-martial and shot. I need scarcely say that as- 
 surances were given that no such summary conviction 
 or punishment should take place, and that, conditionally 
 upon the statements we were told being found to be true, 
 reward and promotion, instead of death, would be given 
 by our chief. 
 
 According to the information given to us by these 
 men, it would therefore appear that Ayub Khan 
 marched from Herat some five weeks back, about the 
 9th of June, and that he had with him on arrival at 
 Farah, from where these men deserted, some 5000 infantry, 
 2500 cavalry, and five batteries of artillery. His first 
 encounter should be, we think that is, if he means 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 23 
 
 fighting with the Wali, who is somewhere on the 
 Girishk road on the look-out for him. I know the 
 country about there tolerably well, as I was with 
 Colonel Malcolmson in the smart little affair we had 
 with the hillmen last year. Ayub would probably 
 at this season be able to ford the Helmund at or near 
 Hyderabad, and would then move by the valley of 
 Maiwand, where supplies of all kinds for his troops 
 would be abundant. When I rode through Maiwand 
 with Malcolmson last year the fort was half tumbling 
 down and the village in ruins, but I hear it has since 
 been rebuilt. I need not tell you that Kandahar is 
 somewhat excited at the present time, and that many of 
 the richest merchants are leaving with their wives and 
 treasure, not feeling at all secure or comfortable at 
 the menaces sent on by Ayub, whose emissaries are 
 promising unlimited loot and vengeance to those who 
 will help to drive us out. The defences of the town 
 of Kandahar leave much to be desired, but General 
 Primrose has already made some well-planned additions 
 to the works, while he is collecting supplies to provision 
 the citadel in case of a siege. 
 
 WITH GENERAL BURROWS OPINIONS OF THE WALI. 
 
 Singuri (12 miles from Ka?idahar], W., Jiily 6. 
 
 As one of your friends at Kandahar tells me he 
 wrote to you on the 27th ult., giving you details of 
 General Burrows' small force, destined for Girishk and 
 the Helmund, and to try conclusions with Ayub Khan, 
 known to be advancing in force from Herat, I need not 
 
24 Personal Records of 
 
 enlarge upon these matters, but merely state that at a 
 final parade of all ranks, previous to our march, our field 
 state was as follows: I battery, 6 guns, E B., R.H.A., 
 220 men, Major Blackwood ; three squadrons, 300 sabres* 
 3rd Light Cavalry, Major Currie ; 2 squadrons, 220 
 sabres, 3rd Scinde Horse, Colonel Malcolmson ; 6 com- 
 panies, 512 bayonets, 66th Regiment, Colonel Galbraith; 
 6 companies 1st Bombay Grenadiers, 515 bayonets, 
 Colonel Anderson ; 6 companies ipth Bombay Native 
 Infantry (Jacob's Rifles), 512 bayonets, Colonel Main- 
 waring ; 40 sappers : making a total, irrespective of 
 officers, of 740 sabres and 1579 bayonets, or in all 
 2319 men. Brigadier-General Reynolds Scott Burrows, 
 Bombay Native Infantry, is in command of our force. 
 Although he obtained his first commission as ensign as 
 far back as 1844, he has, I am told, never, till now, seen 
 any active service, but has held the reputation of being 
 a capital staff officer. Our brigade-major is Captain 
 Percy Heath, Bombay Staff Corps. Of the composition 
 of our force, I may say that Major Blackwood's battery 
 is as smart and well-ordered as such officers as Captain 
 Slade and Lieutenants Maclaine, E. G. Osborn, and 
 N. P. Powell, can make, and the horses are in fine con- 
 dition. The old 66th, or Berkshires, have not, perhaps, 
 the stamp of men they paraded the last time they left 
 India, in 1865 ; and it must be allowed, in all honesty, 
 that short service has not improved the appearance of 
 our companies, to say nothing of the extreme youth 
 of our non-commissioned officers. But the regiment, 
 though lacking its former physique and inch measure- 
 ment, is, under its present leader, rapidly improving. 
 Our native regiments are good specimens of such troops. 
 The I9th Bombay N.I., better known as 'Jacob's Rifles,' 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 25 
 
 have always held a high position in the opinion of old 
 Indians, and are at present fairly efficient. But having 
 said all this, it is impossible not to allow that the native 
 regiments are most imprudently and injudiciously under- 
 officered. In the corps I have named, the full comple- 
 ment, small as it is, of commissioned officers is never 
 with the corps, and the consequences are, that in 
 moments of emergency or danger the men are left to 
 themselves, and lose their cohesion as a body. 
 
 We received our orders to take part in this expedi- 
 tion some ten or more days ago, and since then have 
 looked forward with some excitement to the campaign 
 before us, with every confidence in the result, but with a 
 full conviction that ours will not be a mere promenade 
 militaire. Kandahar we regard as a place we are not 
 likely to return to, as our movements will probably be 
 towards the Indian frontier should the campaign be 
 successfully closed before the winter sets in. Meanwhile 
 let me give you a sketch of the movements of our 
 opponent as reported to General Primrose by the most 
 reliable authorities. Ayub Khan, we know, left Herat 
 on or about June 19, having with him 4500 regular 
 infantry, 1500 regular cavalry, and 36 guns, together 
 with a force of irregular but most efficient horsemen, 
 drawn from the fiercest and most warlike of the western 
 tribes fellows whose desire and hope to kill an infidel 
 lead them to look upon danger and death as but the 
 prelude to Paradise. This latter force forms his advanced 
 guard, and is supposed to be one day's march in front of 
 the main body. Of the Khan's artillery we know that it 
 consists of almost every species and pattern, some of 
 English, but most of Afghan make. His proclamations 
 to his troops reached us by spies in due course, and 
 
26 Personal Records of 
 
 therein Ayub tells his soldiers of the wealth and plun- 
 der to be gained when the English are slaughtered in 
 or before the western capital. As soon as this news 
 was confirmed, Wall Mahomed, the native governor, 
 volunteered to go forth as far as the Helmund and drive 
 back the invader. He was accordingly allowed to march 
 westward with 4000 men, chiefly Afghans, recruited near 
 Kandahar. The Wali, however, soon after he had 
 marched, sent us word back that he was more than 
 doubtful of the fidelity of his men, and his application 
 for immediate reinforcements was doubtless the cause of 
 our expedition being organized. I applied for, and 
 obtained permission to accompany the Wali, who is an 
 old friend of mine, for a couple of days' marches on his 
 road to Girishk, and found him an intelligent and most 
 agreeable companion. He is an admirable genealogist, 
 and told the many points of relationship regarding the 
 various pretenders to the Afghan throne, of which before 
 I knew but little. Ayub he considers one of the most 
 talented of Shere Ali's sons. His mother was the 
 daughter of that same Mohmund chief who was so civil 
 to us at the commencement of the war at Lalpura. He 
 was born in 1851, and consequently is now but thirty 
 years of age. He was first prominently noted in the cam- 
 paigns of 1867 and 1868, when the exploits and successes 
 of his brother, Yakub Khan, placed their father, Shere 
 Ali, on the throne. When Yakub and Shere Ali quar- 
 relled, in 1871, Ayub would not give up his friendship 
 for the former, and joined him with his adherents in 
 attacking Herat, and in expelling the Ameer's Governor; 
 and up to the end of 1874, when Yakub ruled there as 
 an independent Prince, Ayub assisted his brother in 
 the government. When, under British advice and the 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 2 7 
 
 promise of safety from Shere Ali, Yakub Khan was 
 lured to Cabul, he left Ayub in charge of Herat ; but 
 the skill of the Ameer's general, Omar Khan, and the 
 prompt measures taken by him, were too much for the 
 young prince, and he was compelled to fly for safety 
 from his father's vengeance to Persia, where he was well 
 and honourably received by the Shah, who granted him 
 safe residence and a handsome pension to uphold his 
 rank. Here he lived until the British power made the 
 Afghan kingdom crumble away, and until he saw in the 
 march of events the opportunity he had waited for to 
 restore himself to power. Appearing suddenly before 
 Herat, the Governor there gave him welcome and refuge 
 as the son of Shere Ali, his master ; but Ayub soon so 
 far consolidated his power in the west that he was 
 enabled to send troops against us to the north. These, 
 however, arrived too late, as the Treaty of Gundamuk 
 had been signed. 
 
 After we had withdrawn our troops from Cabul last 
 year Ayub did not leave Herat, doubtless preferring 
 his independence there to the subordinate rank he 
 would have held under his brother's rule. From the 
 commencement of the present campaign Ayub has not 
 been much heard of, but he has evidently not been idle, 
 if the organization and efficiency of his troops are as 
 stated to us. 
 
 ' Abdurrahman,' said I ; ' what is his lineal descent, 
 and what do you think of him, Wali ?' 
 
 ' He is the lineal descendant beyond all doubt, and 
 the senior representative of Dost Mahomed, the great 
 Ameer, who died in 1863, just a fortnight after he 
 captured the city of Herat. Abdurrahman is the eldest 
 son of Afzul Khan, who was himself the eldest son of 
 
28 Personal Records of 
 
 the Dost, and he is therefore nephew to Shere Ali, 
 and first cousin to both Ayub Khan and Yakub Khan. 
 He was born in 1830, and is now consequently fifty 
 years old. When the Dost Mahomed died he nomi- 
 nated his favourite son, Shere Ali, and the latter suc- 
 ceeded, but Afzul Khan, the father of Abdurrahman, 
 was at that time governor of Balkh, and ruled in his 
 capital of Takht-i-Pul, and with his younger brother, 
 Azim Khan, and his son, Abdurrahman, he joined in a 
 conspiracy against the new Ameer. During the civil 
 war which followed Abdurrahman evinced much mili- 
 tary genius, and in 1865-6-7, he gained some great 
 victories, amongst others, those of Shaikhabad and 
 Khelat-i-Ghilzai. A year later, however, he was com- 
 pletely defeated by his nephew, Yakub, at Bamian and 
 at Tinah Khan. He fled to Russian territory, was 
 hospitably received by General Kaufmann, received a 
 pension of 25,000 roubles a-year, and was allowed to 
 reside at Samarcand. He remained an exile and a 
 pensioner of the Russian Government till 1879, when he 
 suddenly left, and came vid Balkh towards the Cabul 
 frontier.' 
 
 On the second day's march I left the Wali at 
 Singuri, where we now are, and came back much 
 pleased with my ride with so intelligent and well- 
 informed an Oriental. On Saturday last, the 3rd, we 
 received our final order of the route, which was that the 
 cavalry and artillery would parade for march under 
 Brigadier Nuttall, with Major Hogg as brigade-major, 
 on the following Sunday morning, and that ours and the 
 main body would follow the next day. 
 
 In making my farewell to Kandahar I determined to 
 take a valedictory ride round the town, to correct one or 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 29 
 
 two sketches I had made of the surrounding country, and 
 I had the good fortune to secure General Primrose, who is 
 anxiously watching the progress of the defensive works, as 
 my companion during my promenade a cheval. The city 
 of Kandahar, I may tell you, has considerably increased 
 in size and prosperity since our advent, and if our occupa- 
 tion is to be permanent its progress will be propor- 
 tionate. The town itself, I need scarcely say, is situated 
 at the foot of the Tarnak Valley, and separated from 
 the river of that name by a low range of hills, which 
 divide the valley and run almost parallel to the river for 
 about eighteen miles. Rising defiantly from the plain 
 on three sides are lofty rocky cliffs, while on the fourth 
 side there is an open space leading along the valley, the 
 greater portion of which is now well cultivated and 
 fertile. In our early morning's ride, on the western side 
 of the town, we passed by gardens, orchards filled with 
 rich fruit-trees, and fields of clover, barley, lucerne, and 
 corn, bounded in the distance by bright green meadows 
 and luxuriant palm and cocoa groves. All these are 
 irrigated by canals, many in number, and fed through 
 the gap in the hills by the Arganda Hab, a tributary of 
 the Helmund. Away to the east we saw but the 
 commencement of a sun-dried, or, rather, sun-baked, 
 inhospitable desert, covered with large boulders, and 
 most scantily supplied with water. 
 
 The town is, as I said, now becoming larger and 
 daily more populous. It is in the form, as my sketch 
 will show, of an oblong, 2000 by 1600 yards, and is 
 surrounded by a poor and weak wall of sun-dried bricks, 
 rubble, and mud, thirty feet high, and flanked here and 
 there by bastions and semicircular towers. The walls 
 are not revetted with stone or brick, but are defended 
 
30 Personal Records of 
 
 by a ditch ten feet deep and twenty-four feet wide, 
 which, as General Primrose has arranged, can be filled 
 in a few hours by water from the canals which run 
 through the city. In this great city wall are four 
 principal gates ; the northern, or Eedgah ; the southern, 
 the Shikapore*; the eastern, the Cabul ; and the western, 
 the Herat. The parapet, here and there in ruins, was 
 once battlemented, loophooled, and pierced in the 
 Oriental style with apertures for the purpose of casting 
 boiling oil and other missiles into the ditch. There are 
 no less than sixty-two towers, including those over the 
 gates and at the four principal angles of the enceinte. 
 The gates are of rotten timber, and had they not been 
 strengthened by the clever engineering skill of our 
 popular 'sapper and miner,' 'Jack,' otherwise Colonel 
 John Hills, they would have afforded small defence 
 against an ordinary battering-ram such as we read of in 
 mediaeval wars. It was not without a curious feeling of 
 interest and even regret that I looked at the place and 
 its surroundings, where, when we are gone, the General, 
 whom we all like so well, and whose consideration, tact, 
 and complete kindness of heart have endeared him to 
 all ranks, may, with his strangely weakened garrison, 
 be compelled to hold an absurdly weak citadel against a 
 foe whose whereabouts is seldom discovered until he 
 strikes his blow. 
 
 There are, you may not be aware, three roads almost 
 parallel to each other from the Helmund to Kandahar, 
 and as our numerical strength only permits us to go by 
 one, nothing could be more easy for Ayub than to 
 make a feigned advance by one path while he struck a 
 desperate blow by the other. 
 
 On Saturday evening the 66th mess, always re- 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 3 1 
 
 nowned for its hospitality, its cuisine, and above all for 
 its cellar, presented a semblance of its former glory, 
 even in the wild capital of South-western Afghanistan. 
 No gorgeous service of plate, it is true, adorned our. 
 sideboard, for the simple reason that no such luxuries 
 had we ; but a comfortable marquee, and stout wooden 
 forms whereon to sit, a table made of unplaned wooden 
 planks, and a select company of chosen guests to par- 
 take of a repast duly appreciated even by those who 
 would find fault at the Madras, the Byculla, or the 
 Calcutta clubs, made up an entertainment that few 
 who were present will forget ; for it was, as the Presi- 
 dent well remarked, a parting banquet, to the like of 
 which some of us might never return. Amongst our 
 most distinguished guests VJQYQ, facile princeps, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief, Brigadier-General Burrows, our special 
 commander ; my friend, Colonel J. Hills, a name now 
 identified with the Indian army ; Lieut-Colonel Gal- 
 braith, 66th ; Majors Oliver and Ready (three insepara- 
 bles for- many a long year) ; Major Burnett, our assistant 
 adjutant-general ; Major Adam, assistant quartermaster- 
 general ; and Brigadier-General Brook, commanding the 
 other brigade. 
 
 On the following morning, at daybreak, the whole 
 garrison was voluntarily present to give a vale to the 
 cavalry brigade under General Nuttall, consisting of the 
 regiments and artillery I have mentioned. 
 
 Monday came, and with it the turn of the main body, 
 consisting entirely of infantry ; and after a very short 
 but minute inspection we managed to get upon the road 
 soon after daybreak. The morning was glorious in its 
 Oriental splendour, and as we moved westward through 
 the gap in the hills, of which I wrote above, the grey 
 
32 Personal Records oj 
 
 mists of the night seemed lifted like curtains from the 
 earth, and the most glorious tints of colour met the eye. 
 Our fellows, as the post of honour, led the way, the 
 drums and fifes giving music to the measured tread of 
 our 500 youngsters, all marching, as soon as we were 
 clear of the cantonment, at ease pipes, stories, songs, 
 and laughter being the order of the day. In front rode 
 the Colonel, renowned as having been in the old corps 
 from boyhood, and on his right and left the two majors, 
 Oliver and Ready. The General and his staff had 
 ridden on an hour previously to see about our first halt, 
 and in what state the roads were after the passage of 
 cavalry and guns on the previous day. On arriving at 
 the gap in the hills we entered a sort of covered way, 
 where, with a well-placed fort on either side, an enemy 
 might for long be held in check. This passed, the river 
 appeared, and along its banks birds of variously coloured 
 plumage were sailing, uttering the signs so peculiar to 
 Indian wild-fowl. After a short halt it was deemed 
 advisable to send on a portion of our native infantry to 
 act as a sort of advanced guard, and for this purpose the 
 grenadiers were sent to the front at the double, while 
 flanking parties along the hills were furnished by 
 'Jacob's Rifles.' As soon as we recommenced our 
 march we were met by a couple of orderlies with 
 despatches from General Nuttall, and they passed us 
 at a gallop, merely saying that as yet no enemy had 
 been seen. We came in about an hour to some rocky 
 and difficult ground, and saw the debris of an ammuni- 
 tion waggon which had rolled over, and, after being 
 cleared of its contents, had been abandoned. No 
 ammunition, however, had been lost, and the state of 
 the roads fully accounted for the mishap. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 33 
 
 The country as we advanced became more wild and 
 picturesque, and on the crags and hills above our 
 flankers were seen driving away some scattered hill men 
 who ventured within range, presumably scouts sent out 
 from the villages to watch our movements and to note 
 our strength. These bodies never appeared in force, but 
 were all armed with the long Afghan smooth-bore and 
 flint-lock, which at short range can still hold its own 
 when in the hands of a Pathan fighting for his land. 
 As the day wore on some of our camels began to tire, 
 and we had to make a second halt to get their loads 
 lightened. Your camel is of all animals the most 
 patient, but he has a shrewd knowledge of when he is 
 overworked, and experience tells him that a silent 
 protest by a timely halt will usually have its effect, and 
 cause his load to be lightened. By noon we were 
 marching on to our camping- ground, whence I date 
 this letter, and our men and horses were soon enjoying 
 their mid-day meal ; satisfied, I believe, that, taking the 
 heat and the state of the roads into consideration, we 
 had done a fair day's march, and were twelve miles 
 nearer to our enemy. The day after to-morrow we 
 hope to reach Kushk-i-Nakhud, which is thought by 
 many to be the key to Kandahar. Here we shall get 
 certain news from both the Wali and from Ayub. 
 Here it was that in 1879 General Biddulph, retiring 
 from Girishk, was attacked by some 2000 of the Alizai 
 Durani tribe, fanatics of desperate courage belonging to 
 the Zamindawur region. Though they outnumbered 
 our troops ten to one they were thoroughly beaten, and 
 chased from the field by the 3rd Scinde Horse, now with 
 our advanced column. May the omen be propitious ! 
 
34 Personal Records of 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CONDITION OF KANDAHAR AFTER BURROWS' DEPARTURE. 
 
 Kandahar, July 10. 
 
 SINCE I wrote to you on the 3rd events have marched 
 at a rapid pace, and I shall not be very rash if I hint 
 that the clouds now menacing dark and threatening 
 upon our horizon are likely soon to burst into a storm. 
 Since I last took pen in hand in your regard, Burrows 
 and his handful of men have left us, and, I cannot but 
 opine, most unwisely was the order for the departure 
 given. The Brigadier took with him, as I notified to 
 you in my last, a force which consisted of but 740 
 sabres and 1579 bayonets, or, in all, 2319 men. Now, 
 this column, weak in itself, still more weakened our 
 small garrison, where we have left not more than 1700 
 men to defend a place whose enceinte is no less than 
 2000 by 1600 yards, or about a mile square. It is true, 
 indeed, that the Wali has promised to effect a junction 
 with General Burrows on the Helmund ; but it is more 
 than doubtful whether his troops can be relied upon, or 
 even whether his authority over them will prevail when 
 in proximity to Ayub and his army. Upon whose 
 responsibility rests the order for this extraordinary 
 march ? Such is the query propounded from morn till 
 eve, as we sit and scan the horizon, and wonder when 
 reinforcements will arrive. 
 
 Meanwhile, I have had more than one long con- 
 versation with General Primrose, who is by no means 
 satisfied with matters as they stand. We have carefully 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 35 
 
 reckoned up the state of our defences, and the nature of 
 our supplies, as the General is not one of those men who 
 wait till the last moment to prepare. Bygone times 
 have seen Kandahar beleaguered by an Afghan enemy, 
 and successfully held by a British garrison. A citadel 
 without glacis, ravelin, or flanking defence to defend a 
 long line of curtain, was strong enough in 1842 to resist 
 with as weak a garrison as we now possess an Afghan 
 army of 10,000 men. If General Nott could achieve 
 this, we need not apprehend that our General will fail 
 against similar odds. Our entire force consists of four 
 guns, C battery 2 brigade R.A., and the whole of 5 
 battery I ith brigade R.A., or 10 guns; the Poona Horse, 
 three squadrons, the 7th Royal Fusiliers, the igth and 
 29th Bombay N.I. With the gallant Fusiliers are Lieut.- 
 Colonel Alfred Daubeny, in command, an old Crimean 
 and Redan hero, Major Vandeleur, Captains Keyser, 
 Graube, Manning, Conolly, and Adderley ; Lieutenants 
 Rodick, Thunder, Anderson, Gait, Porter, Graham, 
 Drummond Wolff, De Trafford, Moss, Wood, Marsh, 
 Barttelot, and Forbes ; Paymaster G. Moore, and Quar- 
 termaster Clowes. Our gunners are Major Grey, Cap- 
 tain Law, Lieutenants Barry and Smith (C 2nd), and 
 Major Clennel Collingwood, Captain Hansby, Lieuten- 
 ants Fowke, Bell, Irving, and Fox. 
 
 As I told you something about the city and its 
 defences in my last, I will only add that since General 
 Primrose took over the command here in April from 
 General Stewart, much has been done by Colonel Hills 
 and those under him to strengthen the place. The 
 walls have been repaired, the ditches widened, and 
 arrangements made to fill them from the neighbouring 
 canals at an hour's notice. The defences of the city are 
 
3 6 Personal Records of 
 
 uniform on all sides ; the walls are of mud hardened in 
 the sun, and mixed with chopped straw. They are 
 33 feet in height, but without stone revetement, which 
 could be easily added were it our intention to perma- 
 nently hold the place. The enceinte, 2000 yards by 
 1600, is divided into curtains and semicircular towers, 
 62 in number, and guns could easily be mounted on 
 these ; in fact, such will, I believe, be done at once. 
 The enceinte is defended by a low fausse braye, with a 
 ditch 10 feet in depth and 24 in width. The southern 
 front is 1300 feet, the northern noo feet, the eastern 
 1600 feet, and the western, which is really two sides 
 meeting at an angle, 1900 feet in length. The citadel, 
 or arg, consists of an inner quadrangle of 200 yards, 
 entrenched in the centre of the northern face. It is 
 protected on one side by a tolerably good fosse, with a 
 large bastion on its southern face, and four towers 
 respectively on its eastern and western faces. Our city, 
 as doubtless you may know, stands on the western side 
 of a huge plain, having towards the south as a boundary 
 an almost impassable desert, and to the north the 
 branches or offshoots of a mountainous range. Exactly 
 opposite the city, and about two miles to the west, there 
 is a sort of a natural gateway formed by a gap in the 
 hills, through which leads the road to Herat, and through 
 which gap come the canals and watercourses taken from 
 the Argandab to supply the city and irrigate the fields 
 around. On three sides of our city we have smiling 
 villages, clustering orchards, gardens, vineyards, corn- 
 fields, and groves of palm. 
 
 As I have lately returned from Girishk and the 
 Helmund, I may give you some idea of the country 
 where General Burrows is now operating. From the 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 37 
 
 small post at Girishk the road crosses over the Helmund, 
 usually in the dry season about four feet deep at the 
 fords, and from 90 to 120 yards in width ; but having a 
 separate channel, it presents a formidable obstacle to 
 the passage of guns and cavalry. During the rainy 
 seasons and the floods, the river would be quite im- 
 passable without a bridge. The fords in the dry season 
 are numerous, but the principal one for the two northern 
 roads is at Girishk, where the castle of that name stands 
 at a point where the road leaves the valley and winds 
 towards the plain westward. The country from the 
 Helmund on to Kandahar is in its configuration a strip 
 or band of verdure, and cultivation bounded on either 
 side by two sterile borders. This cultivated and alluvial 
 tract is dotted here and there with woods, meadows, 
 and cornfields, and around the numerous villages in the 
 valley there is, I noticed, an elaborate system of cultiva- 
 tion. Grass and wood are both abundant. Coming to 
 the great bend of the Helmund, where it starts along 
 the desert, the valley is equally cultivated and pro- 
 ductive, and seems green and smiling on either bank, 
 while the most sterile wastes and deserts lie beyond. 
 Bost, once a fortified town, commands the entrance from 
 the Gurmsir and the valley of the Helmund into the 
 Doab and on to Kandahar. At Kushk-i-Nakhud, Kila 
 Saidal, and indeed all along the banks of the Helmund, 
 remains of fortifications show how highly these strategic 
 points were estimated. At Sung Hissar I saw the ruins 
 of what must once have been an important work, 
 standing on an isolated hill commanding the valley 
 below ; and at Alia Karez there is a site which sweeps 
 the elevated open plain, and dominates the valley of the 
 Argandab. These points, no doubt, we shall utilise 
 
38 Personal Records of 
 
 before long. From Girishk I crossed the river and 
 followed the road due east right up to Kandahar. For 
 some miles after leaving the river the ground on either 
 side is a wide stony plain, bounded northward by a 
 considerable chain of hills, running parallel to the road, 
 from which several spurs trend outwards towards the 
 valley of Kushk-i-Nakhud, on the east and west. 
 From the Helmund to Kushk-i-Nakhud the plains 
 become more and more undulating, until the elevation 
 becomes abrupt and difficult, and although not actually 
 impassable for any arm, yet would be sufficient to 
 prevent cavalry or artillery passing except at a walk. 
 I gave my notes of the topographical features of the 
 route to General Burrows on my return, and trust he 
 may find them of use where he now is. 
 
 Since the departure of General Burrows and his 
 brigade the inhabitants here have been in a most 
 nervous and unsettled state. Beyond all doubt our 
 rule has been exceedingly popular, and the change in 
 appearance of the streets and bazaars would alone prove 
 this, did we not possess the assurance of all the wealthy 
 and well-to-do sections of the population. During the 
 regime of Shere Ali, every rupee of the revenues, 
 amounting, I am told, to about 65,ooo/. annually, was 
 sent direct to Cabul, not one penny being spent upon 
 the city or its institutions. All this has been altered by 
 our government, the city has been partly rebuilt, the 
 streets cleaned, the fortifications placed in repair, and 
 the gardens placed under cultivation, while the supplies 
 furnished to our troops have proved a source of wealth 
 and prosperity to the inhabitants. A small tax levied 
 upon the shops in the bazaars for the purpose of 
 cleansing the city has been willingly paid, and the result 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 39 
 
 has been that our sanitary arrangements have prevented 
 disease amongst our troops. Since our advent the older 
 inhabitants say the whole place teems with life and 
 bustle, commerce thriving in the mart, and money 
 rapidly changing hands in the bazaar, women moving 
 about freely and unmolested at all hours, children 
 playing in the streets, gardeners working at their plots, 
 merchants conversing upon their exchanges, droves of 
 camels, donkeys, and oxen moving along each highway, 
 and, in fact, all the signs of a prosperity usual to our 
 British rule. 
 
 Kandahar is supposed to have been one of the seven 
 cities built by Alexander the Great, and was originally 
 known as Iskandahar, having been called after him. At 
 his death it passed successively through the hands of the 
 Parthians, the Sassanides, the Arabs ; it was conquered 
 by Mahmood of Ghuzni, by Timurlane, by Baber, and 
 by the Persians, until, at the commencement of the i;th 
 century, it fell into the hands once more of the Mogul 
 dynasty ; but in 1650 the Persians again captured it, 
 and though Arungzeeb once besieged it in person, and 
 made several attempts to gain possession of it, the 
 Persians retained it until a revolt of the Ghilzai Go- 
 vernors forced it from their hands. In 1/37, Nadir 
 Shah determined to recapture it, and, after a siege of 
 nearly two years, compelled its Governor, Meer Hoossain, 
 to capitulate ; at the death of Nadir, Ahmed Shah 
 Durani was crowned in the mosque, and made it the 
 capital of his kingdom. His successor, Timur Shah, 
 changed his capital to Cabul ; the Sadozai branch of the 
 Duranis retained possession of the place until Purdil 
 Khan Barukzai seized it. In 1824 the ill-fated Shah 
 Sujah marched against it, but, after displaying great 
 
4O Personal Records of 
 
 bravery, was defeated by Dost Mahomed, and compelled 
 to raise the siege with a loss of 20,000 killed. He was 
 compelled to retire on Shikarpur, and, in 1839, once 
 more entered the city, accompanied by the British army 
 under Lord Keane. No resistance was then offered. 
 During the rebellion in Cabul, thanks to the good 
 management of General Nott, in spite of numerous 
 attempts of the Ghilzais to gain the city, the English 
 remained masters until the 8th of August, 1842, when, 
 in obedience to instructions from home, Nott evacuated 
 it, and marched on Cabul. Since then it has often 
 changed hands, but finally was captured for Shere AH 
 by his unfortunate though gallant son, Yakub Khan, 
 after the battle of the Helmund, on ist April, 1868, and 
 has remained the capital of Southern Afghanistan ever 
 since. 
 
 WITH GENERAL BURROWS MUTINY OF WALl'S TROOPS. 
 
 Camp Kushk-i-Nakhud, July 18. 
 
 SINCE I last wrote to you, after our first day's march 
 from Kandahar, our troops have covered a great deal of 
 ground, and, I must honestly confess, to little purpose, 
 if our object has been to measure swords with Ayub 
 Khan, a general who certainly is a strategist of no mean 
 order. Our first day's march was to Kokeran, about 
 six miles from Kandahar, and situated on the left bank 
 of the Argandab. The road was picturesque, and our 
 march an extremely pleasant one, all our fellows being 
 in high spirits and delighted at the near prospect of a 
 brush with so celebrated a foe as the young Prince 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 4 1 
 
 Aytib, whose early achievements are the theme of 
 many an Afghan poet's verse. The march was through 
 orchards, villages, across canals and streams, where 
 temporary bridges and ramp had been constructed 
 under the supervision of Colonel John Hills, our head 
 Engineer, and his lieutenants, Blackwood, Osborne, 
 Heath, and Maclean, who, although belonging to the 
 sister scientific branch, the Artillery, placed their services 
 at his disposal, and proved their skill in road and bridge- 
 making. An enemy retiring after a defeat by this road 
 would find it an easy task to greatly obstruct a pursuing 
 foe, by scarping these ramps and by blowing up the 
 bridges we have made. Our next march was but five 
 miles, to Sunguri, across the river Argandab, and 
 through a more difficult piece of country. The ford has 
 a good sound bottom, and at this period of the year the 
 water is not deep, while the width of the river is about 
 forty feet. After reaching the opposite bank without 
 any accident to man, horse, mule, or camel, we had to 
 cross no less than six unbridged canals, where our small 
 pontoon train was found of considerable assistance. 
 Many of the ramps were made last year by General 
 Biddulph, whose notes and itinerary of the route 
 traversed have been of much use to us.. 
 
 The valley through which we passed after crossing 
 the Argandab is covered with villages, and full of trees 
 of all kinds and luxuriant cultivation. The date, the 
 palm, the mango, and the cocoa-tree abound, and some 
 fine well-tended vines near the villages showed the 
 industry of the inhabitants of this favoured oasis in 
 the desert. We found the village people friendly, civil, 
 and exceedingly communicative, and gleaned from some 
 of the headmen intelligence which corroborated our 
 
42 Personal Records of 
 
 reports of Ayub's movements. These were to the 
 effect that the Prince marched from Herat with the 
 existing Herat force on the 2Oth of June last, his force 
 consisting of 4000 regular infantry, 1000 cavalry, and 
 37 guns, besides a force of about 3000 irregular 
 horse, which formed his advanced and rear guards. 
 His artillery, we are told, is of various kinds, large and 
 small, and principally of Afghan manufacture. To 
 these may be added one battery of European -made 
 4-pounder guns of the latest pattern. 
 
 Ayub has issued a proclamation to his troops, 
 
 worded somewhat as follows : ( Soldiers of the true 
 
 faith ! We march to the conquest of our city of 
 
 Kandahar, now in possession of our bitter enemy 
 
 the Feringhi, whom we will drive hence with our steel, 
 
 and win back the capital of the south. The garrison 
 
 is weak, and we are strong ; besides, we are fighting 
 
 for our homes and our land, and our foe is not prepared 
 
 for us with either food or ammunition for a siege. The 
 
 bazaars of the city are full of English gold, and this 
 
 shall be the prize of the conqueror when we have chased 
 
 away the invader from our soil. Let us march on, then, 
 
 day by day, with the determination to conqueror to die!' 
 
 Copies of this address were sent forward to the villages 
 
 and the tribes between this place and Herat, with a 
 
 view, no doubt, of inciting the Ghazis and fanatics to 
 
 join in this modern crusade. Ayub, we hear, was at 
 
 Farah on the 2ist of June, and on the gih of July had 
 
 pushed forward his cavalry outposts as far as Washin, 
 
 where they were seen by the advanced horsemen of the 
 
 Wali, who had effected his junction with us at Girishk 
 
 on the Qth. From Sunguri to Hoaz-i-Madad Khan is 
 
 about fourteen miles, and the canal runs parallel to the 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 43 
 
 road the whole way ; the road consequently is level, and 
 crosses a wide plain, where our column was deployed 
 into line by the General, and in that formation continued 
 our march. The effect of this advance in line was most 
 picturesque and gratifying to a soldier's eye. The 
 artillery on either flank, protected by escorts of cavalry, 
 the six companies of the 66th, ' the Old Berks,' in the 
 centre, and the 1st Bombay Grenadiers and the iQth 
 Bombay Infantry on either flank next the guns ; while 
 the baggage-train and pioneers brought up the rear, the 
 latter ready to move through and take the lead as soon 
 as the column formation was renewed. Here and there 
 along the plain we saw various kinds of game, and I 
 managed to knock over some couples of teal, having 
 taken the precaution of bringing with me a favourite 
 little i2-bore gun, that has seen considerable cam- 
 paigning out here, and which has helped not a little to 
 assist our commissariat on the march. About a quarter 
 of a mile in advance of our line a squadron of our cavalry 
 covered our front, moving forward in extended order, and 
 sending back messengers when anything of note was 
 seen. As we moved along I could not avoid noticing 
 and contrasting the difference as regards the number of 
 officers between the 66th and the native regiments, the 
 former having as a rule three officers to each company, 
 and the latter about five officers to each regiment. This 
 system of under-officering the Indian corps is one of the 
 most pernicious things in the present regime, and is un- 
 doubtedly a matter that calls for reform. For years 
 past army reformers have been pointing out the evil, and 
 with no effect. If these two Bombay regiments go into 
 action so short of officers their commanders will be 
 placed in a position of considerable difficulty. If the 
 
44 Personal Records of 
 
 military authorities do not and cannot be brought to see 
 the necesssity of increasing the number of European 
 officers with native regiments, they will only discover 
 their mistake when some disaster has taught the lesson. 
 I rode part of the day's march with the iQth Bombay 
 Regiment N.I., under the temporary command of Major 
 Walter Jacob, who came out here last winter from fur- 
 lough, and the only other officers with the corps were 
 Major Trench and Lieuts. Stevenson, Melville, and 
 Steyner. Not one captain ! The other native corps 
 with our column is not much better off, as there are 
 only Colonel Heathcote, Lieut-Colonel Griffith, Captain 
 Grant, and Lieuts. Hinde, Aslett, Daunt, and Whitby. 
 
 This day's march was fourteen miles, and soon after 
 crossing the plains the road passes over a small kotal, 
 the gradient nowhere being very steep. From the top 
 of this pass we had a splendid view of the range of 
 hills towards Kushk-i-Nakhud, and the panorama before 
 us was very fine. To the north the splendid line of 
 mountains was lit up by the bright morning sun, which 
 was commencing to pierce through the mists rising 
 from the valleys beneath. To the south range upon 
 range of hills could be seen as far as the eye could 
 reach. It was certainly the finest view we have seen 
 even in this land of splendid scenery. The weather, 
 too, was not quite so hot as on our first day's march. 
 There was not a cloud in the sky, and the sun was 
 doing its best to make up for lost time. After a brief 
 halt of half an hour for refreshment and rest, and after 
 we had thoroughly enjoyed the view, we descended the 
 western side of the kotal, and after an uneventful march 
 for the rest of our road we reached our camp at Hoaz-i- 
 Madad Khan. General Burrows is a man who rises 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 45 
 
 early, and likes to finish his .day's march about the time 
 that most Londoners are taking their breakfast. By 
 this means we avoid the hottest part of the day and the 
 danger of sunstroke. Every morning we are in the 
 saddle by six, and usually reach our fresh camping- 
 ground by 10.30 a.m. In order to start at that hour your 
 servants must be up at four a.m., and you have to be 
 dressed and out of your tent by half-past five a.m., or your 
 baggage will be all behindhand ; which would mean that 
 your servants would have to perform the journey with- 
 out the proper guard, thus running the risk of being cut 
 off and possibly cut up. 
 
 The following day we marched from our camping- 
 ground at Hoaz-i-Madad Khan to Kushk-i-Nakhud, 
 a distance little short of sixteen miles. No water was 
 obtainable during the march, although the road passes 
 over several watercourses. These, however, are dry 
 at this season. The march this day took us over an 
 undulating plain with but few villages, the soil seeming 
 to yield only an endless crop of stones, making it diffi- 
 cult for our artillery and baggage to get along. On 
 nearing our fresh camping-ground we left the river 
 some distance to our left, and ascended a steep slope 
 which led to our new camp at Kushk-i-Nakhud. Here 
 we received intelligence from General Nuttall and our 
 cavalry two days' march in advance of us. He reported 
 that he had effected a junction with the Wali at the 
 Helmund on the Qth inst, Colonel St. John being with 
 him at the time. We had every reason to believe that 
 the Wali Shere Ali would do his best to keep his 
 native contingents true to us, but events have proved 
 his inability to do so. From conversation I have had 
 with him I should say he was of more than ordinary 
 
46 Personal Records of 
 
 intelligence, and well versed in Afghan political affairs. 
 He is a man of about fifty-six, with features of the 
 Jewish type and a nose of a coarse aquiline cast, and 
 an expression of countenance most pleasant and genial. 
 He is very chatty and fond of gossiping freely about 
 Afghan affairs, and talks much of the late Ameer, 
 Shere AH, and his son Yakub Khan. He is, perhaps, 
 the only Sirdar of late years who ventured to give his 
 namesake the Ameer, when consulted by him, his own 
 honest opinion. His knowledge of Afghan affairs has 
 been gained by his having, as he told me, acted as 
 governor of every province of Afghanistan except Jella- 
 labad. Like all governors, he has been accused of 
 being hard and exacting ; but I believe this arose more 
 from the necessity of his position towards his master 
 than from his natural disposition. 
 
 Kushk-i-Nakhud, where we encamped on the Qth 
 July, our cavalry and artillery having preceded us on 
 the /th, has been termed the ' Key to Kandahar/ and 
 from its strategic advantages may well deserve that ap- 
 pellation. It is well supplied with water, and has every 
 requisite for a good camping-ground for all arms of a 
 small or large column. The camp at Kushk-i-Nakhud 
 was pitched on a small tributary of the Argandab, and as 
 nearly as possible forty miles from Girishk and forty-one 
 from Kandahar, and I made the following notes of the 
 surrounding country for a report to be sent back to 
 General Primrose at Kandahar. Beginning at the Hel- 
 mund and looking southwards the plain as far as Kushk- 
 i-Nakhud becomes more undulating, and culminating at 
 one point is changed into elevations which bound the 
 southern side of the valley. These hills are rugged, 
 barren, and abrupt, and though difficult would not be 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 47 
 
 impassable for any arm, but would certainly be awkward 
 for cavalry. From here to Hoaz-i-Madad Khan the 
 plain smooths down by degrees, and here and there a 
 little cultivation may be seen, and at last develops into 
 continuous patches of green, making a vivid contrast to 
 the sandy belt around. I noticed a number of remark- 
 ably fine vineyards, more especially on the lower slopes 
 of the hills, and also that these vineyards are all enclosed 
 by a low stone wall ; while the vines are planted in parallel 
 trenches, seven and eight feet asunder, each trench being 
 three feet wide and four feet deep, the excavated mould 
 making a sort of bank in the middle, thus affording a 
 most perfect entrenched cover for infantry skirmishing. 
 For some miles after leaving the Helmund the ground 
 on either side is an extensive stony plain, bounded on 
 the north by a large chain of hills running parallel to 
 the road, from which several spurs shoot outwards, ap- 
 proaching more and more to the road until they enclose 
 the valley of Kushk-i-Nakhud on the east and west. 
 Towards the centre of the valley, but a little to the right, 
 and about half a mile from the road, we saw the tomb 
 of some Mussulman saint or holy man, at the corner of 
 a large and well-kept vineyard, and easily marked on 
 account of three magnificent cypress trees, distinguish- 
 able a long way off by their dark green foliage and 
 massive shadows. Away towards the eastern slope, 
 and under the shadow of the last eminence, we found 
 the ruins of an old fortification, and on the south side 
 of the road a square walled enclosure with walls twenty- 
 feet high, while along the inner sides, and built against 
 them, was a row of round-topped Afghan huts, evidently 
 showing that an" outpost had once been here. General 
 Burrows and Colonel Galbraith, who were with me, re- 
 
48 Personal Records of 
 
 minded Major Oliver and myself that it was at this same 
 spot last year that our friends Malcolmson and Tanner, 
 of the 2nd Beloochees, took up their position for the 
 night, when they gave a most signal thrashing to the 
 unruly marauding Zemindawar tribes, who attempted to 
 take our troops by surprise. The only other salient 
 feature of the valley I thought worthy of record was 
 that in the various deep undulations of the plain or 
 valley, so sharply defined, are large hollows, where con- 
 siderable masses of cavalry might be ambushed and 
 concealed until an enemy had actually arrived within 
 charging distance. This I pointed out to the General, 
 who agreed with me in thinking that this topographical 
 feature materially detracts from the strategic importance 
 of Kushk-i-Nakhud as a position to be held. 
 
 On the following morning I received an invitation 
 from the General to ride over with him to confer with 
 Brigadier Nuttall and the Wall at Girishk, and after a 
 hasty cJiota hazree, or light breakfast, we jumped into 
 our saddles, and with a small cavalry escort of some 
 fifty lances were soon on the road, while orders were left 
 that the column should follow us during the day. Mean- 
 while our chief had left orders that detached outposts 
 and patrols should be sent up and down both banks of 
 the river, to keep us ati courantwith any approa'ch of the 
 enemy, while our head-quarters would be outside Girishk. 
 We had not gone more than two miles on our road when 
 I noticed a small cloud of dust moving rapidly along the 
 plain in our front, and we at once knew, or rather guessed, 
 that this was a messenger or messengers bringing us 
 tidings from the front. Our surmise proved correct, and 
 in a few moments we could distinguish the well-known face 
 of Mustaphi, the orderly of General Nuttall, who, with a 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 49 
 
 couple of Lancers, came to us at a swinging gallop, bearing 
 despatches of the utmost importance, and giving the fol- 
 lowing items of intelligence ; namely, the Wali, with his 
 levies, was on the west bank of the river, that nearest to 
 Kandahar, and, having reason to suspect his regiments of 
 a design to desert en masse, he had sent to us, requesting 
 immediate assistance in case of any treachery being 
 practised, or any mutinous disposition being thought of. 
 Colonel St. John, the Political Officer, had also written to 
 the same effect, and matters seemed so urgent that I sug- 
 gested that I should ride back to our camp to hasten the 
 march of our column to support the Wali. General Bur- 
 rows approved of my offer, and, as my horse was quite 
 fresh, I undertook to deliver the message and overtake the 
 General at his -first halt at Khan-i-Chopan, nine miles five 
 furlongs nearer to Girishk. I happened to have with me a 
 little Arab entire horse, called ' Peter Simple,' whose gal- 
 loping and staying powers have won me many a silver cup 
 at our small garrison meetings, and I knew that Peter 
 could do the distance under the time I mentioned to 
 rejoin the General, so I and the orderly started at once. 
 On reaching the camp I gave the General's order, 
 and, without dismounting, returned to overtake the 
 escort, which had not gone more than a mile or two. 
 We reached the west bank of the Helmund on the loth, 
 and found the Wali with his levies encamped there, 
 while General Nuttall had chosen an excellent position 
 on the Girishk side for his cavalry and artillery, with 
 outposts up and down the river. Opposite Girishk the 
 bank forms an elevated plateau commanding the valley, 
 175 feet above the river, while it slopes away somewhat 
 like a glacis towards the town of Bost and Abbaza, 
 affording admirable positions for defence and observa- 
 
 E 
 
50 Personal Records of 
 
 tion. Bost, once a fortified city, still maintains its 
 strategic importance, as it commands the entrance of 
 the valley and the road to Kandahar, as well as the 
 junction of the two rivers, the Doab and the Helmund. 
 On the 1 3th Colonel St. John, our Political Officer, 
 obtained reliable information that a mutinous spirit per- 
 vaded the Wali's regiments, and that Ayub's emissaries 
 had gained many adherents amongst these troops. The 
 following day, therefore, General Burrows issued an order 
 that the Wali should shift his camp from the west bank, 
 and move over the river in proximity to the English 
 troops. This order was given out on parade at daybreak 
 on the I4th, and was the immediate signal for revolt. 
 The ranks were broken in a moment, and a rush was 
 made towards the Wali's artillery of six guns and the 
 waggons containing the reserve ammunition. The guns 
 were limbered up, the horses harnessed to the waggons, 
 and the mutineers, with loud shouts of vengeance against 
 the Wali and his staff, commenced their march along the 
 river bank in the direction of Herat, in order to meet 
 Ayub. While this was taking place messengers had 
 been sent by the Wali to our advanced camp, about a 
 mile up the river ; and General Nuttall was at once 
 ordered by General Burrows to sound ' boot and saddle,' 
 and with all available cavalry to intercept the mutineers, 
 while a strong detachment of the 66th was held in readi- 
 ness to pursue. The idea was splendidly carried out by 
 our dashing Brigadier, who most skilfully detached the 
 3rd Bombay Cavalry to make a circuit round the hills 
 on the right, and then hold the Cabul regiments in 
 check until our artillery came within their range. In 
 less time than it takes to tell the 3rd were across 
 the ford, and speeding along the opposite bank at 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 5 1 
 
 a swinging gallop in a direction parallel to the muti- 
 neers. From the elevated plateau where our camp 
 was pitched we could see all that passed, and the ex- 
 citement amongst our men was intense as the interval 
 between pursuer and pursued decreased. Meanwhile 
 Blackwood with his guns was not idle, and in less than 
 five minutes was dashing along the east bank with his 
 battery to choose a piece of vantage ground whence he 
 could shell the enemy, who now seemed to be moving in 
 great disorder, and more like an undisciplined mob than 
 a body of soldiers. The cavalry now wheel into line 
 and a troop are dismounted to act as skirmishers, every 
 third man holding three horses. A long ledge of rock 
 affords capital cover, and fair practice is made upon the 
 enemy's masses with the carbines of our horsemen, who, 
 under their leader, Major Currie, have well carried out 
 the Brigadier's orders. Meanwhile Colonel Malcolmson 
 with two squadrons of his corps, the Scinde Horse, is 
 manoeuvring on the other flank, and has opened a cross- 
 fire which we can see is demoralising in its effect. 'Shall 
 I give them a shell or two, sir?' inquires Blackwood of 
 the General, who is riding with the battery. ' By all 
 means,' replies our chief ; * but be careful of our own 
 people.' The guns now take * action right,' are in posi- 
 tion, unlimbered, and ready for the word, and in another 
 moment a shell is dropped into the column of the muti- 
 neers, who still, however, manage to retire along the 
 plain, though harassed and galled on every side. Two 
 or three daring and most effective charges made by our 
 cavalry now compel them to form square, and this en- 
 ables our shells to do more execution. For more than 
 an hour these tactics were repeated. A dropping car- 
 bine fire, an occasional shell from our Horse Artillery, 
 
5 2 Personal Records of 
 
 and now and then, when the ground admitted, a brilliant 
 rush of turbaned horsemen upon the seething and broken 
 masses of the unfortunate wretches, whose situation was 
 now desperate. The knowledge that one or more of these 
 regiments were part of the Cabul garrison last autumn, and 
 probably shared in the massacre of our brave Cavagnari, 
 took away, however, any feelings approaching to com- 
 miseration and pity, and more than one exclamation of 
 delight came from our gunners as the firing went on, 
 and became more deadly as we came to closer range. 
 It was now a little after ten o'clock, and a combined 
 charge, made by Colonel Malcolmson and Major Currie, 
 broke up the enemy's columns, and, abandoning the 
 guns and ammunition, ' Sauvequi peutT was the order of 
 the day, each Sepoy racing for life, while hotly pressed 
 by sabre and lance and an occasional shrapnel shell. 
 
 The loss we inflicted upon the mutineers was not 
 particularly heavy, but this may be accounted for by the 
 nature and configuration of the ground, which afforded 
 cover as they retired, and caused much ammunition to 
 be expended without much effect. However, our object 
 was gained, as we recovered all the guns and ammu- 
 nition, while getting rid of and dispersing a dangerous 
 foe, whose defection in the actual hour of battle with 
 Ayub would have been far more disastrous than their 
 present flight to his standard. 
 
 On the day following these matters the General 
 determined, to our terrible disappointment, to fall 
 back upon his old position at Kushk-i-Nakhud ; but 
 whether this retrograde movement was made in obe- 
 dience to 'higher authority' or not I cannot say. In 
 all respects Abbaza, on the left bank of the Helmund, 
 where we were encamped, is superior in strategic posi- 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 53 
 
 tion to Kushk-i-Nakhud ; while commanding the prin- 
 cipal ford and the road to Herat, and being exactly op- 
 posite to the town and fort of Girishk, where supplies 
 are abundant, it offered many advantages as a depot 
 and base. One reason for General Burrows' change of 
 position and retirement upon Kushk-i-Nakhud may 
 possibly have been the present state of the Helmund, 
 and the facilities afforded to an advancing foe by the 
 numerous fords, which at this season of the year are 
 available for all arms. Still, the moral effect of a retro- 
 grade movement in the face of an advancing enemy, and 
 above all an Asiatic enemy, is not to be gainsayed, and 
 I thoroughly wish we had held our ground at Abbaza. 
 
 I have not said much of the loss inflicted on the muti- 
 neers by our people on the I4th, because we marched 
 the next day, and I had too much to attend to to go 
 into statistics ; but on the field where we overtook them 
 I counted more than fifty bodies, and could see that in 
 their hurried flight many of the wounded were placed on 
 camels and carried away. I have since heard their loss 
 estimated at 150. Five companies 66th came up soon 
 after the action began, but what share they took in the 
 affair I did not see, as I was continually carrying mes- 
 sages to and from the General. Our own loss on this 
 eventful day consisted of only three of the 66th wounded 
 and a few horses killed, while all the guns, baggage, and 
 treasure of the Wali, were recovered. 
 
 IN KANDAHAR AFTER THE MUTINY MILITARY SITUATION. 
 
 Kandahar^ July 20. 
 
 SINCE I wrote to you, in perhaps a gloomy strain, on 
 the 3rd of this month, the gravity of our situation has 
 
54 Personal Records of 
 
 deepened in its tone, and I am fain to confess that an 
 act not quite contemplated by the authors of the 
 Afghan drama may at this moment be preparing by 
 the enemy. Items of menace seem collecting on all 
 sides, and in whatever direction we look the horizon 
 indicates storm rather than calm. On the I4th inst. an 
 event not wholly unforeseen came to pass on the banks 
 of the classic Helmund, where some days previously 
 General Burrows had overtaken and effected a junction 
 with the Wali Shere Ali ; and this event is ominous, 
 being no less than a mutiny and desertion en masse of 
 all Shere Ali's troops. The Wali, as doubtless you are 
 aware, was sent forward by General Primrose as far as 
 Girishk the moment we heard of Ayub's positive ad- 
 vance to Farah, and the former had with him some- 
 where about 4000 regular troops, including two Cabul 
 regiments. I was present at their final parade here, and 
 was much struck with their villainous, though, I must 
 own, workmanlike appearance. They were fine, slash- 
 ing, big, truculent-looking ruffians, dressed mostly after 
 the Sepoy fashion, and armed principally with weapons 
 of European make, while with them was a fairly-turned- 
 out battery of six guns. Why these men were sent 
 away to the very place where Ayub's proximity would 
 tempt them to desert I cannot for my life understand, 
 but the result has been most unfortunate to us and to 
 Gen. Burrows, who not only loses 4000 of his command, 
 but will probably see in a very few days this body of 
 deserters swelling the ranks of his opponent. For some 
 little time nothing was heard of Gen. Burrows' movements, 
 as, for some strange and unaccountable reason, all tele- 
 grams were kept private except to the staff, and the 
 consequences were that we lived entirely upon rumour. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 55 
 
 The immediate cause of this desertion may un- 
 doubtedly be attributed to a proclamation addressed by 
 Ayub to the former soldiers of Shere Ali Khan, in 
 which their patriotism and love of plunder were alike 
 invoked, while the sacking of Kandahar was held out as 
 a reward. It is satisfactory to know that, although the 
 principal portion of the Wali's men got away, all his 
 artillery, stores, and treasure, were recaptured by our 
 troops, while a couple of hundred of the mutineers were 
 placed hors de combat by our lead and steel. The next 
 day, however, General Burrows, to the great disappoint- 
 ment of his troops, retraced his steps to Kushk-i- 
 Nakhud; a position, to my mind, in every way inferior to 
 the Helmund, where his cavalry could have kept a 
 watchful eye upon the various fords, which, even at this 
 dry season, are not very easy to cross, at least under an 
 enemy's fire. Another question, strongly mentioned in 
 the letters I have this morning received from Kushk-i- 
 Nakhud, is that of the harass and worry undergone by 
 our troops in this march and counter-march. The 66th, 
 who left here in the most enthusiastic spirits, in the hope 
 and with the prospect of being soon 'yardarm to yard- 
 arm ' with Ayub, are, my correspondent cannot deny, 
 dispirited and disheartened at retiring before an enemy, 
 even though that enemy greatly outnumbers them. 
 Marching in Europe and marching in India are, I need 
 not say, very different matters. In General Burrows' 
 case, having but one road upon which to move, he 
 would necessarily be much longer en route than if he 
 could move on several. Large bodies of soldiers march- 
 ing on one road are not supposed to do more than 2\ 
 miles an hour, which, of course, will include an occa- 
 sional short halt ; and, consequently, I am told that 
 
5 5 Personal Records of 
 
 when the head of his column moved off at six a.m. for a 
 march of fifteen or sixteen miles, the rear-guard did not 
 come in till late in the forenoon, at a time when the sun 
 was dangerous to man and beast. If a night-march was 
 chosen, the mules and mountain-batteries had to be 
 considered; and much confusion resulted, I am informed, 
 when there was no moon. My experiences of Indian 
 and Afghan marches are anything but pleasant to look 
 back upon, and the horrors of the hour or hour and a 
 half preparing for the road will not easily be forgotten. 
 The discordant bellowing of the overloaded camel, and 
 the debris caused by an elephant who has quarrelled 
 with his mahout, the screams of the native drivers, and 
 the objurgations of the English soldier, make an Inferno 
 worthy of a modern Dante. All these discomforts have 
 our poor friends the ' Berkshires ' suffered, and though 
 they have not openly grumbled, yet, in mutual confi- 
 dence, one Thomas Atkins has told his ' towny ' beyond 
 all doubt that he would rather have three days' fighting 
 than twenty-four hours' marching, especially when he 
 has to cross and recross the same road. 
 
 Kushk-i-Nakhud, where General Burrows now is, I 
 know well, having sketched the ground on more than 
 one occasion, and having been fortunate enough to be with 
 Malcolmson when we thrashed the tribes there last year. 
 It is as nearly as possible half-way between the Helmund 
 and Kandahar, and exactly at the junction of the routes 
 from Girishk and Hyderabad, by either of which, or by 
 both, Ayub may advance as soon as he has, being now 
 unopposed, crossed the Helmund. From what I re- 
 member of the place, it is simply a military rat-trap, 
 where a clever and artful enemy knowing the country 
 could give or refuse an attack at discretion. The 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 57 
 
 ground when I saw it last year was cut up with small 
 canals, watercourses, small but frequent stone walls, 
 gardens, vineyards, and ruined houses, affording every 
 facility for a sudden attack, and placing the attacking 
 party, from the scattered nature of these obstacles, on a 
 complete equality with the defenders. 
 
 Now, as I had something to do with the drilling and 
 rifle practice of the Wai is troops, and helped in the 
 tuition of many of his artillery officers, who doubtless 
 are now using their lessons in the service of Ayub, I 
 cannot but consider that this defection of 4000 well- 
 armed, well-disciplined men, may be a serious matter to 
 Burrows, with his now attenuated column of certainly 
 not more than 1600 bayonets, 500 sabres, and ten guns ; 
 while Ayub has now, I hear, 4000 regular infantry, 
 4000 Ghazis, and 4000 horsemen. If, as we believe, 
 there are not wanting Ruski officers to point the Afghan 
 guns and Ruski experience to choose position, we must 
 allow that our present pilot at the helm of Indian 
 affairs has somewhat miscalculated the tidal wave which 
 now threatens to wipe out the Gundamuck Treaty, 
 obtained with England's best blood and treasure. 
 
 Since the news of the defection of our quondam 
 allies, I need scarcely tell you that every joint in our 
 armour has been examined by our chief, who with 
 Colonel Hills has minutely inspected the villages our 
 greatest danger, as we cannot afford to occupy them as 
 outposts the city, its suburbs, and, above all, the arg y 
 or citadel. From the gap towards the west Kandahar, 
 last evening, when the sun was setting, and the horizon 
 around was bathed in gold and purple, almost realised 
 to the eye those glorious Eastern landscapes which the 
 pencil of Stansfield, Grieve, or Beverley, gave to the 
 
58 Personal Records of 
 
 stage in spectacular dramas. The fading light, bathing 
 in its warm tints the surrounding verdure and the glint 
 of many small streams, shone upon the white walls of 
 citadel and mosque, and imparted a fairylike grandeur 
 to the scene. 
 
 We have been since the I5th hard at work pulling 
 down and blowing up houses too near the ramparts, 
 while the gates have been all strengthened by flanking 
 works, and the trenches and gaps in each wall have 
 been repaired. As I have already described at some 
 length the actual capabilities, defensive and real, of the 
 outer walls of the city, I will not dwell again upon 
 them, though I may say that much has been improved 
 since I wrote three weeks ago. But it is in the citadel 
 that our Engineers have toiled, and here the result has 
 exceeded expectation. 
 
 The citadel of Kandahar would be made short work 
 of by a siege train, but from the calibre of such guns as 
 Ayub is known to possess we need not apprehend any 
 great disaster. The citadel is in a square form, each 
 side being 800 feet long, and formed by a mud wall 
 twenty feet high, and averaging a thickness of sixteen 
 feet, while it is flanked by stoutish-looking bastions at 
 each angle, as well as by intermediate bastions on each 
 side (except the side facing south). Facing the city to 
 the south, as you will see by my sketch, a duplicate of 
 which goes home to ' W. O.' is the ' keep,' a building of 
 solid granite, of considerable strength, and salient 
 enough to form an hexagonal bastion, which bastion, in 
 the olden days, was used as the principal entrance to the 
 fort. On the walls is a parapet, which old reports tell us 
 was once seven feet high by two feet in thickness, and 
 carefully loopholed for matchlock men ; but this work we 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 59 
 
 found required much renovation, and in addition to a 
 good brick revetement we have largely employed sand- 
 bags instead of loopholes. Our heaviest task, and 
 where undoubtedly most malt refreshment was used by 
 all ranks, the General giving the order for a double 
 allowance to be served out, was on the east and west 
 faces, where decay and ruin had added to the picturesque, 
 but seriously detracted from the useful. The * magic 
 and the poetry in the ruined battlement,' so feelingly 
 portrayed by the author of Childe Harold, did not strike 
 us when we thought of a night assault with scaling- 
 ladders by Ayub ; and a judicious employment of the 
 spade, the trowel, and a little mortar, have made these 
 ruins less aesthetic but more practical. Six entrances 
 existed to the citadel when we commenced operations, 
 but these have been diminished, while the remainder 
 have been strengthened by strong flanking works. 
 
 In regard to supplies, I may say we have an abun- 
 dance, as well as of ammunition, but water will have to 
 be seen to. There are plenty of tanks, and we have 
 fatigue parties all day and night employed in cleaning 
 them. This water, as I before said, is supplied by the 
 outside canals, and can be at any moment cut off. This 
 may be our weak point. The inside of the citadel is 
 made up of courtyards and squares, affording not only 
 ample room for our garrison, but a means of final 
 defence in case of assault. We have had them all 
 repaired, and used for building hut and tent accommo- 
 dation for our officers. Underneath, in case of bom- 
 bardment, are a number of underground passages, called 
 tykhanas, which we use for stores and ammunition. 
 Our relative position to the city is as follows : An ex- 
 tensive open space enclosed by the city wall and a 
 
60 Personal Records of 
 
 second partition wall face to the north, while on the 
 west side are a number of flat-topped houses and narrow 
 alleys, which perhaps we may demolish. A large open 
 square also lies to the south, which is defensible on all 
 sides by rows of barracks of dome-like shape, used by us 
 as Sepoy lines, and in part for hospital accommodation. 
 On the east we have our commissariat enclosures, 
 extending about 700 yards from the city walls, but 
 unfortunately commanded by neighbouring houses. 
 Such is our position, and if Burrows and his brigade 
 could be at once recalled we could hold the town and 
 citadel against all comers till reliefs were sent. Mean- 
 while we are anxiously looking out for news from 
 Kushk-i-Nakhud, while working day and night in case 
 of a reverse in la fortune de la guerre. Our troops, as I 
 write this, are four guns, C B., 2nd B. ; 5th B., 1 1 B., 
 R. A., ten guns ; the Poona Horse ; /th Fusiliers ; iQth 
 and 29th Bombay Native Infantry, and amount to a 
 little over 3000 men, but reinforcements are daily 
 expected. Sick-list small, and all in good spirits, and 
 confident of result. 
 
 WITH GENERAL BURROWS CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE 
 BEFORE THE BATTLE. 
 
 Camp Kushk-i-Nakhud, July 25. 
 
 I WROTE to you from this place on the i8th, exactly 
 a week ago, and here we are still without any fighting, 
 although, from intelligence just brought in, we learn that 
 Ayub has crossed the Helmund at Hyderabad, and has 
 been joined by a large gathering of Ghazis, whose 
 impetuosity will compel him to attack us on the first 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 61 
 
 opportunity. The mutiny among the Wali's troops has 
 naturally given Ayub great confidence, and it is pretty 
 well certain that his scouts and spies have made him 
 thoroughly acquainted with our strength, or I should 
 perhaps say our weakness. The loss we inflicted on the 
 mutineers on the 1 4th was, I find, much greater than 
 I at first set down in my letter to you of the i8th. Our 
 spies report that forty- six bodies were buried by the 
 villagers after our departure for this place. Altogether 
 we placed, I should say, including the wounded, about 
 200 hors de combat, and amongst these were one colonel 
 of artillery and two captains of the Cabul regiments. In 
 saying that we have had no fighting I was wrong, as on 
 Thursday last we sent out a cavalry reconnaissance, 
 consisting of two guns E battery Royal Horse Artillery, 
 with Captain Ramsay Slade and Lieut. Hector Maclaine, 
 one squadron of the 3rd (Queen's Own) Light Cavalry 
 with Major Corrie and Captain Willoughby, and a 
 squadron of the 3rd Scinde Horse under Captain 
 Gordon and Lieut. Monteith, in all a couple of guns and 
 200 sabres. Without much difficulty I succeeded in 
 obtaining permission to accompany this force, and as all 
 the officers I have named are special chums of mine, I 
 looked forward to the expedition as a delightful relief to 
 the enforced dull monotony of camp life at Kushk-i- 
 Nakhud. As the service upon which we were going was 
 important, and as there was every prospect of our coming 
 into contact with some of Ayub's cavalry, known to be 
 in our neighbourhood, Major Corrie, who was detailed 
 to command the reconnaissance, requested that the 
 troopers should be all picked men, well mounted, and 
 good swordsmen. 
 
 A morning parade of both our cavalry regiments 
 
62 Personal Records of 
 
 was therefore ordered on the 2Oth, and the two corps 
 turned out as strong as possible. Few prettier sights 
 have I seen than the early morning parade of these 
 smart native squadrons. Would that we had more of 
 them ! The men were splendid-looking specimens of 
 the race from which they came ; long-limbed, lean, and 
 sinewy, with not an ounce of superfluous weight, and 
 a muscle well developed by constant lance and sword 
 exercise in the manage. Their uniforms struck me as 
 singularly neat and effective, handsome yet workman- 
 like, and well fitting, but allowing full scope for every 
 movement of the limbs and body. The men were, as 
 a rule, uncommonly well mounted, and I was surprised 
 to see such an evidence of breeding, as well as sub- 
 stance, although few of the animals were up to much 
 weight. Most of the horses had small, intelligent, well- 
 set-on heads, sloping powerful shoulders, strong and 
 wide hips, and backs as my friend Galbraith said, ' like 
 feather beds.' Their thighs and gaskins were strongly 
 developed, and their hips, though ragged, showed 
 evidence of galloping power. The men, as a rule, ride 
 well, depending, however, less upon balance than our 
 English troopers, and riding more with the knees and 
 calf, while I particularly noticed that they did not hang 
 on to the bridle. They ride with a moderately short 
 stirrup, with the knee upon the padded part of the saddle- 
 flap, and rather in front of the stirrup leather, the heel 
 well down and the foot pointing nearly straight forward. 
 The weight of the body, I noticed, was well forward on 
 the saddle a great point in military equitation with 
 the fork close on the pommel. The bamboo lance in 
 the hands of these fellows is a most deadly weapon, and 
 their constant practice at tent-pegging has made them 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 63 
 
 as certain of their mark as a well- aimed bullet from a 
 rifle. Most of these men are far better swordsmen than 
 our own troopers, whose cumbersome sabres, that won't 
 cut and cannot point, with their heavy steel scabbards, 
 are not to be compared with the native tulwar, whose 
 keen, razor-like edge, enables its owner to lop off a head 
 or a limb as easily as cutting a cabbage. Our English 
 regulation scabbards should most certainly be altered, 
 as they are heavy, difficult to clean, glisten in the sun 
 and moonlight, blunt the sword, and rust if water gets 
 inside, while they make such a rattle that a secret recon- 
 naissance with them is impossible. These sowars have 
 scabbards of solid brown leather, lined thinly with 
 wood, such as is used for carbine buckets, and these 
 are tipped with metal. 
 
 Another advantage our native cavalry regiments 
 have over our European troopers is in the matter of 
 equipment, which, for active service, crushes a light 
 cavalry horse. Each sowar carries a spare flannel shirt, 
 a pair of woollen socks, one clothes brush, one boot 
 brush, a towel, sponge, and rubber, with a knife and 
 spoon, while the whole of this kit does not weigh four 
 pounds. All these articles are carried in the wallets, 
 while the cloak replaces the valise on the cantle. The 
 horses have no blankets, and as they receive no groom- 
 ing but what can be given with a good wisp, they are 
 well able to stand rain and cold. I was much pleased 
 at the manner in which these men drilled, and more 
 particularly in respect to their dismounting to skirmish 
 on foot The men were formed in squadrons of 100 
 rank and file each, formed in single rank, and each 
 squadron was told off into four divisions and into fours. 
 The divisions and the sections of fours always consisted 
 
64 Personal Records of 
 
 of the same men. No. 3 of each section of fours held 
 the other three horses, two on his right and one on 
 his left, an arrangement which allowed him to gallop 
 quickly to the rear out of fire when the squadron dis- 
 mounted for action. Each squadron and each division had 
 its own leader, and in dismounted service the squadron 
 leader was on foot with his men, while the senior division 
 leader remained mounted with the led horses. 
 
 As soon as the parade was over I was sent for to go 
 over to General Burrows' tent, and there I found two 
 of our native spies, who had just come in from the 
 Helmund, where they had been able to carefully observe 
 a body of Ayub's cavalry reconnoitring the roads and 
 villages. These men had, however, a narrow escape of 
 being caught by a troop of the Afghan cavalry, which, 
 coming from an opposite direction to their main body, 
 appeared suddenly at the angle formed by two roads 
 leading from the Helmund to Kushk-i-Nakhud. The 
 spies, Hashim and Abdulla, are Ghilzais, and were for- 
 merly in the service of our quondam friend, Padishah 
 Khan, who sent them to us as useful messengers and 
 trustworthy adherents. The Ghilzais are, as doubtless 
 you are aware, the best soldiers the country can produce, 
 and the few we have been able to enlist have certainly 
 remained true to their salt. Both Hashim and Abdulla 
 are splendid runners, and to this accomplishment they 
 undoubtedly owe their lives, as they were chased by 
 half-a-dozen Afghan horsemen for more than a mile. 
 Fortunately they were able to lead their pursuers over 
 some very broken ground, along the banks of the river, 
 until they came to a place where the banks were steep, 
 and so scarped that horses could not descend. A friendly 
 piece of rock jutting out over the stream afforded cover, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 65 
 
 and Abdulla, who is a capital shot, resting his short 
 rifled carbine upon a piece of stone, took a steady aim, 
 and brought down the leader of the party. Meanwhile 
 Hashim handed his loaded weapon to Abdulla, receiving 
 the empty one in exchange to re-load, and by this means 
 a rapid and continuous fire was kept up, and was so 
 effective that two more of the enemy were place hors 
 de combat. Hashim and his comrade now shouted an 
 imaginary word of command as loudly as possible : 
 * Run along the bank and take them in the rear !' and 
 this was so well done that the pursuers, although re- 
 inforced by several more horsemen, imagined that they 
 had been led into an ambuscade, and hastily retired, 
 leaving their dead comrade but carrying off their 
 wounded. Our scouts now cautiously approached the 
 body of the dead Afghan, and fortunate it was that they 
 did so, as a leather despatch-bag was found upon him 
 containing papers, which have now been handed to 
 General Burrows. These I may not give in detail, but 
 I may tell you they are of great importance, being 
 despatches from Ayub to chiefs now in our camp ! 
 Not being able to read did not prevent Abdulla and 
 Hashim from guessing that the papers were important, 
 and they at once secured their prize and came back here 
 in a marvellously short space of time. 
 
 This report was to the effect that Ayub's advanced 
 guard had crossed the Helmund in force on the 2Oth, 
 and that on the day following 500 of his cavalry re- 
 connoitred as far as Sanghar, fourteen miles this side of 
 the river. There they met a small body of Ghazis, who 
 reported that 4000 horsemen were on their way to join 
 Ayub. These items of news were gleaned from the 
 villagers, who had been requisitioned to provide supplies 
 
 F 
 
66 Personal Records of 
 
 for the Herat forces. On the 2ist Ayub's main body 
 crossed at Hyderabad, and encamped on the east bank, 
 and 500 horsemen were sent on to reconnoitre our 
 present position. 
 
 This news decided our chief to organize and send 
 out our cavalry reconnaissance, and arrangements were 
 at once made to carry out the necessary orders. On the 
 22nd, at two a.m., we paraded in light order, but each 
 man carrying two days' biscuit ration and a double 
 supply of ammunition. We moved out of camp by the 
 fitful and somewhat misty rays that came now and then 
 through the flying scud which a high wind was driving 
 before it. We sent on a small advanced guard under 
 the guidance of Hashim, who, with Abdulla, had re- 
 quested permission to come with us. Our guns were in 
 the centre, and, as the result proved, were of much use 
 to us. After a long march we halted about four miles 
 from Sanghar, and, posting vedettes, allowed the men to 
 prepare their breakfast in a splendid mango tope, which 
 not only gave us excellent cover, but admirable shelter 
 from the hot morning sun. In half an hour more we 
 were again in the saddle, and had not proceeded more 
 than a mile when we saw with our field-glasses a large 
 body of horsemen moving slowly across the plain. 
 Instantly wheeling to the left, our commander obtained 
 the cover of a small hillock, intervening between us and 
 the enemy, who came on in perfect unconsciousness of 
 our approach. At the end of the hillock was a deep 
 and wooded ravine, where the rocks were strewn about in 
 a manner that would have rendered artillery impossible, 
 and to avoid this we had to make a rather wide detour, 
 which, however, brought us suddenly in sight of our 
 foes, and within carbine range of them. They at once 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 67 
 
 threw out a cloud of skirmishers, who advanced across 
 the plain, firing rapidly and randomly from the saddle. 
 Major Corrie replied to this move by checking the 
 enemy most neatly, as he made our troops dismount 
 and skirmish on foot in the manner I have described. 
 We remained with our main body ready to charge 
 should opportunity occur, while our guns moved rapidly 
 to the right to gain a crest of the hill, which would com- 
 mand and enable them to enfilade the Afghans. Ping ! 
 ping ! ping ! went the enemy's bullets, all out of range, 
 as they advanced at a walk, while our fellows, taking 
 advantage of every bush and stone, got nearer to their 
 quarry, while we could see now and then a wounded 
 man or horse taken to the rear. Meanwhile, in the 
 front of their main body, composed of about 300 horse- 
 men, rode a tall officer, mounted on a grey horse of 
 remarkable size and splendid action. With our glasses 
 we could see him snatch the standard, or guidon, from 
 the standard-bearer, and evidently exhort his men to 
 follow him. At this juncture a shell, well aimed from 
 Slade's gun, dropped within a yard or two of the front 
 rank. This was enough, for the Afghan line of skir- 
 mishers wheeled suddenly round like one man and 
 galloped madly to the rear. They seemed to demoralise 
 the main body, for they in turn went 'fours about/ 
 apparently without any word of command, and cantered 
 towards the river, where, fortunately for us, Slade's good 
 glasses enabled us to see a large body of infantry, and 
 several guns in position. We managed, during the 
 hurried retreat of the enemy, to drop one or two shells 
 into the column, but the killed or wounded, if any, were 
 carried away, and the only trophies we obtained were 
 some tulwars dropped by wounded men. As nothing 
 
68 Personal Records of 
 
 + 
 
 more could be done, and the day was getting towards 
 evening, we were ordered to collect stragglers and march 
 for our camp, which we reached without casualty at 
 nine p.m., having been twenty-one hours in the saddle. 
 
 I need not tell you that we daily expect a battle, 
 and that day and night a vigilant look-out is kept. 
 Still I regret our former position on the Helmund. 
 There we commanded the only ford near, and could not 
 be outflanked or taken in the rear, as is possible in this 
 place. As I write, news has come in that two of our 
 men, sowars of the Scinde Horse, have been surprised 
 and killed on outpost duty. This looks like business 
 and close quarters. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 69 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BATTLE AND DEFEAT OF MAIWAND. 
 
 Kandahar^ July 30. 
 
 How our fellows frustrated the attempt of the Wall's 
 troops to carry off the guns and ammunition you have 
 already heard, and you also know the severe loss we 
 inflicted on them ; but I may tell you now that fully 
 2000 of these mutineers, with their arms and ammuni- 
 tion, succeeded in getting away to swell the ranks of 
 Ayub Khan, who was then at a place called Lar, two 
 days' march from Girishk. This important acquisition 
 to the Khan, and equivalent loss to us, enabled him to 
 advance with greater confidence to our vicinity. Day by 
 day, through our patrols, our scouts, and our spies, we 
 heard of the Prince's cavalry at Bakwa, Dilarum, Shorah, 
 and other points on the road from Farah to Girishk. 
 The Afghan cavalry were, indeed, well handled, and in 
 whatever direction our patrols were sent, there they 
 were sure to come across some of those marvellous 
 horsemen, whose ubiquity astounded our reconnoitring 
 parties. From Daman, Lar, and Zarak, and many 
 places further north, their horses were foraged and 
 their supplies were obtained. We commenced our re- 
 treat upon Kushk-i-Nakhud on the I5th, and great 
 was the dissatisfaction amongst all ranks at the retro- 
 grade movement, which we believe is not wholly due to 
 the opinions of our chief, but rather to suggestions made 
 by the Viceroy. 
 
 You must bear in mind that the advance to the 
 Helmund was accompanied by much privation and 
 
70 Personal Records of 
 
 discomfort, yet undertaken and carried out with the 
 greatest enthusiasm by the artillery, cavalry, 66th, and 
 the native corps, who neither murmured at the heat, the 
 short rations, or the night marches. At Girishk we had 
 a very strong position, overlooking the river, where on 
 three sides the hill was scarped, and on the fourth very 
 steep. Supplies, so far from -being scarce, were in abun- 
 dance, and fish and game were to be had in plenty 
 through the guns and rods of our chickarees. Besides^ 
 when we retired from the river Ayub was halted two 
 days' march only from us, and it was only, we now learn, 
 on the news of our retreat that he was emboldened to 
 come on. We left the Helmund, as I said, on the I5th, 
 and five days later its banks were lined by Afghan 
 cavalry, while their standards floated in the breeze at all 
 the fords we had abandoned. On the 2oth Ayub halted 
 his main body on the Helmund, and, after three days' 
 preparation (three days in which we could have attacked 
 him at advantage) he crossed the river on the 23rd, 
 twelve miles north of Girishk, and took up a position at 
 the village of Hyderabad, where he was joined day by 
 day by a large proportion of the discontented tribes, - 
 tempted by our retreat and the prospect of the sack of 
 
 Kandahar. Affairs were now assuming a warm aspect. 
 
 Ayub's cavalry, vastly outnumbering ours, were con- 
 stantly met around the country, and several very smart 
 skirmishes took place between the Afghan horse and 
 our own Scinde regiments. These outpost affairs might 
 have taught us our weakness in Varme blanche, as on 
 more than one occasion our people were surprised, and 
 only managed to get off with loss in men and horses. 
 On the 22nd some of our Scinde Horse were surprised, 
 and lost two of their number. On the day following 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 71 
 
 the enemy's horsemen came reconnoitring in immediate 
 proximity to our camp, but on the 24th we managed to 
 catch them en flagrant delit, and after a pretty little 
 affair, of which I sent you an account, made an example 
 of our rivals. 
 
 General Burrows meanwhile again struck his camp 
 on the i Qth, and moved three miles nearer to the enemy, 
 who, however, remained perfectly stationary until the 
 22nd, when his ranks were augmented to about 13,000 
 fighting men by the addition of the predatory villagers 
 of the district. On the 23rd Ayub had pushed forward 
 his horsemen to Sanghar, not more than fourteen miles 
 from our camp, and at last General Burrows seemed to 
 apprehend danger, for he shifted and then entrenched 
 his camp, and made use of the enclosed buildings I 
 have mentioned to shelter his sick, baggage animals, 
 and stores. Our position was now as follows: Kushk- 
 i-Nakhud, on the main road from Girishk to Kandahar, 
 and as nearly as possible thirty miles from the former 
 place ; the village is upon a plain, much cut up with 
 watercourses, vineyards, and stone walls, while it is 
 masked and commanded on three sides, east, west, 
 and north, by spurs of hills running from the main 
 chain. By crossing the Helmund at Hyderabad Ayub 
 was enabled to march unseen and unheard of behind 
 the spur of hills to the north of our camp, and while our 
 outposts were watching the main road his cavalry was 
 pushing forward behind the treacherous screen of hills 
 which covered his advance, and which, through a friendly 
 opening at the angle of the plain, enabled him to debouch 
 on to the plain and to deploy his squadrons on our right 
 flank. According to Colonel St. John's information, 
 Ayub on the 23rd was still at Hyderabad, but between 
 
72 Personal Records of 
 
 that date and the 2/th he had unseen worked his way 
 steadily on the northward slopes of the range of hills 
 bounding our plain until he reached Maiwand, only three 
 miles from our camp at Kushk-i-Nakhud, whence he 
 was enabled to deliver his attack, and with such fatal 
 result. 
 
 I have alluded to the deep undulations of the ground 
 on our right flank and also in our front, and I have 
 explained that in these hollows, admirably suited to give 
 complete cover to whole regiments or batteries, Ayub 
 was enabled to mass and conceal his columns until the 
 time came to strike upon our front and flanks, to enfi- 
 lade our people with his superior armament, and to turn 
 our flank with his desperate charges of horsemen. On 
 the morning of the 23rd we had a severe brush with the 
 advanced guard of the enemy, who pushed his horsemen, 
 supported by two guns and 2000 infantry. Our cavalry 
 and a couple of guns went at them in fine style, and as 
 they evidently wanted more to ' feel ' us, they retired in 
 capital order, skirmishing and firing as we drove them 
 back. 
 
 On the morning of the 27th inst. Ayub's horsemen 
 were reported as being advancing towards our camp 
 from the direction of Maiwand, and through the valley 
 or opening in the hills of that name. Bearing in mind 
 the description I have given you, you will see that 
 as they debouched from this valley on to the plain 
 their left would somewhat outflank our right wing, and 
 enable their artillery to bring an enfilade fire upon us. 
 Without being taken by surprise, I may at once say that 
 on the previous evening no one in our camp had the 
 smallest idea of the proximity of our antagonists, whose 
 flank march screened by the hills to the north showed 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 73 
 
 strategy of no mean order, while on our side the un- 
 guarded portal and the pathway left on our right are 
 faults that have yet to be explained. I had not slept 
 during the night, and about an hour before daylight I 
 was taking advantage of the cool morning breeze to 
 refresh myself in front of my tent, when Galbraith and 
 another 66th officer came over to join me. We dis- 
 cussed the position of our camp, and noticed how 
 admirably it was situated for defence had we double 
 the number of troops to enable us to place entrenched 
 outworks at the head of the valley leading to Hyder- 
 abad. Even while we were speaking it is more than 
 possible that Ayub's skirmishers were silently creeping 
 along the valley and seeking cover in the vineyards to 
 their right. Of this I am tolerably convinced, as from 
 these vineyards later on came a galling fire of rifles as 
 well as artillery. 
 
 As the day began to break orderlies were sent round 
 to get the men under arms, scouts having come in to 
 say that patrols had been seen on the hills near Mai- 
 wand, and also to the left of the valley. Our regiments 
 were accordingly formed in contiguous columns, and 
 breakfast was served out to them in the ranks, while the 
 cavalry were dismounted and the infantry piled arms 
 to eat their frugal meal. Other messengers now came 
 in to say that Ayub's advanced guard had occupied 
 Maiwand. 
 
 General Burrows at once decided to advance and 
 meet them, and at 8.30 a.m. two of our guns and the 
 3rd Scinde Horse were sent out to feel them, and by 
 nine o'clock were engaged in an artillery duel with a 
 portion of Ayub's forces. Our position, had we re- 
 mained where we were encamped, was, I believe, a 
 
74 Personal Records of 
 
 much stronger one than that we subsequently took up ; 
 as the undulating ground in our front gave every cover 
 and shelter from our fire, while their guns, superior in 
 number, were posted on the heights, in front and on our 
 flank, and told with terrible effect upon our troops. 
 Still our own guns made capital practice as the Afghan 
 cavalry advanced, and succeeded for a time in checking 
 them ; but the enemy continued to push forward, and ag 
 they came out of the mouth of the valley Ayub de- 
 ployed regiment after regiment into line, showing six 
 batteries of well-handled guns in front, seven regiments 
 of infantry in centre, three others in reserve, 2000 cavalry 
 on their right, 400 mounted men and 2000 Ghazis and 
 irregular infantry on left, more cavalry and infantry in 
 reserve, and guns judiciously placed upon every piece of 
 vantage ground on the slopes of the hills around. 
 
 Meanwhile our own formation was as follows : Five 
 of our guns, commanded by Major Blackwood, were 
 placed at intervals along our front ; while on our ex- 
 treme left we had five companies of Jacob's Rifles, 
 under Colonel Mainwaring, and next to them the 66th, 
 under my poor friend Galbraith, who, with his majors, 
 Oliver and Ready, had been identified since boyhood 
 with the regiment. Then on our right we had the 1st 
 Bombay Grenadiers, commanded by Colonel Anderson, 
 as popular a leader as ever served ; while our slender 
 force of cavalry were drawn up in rear of our line and 
 told to keep as much as possible out of fire. Major^ 
 Currie commanded 300 sabres of the 3rd Light Cavalry, 
 while Colonel Malcolmson had charge of 200 sabres of 
 the 3rd Scinde Horse. In front of our line rode General 
 Burrows, attended by Colonel St. John, the Nawab 
 Hasan Ali Khan, Major Blackwood, commanding R.A., 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 75 
 
 and a small staff; with whom were Captain M'Math, 
 Brigade-Major; Captain Harris, D.A.Q.G.; Brigadier 
 Hogg, commanding Cavalry Brigade, with his brigade- 
 major, Hogg, and his orderly-officer, Lieut. Monteith. 
 
 Our position, I must honestly own, was faulty in the 
 extreme ; but it was made worse by our slight entrench- 
 ments and the old Afghan outpost, of which a handful of 
 resolute men could have made a second Houguemont. 
 Kushk-i-Nakhud, a ruined village, but offering a 
 splendid point cTappui in front of our camp, should have 
 been held by the native regiments, as the place could 
 have been entrenched in an hour, and was flanked on 
 the right by the ruined Afghan fort of which I have 
 already spoken, and which in its turn was again com- 
 manded by the spur of hill on our right, and which coign 
 of vantage, had we posted a couple of guns there, would 
 have commanded the road to Kandahar and secured us 
 at least a safe means of retreat. 
 
 What followed I will briefly relate, although it is 
 impossible not to draw a parallel between our fearful 
 disaster and that of Isandlana, the same overweening 
 confidence in our invincibility, the same contempt of an 
 unknown foe, the same attempt at scientific strategy, 
 when the simplest old-fashioned British tactics would 
 have won the day. 
 
 At half-past eight the enemy's cavalry, accompanied 
 by some guns, made a feigned demonstration upon our 
 right front, which would have been perfectly innocuous 
 had we remained in our first position. Unfortunately, 
 however, the ruse was not detected ; and our already 
 too weak force was further attenuated by the despatch 
 of two guns and a squadron of our cavalry, which were 
 drawn away by the enemy's retreat and eventually 
 
76 Personal Records of 
 
 captured. Now, as at an early hour on the morning of 
 this most fatal Tuesday, I took the messenger round to 
 Colonel St. John's tent with the important news that 
 Ayub's advanced guard had seized and occupied 
 Maiwand, only three miles from our camp at Kushk-i- 
 Nakhud, I naturally concluded that immediate orders 
 would be given to further entrench by earthworks and 
 abattis the not unfavourable position we held, and which 
 consisted of the old Afghan outpost building as a sort of 
 citadel and shelter for our baggage, stores, and wounded, 
 flanked on our right by the range of hills running from 
 the Kandahar road due north, and assisted by the old 
 Afghan fort on the sides sloping westward into the plain. 
 This position was further strengthened by the few earth- 
 works thrown up by our Sappers, whose commanding 
 officer was most anxious to complete the works he had 
 so cleverly begun. Instead of this the General at once 
 gave the order to advance against the enemy ; and 
 quitting our fairly good position, our cavalry con- 
 sisting of the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry, two squadrons 
 of the 3rd Scinde Horse, and 200 of the E B battery 
 pushed on, regardless of all the true principles of war, to 
 the cul-de-sac prepared for them by the enemy, who in 
 enormous force was feeling his way westward along the 
 slope of the hills. 
 
 It was now about 1 1 o'clock, and we had been under 
 fire for a couple of hours, but the range was too great 
 for this artillery duel to be effective on either side. At 
 the commencement of the action we were tolerably well 
 posted, having, as I before remarked, the village of 
 Kushk-i-Nakhud as a sort of advanced redoubt in our 
 front, with our right resting on and protected by the 
 old Afghan fort and the hills between it ; while on our 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 77 
 
 left was an open plain gradually increasing in undulation 
 until it reached our village, and where our cavalry could 
 have been employed with good effect. Jrlere, with our 
 camp entrenched, we could have fought an enemy ten 
 times our strength. Our guns, well posted on the slopes 
 on our right, would have commanded the main road to 
 Kandahar, while at the same time they would have en- 
 filaded any body of the enemy advancing across the 
 plain. Our cavalry, under Nuttall, should have operated 
 on the left, where the ground, although stony in parts, 
 was practicable for cleverly handled horsemen. 
 
 All these advantages were, however, for some in- 
 explicable reason, thrown away, and the order was given 
 for our line to advance and support the two guns and 
 squadron which had been already lured into the narrow 
 valley leading to the Maiwand plain. Here, again, an 
 obvious error was committed, for our rifled nine-pound- 
 ers, although few in number, had a superiority in range 
 and accuracy of fire over the smooth-bores of the Afghan 
 artillery, and this was all thrown away when we had 
 decreased the range from 2000 to 1000 yards. While 
 the enemy's concentrated fire now began to tell upon 
 our men and horses, our own rifles made splendid prac- 
 tice upon the dense masses of Ayub's infantry. This 
 was at once noticed by the Sirdar, who, pushing forward 
 some bodies of Ghazi irregulars to distract our attention, 
 led some regiments in column to within three quarters 
 of a mile of the left of our camp (where our cavalry 
 should have been), and then, taking advantage of the 
 undulating ground when sufficiently near to us, sud- 
 denly deployed his men into line, and appeared upon 
 the crest of the ridge. 
 
 General Burrows at once saw this manoeuvre, but too 
 
78 Personal Records of 
 
 late to counteract its effects. ' Tell Colonel Main- 
 waring to throw back his left companies, or he will be 
 outflanked, and send him a troop of the Scinde Horse in 
 support,' said the General, as he shut his field-glasses 
 and galloped to the right of our line, where another 
 danger was to be encountered. Ayub, seeing how 
 heavily our rifles told upon his centre, began to push 
 back our right by swarms of skirmishers, continually fed 
 by supports and assisted by three of his lighter guns, 
 which he managed, under cover of his infantry fire, to 
 place in position upon the ridge we should have occu- 
 pied on our right. The contest was now fiercely 
 maintained on both sides. Two of our guns were taken 
 and retaken, while a desperate stand was gallantly made 
 by Jacob's Rifles, but they were forced back, step by 
 step, by the weight of superior numbers, until one of our 
 guns was permanently captured and turned upon our 
 people. But this was not effected without one of the 
 bloodiest hand-to-hand struggles it has ever been my lot 
 to witness, or, I may say, to share in, as my duty called 
 me to that part of the field at this juncture, and I only 
 escaped death by the daring and devotion of poor young 
 Osborne, who fought his gun to the last. Even then I 
 noticed that many of the enemy were killed within 
 twenty yards of the muzzles of our guns. 
 
 Though this withering fire covered the space of 
 ground in our immediate front with the dying and the 
 dead, and though the thirsty sand became red with blood, 
 still these desperate enfans perdus came recklessly on. 
 Their plan of selecting the tallest and bravest fanatics as 
 standard-bearers served them on this occasion in good 
 stead, and our men were literally carried off their feet by 
 the desperate rush. In the melee Osborne had been till 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 79 
 
 now dismounted and fighting his guns on foot, but 
 seeing Major Blackwood and myself surrounded by half- 
 a-dozen Ghazis slashing at us with their tulwars, he 
 called to his orderly for his horse, a big and powerful 
 charger, flung himself into the saddle, and dashed to our 
 rescue, and where the fight seemed the thickest. The im- 
 petus of his charge burst through the living wall of tur- 
 baned swordsmen surrounding us, and as Osborne slashed 
 his way through the mass our gun was limbered up, and 
 hurriedly galloped two hundred or more yards to the 
 rear, where, upon a knoll, it reopened fire with effect, 
 while a random shot struck down the young gallant 
 gunner as he was wheeling round to rescue the other 
 gun. 
 
 Meanwhile the 66th, in our centre, had alternately 
 been ordered to advance and lie down, thus pushing back 
 the enemy, and then escaping the mitraille that rained 
 from the Afghan shells. In the rear of the centre of 
 their line rode Galbraith, keeping his men well in hand, 
 and giving now and then a cheering word to his gallant 
 fellows, who were moving as steadily as if on parade. 
 
 'Spare your ammunition, my lads!' cried the 
 Colonel, conspicuous, unfortunately, on an iron-grey 
 Arab, and dressed in his full uniform. * Fire low and 
 steadily, and presently the cold steel ! ' A sudden 
 charge upon our right centre was now checked by 
 Captain Ready, commanding the flank company, by his 
 bringing up his * left shoulders ' and delivering a volley 
 at 200 yards. With great difficulty Ready prevented 
 his men, elated by success, from dashing after the 
 Afghan infantry sent to support their horsemen. But 
 this success was, unfortunately, but a momentary one. 
 When our centre was again ordered to advance, it should 
 
8o Personal Records of 
 
 have been evident to a practised eye that the retreat of 
 the enemy in our front was merely a ruse to lure us on 
 to a position where our flanks could be threatened on 
 either side. Meanwhile, as our centre moved forward, 
 our right and left flanks were weakened and compelled 
 to fall back, and our position became that of a two-sided 
 angle, the apex being the 66th, and the sides the native 
 regiments, already terribly galled from the artillery 
 which Ayub had succeeded in placing on the hills 
 right and left. These heights were now bristling with 
 armed men, and a heavy fire was opened upon us from 
 every salient point (which we ourselves should have 
 occupied and held). It was to no purpose that General 
 Burrows now threw out flanking parties to skirmish up 
 the hills and to dislodge the enemy, who, well supported 
 by his guns in good position, could not be driven away. 
 Moving swiftly along the ridges the irregulars of the 
 enemy suddenly swooped down upon our baggage- 
 guard, holding the walled enclosure of which I have 
 spoken, and consisting of one company from each 
 infantry regiment. Suddenly appearing in great num- 
 bers, these Ghazis fell furiously upon our rear guard, and 
 for a time our people, being suddenly assailed, were in 
 considerable disorder. But the presence of the company 
 of the ' Old Berkshires ' fortunately brought back the 
 native troops to a sense of duty, and restored the confi- 
 dence which for a little while had forsaken the Grena- 
 diers and Jacob's Rifles. Roberts and Lynch, 66th, 
 rallied their men so energetically that for a time our 
 baggage and stores were saved, although more than 100 
 men were killed and wounded, including Captain 
 Roberts, who fell sword in hand over the bodies of half- 
 a-dozen fanatics he had cut or shot down. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. Si 
 
 It was now two o'clock, and the British centre re- 
 mained unshaken, but at the same time unsupported on 
 either flank. Galbraith was still encouraging his men 
 and keeping them steady with their fire, which we could 
 see told with effect upon the Afghan centre, which was 
 now nearly pierced. Within five minutes the Colonel 
 had received three bullets from the rifles of the foe, who 
 seemed to mark him out for special attack. One rifle 
 ball had cut the crupper of his saddle, and another had 
 passed through his horse's mane, close behind the ears. 
 I had at this time been sent by General Burrows 
 with a message to Colonel Galbraith, just as his adjutant 
 had called his attention to these shots, and was begging 
 him to dismount. Galbraith replied, ' No, my dear 
 fellow ; duty tells me my men should see their colonel, 
 as they always see him on parade, mounted and con- 
 spicuous, not only to his men but to the enemy.' 
 
 I have said how Ayub saw the weak point in our 
 armour, and how he at once brought round a couple of 
 guns to enfilade us (supported by his horsemen) on our 
 right, and how his picked regiments of infantry had 
 been moved up behind the cover of these guns to make 
 a dash upon our weakest flank. Galbraith, early on the 
 day of this hour of tarnished glory to our arms, had seen 
 this error on our part, and had begged to be allowed to 
 send a couple of companies of his regiment and two 
 guns to hold this important point. But all was in vain. 
 The ground we should have held was abandoned to the 
 foe, and our men were assailed from the very point 
 where we should have galled and thrown back the 
 enemy. While this manoeuvre was being carried out 
 by Ayub, our cavalry and artillery being, I must 
 own, somewhat badly posted suffered severely, while 
 
 G 
 
8 2 Personal Records of 
 
 Galbraith, an officer of much Indian experience, made 
 his men again lie down to avoid the terribly hot fire, 
 which now from rifle and smooth-bore, from nine and 
 twelve -pounders, poured its shells upon us. At this 
 time, half-past two, all I could see of our position was as 
 follows : Our cavalry and artillery were doing but little, 
 being in both cases terribly outnumbered by the enemy, 
 who rained shot and shell upon us until the horrors of 
 Sedan seemed again on a smaller scale to be revived. 
 We had been lured from our entrenchments ; not alto- 
 gether, however, by the impetuosity of our young troops, 
 but I must say by the express orders of our own General, 
 who, brave as a lion under fire, and excellent to perfec- 
 tion as a despatch writer and an office man, was certainly 
 not the man for this terrible crisis. 
 
 'Oh, for one hour of Roberts !' cried out one of the 
 subalterns, as, with boy-like insouciance, he lit a cigarette 
 and felt his six-shooter and his sword. 'We are in a 
 mess ; but a man who could handle troops like old 
 Oakes, or Sayer, or Val. Baker, would soon get us out of 
 this rat-trap!' 
 
 'Right you are, Jemmy!' said his comrade ; * it's low 
 water with us now ! ' 
 
 * Come, my lads, limber up, and move her ten or 
 twelve paces to the right ; let's have another round or 
 two before they come at us ! ' 
 
 Thus said my little friend, a gunner, whose name I 
 will not mention, as he is now missing, and we hope 
 may come in. 
 
 About three p.m., the enemy having lured our 
 General on as far as he conceived necessary, delivered, 
 I must say with judgment, his final attack. The 66th 
 alone of all our force had from the first not only held 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 83 
 
 their own, but had pushed steadily on, piercing like a 
 Spartan or Theban phalanx the clouds of horse and foot 
 that yelled and shouted on all sides. Galbraith on the 
 gallant grey horse, his helmet dashed off by the warded 
 blow of a tulwar, whose owner paid dearly for the abor- 
 tive stroke, cheering on his men with the same full 
 ringing voice that encouraged the regimental pack of 
 beagles to follow up ' poor pussy ' in English country 
 quarters ; long ' Tom Oliver,' master of the revels at 
 many a festive gathering in English or Indian garrison ; 
 * Ready, always Ready/ as he was called by Sir Hope 
 Grant ; and all the young subs whose highest ambition 
 was to live and die in the ' Berkshires ;' all were forcing 
 the gallant old corps, ' shoulder to shoulder ' and ' touch 
 to touch,' through the dense mass of turbaned Ghazis 
 and the lurid light of blazing gunpowder that lit up the 
 terrible slopes from which so few would return. 
 
 Once more General Burrows did all that a defeated 
 man could do to retrieve the day, and had one more 
 English battalion been near at hand fortune might have 
 changed to our side. Galbraith and Oliver, finding 
 themselves alone with their four companies on this 
 terrible ridge, swept from right to left with thirty guns, 
 pointed and placed I may say by no Afghan gunners, 
 saw that their only chance was to retire upon what had 
 been our camp. In the midst of a feu d'enfer and a 
 galling fire from 4000 rifles, fortunately ill aimed and 
 worse sighted, these splendid 400 bayonets commenced 
 to retire, and this was done by the old manoeuvre of 
 alternate wings, the Colonel commanding one and Major 
 Oliver the second. Twice did Ayub's cavalry come at 
 them. Twice did those cheery accents ring out, ' On 
 the centre sections ! form square ! Prepare for cavalry ! ' 
 
84 Personal Records of 
 
 'Ready!' 'Ay!' Ready it was, and as the sheet of 
 flame glistened forth from the low line of bronzed level 
 tubes many a proud and glittering horseman bit the 
 dust, and gnawed the earth in death agony in front of 
 those adamantine squares ! Twice was I sent by the 
 General to the 66th, and twice had I barely time to 
 gallop to the bristling shelter of our 'Berkshire bayonets,' 
 as the Colonel jocosely called my haven. 
 
 But the day wore on, and our men were falling fast. 
 Our whole force was now ordered (too late) to retreat 
 towards our camp ; the left, where Jacob's Rifles and 
 our two guns were posted, was in complete disorder, and 
 the 66th alone checked the fury of our assailants, but 
 the skeleton companies of the fine old corps alone came 
 back. Galbraith fell leading on the rear guard while 
 covering a glorious retreat against overwhelming odds. 
 Oliver was badly hit. Ready was struck in the side, 
 and a dozen more are still missing, whom we dare scarce 
 hope to see again. After we had fallen back about half 
 a mile from the fatal ridge the enemy further developed 
 his attack, advancing not only on our flanks but on all 
 sides, although the rifles of the 66th still told heavily. 
 But a force held in reserve came suddenly from behind 
 the hills, and, being supported by the Ghazis in front 
 and by Ayub's infantry on our left, Jacob's Rifles, 
 which were guarding that flank, were completely rolled 
 up, and retreated in rear of the 66th, carrying in their 
 rush the band and colours of the regiment. 
 
 ' For Heaven's sake, my children, form square and 
 steadily !' cried out Colonel Anderson of the Grenadiers. 
 ' Keep steady, and it will all be right,' he added in 
 Hindostani. 
 
 But this was too late. 'Too late !' The Grenadiers 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 85 
 
 scarcely hear their leader's cry. They are borne back 
 by the wave of battle and the shields of the Ghazis 
 upon the still unbroken ranks of the 66th, whose colonel 
 was last seen galloping the gallant grey upon the swords 
 and bayonets of the Afghan corps in his front ! Oliver, 
 the major, still remained, and as we were borne away by 
 the tide of our horsemen, who now swooped down upon 
 us, we could see the remnants of the 66th, Jacob's Rifles, 
 and the Grenadiers, making a desperate rally in the 
 walled enclosure where we had left our sick and stores 
 (fortunately moved early in the action). Our infantry 
 had now become separated from the cavalry and artil- 
 lery, and were followed into the walled enclosure and 
 the vineyards, where some desperate hand-to-hand ^ 
 fighting took place. The cavalry, which had been so 
 uselessly decoyed away in the morning, now came back, / 
 but could do nothing to aid us, as the retreat had be- 
 come general, and only our remaining guns and horse- 
 men were enabled to keep any sort of formation. Of 
 the horrors of that night I will tell you to-morrow, if my 
 arm will allow. 
 
 AFTER THE BATTLE HORRORS OF THE NIGHT RETREAT. 
 
 Hospital^ Kandahar , July 31. 
 
 IN my hurriedly written letter of yesterday I en- 
 deavoured to describe what I saw during our disas- 
 trous engagement of the 2/th, and in my version I 
 ventured to point out the causes which, in the opinion 
 of those who were actors in the scene, led to the terrible 
 disgrace thrown upon our arms, a reverse so discreditable 
 
86 Personal Records of 
 
 to our military history perhaps unparalleled in army re- 
 cords. To say that our brigade was 'annihilated,' for 
 such was the term employed in the first telegrams sent 
 away from here, would perhaps be somewhat of an ex- 
 aggeration, but I may distinctly say that never was a 
 defeat more crushing or more complete, and it is im- 
 possible to deny the bitter fact that from first to last we 
 were out-ma nceuvred by Ayub, who not only chose a 
 position we should have occupied, but lured us from the 
 one we had taken into an ambush, where his guns had 
 the best of ours, where his cavalry had the advantage, 
 and where his infantry were better handled than our own. 
 These are sad and humiliating truths, but it would be 
 idle and useless to try to extenuate their existence. 
 
 At about half-past three o'clock in the afternoon our 
 defeat was complete, and the survivors of our brigade 
 that is to say, the remnants of our three infantry and 
 two cavalry regiments were hurled into a confused mass 
 of fugitives, endeavouring to gain the shelter of the 
 walled enclosure, where in the morning our sick, 
 wounded, and stores were placed. This place I have 
 described to you as an oblong walled enclosure, about 
 80 yards long by 60 broad, and with stoutly built mud 
 walls some 20 feet in height. Here Major Oliver made 
 an attempt to rally his men, while General Burrows, with 
 great gallantry, tried to collect and form the handful of 
 our Sepoy regiments who had not fled from the field. 
 Here Colonel Anderson, of the Grenadiers, made a 
 desperate effort, with half-a-dozen brave fellows of his 
 corps, to hold the gateway to the enclosure ; while 
 Captain Dick, who had charge of the commissariat 
 stores, had made a sort of banquette of wooden cases and 
 casks, from which our men were enabled to fire over the 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 87 
 
 walls. To this piece of forethought I believe we owe 
 the short and partly effective stand we made at this 
 building, for it enabled us to check the advance of our 
 pursuers, while the scattered debris of our battalions 
 were making some formation inside. Here at least 
 were the colours of the 66th, and those of the Bom- 
 bay Grenadiers, still intact, and here were Colonel 
 Mainwaring, Colonel Griffiths, Major Oliver, Lieuts. 
 Whittuck and Lynch, Captain Mayne, and Lieut. Reid, 
 all, or nearly all, wounded, but gallantly getting their 
 men to rally and re-form and cover the retreat. Out- 
 side this species of 'laager' some of the cavalry were still 
 maintaining a hand-to-hand fight with the Afghan horse- 
 men, who with fierce yells dashed themselves upon the 
 thinned files of our men. In the midst of this confused 
 mass of turbaned horsemen we could see the white 
 helmet and streaming puggaree of Geoghegan, of the 
 3rd Cavalry, with two officers, whose faces were so 
 blackened by powder that we could not distinguish 
 them, and these gallant fellows, with a mere handful 
 of their men, were making a desperate attempt tb cut 
 through their assailants, while we dared not fire in their 
 direction lest we might injure our own people. 
 
 Meanwhile our ammunition was fast failing, and by 
 the General's orders we slackened our fire, only delivering 
 a shot or two when the enemy became massed and near 
 enough to afford a certain mark for our rifles. Flaunting 
 their standards, and with frantic yells and demoniac 
 gestures, the standard-bearers ran in front of the serried 
 masses of our foes, whom, however, we still managed 
 to hold in check with our feeble fire. 
 
 ' Had we but a couple of guns en barbette, and plenty 
 of shrapnel, we could hold them at bay for a time,' said 
 
88 Personal Records of 
 
 a voice close to my ear, as a shell was thrown short of 
 our range, and which burst outside, killing some of our 
 enemies. I turned and saw the speaker, a lad only 
 lately joined from Woolwich ; and even as he spoke, 
 while loading a carbine he had picked up, he fell back, 
 shot through the shoulder, into my arms! The banquette^ 
 so well improvised by our thoughtful commissariat 
 officer, was invaluable to us at this juncture, as it 
 enabled our men to fire well over the wall without 
 being much exposed to the fire of the enemy. Inside 
 a portion of the faces, however, were here and there 
 some round-topped native huts, probably used in former 
 times as barrack accommodation for the soldiers of the 
 outpost. 
 
 ' If a ditch and parapet had been thrown up in front 
 of this place, and we had held it as the centre of our 
 position,' said Oliver, ' we could have licked these 
 fellows ! ' 
 
 Meanwhile the Afghan horsemen swarmed in in- 
 creased masses over the hills, and their leaders saw the 
 remnants of our infantry cut off from our place of 
 refuge in the laager. Their squadrons were on the 
 hills skirting one side of the pass, while a few of our 
 cavalry sfill held the opposite declivity. Currie, with 
 a few files of his gallant Scinde horse, sees the Afghan 
 cavalry forming to attack, and, thank Heaven ! casts 
 behind him all thought of shunning the encounter. At 
 the head of his small band of sturdy horsemen, few, 
 indeed, in number, but splendidly mounted, he 'goes 
 for' his enemy. The Afghan leader, a tall, gold- 
 embroidered fellow, evidently of high rank, accepts the 
 challenge. At his side rides the bearer of the blue 
 and gold standard we had so often noticed during the 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 89 
 
 day. Suddenly reining in his horse he tears the 
 white lunghi from his head, stands erect in his stirrups, 
 and points to Currie's devoted little band 'Follow 
 me!' we can almost hear him cry, as slowly, but 
 steadily, our Scinde horsemen advance. The English 
 officers lead on the men as steadily as on parade, while 
 we can see the serrefiles in rear, keeping the line from 
 wavering as they descend the slopes. Currie increases 
 his pace, from a trot to a gallop, and then, at the proper 
 moment, his trumpet rings out the charge. 
 
 'Well done ! Well done !' we shout from our walls, 
 as we see the white line of Afghan horsemen pierced 
 like a paper wall by our gallant soldiers and rolled 
 over by scores in the melee! 
 
 ' Shabash ! Shabash ! Chi Roostmany ! ' (' Bravo ! 
 bravo! Worthy of Roostum himself!') our Sepoys 
 shout as they see the splendid charge of their comrades. 
 For a short time the progress of the struggle was 
 lost to sight by the gazers from our wall, but soon the 
 quick rattle of musketry, the booming of heavy artillery, 
 and the clouds of dust against the clear sky, told that 
 the Afghan infantry had covered the retreat of their 
 horsemen. The tide of victory still flowed on with 
 the Afghan troops, although a charge was now and 
 then still made by our horse to check their pursuit, 
 and enable our refugees to cross the plain and gain the 
 road. Meanwhile the Afghan cavalry in increased 
 masses issued from the hollows in the ground where 
 they had lain in ambush, and spreading themselves 
 over the open country chased our flying infantry across 
 the plain, while the few unfortunate wretches who had 
 taken refuge towards the centre of the valley, and 800 
 yards from the road, at the musjid, or tomb of an 
 
9O Personal Records of 
 
 Afghan saint, were surrounded and slaughtered to a 
 man. Wherever a few of our soldiers, European or 
 Indian, appeared, the terrible Afghan horse streamed 
 across the plain and swept upon their quarry. Mean- 
 while, as our own fire was obliged to slacken from 
 scarcity of ammunition, that of the enemy, upon the 
 hills overlooking our enclosed building, now became 
 hot and galling, and General Burrows determined to 
 make one final effort to bring off the shattered rem- 
 nants of what once was a brigade; but our fire having 
 slackened, the Ghazis were emboldened to try conclu- 
 sions at close quarters, and about half-past four a 
 determined rush was made upon the northern and 
 eastern faces of our building, and a desperate hand-to- 
 hand struggle inside our walls took place. Our officers 
 stood upon the walls like brave men, and as the Ghazis 
 attempted to carry our position by storm they hurled 
 down upon them huge masses of stone from the tops of 
 the walls. Still on they came, and in a few moments 
 we were grappling these lithe and sinewy fanatics by 
 their throats and beards, and knives and bayonets 
 contended in deadly clash. Twice did we beat them 
 back, hurling their bodies alive and dead over our 
 shelter walls, while the shouts of defiance given by our 
 men were met by yells of rage from our assailing hordes. 
 But suddenly a ray of hope gleamed upon us when we 
 saw that one of our guns had escaped, and with its 
 detachment had mounted to a position overlooking 
 our road, and was about to open fire upon the Afghans 
 below. Here it so happened the enemy had no artillery, 
 and our one gun, nobly worked, told for a time with 
 terrible effect upon the masses beneath. But after a few 
 rounds poured in as quickly us the piece could be 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 9 r 
 
 loaded, the vent became so heated by continued firing 
 that it became unserviceable. As soon, therefore, as the 
 firing ceased the gallant gunners were compelled to 
 abandon their weapon, which with its companion fell 
 into the hands of our enemy. 
 
 I have said that the nature of the ground was most 
 unfavourable to our people, as between us and the brow 
 of the hill there were undulations and rising ground 
 which prevented us from seeing the movements of the 
 foe. But from our walls we could now see a party of 
 Ghazis crawling from the gorge up the hillside, ready to 
 rush down with fury upon our entrenchment. This un- 
 expected danger seemed to strike a panic into the heart 
 of our Sepoys, who now clamoured to be led forth and 
 no longer to be penned in for slaughter. General 
 Burrows who, whatever may be said of his merits or 
 demerits as a leader in the moment of danger, behaved 
 like an English officer, and stood with iron courage in 
 the midst of the thickest fire vainly called on these 
 men to take example by the 66th and remain steady. 
 Finding the panic increasing, and deeming it possible it 
 might communicate to the 66th, the General decided to 
 make a retreat along the road to Kandahar at all 
 hazards, rather than we should be cut down where we 
 stood. 
 
 Nothing, however, could now infuse courage into the 
 panic-stricken native regiments, and their efforts to get 
 first through the gateway partially defeated our General's 
 attempt to restore some sort of order into our retreat. 
 Our cavalry, however, outside still charged the enemy, 
 and the artillerymen still stuck to their single gun. Two 
 we saw cut down beside it ; a third had his brains blown 
 out by a matchlock ; a fourth, when the Ghazis rushed 
 
92 Personal Records of 
 
 upon it, clung to the wheels to prevent it being carried 
 off, and only escaped death by the bravery of his officer, 
 Major Blackwood, at that time badly wounded, and 
 than whom not a better soldier or a braver man ever 
 served the Queen. The gun was lost, and then all was 
 confused and disastrous flight. All, however, was not 
 yet lost. General Burrows ordered the halt to be 
 sounded, and part of the flying regiment had the sense 
 to see that their only hope of safety was in keeping 
 together and fighting their way through the foe. The 
 few remaining officers reformed them, and the Ghazis 
 for a time shrunk from the aspect of the 66th bayonets. 
 Meanwhile the enemy's cavalry on the plain had 
 been thrown into some confusion by the fall of their 
 leader. How or when he fell I cannot say, but it was 
 generally believed that he was killed by a shot from our 
 gun ; but at all events his loss seemed for a time to 
 paralyse the movements of his horsemen, who allowed 
 us, almost unmolested, to march as far as the road, 
 along which our retreat was again covered by two 
 brilliant charges of our cavalry, who thereby, however, 
 lost considerably. At this moment we believed we 
 should be able to bring off the remnant of our force 
 with something like order, but the lull was not for long. 
 The enemy returned from looting our camp, recruited 
 by fresh hordes whom they met coming over the hills, 
 and again this increasing mass poured itself upon our 
 little column, and once more a wave of furious Ghazis 
 burst through our ranks and scattered our men like 
 sheep. Even the 66th now began to lose heart, and to 
 cower between the fire of the jezails. Again the Afghan 
 horse, seizing the opportunity, dashed upon our re- 
 treating force, and in a short time friend and foe, Sepoy 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 93 
 
 and Afghan, were mixed up in inextricable confusion. 
 In one confused mass European and native, officer and 
 private, old and young, brave and coward, fled rapidly 
 along the road. The General and his staff watched 
 their flight with dismay, and strove in vain to stay it 
 and to rally the fugitives. The enemy at one part of 
 the causeway were so completely mixed up with our 
 men that their guns, fortunately for us, ceased to fire, 
 and the conflict was confined to knife and bayonet, 
 sword and lance. With some considerable difficulty, 
 General Burrows, assisted by Major Oliver, formed some 
 sort of advanced and rear guard, and placed some of the 
 camels and baggage in the centre of our column, with 
 orders to keep the formation, and allow no one to 
 fall out or impede the march. It was necessary to pro- 
 tect the camels, mules, and ponies, on account of the 
 assistance they could afford to the wounded. The main 
 body, under General Burrows, with its string of baggage- 
 laden cattle, then began to move out along the road, 
 while the rear guard, under Major Oliver, manned the 
 walls of the bazaar, and looked down upon a scene of 
 uproar and confusion such as no imagination can con- 
 ceive. The enemy, however, were not idle, and, when- 
 ever an opportunity occurred, dashed in among the 
 baggage, cutting down the helpless camp-followers and 
 helping themselves to whatever they could. 
 
 The road was soon slippery with blood. From the 
 opening in the enclosure we had left to the small cause- 
 way built across the watercourse by the road streamed 
 one long tide of endless humanity, from which arose 
 shouts, yells, and oaths, the bellowings of the camels, 
 the curses of the mule-drivers, the lamentations of the 
 Sepoys, and the savage yells of the Ghazis, rising loud 
 
94 Personal Records of 
 
 above all. By some terrible fatality the road indicated 
 by the General the upper one was not taken, and the 
 lower, or ' main road/ as it is called, which was followed, 
 is utterly without water at this season of the year. All 
 our efforts to turn them away from this route were 
 unavailing, and the consequences were even worse than 
 we anticipated. 
 
 Not until two hours after we had started from our 
 entrenchments did we commence to realise the helpless 
 nature of our condition. We had been under arms since 
 daylight, about four a.m., and it was now six p.m. We 
 had been marching and fighting against an overwhelming 
 enemy since nine a.m., and had been thoroughly beaten, 
 leaving about one half of our force killed upon the field, 
 with two of our guns lost, and the colours of the 66th 
 and Bombay Grenadiers taken. Nearly all our ammu- 
 nition was captured ; in fact, all that was saved was what 
 the men were enabled to carry with them from the field. 
 We had been savagely attacked on leaving our entrench- 
 ments, and how we escaped annihilation is yet a mystery. 
 In two hours we had only accomplished about six miles 
 of our wretched journey, as we had to face about and 
 defend ourselves at every bend or turn of the road, and 
 it was impossible not to see and foretell in the horrors 
 that we saw around us the fate that might yet be in 
 store for ourselves. 
 
 In the front, most of their horses bleeding and 
 wounded, rode Colonel Mainwaring, commanding the 
 advanced guard, Major River, and Colonel Griffith ; 
 while in the centre was General Burrows, doing all he 
 could to cheer and keep up the courage of the men. 
 With him were Lieut. Lynch, wounded ; Captain Grant, 
 wounded ; Major Vench, and Drs. Burrows and Eaton, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 95 
 
 while Colonel St. John overtook us further on. With 
 the rear guard, if such it could be called, were Brigadier 
 Nuttall and the remnants of his cavalry, Lieut. Whittuck, 
 Lieut. Geoghegan, and Major River. Finding it impos- 
 sible to turn back the confused mass of fugitives from 
 the road they had chosen, General Burrows decided that 
 it was better to stay with them than to divide the force, 
 although he knew that the want of water would add 
 terribly to their pitiable position on the march. As we 
 moved silently and sadly along the road soon became 
 strewn with dying* wretches worn out by fatigue and 
 devoured by a burning thirst that added frenzy to their 
 sufferings. Strong men and weak lads alike abandoned 
 themselves to despair, and lay themselves down rather 
 than attempt a further struggle with the ruthless foe. 
 Had we known more of the locality, it would have been 
 better to have kept more to our right, and in a few miles 
 we should have struck across the Argandab river, where 
 we could have, perhaps, crossed and obtained refuge 
 from the enemy and water for our people and cattle. 
 But it was fated otherwise, and we were obliged to 
 follow the stream. Meanwhile we longed for safety 
 and darkness of the night, but when it came it was 
 one of suffering and horror. Order and method be- 
 came less and less as we advanced through the gloom ; 
 corps and regiments were mixed up anyhow and any- 
 where. Soldiers and camp-followers were huddled toge- 
 ther, when, for a few uneasy moments, we halted in one 
 inextricable mass of moaning and agonised humanity. 
 Horses, mostly wounded or lame, with their tongues 
 fevered and blistering with thirst, camels, baggage- 
 ponies, and mules, were mixed up confusedly together. 
 Nothing could be done to restore order or arrangement, 
 
96 Personal Records of 
 
 and the wounded and weary wretches, man and brute, 
 lay down to sleep, never, in most cases, to rise again. 
 After two very brief halts during the night, on both 
 of which we were overtaken and attacked by the Afghan 
 horse, we reached Hoaz-i-Madad Khan, a distance little 
 short of sixteen miles from our fatal battle-ground at 
 Kushk-i-Nakhud. As we marched, or rather draggled, 
 through the villages of this district, the enemy, taking 
 advantage of the dawn just breaking again, pressed down 
 upon our rear and flanks, and here Nuttall delivered 
 a splendid charge with the few sabres he had left. 
 Hearing the sound of hoofs along the road in our 
 rear he took advantage of some friendly vineyards 
 skirting the path, and posted fifty of his best men on 
 the least tired horses in ambush to fall upon our pursuers. 
 The plot answered capitally, for, as the Afghans sighted 
 our last retreating file and a lagging camel or two laden 
 with baggage, they quickened the pace to a gallop and 
 came at us. To their utter astonishment our files opened 
 and let them pass, and then as the last horseman went 
 through we drew up, front rank kneeling, across the 
 road, which was bounded on either side by high rocks 
 impassable for cavalry, and, having fixed bayonets, gave 
 them a volley. As they attempted to get away by the 
 flank towards the vineyards they were suddenly charged 
 by Nuttall and his fifty horsemen, and cut down almost 
 to a man. But this was only a temporary success, as 
 five miles further on, where we debouched into a plain, 
 the enemy again overtook us in the open, and pressed 
 hardly upon our rear, seizing most of our baggage and 
 cutting up the wretched camp-followers, who were too 
 overcome with fatigue and thirst to fly. Our soldiers, 
 however, even now weary almost unto death, feeble, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 97 
 
 wounded, famished, and driven almost mad with thirst, 
 still made a gallant stand against the fierce charge of 
 the Afghan horsemen. 
 
 Still the pursuit continued, and as our people became 
 more enfeebled and despondent the confusion around far 
 exceeded that of the previous night men, horses, camels, 
 ponies, without shelter from the guns and tulwars of the 
 enemy, without water, without food, without ammuni- 
 tion ! The road over which we passed was covered with 
 plundered and torn baggage, with dead cattle, and with 
 stiffened corpses. My spirit of discipline was indeed 
 shocked to see that our men were becoming more like 
 wild beasts than human beings. Worn out myself with 
 fatigue, covered with blood, and suffering severe pain 
 from my wound received early in the day, I should have 
 fallen from my horse had not the wounded man I was 
 carrying en croupe caught me in his arms. Ten miles 
 from Kandahar the General, with two of the staff, rode 
 on to report the disaster to General Primrose, and from 
 the time he started we suffered no further molestation 
 from our pursuers, who probably thought that a force 
 might be sent from Kandahar to help us on our way. 
 When we reached the walls of the city on the morning 
 of the 28th the following officers were killed or missing: 
 Colonel Galbraith, Captain M'Wrath, Captain Garrett, 
 Captain Cullen, Captain Roberts, Major Blackwood, 
 Captain Heath, Lieutenants Hen, Rayner, Chute, Honey- 
 wood, Barr, Osborne, Owen, Hinde, Whitby, Justice, Cole, 
 Astlett, Maclaine (we have since heard taken prisoner) ; 
 while our wounded were Dr. Preston, Colonel Anderson, 
 Major Iredell, Captains Mayne, Grant, and Lieutenants 
 Lynch, Fowell, and Reid. Those who reached Kandahar 
 I have already named. 
 
 H 
 
98 Personal Records of 
 
 Meanwhile my wound is going on favourably, though 
 at first amputation was suggested, but, thanks to a good 
 doctor and a capital soldier-nurse, I am in a fair way to 
 be in the saddle, they tell me, in a fortnight or three 
 weeks. I may say, in conclusion, that neither General 
 Haines nor General Primrose had any share in General 
 Burrows' ill-starred expedition. It was planned and 
 devised at Simla, and him illce lachrymce. Playing chess 
 by telegraph may succeed, but making war and planning 
 a campaign on the Helmund from the cool shades of 
 breezy Simla is an experiment which will not, I hope, 
 be repeated. 
 
 STATE OF THE KANDAHAR GARRISON AFTER MAIWAND. 
 
 Kandahar, Aug. 7. 
 
 IN my despatch to you of the 3oth ult. I had barely 
 time to tell you some of the horrors we witnessed and 
 endured during the night after the battle of the 2/th. 
 On comparing notes with several of my comrades who 
 survived the slaughter for I can call it nothing else I 
 find that what I witnessed was but a part of the terrors 
 of the pursuit. In describing the battle I find, on com- 
 paring my account with that of others who fought in 
 different portions of the field, that I have made a few 
 omissions which I can now supply. I have stated, on 
 what I believe to be the best authority, that General 
 Burrows, before the battle, was in almost daily receipt 
 of telegraphic orders, which left him little freedom of 
 independent judgment ; and I now know that he was so 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 99 
 
 trammelled by instructions of a contradictory nature 
 that he had much excuse for the indecision he displayed, 
 and the ignorance under which he laboured as to the 
 movements and position of his enemy, who should never 
 have been allowed to cross the Helmund. The retreat 
 from that river, where a formidable position could have 
 been held by our troops, was ordered by telegram, and 
 in consequence we lost all clue to Ayub's movements, 
 until too late to meet him, except, as it proved, to dis- 
 advantage and defeat. At the Helmund, and after our 
 retreat therefrom, our cavalry made daily patrols over a 
 circuit of fifteen or twenty miles ; but these were, for 
 some cause or another, discontinued, and while Ayub, 
 through his spies in the villages, was day by day kept 
 au courant with our movements, we remained completely 
 in the dark as to his. Even after our retreat from the 
 Helmund we had the choice of several splendid positions 
 near Maiwand, three miles from Kushk-i-Nakhud, but 
 none of these were taken, and we were encamped in a 
 sort of cul-de-sac, surrounded on three sides by eminences 
 affording every concealment to our enemy, who was 
 thus enabled to mask his attack and enfilade us with his 
 superior artillery. Of the gallantry of General Burrows 
 I have not sufficiently spoken. Wherever the fighting was 
 most desperate there he was to be found, and while two 
 horses were shot under him he escaped without a wound, 
 and was enabled, during the terrible night retreat, to save 
 more than one wounded man by placing him en croupe 
 upon his horse. 
 
 I am glad to correct my first account of our losses 
 by telling you that stragglers kept coming in from time 
 to time during the days following the fight, who have 
 considerably reduced the number of our casualties, 
 
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 which may now be set down about one third less than 
 at first stated. I have so frequently alluded to the 
 paucity of officers in our native regiments that I need 
 not dwell upon this want, but the action of the 2/th 
 clearly demonstrates the folly of the present staff-corps 
 system. Had Jacob's Rifles been officered up to their 
 full complement, there is every reason to believe they 
 would have made a better stand in front of the foe. As 
 it was, they, having lost their leaders, gave way to panic, 
 and, being completely demoralised, were driven in con- 
 fusion upon the flank of the 66th, who up to that time 
 were gallantly holding the enemy in check. Seven miles 
 west of Kandahar, on the Herat road, is Kokeran, and 
 here a small force, fortunately for us, had come out from 
 Kandahar to meet and succour our fugitives, and with 
 their assistance our further retreat was covered, until, 
 almost dead with fatigue and thirst, we managed to 
 reach the Herat gate of the city. 
 
 Meanwhile along the road between Kokeran and 
 Kandahar the sun rose upon a long string of stiffened 
 corpses, and the ghastly remains of those who had fallen 
 out from sheer exhaustion. One paramount desire to 
 escape death animated those who still pressed on, though 
 all order was lost, and soldiers and camp-followers, men 
 and officers, mules and baggage - animals, guns and 
 ammunition-carts, pushed on confusedly to the front. 
 Surging backwards and forwards, this seething, bleeding, 
 dust-stained mass of humanity, made up principally of 
 the miserable crowd of camp-followers, who, in their 
 agony and terror, overwhelmed the handful of the 66th, 
 who were still showing a bold front, gave a mark to 
 the enemy, which they took advantage of with their 
 long jezails from the neighbouring cliffs. 
 
the Kandahar Campa ign . i o i 
 
 On the arrival of the first batch of our broken 
 column at Kandahar, principally, I may say, composed 
 of native camp-followers, their terror-stricken faces and 
 their accounts of the disaster spread a panic through the 
 city, and in the confusion that ensued sentries deserted 
 their posts, men ran away from their guard -rooms, 
 public offices and stores were abandoned, and the im- 
 pression gained ground that the foe was at the gates of 
 the city. 250 of our cavalry, and two guns of our horse 
 artillery meanwhile protected our rear, under Generals 
 Burrows and Nuttall, who used all their energies to save 
 the wounded stragglers by placing them, as they fell 
 exhausted, on the guns and baggage-ponies which were 
 left. 
 
 It was well for us that Burrows and Nuttall behaved 
 as they did, and sought to retrieve with the sacrifice of 
 their own lives the fortunes of this piteous day. A 
 large body of Ghazis had climbed to a crag overlooking 
 the portion of the road where our rear guard determined 
 to make their last stand. On the summit of this almost 
 inaccessible crag they had got one of their lighter guns 
 in position. Large bodies of these fanatics, each with a 
 distinguishing standard, and each under a different 
 leader, continued to swarm along these heights, which 
 in a measure formed a sort of amphitheatre to the road 
 where our men were halted. Their shells crashed into 
 our disordered masses, inflicting terrible loss, while we 
 were utterly unable to return their fire, as a deep ravine 
 protected them from our rifles. At all hazards it was 
 determined to dislodge the foe, and Major Oliver, of the 
 66th, volunteered to attempt this feat. Taking but fifty 
 men, he gallantly ascended the heights, the nature of 
 the ground preventing his being seen until he had 
 
IO2 Personal Records of 
 
 gained a footing with his devoted band not more than 
 200 yards from the unprepared mob who were firing 
 upon us. In spite of the hot fire from their jezails, 
 our men still held the angle of the road, and found 
 sufficient cover in an old half -ruined fort to make 
 arrangements for the carriage of the wounded on 
 baggage-ponies and the few mules we had now left. 
 Oliver and his men had meanwhile crowned the 
 heights, and got a lodgment behind some rocks which 
 formed the key of the enemy's position. All had rushed 
 after their leader with the most impetuous gallantry, 
 and eager to avenge the loss of their favourite Colonel, 
 killed on the previous evening. As the caps of our 
 ' Berkshires ' appeared upon the ledge of rocks to the 
 right of where the enemy was posted, and as they 
 dashed at the Ghazi standards, a ringing cheer, such as 
 Britons alone can give, went forth from our stormers, 
 whose hearts were evidently in their work, and who 
 would take no denial to what they had resolved to 
 achieve. The loud cheer of our British infantry seemed 
 to carry dismay into the Ghazi ranks, and as our fellows 
 went at them like greyhounds, with a line of living steel, 
 they turned, and would not face our bayonets. Our 
 stormers still dashed on, the standards were captured, 
 and the spot which they considered a stronghold almost 
 inaccessible was in our possession, and enabled the 
 scanty remnants of our shattered brigade to continue 
 their march almost unmolested. In this last encounter, 
 General Burrows was seen galloping to that portion of 
 the road wherever the fire seemed hottest twice, thrice, 
 did I see men struck down at his side by the bullets 
 of the enemy ; and while our chief was behaving in 
 this gallant and noble manner, General Nuttall was 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 103 
 
 getting together the fragments of what in the morning 
 was a fine brigade of sabres, to dash themselves once 
 more against the pursuing horsemen of the enemy, 
 who, in spite of their numbers, still kept a respectful 
 distance. Dr. Harvey, Dr. Eaton, Major River, and 
 Colonel St. John (whose horse was here shot under 
 him), all distinguished themselves by conspicuous gal- 
 lantry, saving many lives at the risk of their own. 
 
 Our entrance to the old cantonments of Kandahar 
 was pitiable and deplorable in the extreme. The most 
 fearful rumours had preceded our arrival, and, bad as 
 matters were v/ith us, they had been fearfully exag- 
 gerated by the first arrivals from the field of slaughter. 
 These old cantonments are about a mile and a half to 
 the west of Kandahar on the road to Kokeran, and 
 consist of three blocks of barracks built north-east and 
 south-west, with an enclosure of forty-three acres, called 
 ' The Sappers' Garden,' on the left. Here last year were 
 stationed the 5Qth Regiment, G-4 R.A., 6-11 R.A., and 
 u-ii R.A., 2-6oth, and D-2 R.A.,and 2$th P.N.I. Here 
 on the right of the first block, and immediately fronting 
 our hospital, were our Horse Artillery quarters, and here 
 were waiting, in the most intense anxiety, the menaced 
 officers who had been left at Kandahar, and who had 
 heard with dismay of our loss of guns and colours. Our 
 Brigadier's staff and our Artillery officers are in another 
 block to the right, and a little behind, while their horses 
 and mules are picketed in rear of the building. In rear 
 of the right centre block are the Engineer park and 
 stores, while the guns are parked between the barrack 
 squares. Behind these are the quarters of the 7th Royal 
 Fusiliers and the 66th. Again in the rear we have the 
 enclosure known as ' Mahomed Amin's Garden/ where 
 
IO4 Personal Records of 
 
 General Primrose has his head-quarters. At about 450 
 yards away to the right are the three villages till recently 
 occupied by our cavalry. 
 
 This cantonment is not less than forty years old. It 
 is built in blocks about 1 50 yards long by 140 deep, and 
 about 200 yards apart. The barrack-rooms extend all 
 round the quadrangle, leaving a clear space of about 
 twenty feet between walls of sun-dried bricks and mud 
 at least five feet thick. The roofing of these buildings is 
 curious, being composed of a series of arched ribs, with 
 vaulting between. These arched roofs are ingeniously 
 constructed, and are of great strength. In building them 
 a centre-piece of wood, the thickness of one brick, is set 
 up in two pieces, with the feet resting upon a sun-burnt 
 brick, supported by a couple of nails driven into the wall, 
 about six feet from the floor, the ribs being joined at the 
 apex, lashed firmly together, and steadied by a guy-pole. 
 Bricks are then placed on the edge resting on the centre 
 rib, and the work is carried on from both sides, what is 
 called the ' gach,' a sort of plaster, being freely applied 
 by hand. 
 
 I mention these cantonments, as we shall have to 
 give them up, and, it is said, retire into the citadel, should 
 the city be closely invested, and our garrison be found 
 unequal to the task of defending the walls I have de- 
 scribed. In such a case these buildings would form an 
 admirable coign of vantage to an investing force, and a 
 picked body of riflemen could terribly gall our men in 
 the citadel. 
 
 Meanwhile there was no time for idling, or even for 
 the rest we all so much required. The worst cases of the 
 wounded were sent at once to the hospital, while those 
 who were but slightly hit requested to be allowed to 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 105 
 
 remain at duty, and to assist in the task before us. A 
 council of war was held at three p.m. on the 28th, and 
 the commissariat officers made their reports as to the 
 state of our supplies, which, it is said, are sufficient for 
 thirty days. Preparations for the defence were at once 
 commenced, and all hands were pressed into service to 
 demolish all useless buildings, and to renovate the dilapi- 
 dated walls of the citadel and outworks. We have in 
 round numbers about 3000 men as a garrison, and with 
 this force we feel confident we can hold the place until 
 relief comes from either Phayre or Roberts. We have 
 four guns C B. 2nd B, and 6 guns 5 B. 1 1 B, the Poona 
 Horse, /th Fusiliers, and the iQth and 29th B.N.I. These 
 with the remainder of the 66th, Jacob's Rifles, and the 
 Bombay Grenadiers, make up our little force. Our im- 
 mediate help, we imagine, should come from General 
 Phayre, whose force, however, is much scattered on de- 
 tachment and small posts along the Quetta line. He 
 has at Quetta, Sibi, Thai Chotiali, and other posts, the 
 2nd Light Cavalry, 1st and 2nd Scinde Horse, three 
 companies of Sappers, 14 B., 9 B., R.A., No. 2 Mountain 
 Battery, and the 5th, loth, i6th, 23rd, 2/th, and 28th 
 Regiments B.N.I. These, we hear, will be pushed on 
 to us at once, while their places will be taken by the 
 Bombay Reserve. 
 
 Our anxiety for the safety of the small garrison of 
 Khelat-i-Ghilzai is very great. Colonel Tanner is in 
 command, and has with him one regiment Bombay 
 Infantry, two companies 66th, and small detachments 
 of artillery and cavalry. We know that Ayub wrote 
 as far back as the i6th July to the villages around the 
 fort ordering them, on pain of destruction, not to furnish 
 supplies of any sort, and telling them that he was about 
 
io6 Personal Records of 
 
 to drive the English hence. The tribes in the neigh- 
 bourhood had been troublesome even before the battle, 
 and now are in a most excited state. The most formid- 
 able enemy in the neighbourhood is a Ghilzai chief, 
 named Mahomed Aslam Khan, and he is known to be 
 in communication with Ayub. In compensation for 
 this, we hear, however, that the Khan of Khelat is 
 reliable, and will afford us all the assistance he can in 
 men, camels, and supplies. 
 
 All the buildings outside our walls are being blown up 
 or pulled down by our Engineers, whose commanding 
 officer, Colonel Hills, has no spare time on his hands. 
 While I write, runners have just come in to say that 
 Ayub Khan has advanced, vid Singuri, as far as 
 Kokeran, and that he has made the latter village his 
 head-quarters. He has a useful ally there named Nur 
 Mahomed, the sirtip, or cavalry commander, who made 
 in the late campaign a good fight against a portion of 
 General Stewart's force. From Kokeran, Ayub will 
 advance in all probability by the two roads to Kan- 
 dahar, one of which leads to the Herat Gate and the 
 other to the Topkhand Gate. From Kokeran the road 
 leads almost due east to Kandahar, having on the right 
 flank a stony range throwing out long spurs, and on the 
 left a broad belt of cultivated plain, descending with a 
 gentle slope to the Argandab river, and covered with 
 orchards of peaches, nectarines, plums, and other fruits, 
 and here and there delightful halting-places shaded by 
 avenues of fine mulberry-trees. There are a number 
 of watercourses here, but they have been ramped and 
 bridged over by our Engineers, so they would present 
 no obstacle to artillery or cavalry. Indian corn, barley, 
 lucerne, clover, mulberry and poplar-groves, red rose- 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 107 
 
 bushes, cultivated in rare perfection, adorn the land- 
 scape, which is now looking its best. 
 
 From the 2/th July to this day, /th August, the 
 movements of Ayub have been made known to us by 
 our scouts, spies, and patrols, and the latter have had 
 some slight but successful skirmishes with his pickets in 
 the villages around our city. On the night of the 2/th the 
 Afghan leader did not pursue with his main body, but 
 left that to his cavalry and the fanatic Ghazis, while he 
 bivouacked on the field he had won at Maiwand. On 
 the 28th he halted to recruit his men, and to divide the 
 spoil amongst his soldiers, adding, we are told, consider- 
 able presents from his own military chests, and then 
 during the following week he came on by deliberate and 
 easy stages to Kokeran, which was occupied by his 
 cavalry on the 4th and by his main body on the fol- 
 lowing day. The reason for this slow advance was un- 
 doubtedly caused by the motley nature of his levies, 
 swelling in numbers each day as he came on, and as the 
 news of his success became talked of in the villages. 
 Another cause of this apparent delay in advance is said 
 to be shortness of ammunition, as in pushing forward 
 rapidly from the Helmund he came as lightly freighted 
 as possible. I said that it was contemplated to abandon 
 our cantonment and retire within the arg, or citadel. 
 This, I am happy to say, has not been as yet necessary, 
 for we hold our cantonment ready mined, and with the 
 option of blowing it up should the investment become a 
 blockade. In case Ayub tries a bombardment he no 
 doubt would find our cantonment walls, if left standing, 
 an excellent position for his batteries to obtain cover ; 
 but, on the other hand, he would be within 2500 yards' 
 range of our guns mounted on the citadel. The present 
 
io8 Personal Records of 
 
 state of our fortifications leaves, I must own, much to 
 be desired ; but, under the superintendence of Colonel 
 Hills, wonders have been achieved in the short space of 
 time we have had. The works consist of an outer wall 
 10 feet high and 18 feet thick, with a chemin des rondes 
 1 8 feet wide and a main parapet 20 feet high, and aver- 
 aging 15 feet in thickness at its centre. This again has 
 a top wall 6 feet high, and a covered way 30 feet wide, 
 with a space between it and the houses. 
 
 When we marched into Kandahar last year all was 
 in sad disrepair, and in a state of filth baffling description. 
 Prothero, assistant political to Colonel St. John, undertook 
 the sanitary arrangements of the city, while the citadel 
 was taken charge of by the Engineer officer, Oliver. In 
 the bazaars gangs of labourers were at once employed to 
 clean out the open drains in front of the shops, and the 
 refuse was carried away by relays of donkeys, so that in 
 a short space of time the 'Shah' bazaar and the Alizai 
 quarters, once the dirtiest part of the town, were tho- 
 roughly clean, walls had been removed, and spaces 
 cleared for latrines. All the lanes were swept each day, 
 and in a short time the Populzai and Barukzai quarters 
 were put to the same test. The city is divided into four 
 quarters, and each is a little more than half a mile long 
 and half a mile wide. The main lanes run, as a rule, at 
 right angles, and the spaces intervening are formed into 
 squares, while mosques, gardens, public buildings, and 
 bazaars, fill up the intervals. Running water is plentiful, 
 and could not be easily cut off by an enemy, as the 
 canals are well commanded by our guns. The houses 
 are low and mud built, and not laid out, as with us, in 
 streets, but in irregular blocks, and such blocks sepa- 
 rated from each other by narrow lanes, or what in. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 109 
 
 Edinburgh would be called ' wynds/ varying in width 
 from ten to two feet. Most of the roofs are flat, and 
 have a sort of breastwork parapet, from which an un- 
 commonly effective defence might be made, as most of 
 these walls are solidly built of mud and sun-dried bricks, 
 and are crenellated and loopholed. Our principal 
 hospital is at Mir Afsul's old dwelling, not far from the 
 Herat gate. 
 
 The place has been wonderfully improved of late, 
 and fortunately so, as it is now so full of sick and 
 wounded, most of whom, however, are doing well. 
 There is a large, well-tended garden in front, with a 
 splendid mulberrry-tree giving agreeable shelter to the 
 convalescents, while a mass of rose-trees in fullest bloom 
 light up the place in a wonderful manner. Some of 
 these rose-trees are fifteen feet high, and the same in 
 diameter, while the branches are kept from falling by 
 supports which form them into delightful arbours. The 
 great domed bazaar is in the centre of the town, and 
 from it there are streets leading to the four principal 
 gates of the city. The citadel street is the principal 
 thoroughfare, and thronged at all hours by fruit and 
 vegetable sellers, while all day long there is a never- 
 ceasing traffic of camels, mules, donkeys, cows, and foot- 
 passengers. Watercourses run through the street, 
 gardeners are washing lettuces, blacksmiths' shops, 
 coppersmiths' shops, crowded with men and boys at 
 work, while the front of the shop is crowded with vessels 
 for sale huge cooking-pots, salvers, tea-urns, washing- 
 basins, candlesticks, all engraved with letters and texts 
 from the Koran : leather-curriers, tailors making sheep- 
 skin coats, shoe-shops, sellers of rosaries, carpet-sellers, 
 ornamental saddle-cloths ; and a motley crew of men, 
 
1 10 Personal Records of 
 
 women, and children, moving incessantly up and down, 
 giving little indication that we are in a state of siege. 
 
 The citadel has been so often described that I will 
 merely call attention to one remarkable feature, and 
 that is the vast underground accommodation we possess 
 in its admirably built vaults, which are shell and bomb- 
 proof, and which we can use as magazines, storehouses, 
 hospital, stables, as they are cool, water-tight, with high- 
 domed roof, and well-fitted solid stable furniture. Here 
 we have placed a greater portion of our cavalry, and 
 men and horses are rapidly recovering from the fatigue 
 and wounds received on the 27th. 
 
 These native horsemen are fine fellows, and as a rule 
 will follow their officers anywhere. On the 2/th, how- 
 ever, the ground was unfavourable, and they were 
 terribly demoralised by the feu d'enfer of Ayub's 
 thirty-six guns. Their horses are tethered by double 
 head and heel-ropes, which on the march is carried from 
 the lower ring of the headstall to a ring in front of the 
 saddle. The sowar now carries a Snider carbine, a 
 curved sword, sharp as a razor, and a lance. The uni- 
 form is an indigo blue pugri, or turban, around a red- 
 wadded skull-cap, a blue serge koorta (frock), red 
 cummerbund, loose yellow pyjamas, and long boots, 
 while his belt and appointments are black, with silver 
 fittings. His pouch-belt and pouch carry twenty 
 rounds, and his waist-belt is broad, with a blue and 
 w r hite pennon to his lance. These men get twenty-seven 
 rupees a-month, and on this they find horse, tatoo 
 (pony), and all. It is a great pity we have not more of 
 these fellows, as Ayub is exceptionally strong in cavalry, 
 and we are now unable to make a reconnaisance in 
 force. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 1 1 
 
 A large number of the Pathan population were 
 expelled yesterday, and although this may seem a harsh 
 measure, it has been a necessary one. They have all 
 friends and relations in the neighbouring villages, and 
 were allowed to store any property they could not carry 
 in the citadel. With plenty of ammunition, sufficient 
 provisions to last a month on full rations, and a really 
 close investment almost impossible, I can see no reason 
 why we should have the smallest anxiety as to the 
 result. Meanwhile, not an hour passes but some 
 addition to our defences is made, and every day of 
 inaction on Ayub's part makes his chances of success 
 more remote : the only fear we have is that he may not 
 wait to fight our relieving force. 
 
1 1 2 Personal Records of 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VALEDICTORY VISITS IN CABUL ABDURRAHMAN. 
 
 Cantonment of the Bala Hissar^July 26. 
 
 A FW days ago I, by the merest chance, had the 
 opportunity of conversing for some considerable period 
 with Abdurrahman Khan, the ruler elect, and as such 
 acknowledged by our representatives. Before I enter 
 into delails I may as well put you au courant with the 
 state of affairs previous to the Ameer's recognition by 
 our Government. 
 
 In the first place we had been instructed, before 
 the late English Ministry went put of office, that, before 
 our troops retired to the new scientific frontier, a strong 
 and capable Governor should, if possible, be found to 
 carry on the government of Cabul and its district. As 
 far back as March last Lord Lytton was in communi- 
 cation with more than one royal Sirdar, but with 
 Abdurrahman in particular, whom the Viceroy looked 
 upon as the chief, the most popular, and the most 
 likely to win the suffrages of the Sirdars and the people 
 of this most difficult country. The delays which took 
 place in the progress of these negotiations are perhaps to 
 be accounted for through their delicate nature, as Lord 
 Lytton was careful to promise little, while Abdurrahman 
 was too astute and cautious a politician to pledge him- 
 self until he felt his footing tolerably secure. Then we 
 must remember how great is the distance between Tur- 
 kestan and Cabul ; while Abdurrahman no doubt felt 
 some distrust of an offer so apparently disinterested and 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 1 3 
 
 unselfish on Lord Lytton's part. Beyond this was his 
 desire to be called to the throne of his ancestors more 
 by the will of the people than as the nominee of a 
 victorious invader; and this, of course, compelled him to 
 conciliate the jealousy of the Sirdars by not showing 
 himself too ready to meet our overtures. While matters 
 were in this halting state the Conservatives went out 
 and Lord Ripon become Viceroy, and he wisely de- 
 cided to carry on the negotiations inaugurated by his 
 predecessor. 
 
 In the meanwhile Abdurrahman advanced towards 
 Cabul, and passing through Kohistan, came on to 
 Charikar, a few marches from Cabul, at which place, 
 being in the neighbourhood, I had the honour of a 
 somewhat protracted interview. As my visit was purely 
 unofficial, and in fact almost the result of accident, I 
 made a point of touching as lightly as possible upon 
 political matters; but I found that my reticence had one 
 advantage, and this was, that it placed my host and 
 interlocutor at his ease, and caused him to express 
 himself with much more frankness than I could have 
 anticipated. 
 
 I had been deer-shooting in the neighbourhood of 
 Charikar for several days, and with such indifferent 
 success that I determined to give the order to my people 
 to prepare for our return to Sherpur, when one evening 
 tidings were brought me by the headman of a neigh- 
 bouring village that the advanced guard of Abdurrah- 
 man's escort had arrived there in the morning with 
 orders to prepare supplies for the following day, when 
 the prince himself was expected to arrive, and halt for 
 one or two days. I accordingly countermanded my 
 orders to return, and determined to stay and pay my 
 
 I 
 
1 1 4 Personal Records of 
 
 respects to his Highness should he arrive the next day. 
 With this intent I caused to be unpacked some clothing 
 of less sporting and chikar a nature than what I was 
 wearing, and found I possessed a suit not altogether 
 military, and yet sufficiently such to denote that I was 
 not a civilian. 
 
 At daybreak the following morning I was aroused by 
 the sound of an Afghan gong, such as is used to denote 
 the arrival of some person of rank, and while I was 
 finishing my al fresco bath my orderly rushed in with 
 the news that the Sirdar Abdurrahman had arrived, and 
 had pitched his camp near a grove of mango-trees half 
 a mile from the village, where part of his troops were 
 located. Making a very hasty toilet and a still hastier 
 breakfast, I despatched my orderly to the captain of the 
 Sirdar's body-guard with a note in Persian, asking per- 
 mission to pay my respects to his Highness ; and in about 
 half an hour my messenger returned with a very civil 
 message from Abdurrahman's secretary, assuring me of 
 a cordial welcome. At noon, therefore, I mounted my 
 best horse, and taking two of my smartest attendants 
 with me I started for the Ameer's camp, which I found 
 was situated on the banks of a very picturesque little 
 stream running at the foot of some hills, and affording 
 irrigation to the cultivation around. 
 
 The Ameer's tent was somewhat in the shape of a 
 marquee, but it had three poles and a double lining, 
 while it was divided and subdivided into ante-chamber, 
 audience-hall, dining-room, and bedchamber ; the whole 
 being tastefully draped with shawls, and carpeted with 
 Afghan rugs woven with the most delicate and har- 
 monious colours. Around on all sides were the ruder 
 tents of hides and blankets, occupied by the Ameer's 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 1 5 
 
 soldiers, who, to avoid the midday sun, were lounging 
 about under the shade of the date, mango, and cocoa- 
 trees around. As I rode through the rows of tents it 
 was evident that my visit was expected, and that my 
 nationality and military rank were known, for all the 
 groups lying or lounging about separated and came to a 
 standing position, saluting me as I passed. *This con- 
 siderably astonished me, as most of these men I could 
 see were Turkestan and mercenaries, whose abomination 
 of the infidel is proverbial. About 200 of these fellows 
 appeared to compose a sort of guard round the Sirdar's 
 tent, and these were not only clothed but armed in every 
 conceivable way. Swords of various Asiatic makes, 
 lances of various lengths, battle-axes, shields of hide 
 and of metal, matchlocks, Minie-patterned rifles, Mar- 
 tinis and Chassepots, all were there ; while some were 
 cleaning their arms and others preparing their midday 
 meal. 
 
 On arriving at the Ameer's tent I was courteously 
 received by two officers of high rank, who wore Persian 
 uniforms of a costly nature, and who invited me politely 
 to dismount and enter, as his Highness, they said, had 
 been anxiously waiting to see me. After handing over 
 my horses to the attendants told off to receive and take 
 care of them I was ushered into the ante-room, and, 
 after a few moments' delay, into the audience-chamber 
 of the tent. Seated on a miisnud, slightly elevated above 
 the floor, the new Ameer received me with dignity and 
 cordiality. He then desired me to seat myself on a 
 carpet laid out near to his own seat ; and after a short 
 pause commenced our conference by asking after Sir 
 Donald Stewart's health and my own. 
 
 Abdurrahman's appearance is much in his favour, 
 
1 1 6 Personal Records of 
 
 and he has an open frank look about his eyes not at all 
 usual among his countrymen. His age seemed to be 
 about fifty, and his face had more roundness of contour 
 than is customary with the Afghan type ; while a cer- 
 tain heaviness of limb gave little indication of his well- 
 known active habits. Abdurrahman, with whom I now 
 conversed, spoke frankly of the past times to him 
 almost as eventful as the present-; and gave me many 
 hints as to the future possibilities of his rule, which is a 
 problem we none of us can venture to solve. 
 
 ' I believe/ said he, stroking his long beard with an 
 air of calm dignity, ' in the English Government, and in 
 their wise and just policy, although my enemies have 
 taunted me with being a pensioner of Russia. I was 
 their guest, not their tool, and treated with much honour 
 and respect. In 1866 I saw the mistaken course pur- 
 sued by Shere AH ; and/ in conjunction with my uncle 
 Azim, I determined to strike hard and to strike 
 promptly. Cabul was taken from Ibrahim ; Shere 
 Ali's second son, Shekhabad, followed; and the result 
 was the release of my father and the capture of 
 Ghuzni. The crowning victory of Khelat-i-Ghilzai gave 
 my father the recognition of Ameer from the British 
 Government. What followed I could not prevent ; and 
 when our cause was hopeless -I gave in my allegiance to 
 my uncle, Shere Ali, suppressing all personal feelings.' 
 We spoke of education, and the Ameer said : 
 ' As a nation, it would not be going too far to say 
 the Afghans are very illiterate ; few besides the priests 
 can write their own or any other language. For this, I 
 may observe, there is some explanation in the fact of 
 the Pushtu being for the most a spoken language 
 comparatively few books being written in it. The 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 1 7 
 
 literature of the country is for the most part in the 
 Persian language, and is confined to the priesthood 
 and the wealthy classes. Correspondence, business 
 transactions, and the work of Government, are also 
 carried on through the medium of Persian. The 
 books written in Pushtu by Afghan authors are chiefly 
 on theology, poetical romances, and on history ; but 
 the number of authors is few, and the copies of their 
 works are confined to a very limited circulation. In 
 their marriage ceremonies the Afghans, as a rule, 
 follow the customs of other Mohammedan nations, 
 but (and especially among the nomad tribes) it is not 
 an uncommon custom for the suitor to serve the girl's 
 father for a stipulated period, in order to win her as 
 his wife. Among the Afghans it is considered in- 
 cumbent on a man to marry his deceased brother's 
 widow, and this custom is so strongly insisted on that 
 any departure from it is considered a scandal and a 
 blot upon the parties concerned.' 
 
 On my asking his opinion as to the Afghan religion, 
 he replied : ' The Afghans are very proud of the devotion 
 to Islam, or the Mohammedan religion, and affect a 
 scrupulous adherence to its precepts. But I cannot 
 say that by their conduct they maintain either the 
 credit of the religion they profess or their own character 
 for sincerity, for though they punish the blasphemer 
 and apostate by stoning to death which, among this 
 people, as among the Israelites of old, is the peculiar 
 punishment for this sort of crime they do not scruple 
 to depart from, or act in direct opposition to, the most 
 binding or important of their religious laws when, by 
 so doing, they can attain the object of their desires 
 without personal risk or detriment to their interests. 
 
1 1 8 Personal Records of 
 
 The Cabul population is made up of such varying 
 elements that the customs and morals of the inhabitants 
 of each quarter of district or the town differ as widely 
 as the races from which they derive. Speaking generally, 
 the people one sees about the streets are either Cabulees 
 or visitors, and the latter may be again divided into 
 dwellers in tents and dwellers in houses ; the former 
 occupying themselves, when at peace, with rearing 
 flocks and herds, which they bring to the towns to sell, 
 and the latter engaged in commerce and agriculture. 
 The Afghan shepherds who come in here with sheep 
 and cattle live in tents made of coarse black stuff, and 
 are fond, like all Orientals, of smoking and story-telling, 
 fairy tales or romantic histories of the loves and battles 
 of their kings forming the favourite themes.' 
 
 Two days after the interview I had with Abdur- 
 rahman a formal meeting was arranged between the 
 Ameer and Sir Donald Stewart, and for this ceremony 
 a spot was selected a short distance west of Sherpur ; 
 and close to this locality we placed a couple of large 
 mess marquees together, so as to form one large 
 audience hall, while a guard of honour of 200 men 
 with their regimental and Queen's colours was drawn 
 up at the entrance. As the gong sounded the hour of 
 meeting our chief and his moderate cortege rode on to 
 the space set apart for the meeting in front of the 
 canvas pavilion. A peal of trumpets and a royal 
 salute from the guard of honour shortly afterwards 
 announced the advent of Abdurrahman, who rode in 
 regal style and with a right royal mien. I must own 
 his appearance gave assurance of a man, and not a 
 puppet Simultaneously Sir Donald and the Ameer 
 halted their chargers and most courteously saluted, as 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 1 9 
 
 the band played the opening eight bars of the National 
 Anthem. Our chief then dismounted and hastened 
 forward to hold the stirrup of his Highness, a mark of 
 respect and etiquette still preserved in the Persian and 
 the Russian Courts. Abdurrahman seemed greatly 
 impressed with this mark of respect, and cordially 
 shook hands a VAnglaise with Sir Donald, with whom 
 he then entered the marquees. About two dozen 
 seats were placed for the chief actors in this impressive 
 scene, and Mr. Lepel Griffin was in attendance as 
 interpreter, although our friends Cunningham and Hills 
 had to be called upon for assistance in that language. 
 The conversation was purely composed of diplomatic 
 platitudes, and would not in the least interest any 
 one ; but one portion of the Ameer's speech certainly 
 deserves mention, and this was when, with great feeling, 
 he said as follows : ' An exile for fifteen years, I 
 now see again my native mountains, and have re- 
 gained, through God and my right, my hereditary 
 birthright the throne of my fathers. But the means 
 by which this success has been achieved are due to 
 my English friends and to the Empress, whose cause 
 is always just. On my right I see the General to 
 whose generous diplomacy I owe my present position, 
 and ungrateful should I be were I not now to express 
 my regard and esteem to one who, like myself, is a 
 soldier more than a politician.' 
 
 After this we were all in due course presented. The 
 Ameer took particular notice of General Hills, V.C., of 
 Mutiny fame, and of General Gough. 
 
 I start directly for India with General Hills' 
 division, and shall probably write to you from our 
 next halt. We expect no resistance. Yet, though, 
 
1 20 Personal Records of 
 
 of course, glad to see our friends there, we have taken 
 odds we march before long again to Cabul. 
 
 IN CABUL THE NEWS FROM KANDAHAR THE RELIEVING 
 COLUMN. 
 
 Raceco^trse Camp, Siah Sung Ridge, Cabul, Aug. 5. 
 
 I HAVE this moment returned from an official and non- 
 official visit to the most successful soldier in India, I 
 might almost say in the British army, General Sir 
 Frederick Sleigh Roberts, V.C., K.C.B., whose name 
 has just been notified in orders as the commander-in- 
 chief of a relieving column of no less than 10,000 picked 
 men, to march on Sunday for Kandahar. As the late 
 and inimitable Charles Mathews said, ' We live quick in 
 these days, and in all professions, civilian or soldier, we 
 must crop the harvest whether it be ripe or not.' But 
 the harvest awaiting our husbandmen is ripe for the 
 sickle, and our General, we feel certain, will not tarry by 
 the way, lest it should be lost or gathered by another 
 hand. 
 
 When the first brief but panic-stricken telegrams 
 containing the news of a grievous disaster to our troops 
 on the Helmund came to this city from the Governor of 
 Bombay, the gravity of the misfortune which had be- 
 fallen the Kandahar division of our arms was not under- 
 rated in Cabul, but, at the same time, it was believed 
 that the reports were much exaggerated, and that the 
 details which appeared in the Indian native papers were 
 considerably embellished by the imaginations of the 
 writers. Our position, moreover, at Cabul has been less 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 2 1 
 
 unfavourably influenced by our defeat on the Helmund 
 than might have been expected, and although the ex- 
 citement at first was very great, it has now, in a great 
 measure, subsided. Most of the intelligent Sirdars with 
 whom I have conversed are of opinion that the British 
 Government will promptly wipe out the disgrace their 
 colours have suffered at Ayub's hands, and believe at 
 the same time that the Khan in attacking a British 
 force, instead of husbanding his entire strength to con- 
 front Abdurrahman, has ruined all his chances of the 
 throne. 
 
 On Tuesday last, the 3rd, orders came to us from 
 Simla, to the effect that a force of 10,000 men were to 
 march at once to the relief of Kandahar, that General 
 Sir Frederick Roberts was to have the chief command, 
 and likewise the selection of the troops composing his 
 division. When the above order came I was riding, as 
 usual, with the General, and as the orderly overtook us 
 and placed the despatch in his hand a glow of pride and 
 delight came over the General's face as he cried out, 
 ' At last, at last, our orders have arrived, and our work 
 is cut out for us!' A short canter brought us quickly 
 back to the General's tent, and while the necessary 
 staff officers were summoned, and the morning field- 
 state sent for, the General marked on his map the halts 
 he should have to make between Maidan and Ghuzni, 
 and, from the notes he had already prepared, the lo- 
 calities where supplies could be obtained. The forces at 
 the disposal of General Roberts at Cabul and its neigh- 
 bourhood consisted of his own division, ready to start 
 for India, of 14,000 men; that of General Hills, of 10,000 
 men ; and that of General Gough, on the Khyber line, 
 of 6000 men. With these forces it was not a difficult 
 
122 Personal Records of 
 
 task to select as fine a division as ever marched under 
 British colours, and it did not take our General long to 
 make out the list. Two Highland corps/ both renowned 
 in song and story, the gallant and stalwart /2nd and 
 92nd, with the 6oth Rifles, made up a strength of 1800 
 bayonets, and these were all picked men, passed by the 
 surgeons, and pronounced medically fit for the march. 
 Three of the best Sikh regiments, viz. the 2nd, 3rd, and 
 loth ; the 2nd, three picked Goorkha battalions, the 
 2nd, 4th, and 5th ; and the 23rd Pioneers ; the 24th and 
 25th Native Infantry. These brigades were commanded 
 by Colonels Macpherson, Baker, and Macgregor. Then 
 the cavalry brigade, under General Hugh Gough, com- 
 prised as fine a mass of horsemen as any army could 
 produce. Sir Hope Grant's fine old corps, the 9th 
 Lancers, where the memory of that beau sabreur and 
 thorough musician is still as green and fresh as the 
 souvenir of poor ' Bill ' Clayton, the introducer of polo 
 into the army, and its victim by a random blow, with 
 their fiery little horses, caparisoned, broken, and groomed 
 to perfection, the 3rd Bengal Cavalry, the 3rd Punjabi 
 Cavalry, and the Central India Horse, troopers recruited 
 nearly all in the north-western border of India, with 
 tall, lean, muscular-looking fellows, whose sabres and 
 bamboo-lances have ploughed through many an Afghan 
 squadron, and made many a turbaned foe bite the dust 
 in the shock of the melee. These are led by one whose 
 family name and renown are well maintained by its 
 present representative in Afghanistan. Coming to the 
 Artillery, we have three mountain batteries of seven- 
 pounders, carried on mules, but no wheeled guns, making 
 up altogether 274 British officers, 2562 British troops, 
 and 7159 native troops, or a total of 9993 men, of which 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 123 
 
 1615 are cavalry, 318 being British cavalry. Our com- 
 batant portion of the division was arranged with the 
 most complete detail, under the personal supervision of 
 General Roberts, by the morning following the receipt 
 of the order from Simla, but the transport arrangements 
 and the question of supplies were deferred till a con- 
 ference of the Generals and the staff was held. This 
 took place at Sir Donald Stewart's head-quarters, where 
 there were present Sir Donald, Sir Frederick Roberts 
 and his brigadiers, General Hills, and the general staff. 
 The official requisitions were then produced by General 
 Roberts, and approved of by the Commander-in-chief, 
 and were as follows : For transport, 8307 animals of 
 various kinds, with an addition of 2138 litter-bearers, 
 and 266 riding animals of all kinds, for the conveyance 
 of the sick and wounded. The ammunition carried by 
 the ordnance park will be 236 rounds per gun and 100 
 rounds per rifle, the remainder being in regimental 
 charge, while the small Engineer park will be carried by 
 80 mules ; 30 days' rum, tea, and sugar ; five days' flour 
 for the Europeans, and the same proportion of rice for 
 the natives, as well as 23,000 Ibs. of attah and 28,000 Ibs. 
 of grain the attah for the men and the grain for the 
 animals. 
 
 These figures, having been carefully calculated, were 
 then submitted to the political, supply, and transport 
 officers who were present, and they assured Sir Donald 
 and Sir Frederick that all these items should be forth- 
 coming. General Roberts then said to Sir Donald that 
 he had ascertained that the autumn crops of Indian 
 corn in the Logar Valley were at this season well grown, 
 and would, in all probability, be sufficient to supply 
 what green forage was required on the march. 
 
1 24 Personal Records of 
 
 ' I see that the Logar route is one march longer,' 
 said Sir Donald, looking at the map. 
 
 ' You are right, Sir Donald,' replied our General ; 
 'but our chances of obtaining supplies in it are far 
 stronger than if we went by Argandab and Maidan, as 
 the latter route has been heavily drained by our troops 
 and those of the enemy.' 
 
 It was in consequence of the Logar route being 
 chosen by Sir Frederick that no wheeled artillery or 
 9-pounders were taken, the mule-batteries being more 
 fitted to cope with the difficulties of the southern end of 
 the valley, which is shut in by a rugged mountainous 
 ridge, almost impassable to wheels. Where the Logar 
 river enters the valley, the ridge in question, I remember 
 from last year's march, crosses the Zamburra Pass, a 
 steep of 900 feet, where it is met by the Wardek Glen, a 
 defile in the mountain through which our troops must 
 pass. 
 
 The next question discussed at this important con- 
 ference was whether or not a base of operations should be 
 retained for General Roberts, and the latter strenuously 
 urged that under the present circumstances such would 
 hamper instead of aiding him, while it would consider- 
 ably weaken Sir Donald Stewart. 
 
 * A base of operations,' said General Roberts, ' where 
 I could have magazines, provisions, ammunition, and 
 recruits, and to which I could send back my sick and 
 wounded men and horses, would imply an amount of 
 transport which it would take a month to supply ; and, 
 moreover, I have every confidence in our being able to 
 for once discard such depot, as our commissariat and 
 political officers are assured by the Ameer that supplies 
 will be readily forthcoming on the route.' 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 2 5 
 
 ' Besides,' said Sir Donald, ' Ghuzni is but seven 
 marches from Cabul, and at this time of the year the 
 country from here to there, by the villages of Zargun 
 Shahr, in the Logar Valley, Hissarak, Shekhabad, 
 Hyder Khal, Haftasia, and Shahgao, is through rich 
 and cultivated valleys, studded with prosperous villages, 
 whose people cultivate all sorts of grain, fruit, and 
 vegetables.' 
 
 ' All these villages, Sir Donald,' added our General, 
 4 will, I believe, be only too glad to afford us supplies 
 when they see how well we pay for them ; and if we 
 can depend upon the agents of the Ameer being sent on 
 well in advance of our column, I do not anticipate any 
 difficulty, as the season of the year is so favourable.' 
 
 ' I have every confidence,' said Sir Donald, 'that you 
 can do now what I did in marching from Kandahar to 
 Cabul, and what Nott did when he abandoned his base 
 at Kandahar and marched to Ghuzni in 1842.' 
 
 Since the above conference constant communications 
 have been passing between Sir Donald Stewart and the 
 Ameer Abdurrahman, who has, in all that lay in his 
 power, most loyally and energetically carried out his 
 promises of help in supplies and transport. Every 
 exertion has been made by his agents to produce car- 
 riage for our several columns, and it was with intense 
 astonishment that we were made acquainted with the 
 resources of the country round Cabul. Sir Donald has 
 thrown his heart into the work, and so has General 
 Roberts, as each sees how much depends on this re- 
 quisite, and the success or failure of the expedition 
 must in a great measure, if not wholly, depend on 
 the result of their efforts in this direction. 
 
 With regard to the Ameer, his co-operation and 
 
126 Personal Records of 
 
 willingness to aid us are easily comprehended, as he 
 naturally sees that the departure of our troops will not 
 only in all probability extinguish a somewhat formidable 
 rival in his cousin Ayub, but will leave him a king and 
 not a puppet in the capital of his ancestors. It has, 
 therefore, so happened, that in a few days there was a 
 sufficiency of cattle and grain at Sir Donald's disposal 
 to warrant his deciding on letting General Roberts march 
 boldly, without any base, and en Pair. 
 
 The services rendered by our transport and commis- 
 sariat officers have been highly and publicly commended 
 by Sir Frederick, who has not lost an opportunity of 
 expressing his gratitude for the assistance he has re- 
 ceived from the exertions of these officers. Aware of 
 .the difficulty of obtaining-camels in sufficient number, 
 letters were written by the commissariat staff to the 
 headmen of every village, calling upon them to pur- 
 chase as many mules and ponies as they could procure 
 in their various districts, and these letters, being en- 
 dorsed and forwarded by the Minister of Abdurrahman, 
 succeeded in obtaining us all we required. 
 
 It has been fortunate for our Government, and for 
 our country, that the Viceroy has had to deal with such 
 men as Donald Stewart and Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 
 men who care more for the honour of England than 
 for their own personal safety, and who do not shrink 
 from a responsibility like the present, if by incurring it 
 they can confer great and lasting benefit in restoring 
 the prestige of our army in the eyes of the Afghan 
 nation. In regard to the abandonment of a base of 
 operations, whatever may have been the amount of re- 
 sponsibility cast upon the two Generals, neither Stewart 
 nor Roberts have shrunk from it. They cheerfully took 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 127 
 
 up the burden and placed it upon their own shoulders. 
 They had no doubt as to the ability of their troops to 
 carry everything before them. Cattle had been supplied, 
 or were being supplied, sufficient for their movements, 
 and it was only necessary that they should act in con- 
 cert with each other in apportioning fairly the transport 
 coming in, and so combine their operations as to move 
 about the same time. 
 
 After a second Council of War had been held, and at 
 which several of the Ameer's chief officers were present, 
 further reports from the outlying villages were made to 
 the General, and these were in the highest degree satis- 
 factory. The Sirdar Mahmoud, an intelligent official and 
 a man who has had considerable experience in obtaining 
 supplies for Shere Ali's soldiers, was introduced while 
 we were sitting, and on being questioned in Persian by 
 the General said, 
 
 ' Excellency, I have come to you from the Ameer to 
 say that no pains have been spared to carry out your 
 views in regard to supplies and transport. Forage, con- 
 sisting of barley, bhoosa (chaff), grain, and grass, will be 
 at all the villages for your first six days' march, and in 
 the quantities you have named to the Ameer. Atta, 
 dhall, rice, and other grain for the native soldiers and 
 camp-followers, are now being collected and stored. Pota- 
 toes in moderate quantities can also be had ; vegetables 
 will not be wanting, and sheep have been requisitioned. 
 They are of the Dhoomba species, and are numerous in 
 the Ghilzai villages.' 
 
 The General then said, ' We shall want bearers to 
 carry our sick in khujawahs, doolies, and dandies ; can 
 you get them in any quantity ? I mean men who will 
 not desert on the road.' 
 
128 Personal Records of 
 
 ' I can send your Excellency 500 or 1000,' replied 
 Mahmoud ; * men who will not fail when the Ameer 
 orders.' 
 
 I may explain that a khujawah is one of the most 
 horrible modes of locomotion ever invented. It is 
 simply a long wooden or wicker framework, covered 
 with canvas or cloth, with seats for two wounded men 
 or invalids, and can be either carried on each side of a 
 camel or on poles by bearers ; six bearers are required 
 for one of these doolies. 
 
 After the interview was over we adjourned to General 
 Roberts' tent, where he explained to me at some length 
 full details of his proposed march. 
 
 ' I hope, should all go well,' said he, ' and we can 
 start on Saturday, the /th, to be at Ghuzni on the 1 5th, 
 at Khelat-i-Ghilzai on the 23rd, and Kandahar on the 
 3 1 st. We shall be lightly equipped, no man to carry 
 more than 30 Ibs., no wheeled vehicles, perhaps no sick 
 or wounded ; the hardest lot will fall, I fear, on our poor 
 camp-followers and our animals, but I know the troops 
 are full of enthusiasm, and will follow me anywhere.' 
 
 In reply, I told the General that the whole garrison 
 were delighted at his good fortune in having been once 
 more selected when an arduous task had to be performed. 
 The General then gave me the draft of his order, which 
 will be issued to the troops to-morrow : 
 
 ' It has been decided by the Government of India that 
 a force shall proceed with all possible despatch from Cabul 
 towards Khelat-i-Ghilzai and Kandahar for the relief of the 
 British garrisons in those places, now threatened by a large 
 army under the leadership of the Sirdar Mahomed Ayub 
 Khan. Sir Frederick Roberts feels sure that the troops placed 
 under his command for this important duty will cheerfully 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 129 
 
 respond to the call made upon them, notwithstanding the 
 privations and hardships inseparable from a long march 
 through a hostile country. The Lieut.-General wishes to 
 impress upon both officers and men the necessity of pre- 
 serving the same strict discipline which has been so suc- 
 cessfully and uniformly maintained since the commencement 
 of the war, and to treat all the people who may be well dis- 
 posed towards the British troops with justice and forbearance. 
 Sir Frederick Roberts looks confidently forward to the suc- 
 cessful accomplishment of the object of this expedition, con- 
 vinced as he is, that all ranks are animated with the proud 
 feeling that to them is entrusted the duty and the privilege of 
 relieving their fellow-soldiers and restoring the prestige of the 
 British arms.' 
 
 Such were the few simple yet soldier-like words 
 addressed by the most popular and successful General 
 in our army to the men who, European and native, 
 would and will make any sacrifice for their leader, a 
 leader who, like Bayard, is sans peur et sans reproche. 
 
 On taking leave of our young chief, he informed me 
 that the Ameer had sent all his Turkestani camels and 
 baggage-animals to our camp, and is at the same time 
 forwarding all kinds of useful supplies. He has ap- 
 pointed governors to Ghuzni, Jellalabad, and Bamian, 
 and the Governor of Ghuzni has received orders to assist 
 and accompany our column when it arrives near his 
 jurisdiction. The headman of the Wardek, Hazara, and 
 Southern Ghilzai tribes, from whom we expected hos- 
 tility, have, on the contrary, been sent on to collect 
 supplies and to conciliate the people. ' And, in fact, 
 I may say/ concluded the General, * that if, under all 
 these favourable conditions, and with soldiers such as 
 mine, we do riot achieve success, we will do more 
 deserve it ! ' 
 
 K 
 
130 Personal Records of 
 
 BANQUET TO GENERAL ROBERTS THE NEW AMEER THE MARCH. 
 
 Head-Quarters Camp, Hissarak, Logar Valley, Aug, 10. 
 
 I HAD just finished my despatch to you of the 5th inst, 
 when my orderly reminded me of the banquet to be 
 given in honour of Sir Frederick Roberts that same 
 evening, and to which I had the honour of a special in- 
 vitation. Grande tenue out here is a very different affair 
 from full dress at home; and although uniform is rigidly 
 a sine qnd non, its various modifications suitable to the 
 climate render it a costume perhaps as comfortable as 
 the most inveterate lover of mufti could desire. White 
 jean patrol jackets, deftly starched and glazed by the 
 wily native washerman, a waistcoat and overalls of the 
 same, and a pith helmet with white and gold puggaree, 
 form the usual regimental and staff attire of all ranks, 
 and give us a costume at once cool and comfortable, 
 and yet neat and soldier-like. On duty a white pouch 
 belt, and for evening a gold one, with patent leather 
 boots and gilt spurs, complete the ' get-up ; ' and in this 
 latter attire some thirty of us assembled on the evening 
 of the 5th, to give a valedictory entertainment and fare- 
 well symposium to one who has earned and won the 
 goodwill of all ranks European and native out here. 
 The dinner was inaugurated by Mr. Lepel Griffin and 
 our political staff, and presided over by the former gen- 
 tleman, than whom a better chairman it would be diffi- 
 cult to select. It took place in the same marquee 
 formerly used by Yakub Khan, and in which Mr. Lepel 
 Griffin a few days ago received the Ameer Abdurrah- 
 man. Amongst the invited guests the principal were 
 Sir Donald Stewart, our Commander-in-chief ; Generals 
 Hills and Ross ; and Brigadiers Macpherson, Baker, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 3 1 
 
 Macgregor, and Gough ; as well as Colonel A. C. John- 
 son, R.A., and the very numerous staff allotted to the 
 relieving column. 
 
 The tent was most artistically decorated with flags, 
 trophies of arms, and wreaths of beautiful flowers, while 
 over the President's chair a floral device was hung, with 
 the words, ' God Speed,' in large letters. As the dinner 
 hour drew near the portion of the marquee partitioned 
 off to form an ante-room began to fill, and conversation 
 became general. Greetings were interchanged, and 
 warm wishes for success were proffered by the unfor- 
 tunates to be left behind to their more lucky brethren 
 selected for the expedition. The menu was in excellent 
 taste, and had been entrusted to General Hills (and two 
 other officers), whose reputation at the' Bengal Club as a 
 host can have suffered no loss by his efforts on this occa- 
 sion. Soups, fish, roast, boiled, stewed, broiled, and cur- 
 ried meats, poultry and game, pastry, jellies, blancmange, 
 &c., were there; while one plat was specially commended 
 by the cognoscenti, being a dish, I subsequently ascer- 
 tained, of rice, split peas, fried onions, chillies, small 
 raisins, and curried fowl. Instead of lamb we had kid 
 the flesh of the young goat which dish is much esteemed, 
 as being small, tender, and nutritious, whether roasted or 
 cut up into cutlets. But England supplied us with many 
 a dish not procurable in Cabul ; and our friends at home 
 who fancy we live on ration beef and mutton will perhaps 
 be gratified to learn that we are sufficiently Sybaritic to 
 procure here from the mother country such articles as 
 York and Westphalia hams, reindeer tongues, cheese of 
 all kinds, hermetically sealed vegetables and fish, an- 
 chovies and sardines, potted meats, German sausages, 
 pickles, preserved fruits ; and indeed all those delicacies, 
 
1 3 2 Personal Records of 
 
 called here technically ' Europe,' which can be obtained 
 from those soldiers' friends, Fortnum and Mason. 
 
 Never shall I forget the pleasure of this farewell ban- 
 quet ; never cease to remember the brilliant character of 
 the conversation, the stories that were told, the speeches 
 that were made, and the songs that were sung. Every- 
 body was in the highest spirits ; and although, doubtless, 
 it was impossible for a little soupqon of envy not to creep 
 into the breasts of those who had no prospect of sharing 
 in the dangers and glories of the march, yet this feeling, 
 I feel sure, was but momentary, and soon driven away 
 by more generous sympathy for the parting guests. 
 After an excellent dinner, washed down by the generous 
 vintage of Moe't and Roederer, the Chairman gave, as 
 usual, ' The Queen,' drank upstanding and most enthusi- 
 astically; and then, after a short pause, the health of the 
 guest of the evening Sir Frederick Roberts, and 
 with it, * Success, and a speedy return with honour ! 
 May my lips be never again moistened with a glass 
 of this Roederer if in my thoughts I associate the Kan- 
 dahar column with aught but honour, glory, and success, 
 a force commanded by the most brilliant and dashing 
 leader of our day, and composed of the flower and the 
 pick of our Indian army. His first march over the 
 Peiwar Kotal and the Shutargardan will long be remem- 
 bered in history, and will, I feel sure, be paralleled by 
 his present march to Kandahar.' 
 
 General Roberts in his reply was, as befitting his 
 nature, manly, terse, soldier-like, and modest; attributing 
 his past successes to the materials placed at his disposal, 
 and the character and quality of his men and officers. 
 
 I have given you some particulars of Abdurrahman, 
 the new Ameer, in a former letter describing my private 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 133 
 
 interview with him, while I was on leave upon a shooting 
 expedition; and since then I was fortunate enough to 
 accompany Mr. Lepel Griffin to the long-expected 
 meeting which took place at the picturesque little vil- 
 lage called Zernina, about ten miles from Cabul. Zer- 
 nina is the very type of an Afghan village, surrounded 
 by groves of mulberry, date, and palm-trees, built on the 
 banks of a clear running stream, which is admirably 
 utilised to irrigate the crops of Indian corn, maize, and 
 other products of the soil. The houses are one-storied, 
 with flat roofs and scarcely any ventilation, and are in- 
 habited by a hard-working, industrious class of people, 
 whose prosperity is amply evidenced by their flocks of 
 sheep and other cattle. Pine-apples, custard -apples, 
 mangoe, the latter as a mere tree being very valuable, 
 and affording by its shade, dense and dark, a grateful 
 shelter to the horses of the escort were in profusion ; 
 while the teak, palm, banyan, bamboo, and the taliput, 
 grew over the plain. 
 
 Our escort consisted of three squadrons of cavalry, 
 made up from the 9th Lancers, 3rd Bombay Cavalry, 
 and the 3rd Punjab Cavalry, and our advent to the 
 village, which took place about seven a.m., induced a 
 crowd of men, women, and children, to come out and 
 look at us. The men seemed a handsome, manly- 
 looking race ; and what struck me mostly was the 
 dignified air they assumed as they saluted our political 
 officer and his staff. The dresses of the women were 
 handsome and picturesque, and such as I had not seen 
 in Cabul. Their attire consisted of a pair of gay-coloured 
 silk trowsers, edged in some cases with silver or gold 
 lace, so long as only to afford an occasional glimpse of 
 the rich anklets, strung with small bells, which encircle 
 
1 34 Personal Records of 
 
 the legs. Their toes were covered with rings, and a 
 broad flat chain was passed across the foot. Over the 
 trowsers a petticoat of some rich stuff was worn, con- 
 taining at least twelve breadths, profusely trimmed, 
 having broad silver or gold borders, finished with deep 
 fringes of the same. The vest is of the usual dimen- 
 sions, but it is almost hidden by an immense veil, 
 crossing the bosom several times, and hanging down in 
 front and at the back in broad ends, either trimmed to 
 match the petticoat, or, in the case of a rich man's wife, 
 composed of still more costly materials. The hands, 
 arms, and necks of many of these women were covered 
 with jewels some, indeed, of considerable value; and it 
 speaks most highly for our troops that cases of robbery 
 or violence have been unknown, or almost unknown, 
 when we have found occasion to occupy these villages. 
 
 One woman had her hair braided with silver ribbons 
 and confined with bodkins of beautiful workmanship, 
 while her ears were pierced round the top and furnished 
 with a fringe-like series of rings; and the diameter of the 
 nose-ring was as large as that of a crown-piece; it was of 
 gold wire, and very thin. A pearl and two other gems 
 were strung together over the mouth, much disfiguring 
 the countenance. With the exception of this hideous 
 article of decoration the dress of these women was, when 
 they were young and handsome, and when they did not 
 adopt the too prevalent custom of blackening their faces, 
 not only rich, but becoming ; and in the case of those 
 with tall and graceful figures, most picturesque. 
 
 After passing through the] village we reached the 
 open space near a tope, or grove of mangoes, where the 
 tents were pitched ; and here our Political Agent dis- 
 mounted, and sent two of his staff on to apprise his 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 135 
 
 Highness of our visit. In a few moments we saw the 
 curtains of the Ameer's tent thrown back, and his High- 
 ness appeared, leaning on the arm of one of his ministers. 
 He was dressed in a costume somewhat resembling our 
 own that is to say, a coat made of white linen, and cut 
 in the European fashion, but plentifully embroidered 
 with gold lace, while his blue cloth trowsers made some- 
 what like knickerbockers were tucked Yankee fashion 
 into high boots made of patent leather. Upon his head 
 he wore a sort of turban-shaped cap of some rich fur, 
 and he also wore a couple of massive gold chains around 
 his neck and across his chest, carrying at the same time 
 a splendidly mounted gold-hilted sword, presented to 
 him, I was afterwards told, by his friend General Kauf- 
 mann. The Ameer advanced midway between the two 
 tents, and graciously saluted Mr. Lepel Griffin, to whom 
 he offered his arm, and thus conducted our envoy to the 
 larger marquee, where tea, coffee, sherbet, and pipes, were 
 handed round by handsomely dressed attendants. 
 
 Abdurrahman having courteously invited our ' Poli- 
 tical ' to be seated on the couch near to him, commenced 
 the conversation by the usual inquiries after our health 
 and the health of our General. He struck me as a 
 better-looking man than I considered him at my last 
 interview, and his countenance indicated honesty of pur- 
 pose and an expression of candour and bonhomie not 
 characteristic of his race. He is a powerfully built man, 
 with rather a full face and a large heavy beard, some- 
 what grizzled, but trimmed with care. After the usual 
 compliments had been exchanged and the presents sent 
 by our General had been examined most minutely, a 
 conversation ensued on an infinite variety of topics, the 
 Ameer passing from one topic to another with the 
 
1 36 Personal Records of 
 
 greatest rapidity. The conversation naturally turned 
 upon recent events, and Abdurrahman spoke freely 
 about the late defeat of General Burrows, which he 
 characterised as unaccountable and almost excusable. 
 
 ' What,' said the Ameer, ' was your General doing so 
 far from Kandahar, with a force of little more than 2000 
 men ? and why did he not entrench his position and 
 wait to be attacked, instead of giving all the advantage 
 to Ayub ?' 
 
 I explained to his Highness that both General Prim- 
 rose and General Burrows were acting under a higher 
 authority than their own, and were, therefore, not free 
 agents. 
 
 * In that case,' said the Ameer, ' your General should 
 have assumed responsibility and retired carefully upon 
 Kandahar, or at least sufficiently near to it to be sup- 
 ported by General Primrose.' 
 
 The Ameer then suggested that the conference should 
 be continued in a more private manner, and consequently, 
 upon a signal, all but the immediate staffs of Abdurrah- 
 man and Mr. Lepel Griffin retired into the outer tent. 
 The Ameer then continued the conversation in a less 
 formal manner, and expressed his warm gratitude to Sir 
 Donald Stewart and Mr. Griffin for the manner in which 
 all negotiations had been conducted. This was fluently 
 spoken, and taken down in shorthand by our interpreter, 
 who then translated most excellently the letter sent by 
 Sir Donald to Abdurrahman. To this letter, enumerating 
 certain details in the convention, the Ameer listened most 
 attentively, only interrupting the speaker now and then 
 to express his concurrence with, and complete satisfac- 
 tion at, the proposals made by our Government. 
 
 * Two courses,' said the Ameer, ' are now before my 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 137 
 
 cousin, Ayub Khan, to evade General Roberts and 
 endeavour to march upon Cabul, or to await your 
 General and give battle to his army. From what I 
 know of him and the chiefs with him, he will, I believe, 
 choose the latter course ; and although he may fight 
 well, he will be defeated.' 
 
 He spoke of the Afghans as a nation, and the Ameer 
 dwelt with feeling upon their better qualities, which he 
 said only required a just and firm rule to develop. 
 
 1 The towns,' said he, ' in this country are few and far 
 between, and the kingdom is but thinly populated ; 
 while the people, instead of a united race, are rather a 
 group of races. They are brave, independent, and turbu- 
 lent, at all times vindictive, and given to a constant 
 succession of internal feuds. Amongst such a people 
 war perpetuates itself, and blood is always crying for 
 blood. Every Afghan is trained to arms, and, from his 
 habits and the conditions of his life, becomes more or 
 less a soldier.' 
 
 1 But in the villages,' said our Envoy, ' I have noticed 
 a different side to the picture, and I have seen that the 
 inhabitants are hospitable and generous, entertaining us 
 without stint, and coming into our camps with cheerful 
 faces and courteous manners.' 
 
 'To see them at their best,' said the Ameer, 'you 
 should visit the villages, not the towns, where, as soldiers, 
 husbandmen, and shepherds, they are the very antithesis 
 of the traders or shopkeepers of Cabul or Kandahar. In 
 the evening, when the toils of the day are over, the 
 headmen of the village are to be seen smoking and 
 telling stories to their children in their gardens, or 
 singing old Afghan ballads of love and war. They are, 
 as a rule, kindly and considerate to their dependants, 
 
1 38 Personal Records of 
 
 and in no Eastern country that I have seen is less 
 of tyranny exercised over the slaves of the household 
 or the dwellers in the Zenana. I do not anticipate much 
 difficulty in my government, provided I can retain the 
 friendship of the English ; and I trust I may live to see 
 peace in the land, and wealth and prosperity in our 
 marts and bazaars.' 
 
 The conversation then turned upon political matters, 
 and lasted for more than three hours. Both our Envoy 
 and the Ameer seem very much pleased with each other. 
 
 Sir Frederick Roberts' splendid column was to have 
 assembled for a day or two in the Maidan Valley, pre- 
 vious to its final departure for Kandahar ; but as soon 
 as the Logar Valley route was decided upon the force 
 was reviewed outside Sherpur, where an immense crowd 
 of Cabul people as well as many from the neighbouring 
 villages came to look on. I consider the review that 
 was held a most politic measure, as never in the history 
 of Cabul had a finer military display been set before the 
 Afghans. This review took place on Saturday, the /th, 
 and Sunday was given as a day of rest, so that the actual 
 march did not commence till Monday morning at day- 
 light, when even at that early hour a large multitude 
 came forth to see us depart. 
 
 First of all, the whole force was formed outside the 
 Sherpur cautonment in line of contiguous columns, 
 having the cavalry and guns on either flank, and the 
 whole of the baggage in rear. Soon after the line 
 had been formed Sir Frederick Roberts rode on to the 
 ground with Sir Donald Stewart, who purposed accom- 
 panying us part of our first day's march. The most 
 minute medical investigation had been made, so that 
 every man with the slightest complaint was excluded 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 39 
 
 and left behind. Of our commissariat arrangements I 
 have already given you details in my letter of last week; 
 and I need only add that the mule and pony carriage of 
 these supplies is so thoroughly complete that we shall 
 be able, the General thinks, to make an average of 
 seventeen or eighteen miles a-day. At 5.30 a.m. the 
 orderlies galloped along the line of columns to say that 
 all officers commanding corps and batteries were required 
 by the General ; and in the space of a minute or two Sir 
 Frederick and General Stewart were surrounded by 
 these officers, and received from him the following 
 instructions : 
 
 ' Gentlemen, by the desire of Sir Donald Stewart I 
 have sent for you to thank you for the admirable 
 manner in which all my instructions have been carried 
 out, and for the perfect state in which your men have 
 appeared this day. The march of a division of 10,000 
 men over 300 miles of an enemy's country in a given time 
 is a task which I have undertaken, and which I feel con- 
 
 . 
 
 fident I can carry out ; relying, as I do, upon the zeal 
 and devotion of those who are now under my command. 
 Our march will doubtless be watched with anxiety by 
 our friends in Kandahar and by those belonging to us at 
 home. We must, therefore, show that British soldiers 
 can now accomplish what our forefathers achieved in old 
 times ; and that upon an occasion like the present we 
 can make any sacrifices to carry out the task set before 
 us.' 
 
 Precisely at six o'clock all was ready, and the final 
 order was given to move off by column of fours in suc- 
 cessive brigades from the right. An advanced guard, 
 composed of a squadron of the 9th Lancers and two 
 mountain guns, were sent on at the usual distance in 
 
140 Personal Records of 
 
 front, while a similar force formed the rear guard. The 
 column then moved off by brigades as follows : 
 Cavalry Brigade, under Brigadier-General Gough, V.C., 
 C.B. gth Lancers, 3rd Punjab Cavalry, 3rd Bengal 
 Cavalry, Central India Horse, and 50 volunteers ist and 
 2nd Punjab Cavalry. Artillery I, 2, 3 mountain bat- 
 teries, under Colonel A. C. Johnson, R.A. First Brigade, 
 Colonel Macpherson Q2nd Highlanders, 2nd Goorkhas, 
 23rd Pioneers, 24th Native Infantry. Second Brigade, 
 Colonel Baker 72nd Highlanders, 5th Goorkhas, 2nd 
 Sikhs, and 3rd Sikhs. Third Brigade, Colonel Mac- 
 gregor 6oth Rifles, I5th Sikhs, 4th Goorkhas, and 25th 
 Native Infantry. Amongst the very numerous staff the 
 principal are Lieut-Colonel Chapman, D.Q.M.G.; Major 
 G. de C. Morton, A.A.G. ; Major R. G. Kennedy, 
 A.Q.M.G.; Major Badcock, Deputy Commissary-General ; 
 Captain Rynd, Lieut. Fitzgerald, Lieut. Montgomery, 
 Lieut. Hawkes, Commissariat officers ; Colonel Perkins, 
 commanding R.E. ; Major Cowie, Commissary of Ord- 
 nance ; Colonel Low, Director of Transport ; Lieut. 
 Booth, staff officer Transport ; Lieut. Fisher, Transport 
 officer Cavalry Brigade; Lieut. Wilson, Transport officer 
 ist Brigade; Captain G. H. Elliott, Transport officer 
 2nd Brigade ; Captain Macgregor, Transport officer 
 3rd Brigade ; Captain Stratton, Superintendent of Sig- 
 nalling ; Major Goshaw, Deputy Judge Advocate ; and 
 the Rev. J. H. Adams, chaplain, and Father Browne, 
 Roman Catholic chaplain. 
 
 In a military sense Cabul may be said to lie in a cul- 
 de-sac, as, although 6000 feet above the sea, it is enclosed 
 on three sides by mountain ranges, and has a succession 
 of minor hills and rocky eminences, from which crowds 
 of the inhabitants were now watching our movement 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 141 
 
 across the plain. On our north lay the village of 
 Behmaru, and on the low range of hills of the same 
 name were also numbers of spectators observing our 
 march. On the south-west angle of the city walls, and 
 commanding the plain through which runs the Kandahar, 
 Kohistan, and Bamian roads, stand the ruins of Ma- 
 homed Shah's fort ; and here again a large gathering of 
 villagers and townspeople had collected. The sun had 
 been early in the morning somewhat obscured by dark 
 clouds and the mist rising from the Cabul river ; but now 
 its rays came out in splendour, and lit up the glittering 
 mass of armed men that swept across the plain in close 
 and compact order. 
 
 The transport arrangements reflect great credit upon 
 Colonel Low and those under him; and the subdivision 
 of duties, each brigade and each regiment having its own 
 staff, works admirably. Of course we are as lightly 
 equipped as possible ; and great care has been taken to 
 assign the most moderate loads to the ponies and mules, 
 which form our only transport. I have on many recent 
 occasions made excursions on horseback over the plains 
 outside Cabul, and could not but be struck with the 
 wonderful fertility of the district and its great capacity 
 for agricultural operations. In the valley of the Cabul 
 river and as far as the Logar there is really no unpro- 
 ductive soil ; corn and all the fruits and flowers of 
 Europe growing there in abundance. The numerous 
 streams which intersect this part of the country, rising 
 from the snows of the Sufed Koh, and which discharge 
 their waters into the Cabul river, are utilised by the 
 inhabitants of the villages they pass for irrigation. In 
 the neighbourhood around as we passed we noticed 
 fields of wheat and barley and other cereals growing in 
 
142 Personal Records of 
 
 luxuriance, and the whole length of the valley seemed 
 one smiling garden. 
 
 Leaving the Maidan road on our right, we kept to 
 the lower route leading to Sufed Sang, our first day's 
 halt ; but our 1st Brigade and our Engineer park with 
 its eighty mules pushed on as far as Zargun Shahr in 
 the Logar Valley, in both of which places there is good 
 camping ground, with plenty of wood and water. Yes- 
 terday's march brought us through a fertile district to 
 the village of Hissarak, where our camp was pitched in 
 a splendid position on the slopes of the hills, which now 
 became more steep and difficult. To-morrow we march 
 for Shekhabad, where it is possible we may have some 
 little opposition, as reports of a gathering of tribes have 
 been brought to us. As far as we have yet come all has 
 gone well. The men are in splendid trim for marching, 
 and each regiment vies with the others in enthusiasm 
 and eagerness to push on ; indeed, were the opinions of 
 ' Thomas Atkins ' to be considered, our marches would 
 be thirty miles a-day instead of sixteen. However, 
 General Roberts is too good a soldier to hurry his men 
 or to risk knocking up the weaker pedestrians : and his 
 idea is to increase the length of our march as the men 
 get into training. Thus after Ghuzni is passed we may 
 probably do twenty miles a-day instead of our present 
 rate. A tough day's work awaits us at the southern end 
 of the Logar Valley, where the baggage animals will 
 have to ascend a steep ridge over the Zamburra Pass, 
 900 feet, after which the road descends towards Ghuzni. 
 
 Our mules and ponies carry only two maunds, 
 equal to about i6olbs., and 430 of these useful animals 
 have been told off for our thirty days' supply of European 
 articles, to be husbanded as much as possible. Our 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 143 
 
 men, however, receive their full ration of I Ib meat ; 
 ijlb. bread, or biscuit, rice, or flour ; 4ozs. sugar ; tea, 
 J oz. ; salt, | oz. ; potatoes or vegetables, 10 ozs.; rum, 
 i dram ; and the natives, attah, 2 Ibs. ; dhall, J Ib. ; ghee, 
 | Ib.; salt, | oz.: while our horses are allowed, grain, 
 8 Ibs., grass, 12 Ibs.; and our mules, grain, 4 Ibs., grass, 
 8 Ibs. The commissariat arrangements work so well 
 that these supplies are always ready for issue when the 
 brigades arrive, and no man is kept waiting a moment 
 for his daily ration. The length of our column is neces- 
 sarily great, and yesterday it was computed to be six 
 miles from van to rear. 
 
144 Personal Records oj 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ON THE LINE OF MARCH WITH THE RELIEVING COLUMN. 
 
 i) Aug. 75. 
 
 MY last letter to you from our camp at Hissarak, in 
 the Logar Valley, gave you, I believe, full details of 
 the magnificent force now under General Roberts' 
 command, and I can now supplement my account by 
 telling you how admirably our hopes have been fulfilled 
 as regards the marching powers of our men. Leaving 
 Cabul on the 7th, our marches were through a smiling 
 and fertile country, via Zargun Shahr, Hissarak, Shekha- 
 bad, Hyder Khel, Haftasia, and Shashgao. We crossed 
 without difficulty the steep mountain ridge which closes 
 in the southern end of the Logar Valley by the Zam- 
 burra Pass and the Wardek defile. Here the road 
 becomes difficult, and we had some little delay with 
 our mountain batteries ; but fortunately we have no 
 wheeled carriages, and all obstacles were surmounted. 
 In specifying our force of mountain batteries, I omitted 
 to tell you that we are fortunate in possessing in 6-8 
 some of the new 7-pounder ' jointed guns,' due to 
 the invention of Colonel C. B. Le Mesurier, R.A. The 
 ordinary mountain gun, you are no doubt aware, was 
 limited in its weight to 200 Ibs., and this limit enabled it 
 to be carried by one mule ; but Colonel Le Mesurier 
 conceived the happy idea of increasing the length and 
 weight of the weapon, by making the muzzle and breech 
 in two portions, to screw together by means of what is 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 145 
 
 called ' a trunnion hoop.' Each of these portions weighs 
 about 200 Ibs., and the gun can therefore be carried by a 
 couple of mules. 
 
 General Roberts has impressed upon all ranks the 
 necessity for strict rule and obedience on the line of 
 march, and at every halt a careful inspection of men, 
 horses, mules, and cattle, is made. Sore backs, foot- 
 sores, galls, and accidents, are at once reported, and all 
 ranks are divided into squads for greater convenience 
 in issuing supplies and detecting casualties. The wisdom 
 of choosing the Logar Valley route has been fully 
 justified by our present rapid and successful advance, 
 for had we marched by the Maidan and Argandab road 
 we should have found great difficulties in obtaining 
 supplies. Fortunate for us the autumn crops in the 
 valley have been unusually fine, and the Indian corn 
 especially, being well grown, has supplied us with plenty 
 of green forage. As we have with us 8307 animals of 
 all kinds, you can imagine what an important element 
 is forage and grain. The ordinary rate of marching in 
 Europe is allowed to be not more than two and a 
 quarter miles an hour this, of course, to include short 
 halts at the end of each hour but, from the calculations 
 I have made, I see that our average has been within a 
 fraction of three miles an hour, which, considering the 
 heat, is, to say the least, wonderful. For a division of 
 all arms, again, it is laid down that twelve or fifteen 
 miles a-day is a fair march; but we have exceeded this, 
 as our average has been sixteen miles a-day. As Sir 
 Frederick's division numbers 274 British officers, 2562 
 British troops, 7157 native troops, in all 9993 men, the 
 daily supply in round numbers, on our full rations, 
 comes to no less than 70 country sheep, 900 4 Ib. loaves, 
 
 L 
 
146 Personal Records of 
 
 or 25 cwt. of biscuit, besides rice, sugar, tea, salt, and 
 vegetables. These commissariat difficulties, however, 
 have been gallantly overcome by the energy of our 
 supply officers and the exertions of the native Gomas- 
 tahs, or commissariat agents, sent on from village to 
 village by the Ameer. In case of accident, however, 
 and to insure men and animals not missing their rations, 
 each man and each animal has always carried one day's 
 supply. These rations are consumed during the day, 
 and replaced at every evening's halt. But we are not, 
 of course, dependent upon the villages for our supplies, 
 as we carry with us plenty of cases of cooked corned 
 beef, 28 tins in a box, weighing I Ib. loj ozs. each, plain 
 boiled beef in boxes of 12 tins of 4 Ibs. each, preserved 
 potatoes in boxes of two tins, 56 Ibs. each, compressed 
 vegetables, in boxes of three tins, 16 Ibs. each, and rock 
 cocoa in boxes of 56 Ibs. 
 
 Nothing can exceed the beauty of the Logar Valley, 
 and many were the artistic sketches made by our fellows 
 at our various halts. The views on either side of the 
 Logar River were charmingly varied. The moisture of 
 the climate and the nature of the soil concur in pre- 
 serving a perpetual verdure most refreshing to the eye, 
 after the dusty and parched regions we had quitted. 
 Even at the hottest period of the day, and when the sun 
 poured down with so fierce a light that it seemed as if 
 its scorching influence were sufficient to dry up every 
 blade of grass, the whole earth seemed covered with a 
 rich carpet ; while the moment the sun sets a refreshing 
 coolness fills the air, and our eyes revel upon the richest 
 luxuriance. The diversity occasioned by the wood, 
 sometimes in small clumps, sometimes spreading to 
 groves, and at others thickening into forests, and at all 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 147 
 
 times profusely scattered, takes away all monotony from 
 the scene. The banks of the Logar are in some places 
 so high, especially at some of the sharper angles of the 
 stream, that they assume the character of promontories, 
 and most of these are wooded to the top. Nothing, I 
 repeat, can exceed the beauty of the foliage which 
 waves over this favoured valley ; the bamboo, flinging 
 its long branches down with willow-like grace, the 
 varied species of palms rising in regal majesty above, 
 and the fine feathery foliage of both, relieved by the 
 bright masses of the neem, the peepul, and a host of 
 others, many bearing flowers of a thousand dyes. The 
 magnolia is common in the valley, and amidst a vast 
 number of the acacia tribe there is one of peculiar 
 beauty called the Cabool. It is covered with a flower 
 tufted like a ball of a golden colour, which gives out so 
 delicious a perfume, that one will scent a whole garden. 
 Here and there the summits of the more striking eleva- 
 tions are crowned by mosques or tombs of some Afghan 
 hero. Most of these buildings have the round flattened 
 dome usual with Mussulman temples, while the stairs, 
 which are very handsome, are not unfrequently strewn 
 from top to bottom with fresh flowers of the most 
 beautiful description. Long garlands of the Afghan 
 jessamine, a large, white, double blossom, with a rich but 
 heavy perfume, or of a large scarlet or yellow flower, 
 hang over the rails, as these followers of Mahomet have 
 so far adopted the custom of their heathen neighbours 
 as to spread flowers upon the tombs of their departed 
 friends. 
 
 At five o'clock on the morning of the loth I accom- 
 panied General Roberts, with his escort of 50 Lancers, 
 in advance of the cavalry brigade, from Zargun Shahr 
 
1 48 Personal Records of 
 
 towards Hissarak. Messages had been sent back from 
 us to the Ameer at Cabul, in order that General Stewart 
 might be kept an courant with our progress. Soon after 
 moving off we passed a grove of neem trees more exten- 
 sive than any I had seen, and at a small distance a large 
 but ruinous village ; and thence on, came to a country 
 much wilder, worse cultivated, and seemingly less peopled 
 than the districts we had left. What cultivation there 
 was seemed principally of maize, growing very tall, but 
 sadly burnt by the recent drought. This, however, was 
 only in patches, and the greater part of the prospect 
 consisted of small woods, scattered in a very picturesque 
 manner over a champaign country, with few signs of 
 habitation, and those only in ruins. 
 
 Every traveller whom we met, even the common 
 people going to market, had either swords or shields, 
 spears or matchlock guns, and some, indeed, had bows 
 and arrows. The road was now rugged, and nothing 
 could be more unfounded than the statements we had 
 heard that horse artillery could have passed easily. 
 Both the sides of the road were walled in in places by 
 high scarp rocks, where our flanking parties had con- 
 siderable difficulty in getting along. By driving slowly 
 no doubt it would have been possible to get a Q-pounder 
 along, but it would have been a difficult task to take 
 wheels along a track which, when beaten, was so dented 
 by the feet of horses and cattle, and so hardened by the 
 sun, as to resemble a frozen farm-yard ; while whenever 
 we forsook the road we encountered cracks deep enough 
 to break any ordinary gun-wheel. Sir Frederick and I 
 were about a mile in front of the head of our first 
 brigade. We had a couple of sowars in front at a couple 
 of hundred yards' distance, and vedettes on either flank, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 149 
 
 while connecting files kept us in communication with 
 our main body. We occasionally passed a few villagers 
 on the road, who seemed to manifest no surprise at the 
 military display we afforded. Both men and women 
 whom we met I thought taller and fairer people than 
 the Cabulese. Some of the women whom we passed 
 were of complexions so little darker than our own, 
 that as they approached they might have passed for 
 Europeans. Instead of the softness and gentleness so 
 apparent in our own Sepoys, these men have a proud 
 step, a stern eye, and a rough and loud voice, such as 
 might indeed be expected from a people living almost 
 entirely in the open air, and in a country where, as a 
 rule, no man is sure that he may not at any moment 
 be compelled to fight for his life or land. 
 
 Judging from those I have seen, I should say the 
 Afghans of the Logar Valley are remarkably handsome 
 and athletic, with fair complexions, flowing beards, and 
 highly aquiline features. Their limbs are muscular, 
 though perhaps not stout, and they are capable of 
 enduring great hardships in their own country. They 
 are fond of hunting, hawking, and all kinds of field 
 sports ; are capital horsemen and unerring marksmen 
 with the rifle, and nearly as true in their aim with a 
 stone thrown from the hand. Among themselves 
 they are humorous and convivial. In the presence of 
 strangers, however, they are proud of their nationality, 
 and especially of the ' Nang-i-Puckhtana ' or ' Pukhtun 
 honour,' and assume an air of integrity which is but 
 ill supported by the other traits of their character. I 
 have found them, as a rule, vain, bigoted in religious 
 matters and national or tribal prejudices, revengeful 
 of real or imaginary injuries, avaricious and penurious 
 
150 Personal Records of 
 
 in the extreme, prone to deception, which, however, 
 they fail to conceal, and very often wanting in courage 
 and perseverance. But with all this they assume a 
 frankness and affability of manner which, coupled with 
 their apparent hospitality, is very apt to deceive and 
 disarm the unwary. They are, moreover, by nature and 
 profession, a race of robbers, and never fail to practise 
 this peculiarly national calling on any and every avail- 
 able opportunity. Among themselves the Logar 
 Afghans, I have noticed, are quarrelsome, intriguing, 
 and distrustful of each other, and by their neighbours 
 they are considered faithless and intractable. 
 
 By ordinary stages, and via Maidan, Ghuzni is seven 
 marches from Cabul, but by the lower road and the 
 Logar Valley it is one march longer. Passing under 
 a range of low hills, the columns crossed the Cabul 
 river, which at this season is not a formidable obstacle, 
 being not more than twenty-five yards in breadth and 
 two feet deep. Zargun and Hissarak are the first two 
 halts by the lower road, as Magandah, Maidan, and 
 Shekhabad would be on the upper route. After passing 
 Zargun Shahr and Hissarak, the lower road inclines to 
 the right, and tends towards Saidabad and Shekhabad ; 
 whib another branch leads through a richly cultivated 
 country to Hyder Khcyl and Haftasia. Shekhabad is 
 eighteen miles from Maidan, and one brigade of our 
 force went by that road, effecting a junction with us 
 at Haftasia. After passing Shekhabad we crossed the 
 Logar by a narrow bridge, and marched through a 
 smiling and richly cultivated landscape for about eleven 
 miles, which brought us to Hyder Kheyl, ten miles from 
 Shekhabad; and marching through the richest part of 
 the valley, where thriving villages were seen, another 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 5 1 
 
 eleven miles brought us to Haftasia, where we halted on 
 the 1 2th. 
 
 Marching from Haftasia on the morning of the I3th 
 we had to pass several short defiles, where the road was 
 so narrow that, although the cliffs on either side rose to 
 several hundred feet, our flanking parties could converse 
 with each other as they advanced along the rocks to- 
 wards Shashgao, which we found to have an elevation of 
 8700 feet. 
 
 The nights under canvas were now delightful, and 
 nothing could exceed the comfort of our cotton dwellings. 
 The authorities, of course by General Roberts' desire, 
 have placed us on the shortest possible baggage allow- 
 ance; but this has not made us. in the least uncomfortable, 
 and will, I trust, lead to many reforms in the absurd 
 impedimenta usual to an Indian army on a march. The 
 mess tents serve as dwelling tents, and instead of the 
 small-pattern Cabul tent the ends open right from top 
 to bottom down the centre, and both ends are ' porched/ 
 that is, the porches fastened to the inner not the outer 
 fly. Even then the weights run rather heavy for the 
 camels, and are as follows : Outer fly, 1 5 Ibs. ; inner 
 ditto, 30 Ibs. ; 3 poles, 1 5 Ibs. ; mallet, 9 Ibs. ; suleetah and 
 peg bag, 7 Ibs. ; pegs of iron, 30 Ibs. : total, 99 Ibs. These 
 tents give accommodation to 15 men or 10 officers, and 
 to each mess are assigned cooking utensils amounting to 
 10 Ibs. with mess stores 40 Ibs. viz. four copper handis, 
 four copper talis, two tin flour-pots, one large spoon, one 
 knife ; and for each person table utensils as follows : 
 one drinking-cup, one cup and saucer, three iron 
 enamelled plates, one pair of tin muffineer plates, two 
 teaspoons, one dessert and one tablespoon, two small 
 knives and forks, weighing in all 7 Ibs. 
 
152 Personal Records of 
 
 The mess stores are i tin of 30 portions soup, 2 
 packages dried vegetables, 4^ tins Huntley and Palmer's 
 meat wafers, 6 small pots of Liebig's extract, 3 i Ib. 
 tins of ' Erbswurst ' pea sausage (each tin sufficient for 
 four people), 12 bags meat cabbage, 3 lib. tins Romford 
 soup, 12 tins EfTner's condensed eggs (containing 6 eggs 
 each), Dalby's compressed tea, 2 tins condensed milk, 
 2 Ibs. condiments, 5 Ibs. corn flour, arrowroot, sugar, 6 Ibs. 
 candles and lantern 8 Ibs., making in all 40 Ibs. ; 640 
 dinners of ' Erbswurst ' two maunds can be carried 
 on one mule. Our camp followers are allowed lolbs. 
 each, and the horses 15 Ibs. each, the latter consisting 
 of waterproof hood, 2 horse-blankets, fore-shackle and 
 rope, brush, comb, hand-glove, two cloths, knee-pads, 
 and blinds, zine bucket, tobia (grain bag), and I kit 
 bag. 
 
 To those who imagine we are undergoing the hard- 
 ships of the mutiny, or the privations of a Siberian 
 campaign, I will merely say that our march up to the 
 present time has been a veritable picnic, not unaccom- 
 panied by a rubber of whist in the afternoon, and not 
 divested of that little duck and quail slaughter which, in 
 a measure, consoles our youngsters for the banishment 
 from Hurlingham and the fierce delights of an English 
 battue. Wild duck are plentiful, and although the tanks 
 are not so large as those I have shot over in Mysore or 
 the Carnatic, the sport has been excellent. The General, 
 as an Irishman, is naturally a sportsman, and gives 
 every encouragement to our youngsters to add to our 
 mess ration a toothsome relish of teal and other wild 
 fowl. Yesterday I had the pleasure of making, in com- 
 pany with our chief, a very fair bag of snipe and teal, 
 but I must say the work was hard even for a man in 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 153 
 
 severe training. The walking was bad enough on dry 
 land and bog alternately, and then one has to retrieve 
 one's birds oneself by wading in after the wounded 
 ones through a mass of long weeds, which have a knack 
 of knotting round one's legs in a most dangerous manner. 
 After passing Shashgao, eight and a half miles from 
 Haftasia, we found that, leaving an elevation of 8700 
 feet, the road undulated through a gloriously cultivated 
 piece of country leading us to the celebrated Pass of 
 Sher-i-dana, over 9000 feet high, and in the vicinity of 
 which is the tomb of Sultan Mahmoud. This monument 
 is in tolerable repair, and is in a grave and solemn style 
 of architecture, being a square tower pierced on each 
 front with elegantly formed doorways. A grove of 
 noble trees under which General Roberts' tents were 
 pitched, and where our horses, camels, and bullocks, 
 were disposed in different clusters ; the marquees, tents, 
 fires, baskets of fruit, rice, ghee, &c., brought for sale by 
 the villagers, and the varied and picturesque costumes 
 of the crowd assembled to stare at the Feringhi, the 
 white garments of our camp followers and servants, the 
 long veils and silver ornaments of the female villagers, 
 and the dark mantles, dark beards, and naked limbs of 
 the native peasantry, gave the whole scene of our en- 
 campment an animated and interesting effect. For the 
 latter part of our way up this magnificent defile we saw 
 our immense and sinuous column, like some leviathan 
 monster, winding its way up the steep hills, . and amid 
 mountain scenery of great magnificence. The rocks on 
 the summit had all the appearance of fortresses, and the 
 deception was in one instance singularly heightened by 
 the circumstance of one of the creepers I have men- 
 tioned having thrown itself across the chasm, just below 
 
154 Personal Records of 
 
 the walls of an imaginary fortress, like a drawbridge. 
 This spot, if held by a resolute foe with a few pieces of 
 cannon, might have stopped us for a considerable time, 
 but, fortunately for us, no Afghan tribe had seen its 
 value. The valleys between these hills are well culti- 
 vated with rice, and I was told that enormous quantities 
 are grown. The verdure of the young rice is particularly 
 fine, and the fields are really a beautiful sight when 
 surrounded, as on this occasion, with magnificent moun- 
 tain scenery. About two thirds of the way up the pass 
 we halted to breakfast at a spot of singular and romantic 
 beauty, and here we were met by some of the headmen 
 of Sher-i-dana, who accompanied us part of our way on 
 horseback. The road, which must have been constructed 
 with immense labour, winds up the side of a mountain 
 covered with thick jungle and magnificent forest trees, 
 amongst which are the ebony, the iron, and the 'thief 
 trees the former with a tall, black, slender stem, spotted 
 with white ; the iron tree, black and hard, as its name 
 denotes ; and the last, rising with a straight white stem 
 to a great height, singularly contrasting with the deep 
 verdure around it. I have a vague hope that our mes- 
 sengers may reach with these letters ; but the packets are 
 now closing, so I must reserve my account of Ghuzni till 
 my next. Meanwhile all well and in high spirits. 
 
 At Hissarak the Logar is a narrow and sluggish 
 stream, and one of our camps was pitched on a piece of 
 ploughed ground between the village and the river. 
 The stream has a firm, pebbly bed, but at this season is 
 of no particular depth, and consequently easily fordable. 
 In a month or so, and during the rains, however, matters 
 change, and the volume of water greatly increases. On 
 the western bank of the river the surface is curtailed by 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 5 5 
 
 low stony hills, with scarcely any vegetation excepting 
 a few scattered specimens of the 'khingak,' which are 
 dotted here and there over the surface. On either side 
 of the Logar river the country for, perhaps, an average 
 breadth of three or four miles, is densely populated, and, 
 I noticed, is laid out in one mass of vineyards, orchards, 
 and corn-fields, in the midst of which, in close proximity 
 to each other, are scattered the numerous little fort- 
 enclosed villages of the inhabitants. Logar is, I need 
 hardly repeat, a cultivated valley, and densely populated 
 by several different tribes, who are generally at enmity 
 with each other, and this will account for the bellicose 
 appearance of most of the men we met. The district, 
 fortunately for our contractors, produces corn in great 
 abundance, and, in fact, with Ghuzni may be called one 
 of the principal granaries of Cabul. It also produces 
 vast quantities of fruit, and its apricots and grapes are 
 extensively exported to Hindostan. Here, instead of 
 being grown in deep trenches, and their branches sup- 
 ported by intervening ridges of earth, or on frameworks 
 of wood, the vines are planted in regular rows, and 
 trained like bushes, by clipping and pruning their 
 branches and tendrils. The grapes are chiefly known as 
 the varieties of ' Hussaini ' and ' Shaikh-Khalli.' They 
 are gathered before they are quite ripe, and packed in 
 ' drums ' of poplar wood, between layers of cotton wool, 
 and in this manner are exported to Hindostan. 
 
 But besides these fruits are vegetables, of which we 
 have partaken of almost every variety, including the 
 potato, which, however, is of recent introduction. The 
 people seem, for the most part, occupied with the care 
 of their flocks and herds, and, as a mass, have a healthy 
 and robust appearance ; but I hear that during the 
 
156 Personal Records of 
 
 greater part of the autumn months numbers of them 
 are laid up with a malarious fever. 
 
 In some of the villages we were shown manufacturers 
 of a coarse material from the wool of the 'baira,' or 
 sheep, while in other districts they are celebrated as the 
 makers of a sort of earthenware water-jug, called a 
 'surahi.' These we found very useful, as they keep water 
 cool by means of evaporation. 
 
 The Logar population, though so often at enmity 
 with each other, go for the most part about their fields 
 unarmed, and in this respect contrast wonderfully with 
 some of the other villages beyond the valley. They 
 have been, on the whole, more than disposed to be 
 friendly with our men, who have, as a rule, freely fra- 
 ternised with them. 
 
 From Tangi Wardak to Hyder Kheyl the distance 
 is twelve miles, and beyond Tangi the Logar Valley 
 narrows into a defile flanked by low hills of bare rock. 
 The hills are of very irregular outline, and in some 
 parts hardly a couple of hundred yards apart. From 
 Tangi the road led through part of this defile along a 
 watercourse that was cut in the slope of the hilly ridge 
 that bounded the valley towards the north, and the banks 
 of which were flanked by rows of willow-trees and ' san- 
 gits.' The latter is a very handsome tree with silvery 
 leaves and a sweet-scented flower, very diminutive and 
 growing in clusters. Although at Tangi the valley is 
 narrow, it is covered nevertheless with a mass of villages 
 and cultivation. Many of the former are fortified, and 
 built with great regularity. Beyond the Tangi defile the 
 road passes over a series of ascents and descents, and 
 conducts to the high table-land of Ghuzni. 
 
 Now our halt is at the village of Shekhabad, where 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 5 7 
 
 it joins the main road between the cities of Cabul and 
 Ghuzni. From Hyder Kheyl to Swara is fifteen miles, 
 by a gradual and easy ascent all the way, along a fair 
 military road that traverses the brow of a long and 
 regular mountain ridge. On the east and left of the 
 road the country slopes away by an easy ascent for 
 about a couple of miles, and then rises in low hills or 
 peaked eminences. Immense flocks of goats and sheep, 
 herds of cattle and camels, ploughed lands regularly 
 mapped out with lovely looking villages, corn-fields, 
 fruit - gardens irrigated by numerous streams coming 
 from the high lands above, and an abundance of grain, 
 assured us that, if we were not in a land of milk and 
 honey, we should not perish of starvation. 
 
 Ghuzni, where we arrived to-day, is one of the prin- 
 cipal cities in the Afghan empire. It is eighty-eight miles 
 west of Cabul, on the main road to Kandahar, which is 
 233 miles off. There are many roads hence to India, 
 the principal being by the Kuram route, by Urgunj and 
 Khost, by the Jadran country and Dawar, by the Gomal 
 to Dera Ismail Khan. 
 
 It is situated on the left bank of the Ghuznee river, 
 on the level ground between the river and the termina- 
 tion of a spur jutting out from the Gulkoh range. The 
 city spreads out to the south and east of the spur, at the 
 extremity of which the citadel is built. The town is an 
 irregular square, each side being about a quarter of a 
 mile in length, and is surrounded by a high wall built 
 partly of stone, partly of brick. The wall is flanked by 
 lofty towers, and is surrounded by a deep ditch, except 
 across the spur where the citadel stands. The city is 
 composed of dirty, irregular streets of houses, several 
 stories high. They are very irregular, and will not bear 
 
158 Personal Records of 
 
 any comparison with the bazaars of Cabul and Kan- 
 dahar. The population, who are mostly Afghans, with 
 the exception of about 200 families of Hindu shop- 
 keepers, number close on 10,000. 
 
 They have a look of wretchedness and poverty, and 
 are remarkable only for their ignorance and superstition. 
 The chief trade of the city is in corn, fruit, madder, wool, 
 and camels'-hair cloth. The only manufacture is that 
 of sheepskin coats. The neighbouring country is very 
 fertile, the orchards being especially renowned ; the fruit 
 of these are largely exported to Hindostan. Tobacco 
 and corn are grown only for home use ; also the castor- 
 oil plant. 
 
 On our taking the place in 1839, we found half a 
 million pounds of wheat and barley and 80,000 pounds 
 of flour in the bazaar. 
 
 The weather still continues most favourable for 
 marching, and the men have not suffered ; but the 
 climate of Ghuznee is very severe in the winter it is 
 said to be the coldest place in Afghanistan ; as a rule, 
 snow lies on the ground from November to February. 
 In the summer the heat is very disagreeable, and storms 
 being of constant occurrence it is very unhealthy, owing 
 probably to its bad drainage and the dirty condition of 
 the inhabitants. 
 
 Until the present war Ghuzni was comparatively 
 unknown, as no Europeans, to our knowledge, had 
 visited the place since Nott destroyed it, so we are 
 ignorant of its defences; but in 1842 all the Engineers 
 were of opinion that, though admirably calculated to 
 defy the implements of war in use at the time of its 
 construction, its defences would not be sufficient to de- 
 tain an army provided with a siege train for three days 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 159 
 
 before its walls. Some scientific authorities give it as 
 their opinion that its situation, as well as its construc- 
 tion, is totally defective; others, in location, position, 
 construction, and condition, consider it useless. Durand, 
 on the contrary, deemed it a spot, situated on the line 
 of communication between Cabul and Kandahar, com- 
 manding access to the Gomal Pass, of great strategical 
 value, and the question of strengthening it of great im- 
 portance. There can be no doubt that he is right. 
 
 THE SORTIE FROM KANDAHAR VILLAGE OF DEH KWAJA. 
 
 Kandahar ; Aug. 20. 
 
 WE have been in such a state of worry and excitement 
 since the disastrous affair of the 2/th, and we have had 
 so much work to do in regard to pulling down buildings 
 and cutting down trees, to place obstacles on the roads 
 and in front of our gates, that I have allowed two oppor- 
 tunities for the despatch of letters to escape. In war, as 
 in other matters mundane, misfortunes seldom come 
 alone ; and now I have to chronicle a disaster almost 
 equal in intensity to the sad story of which I told you in 
 my last. 
 
 At the instance of Brigadier-General Brooke, who 
 strongly advised General Primrose to the attempt, an ill- 
 judged, ill-devised, and foolish sortie, was attempted by 
 us four days ago. We have been much annoyed by an 
 irritating rifle fire upon our ramparts from a village 
 called Deh Kwaja, which lies within range of and to- 
 wards the east face of our citadel. We knew that the 
 main position of the Afghan Prince faced east. Our 
 spies have brought us intelligence that Ayub had with 
 him thirteen regiments of regular infantry, thirty-eight 
 
1 60 Personal Records of 
 
 guns many of them rifled, a very numerous array of 
 cavalry, and a large body of fanatical Ghazis. General 
 Brooke himself demanded permission to lead the sortie, 
 stipulating however or, I should say, suggesting that 
 our very weak artillery should bombard the village. 
 Poor Vandeleur was with me on the night of the I5th ; 
 and although he had specially requested to serve as a 
 volunteer, he pointed out that his knowledge of the 
 locality, gained from frequent quail shooting in the 
 neighbourhood, made him certain that the village we 
 deemed so easy of assault would be found an extremely 
 difficult, hard nut to crack. Several of our men and 
 camp followers have from time to time been murdered 
 by these villagers, who are known to be most bitterly 
 hostile to the wealthier traders of Kandahar and the 
 Kizilbashi merchants, who are friendly to us. With Van- 
 deleur in my tent were two other officers, who had been 
 in the habit of quail and duck shooting on the plains 
 near the village, and they also were strongly of opinion 
 that a simple bombardment, instead of a rush at the 
 village, would be more prudent. However, as we had 
 not the ordering of the affair, nor the control of events, 
 matters were allowed to take their own course. 
 
 Before I give you full particulars of the sortie, I may 
 tell you that Brigadier-General Brooke most gallantly 
 led the assault, and was cut to pieces while endeavouring 
 to carry off his wounded comrade and my old friend, 
 Major Cruickshank, our field engineer. Amongst the 
 killed were Colonel Newport, 28th Bombay N.I.; Le 
 Poer Trench, iQth Bombay N.I.; and young Charley 
 Stayner, of the same corps ; Poor Teddy Marsh, 7th 
 Fusiliers ; young Phil Wood, of the same ; and our 
 popular and zealous chaplain, the Rev. J. Gordon for 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 161 
 
 many years connected with the Church Missionary 
 Society. 
 
 About two hours before daylight our force, in two 
 columns, was drawn out in front of the Cabul gate. 
 The night was somewhat misty, but the moon now and 
 then came through the clouds and lit up the bronzed 
 faces of our Sepoys, many of whom, to say the truth, 
 seemed not particularly elated at the prospect of our 
 venture. The innumerable watercourses that interlace, 
 as it were, the plain that intervenes between our citadel 
 and the village seriously interfered with the order of our 
 march and the movements of our field guns. Prior to 
 the sortie, I have omitted to inform you Ayub had 
 occupied the cantonments, which we had, I think, 
 imprudently abandoned. This occupation, however, 
 afforded considerable amusement, combined with some 
 very excellent artillery practice to our gunners, who, at 
 900 yards from the Cabul gate, were not long in shelling 
 out the forces posted there by the Afghan general. The 
 latter on the 7th of the month detached a couple of 
 brigades to a strong position on the Herat road, almost 
 between the Mir Bazaar and the Argandab river ; while 
 his cavalry and right flank were placed on a steep pro- 
 minence not far from the ruins of the old Kandahar city. 
 It would be difficult to describe how unusually strong 
 and strategically chosen was this front, enfilading the 
 village, whose approach was watered by many deep 
 canals and irrigation channels, which could be crossed 
 only at few points. 
 
 On the morning of the 9th General Primrose ordered 
 some field guns to take up a position on the Picket Hill 
 overlooking our cantonment, and these guns during 
 several days made excellent practice upon the loop- 
 
 M 
 
1 62 Personal Records of 
 
 holed walls of Deh Kwaja. Ayub, it was known, had 
 posted a strong body of irregulars in the smaller villages 
 to the right and left of Deh Kwaja ; and we were given 
 to understand that, should an opportunity occur, a night 
 attack would be made upon our Cabul and Durani gates. 
 As I have said, the walls of the village are honeycombed 
 with loopholes, and approachable only through a mass 
 of orchards and considerably broken ground. Our 
 cavalry were carefully selected, and consisted of 300 of 
 picked sabres, in equal proportions of lancers and I'arme 
 blanche. To these were added 900 bayonets, furnished 
 respectively by the /th Fusiliers, and I9th and 28th 
 Native Infantry. 
 
 At the first approach of dawn our guns opened fire 
 upon the village, which we could see was very strongly 
 occupied and reinforced from the neighbouring hamlets. 
 Deploying one half of his infantry into line, with 100 
 of our cavalry on either flank extended in skirmishing 
 order, General Brooke moved steadily across the plain, 
 taking advantage of whatever cover we could obtain in 
 the gardens and orchards through which we passed. 
 Some 200 yards from the Cabul gate there is a rather 
 deep nullah, behind which there is a mass of rock, the 
 whole forming a most perfect ditch and parapet. Here 
 we came to our first obstacle, namely, some 500 well- 
 posted rifles, who inflicted considerable loss upon our 
 men. Here Colonel Malcolmson, of the Scinde Horse, 
 had his charger shot under him, being himself badly hit 
 through the sword arm. Major Cruickshank, with fifty 
 men, was then ordered to move round to the left, with 
 the intention of outflanking the enemy ; while Colonel 
 Shewell made a very gallant charge on the other flank. 
 The nullah did not suffice to stop our gallant Scinde 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 163 
 
 horsemen, who charged it in brilliant style with but few 
 casualties. 
 
 Here, however, one of our guns became entangled, 
 and for a short time had to be abandoned. Lieut. 
 Wood of the Transport, and Lieut-Colonel Nimmo, 
 28th Native Infantry, and two other officers, made the 
 most desperate efforts to prevent the Ghazis from carry- 
 ing off the gun. Here one of the best hand-to-hand 
 combats that has ever been witnessed between our 
 Sepoys and the Afghans took place ; and, after several 
 repulses, one final rush of a company of the 7th drove 
 the enemy from his vantage ground. Our loss, however, 
 I am sorry to say, was not slight ; and considerable 
 delay was experienced from the necessity of carrying 
 back to the shelter of our ramparts our wounded com- 
 rades, who would otherwise have been massacred and 
 mutilated by the villagers, whom we could see collecting 
 in the distance. 
 
 Experience in Afghan warfare and in a difficult 
 country is the prosecution of an art under the most 
 trying circumstances to ' Thomas Atkins ' when led by 
 inexperienced generals. In our case we had certain 
 advantages, which were counterbalanced by telegraphic 
 instructions from civilian authorities. All the ordinary 
 obstructions to a successful defence or to an effective 
 sortie accumulated upon us in an aggravated form. 
 Whether in climbing steep ridges, crossing the Kan- 
 dahar watercourses, forcing rocky defiles, or attacking 
 villages encompassed by loophcled walls, all the know- 
 ledge of locality was, unfortunately for us, entirely in 
 favour of the enemy. In my previous letter, written 
 more than a month ago, I gave you some short sketch 
 of Ayub's training in the grim school of war. Ten 
 
1 64 Personal Records of 
 
 years younger than his cousin, Abdurrahman, the 
 present Ameer, whom we have placed upon the throne, 
 he has, whether from Russian tuition or intuitive know- 
 ledge, evinced a capability of handling troops in his own 
 country and on his own ground which makes him at all 
 times a formidable antagonist to any red-tapist school to 
 which he may be opposed. He knows how to hold all 
 the commanding points of the difficult country, and he 
 of necessity is well acquainted with the peculiarly strong 
 adaptations of the villagers who can assist him in his 
 method of irregular fighting. Simple and abstemious in 
 their living, inured from childhood to the use of arms, 
 careless and reckless of life and blood, having as a rule 
 that air and exercise on their mountain-sides which 
 inure them to hardships, these men are capable of 
 physical exertion such as our well-fed recruits, on the 
 other hand, toiling wearily over unwonted difficulties, 
 cannot pretend to ; and they fight with overwhelming 
 numbers, which far overbalance the ordinary conditions of 
 our more regular formations aud severe drill. He well 
 understands the difficulties we have to experience in 
 moving regularly organized bodies of men over an 
 almost pathless country. His devoted adherents and 
 innumerable spies in all the villages in fact, in all the 
 districts make him well acquainted with our efforts to 
 supply transport required for the carriage of food, am- 
 munition, clothing, medical stores, and the almost 
 countless details which have to meet the artificial wants of 
 a European force. Our long lines of elephants, camels, 
 bullocks, carts, transporting huge tents, together with 
 tables, chairs, waterproof clothing, tinned meats, and 
 other unwieldy and unnecessary so we think items of 
 our military equipment, give him enormous advantages 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 165 
 
 in our present struggle. But when to these impedi- 
 menta we add the hordes of native followers, out- 
 numbering, by a large percentage, our actual fighting 
 men, vast allowances must be made for any mistake 
 which a well-meaning, but not brilliant, English leader 
 may commit. 
 
 The enemy, who had, as I before stated, taken ad- 
 vantage of the natural defences of the deep nullah, with 
 its rocky breastwork behind, and who were in consider- 
 able strength in the hamlets and villages beyond, 
 without any doubt had gained reliable intelligence of 
 our intended attack. 
 
 Our troops, on the morning of the i6th, were 
 scarcely in position outside the Cabul and Kandahar 
 gates, when a strong force of their cavalry, admirably 
 led by the chief who was so conspicuous in his brilliant 
 charges at Maiwand, rushed down the steep slopes of the 
 mountain above, and with loud shouts attacked our 
 advanced skirmishers and our unsupported guns. 
 Nothing but the steadiness of one company of the 7th 
 Fusiliers, who had been posted in a hollow, would have 
 checked the onslaught, and all their efforts to dislodge 
 this picket failed against the determined handful of men 
 which the General had sent forward. 
 
 The peculiar manner in which an Afghan village is 
 constructed, and the skill which their simple engineering 
 and knowledge of field fortification display, ought 
 perhaps to have suggested a night instead of a day 
 attack, a mode of fighting which former frontier ex- 
 periences tell us is always objectionable to these hardy 
 combatants. In that case the smallness of our force 
 would have been unknown, and a desperate attack 
 hardly pressed would, in all probability, have effected 
 
1 66 Personal Records of 
 
 our object without the loss and bloodshed which 
 daylight enabled superior numbers to inflict. 
 
 While the fierce struggle was taking place at the 
 nullah I have described, and whilst the echoes were 
 ringing with the shouts of the combatants and the 
 booming of our covering artillery, General Brooke was 
 sitting on horseback with his field-glasses in hand 
 behind a small breastwork of which we had taken 
 possession on the left flank of the village. From this we 
 saw a strong force, composed of swordsmen and match- 
 lock men, advancing boldly to the attack, charging 
 across the plateau in our front in the most determined 
 manner, and following their standard-bearer with a red 
 and gold lunghi steadily. 
 
 It was now seven o'clock, and we were still some 
 hundred yards from the village. The fire from these 
 men was uncommonly steady, and our efforts, both with 
 musketry and occasional charges of horsemen, for a time 
 were unsuccessful. Their swordsmen at intervals en- 
 deavoured to rush upon our flanks, but here we were 
 advantageously posted, and our mountain guns moving 
 to a neighbouring hillock, with an effective fire at short 
 range, threw their masses into disorder. A general 
 advance was now ordered, but our losses were now 
 heavy, our infantry suffering most, as the nature of the 
 ground gave cover to our foe while we were in the 
 open. General Brooke, Colonel Newport, Major Trench, 
 and Lieutenants Stayner, Marsh, and Wood, were all 
 badly hit, but still seemed in the thickest of the fight. 
 At this juncture messengers arrived from the city with 
 instructions, if possible, to retire, but I fear that a point 
 of honour deterred our chief from accepting this alter- 
 native. Our leading companies, moreover, were now at 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 167 
 
 the walls of the village, and we could see that practically 
 they were in a position to be cut off if not supported. 
 Under these circumstances our General sent back word 
 that he could not with safety retire, and galloping in 
 front of a squadron of Scinde Horse the main street of 
 the village was carried. Here Major Cruickshank, with 
 his Sappers, had effected a lodgment in a ruined 
 building surrounded by a large compound, and held at 
 bay the increasing forces of the enemy, who were now 
 swarming in from the neighbouring hamlets ; but a ball 
 from one of the matchlock men struck him in the groin, 
 and as he fell from his horse half-a-dozen swordsmen 
 rushed to despatch him. General Brooke saw his plight, 
 and generously endeavoured to save him by assisting 
 him with his stirrup. In the melee which ensued both 
 were carried away by the rush. Colonel Newport, who 
 was riding with Colonel Malcolmson, of the Scinde 
 Horse, now gave the order to retire, and the street was 
 held by the 7th Fusiliers and a detachment of the 
 Sappers while the movement was effected. 
 
 If any satisfaction can be experienced at this dis- 
 astrous and unsuccessful day, it lies in the fact that our 
 ill-advised attempt upon the position of Deh Kwaja 
 resulted in a far greater loss to the enemy than to our 
 people, while the morale of the affair has had beyond all 
 doubt a vast effect upon the besieged and the besiegers. 
 The conduct of our native troops in this sanguinary 
 tussle has, we all think, greatly redeemed, if not atoned 
 for the demoralisation of our Sepoys and Sowars at 
 Kushk-i-Nakhud, and the fate of the brave young 
 officers who led their men to the assault at the village, 
 and who were struck down sword and revolver in hand, 
 has taught both the Afghan Ghazi and the Indian 
 
1 68 Personal Records of 
 
 Sepoy that the race of Clive, Wellesley, Havelock, and 
 Outram is not extinct. One native officer I particularly 
 noticed who tried to save his colonel (Newport), and 
 who gave up his life in the attempt. He not only stood 
 over his commanding officer when struck down, but 
 remained to defend him, while the conspicuous gallantry 
 of a havildar was noticeable, as, rushing ten paces in 
 front of his company, he cut down a standard-bearer and 
 captured his standard. 
 
 Our retreat, I need scarcely say, was not unmolested, 
 and had it not been for Malcolmson's Horse, and the 
 brilliant manner in which they wheeled about to charge 
 .across our flanks, the day would have been even more 
 disastrous than it was. They not only drove off the 
 pursuing enemy who now swarmed along the rocky 
 knolls, which gave so many coigns of vantage to our 
 foe, but chased them precipitously along the ridges, and 
 forced them back in confusion into the valley. While 
 this was being effected, our Sappers and half a company 
 of the 7th Fusiliers had thrown up a low breastwork 
 across the rear of our column, and this being flanked by 
 a couple of mountain guns, and held with unflinching 
 tenacity, enabled our disordered infantry to retire in 
 something not approaching to actual flight. The combat 
 during the retreat was perhaps even more desperate than 
 during our assault. These desperate Ghazis and bold 
 mountaineers, ignorant of discipline or any regular art 
 of war, and armed only with rude matchlocks, short 
 swords, and axes of native manufacture, had by a sort 
 of natural instinct discovered at once our weak points, 
 and, by feints upon our centre, and furious assaults upon 
 our flanks during the whole of our retreat across the 
 plain, not only inflicted a tremendous loss upon us, but 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 69 
 
 at one period seriously endangered our position. Our 
 losses are out of all comparison with the number of 
 forces engaged, and may be set down at the very least 
 at 200, including General Brooke, who was last seen 
 endeavouring to save his old friend Cruickshank. 
 Colonel Newport was three times wounded, and was 
 last seen with Colonel Shewell trying to save an injured 
 man. Our chaplain, Mr. Gordon, with the greatest 
 devotion, returned from the Cabul gate to a spot outside 
 the walls, where five men were lying, and in trying to 
 assist the dhoolie bearers to save them was, with several 
 of our men, shot down by a volley of musketry. Poor 
 Vandeleur, who was badly hit early in the day, has since 
 died, and our hospital is now full to overflowing. Mean- 
 while we know that Roberts is not more than two or 
 three marches from Khelat-i-Ghilzai, and should be 
 with us in a week. Our wounded are doing well. Our 
 provisions and ammunition, if not abundant, are suffi- 
 cient, and our greatest anxiety now is that we may 
 measure swords with Ayub, and wipe out the inglorious 
 2/th of July. 
 
1 70 Personal Records of 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WITH GENERAL HILLS IN CABUL INTERVIEW WITH THE AMEER 
 EVACUATION OF THE CITY BY GENERAL STEWART. 
 
 Jellalabad, Aug. 23. 
 
 THE division to which I am attached is under the com- 
 mand of Major-General Hills, V.C., C.B., and is com- 
 posed of three brigades, led respectively by Brigadier 
 Charles Gough, with the pth Regiment, 28th Punjab 
 N.I., 45th Sikhs, three troops 1st Punjab Cavalry, the 
 Guides Cavalry, four guns of the nth B, nth B, R.A., 
 and half a company of Sappers. Brigadier Hughes com- 
 mands the 2nd Brigade, with the 59th Regiment, the 
 Guides Infantry, 3rd Goorkhas, one squadron 2nd Punjab 
 Cavalry, and two guns of nth B, nth B, R.A. The 
 3rd Brigade, under command of Brigadier Daunt, has 
 the 6/th Regiment, 5th Punjab Infantry, three troops 
 1st Punjab Cavalry, and G battery, 4th Brigade, Royal 
 Artillery. Our whole combatant strength does not ex- 
 ceed 7500 fighting men, while our artillery consists of 
 twelve guns ; but what with camp followers, refugees, 
 pilgrims, and others, who are taking advantage of our 
 escort to flee from the anarchy they believe is in store, 
 CLUL columnscannot be less than ^Q r ooQ men, with about 
 20,000 beasts of burthen. Roberts, on the contrary, had 
 with him 10.000 fighting men, and as little impedimenta 
 as possible ; while to our care are left the sick, the 
 wounded, the lame, the halt, and the blind ! 
 
 The great event of the week of our departure was, 
 naturally, the formal meeting which took place between 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 171 
 
 Abdurrahman and our chief, and the announcement in 
 divisional orders that such would happen caused no in- 
 considerable surprise in camp and quarters. The first 
 refusal of the new Ameer to meet Sir Donald was, of 
 course, attributed and, I believe, justly to motives of 
 policy and prudence in not wishing to offend the sirdars 
 and moulahs, who are inimical to the English ; but these 
 scruples were eventually overcome, and all arrangements 
 were concluded most satisfactorily. 
 
 On the morning of the I2th the whole of our division 
 had been judiciously withdrawn outside the cantonments, 
 and the city was in virtual possession of the Ameer. This 
 was a wise arrangement, and prevented any wounded sus- 
 ceptibilities on the part of the Ameer and his advisers. 
 It was impossible not to feel a little humiliation at the 
 inroad made upon the Sherpur cantonment by the filthy 
 rabble who came like vultures to prey and rob before we 
 had well quitted the walls. An aspect of desolation is 
 invariable in an abandoned camp, and ours was certainly 
 no exception to the rule. Jews, Arabs, Mussulmans, 
 Budmashr of all kinds, swarmed around our men as they 
 were getting our baggage, stores, and ammunition ready 
 for the march. Theft and barter, the latter strongly the 
 more prominent, reigned on all sides, and it needed all 
 the vigilance of our sentries to keep off the ruffians who 
 pressed on all sides. 
 
 It was arranged that the meeting between the Ameer, 
 Mr. Lepel Griffin, and the English Commander-in-Chief, 
 should be held in a couple of marquee tents placed end 
 on to end on at a spot some short distance from the 
 western wall of the Sherpur cantonment, and at the 
 appointed hour, at this point, the tents were pitched for 
 a few chairs for the principals to the interview. The 
 
1 7 2 Personal Records of 
 
 Ameer's troops were massed in considerable numbers on 
 the plain, but the actual cortege did not number more 
 than fifty horsemen, including, however, the principal 
 sirdars and the palace officials, all attired in gorgeously 
 trimmed robes. The costumes worn by the higher officers 
 of the Court were really very handsome a loose shirt 
 with wide sleeves, and trowsers equally large, the latter 
 fastened round the ankle ; over this the ' chogo,' a gar- 
 ment worn even during the hot season. This is made 
 (for the higher ranks) of the finest camel or goat's wool, 
 and dyed with the richest and most varied colours. Some 
 of the sirdars, however, had adopted the more modern 
 fashion of wearing a ' chogo ' made of English broad- 
 cloth. The ' chogo ' is a graceful garment, giving 
 dignity to a tall or well-made figure a loose cloak, 
 worn open in the front, and reaching from the neck 
 to the ankles. The sleeves are wide and loose above, 
 and are made much longer than the arm, but narrow 
 and close-fitting below, so as to clasp the wrist. Some- 
 times the loose folds of the ' chogo ' are gathered in 
 round the waist by the cummerbund, which is usually 
 from fifteen to eighteen feet in length, of rich material, 
 and four to six feet in breadth. Shawl materials are 
 usually chosen by the rich, and coarse cotton by the 
 poor. Most of the nobles wore the 'charah,' a for- 
 midable Afghan knife, while a few carried in the folds 
 of the waistband the 'peshkabs,' or Persian knife, a 
 smaller and more convenient dagger for close quarters. 
 The head-dresses were various, but all the elder chiefs 
 had the close-fitting skull-cap, gold embroidered, and 
 padded with cotton-wool. This, of course, is worn on 
 the closely shaven head, and then round it the richly 
 embroidered ' lunghi,' or turban. Most of the chiefs had 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 173 
 
 flowing beards and moustaches, which, with their fine, 
 well-cut, Oriental profiles, gave a nobility of mien. 
 
 As the Ameer and Sir Donald came within a dozen 
 yards of each other, each dismounted and shook hands, 
 and, followed by their respective retinues, walked side by 
 side into the tents. Sir Donald conducted the Ameer 
 through the length of the canvas hall, which was deco- 
 rated with boughs and flowers, and hung with coloured 
 drapery, until the seats of honour were reached, and 
 placing Abdurrahman on the highest, placed himself 
 on the right, Mr. Lepel Griffin and General Hills being 
 on the left ; while, standing around on the borders of the 
 rich rugs, were about a dozen of the more friendly 
 sirdars, who were politic enough to ' assist ' at the cere- 
 mony. The Sirdar, Abdul Raman, or Abdurrahman 
 Khan, is a good-looking, but somewhat unwieldy, per- 
 sonage, with rather open and pleasing features, of a 
 strongly developed Jewish cast. His age is about fifty ; 
 but care and campaigns, battles and prisons, have not 
 failed to leave their mark upon his face. Mr. Lepel 
 Griffin, General Hills, and Mr. Cunningham, acted as 
 interpreters, and the conversation did not flag in the 
 least. Sir Donald said, 
 
 * I have the honour to welcome your Highness to 
 your ancestral city and your throne, and trust your 
 journey hither has not fatigued you.' 
 . To this good opening the Ameer responded, 
 
 ' I desire, General, before expressing my thanks for 
 all you have done for me and mine, to wish you long 
 life, health, and prosperity in your noble profession.' 
 His Highness then said, * The joy, the delight I feel 
 at returning, after fourteen years of exile, to my home 
 and throne, is enhanced by the interview we now have, 
 
1 74 Personal Records of 
 
 where, instead of writing, I can express my gratitude by 
 my tongue to you and to your political officers, whose 
 correspondence has shown so much friendly courtesy.' 
 
 Sir Donald then wished the Ameer a long and happy 
 reign, and said how proud he felt at in any manner 
 aiding to place the Prince upon the throne. The con- 
 versation then turned upon less formal subjects, and the 
 General requested permission to present us to his High- 
 ness, to which he most graciously assented. As we 
 passed in rotation according to our relative positions 
 more than according to our rank, the Ameer, as we 
 bowed, responded by half rising from his seat. We 
 now moved outside the tent, to allow the Ameer, our 
 ' Political/ and the Chief, to be alone ; and while we 
 were waiting our orders to join our brigades we 
 amused ourselves by watching, with considerable in- 
 terest, the proceedings of a detachment of Gazailchis 
 (probably Ghilzais), who were marching in to relieve our 
 main guard. These fellows numbered about 250 men, 
 and looked a wild, but serviceable lot, stepping over the 
 ground as I have seen some of the little Chasseurs de 
 Vincennes step years ago, and marching with that quick, 
 jaunty air so characteristic of French or Irish regiments. 
 They marched to the sounds of their ' sarnai ' and * nig- 
 garah,' pipe and drum, whose piercing strains made the 
 hills re-echo, while the spirits of the men, excited no 
 doubt by our departure, every now and then caused them 
 to burst out into shrill yells and fantastic capers worthy 
 of Donnybrook or a Highland wedding. 
 
 Ten minutes after the interview we had commenced 
 our march from Cabul. As we moved across the plain 
 we saw on our right and left detachments of the 
 Ameer's army marching in to take possession of our late 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 75 
 
 cantonments, and to guard the stores left behind by 
 General Stewart as a present to the Ameer. The 
 infantry seemed a fine set of young men, and appeared 
 more orderly than those from whom we had just parted. 
 They were clad in uniforms of a European pattern, but 
 of a drab colour, and evidently made from ' barak ' 
 (sheep's wool) or 'shuturi' (camels' hair). Then came 
 straggling bodies of cavalry, whose appearance beto- 
 kened a set of savage marauders, and their cruelty and 
 violence to the villagers around has already engaged 
 the Ameer's attention. These men are the curse of the 
 country they are supposed to protect. They take what 
 they want from the villagers without any recompense, 
 and commit the most lawless excesses without any fear 
 of retribution, for their officers, as a rule, share the spoil 
 wherever they go. 
 
 Our advanced guard, some of artillery and cavalry, 
 had moved away before daybreak, but we did not get 
 away till after the interview was over and the formal 
 handing over of the keys had taken place. Along the 
 hills, under which our troops moved in the closest 
 possible order, we could see with our field-glasses pre- 
 datory bands of mountaineers watching us in impotent 
 rage, these men, of small stature, wild air, and of 
 squalid clothing, creeping along from rock to rock. 
 
 Cabul, as I have before said, in a military sense, lies 
 in a cul-de-sac, inasmuch as, although it is situated 6000 
 feet above the sea level, it is enclosed on three sides by 
 the mountain ranges. It is approached on the east by a 
 pass only 200 yards wide, where the road crosses the 
 river by a stone bridge and enters the city by a fortified 
 gate. On the north lies the village of Bemaru (' With- 
 out a husband '), which, with a low range of hills bearing 
 
1 76 Personal Records of 
 
 the same name, is called after a virgin who was buried 
 there. These mountain ranges, from which artillery 
 could be brought to bear at every point, afforded so 
 many coigns of vantage for the mob of fanatics and 
 hill-robbers who now came to gloat over our departure. 
 The heights around our camp were already in possession 
 of these people, and they amused themselves with a 
 succession of war-dances, accompanied by a constant 
 beating of drums, while working themselves up to the 
 wildest excitement as they saw us march. Scattered 
 parties on the hill-tops around followed each other 
 with a succession of shouts and yells of the most 
 demoniac description. All this time we could hear a 
 chorus of 'Wo-ho, hah-ha,' the slowly repeated syllables 
 of which were echoed back in a confused reverberation 
 from the crags above. It is almost impossible to 
 describe the excited appearance of these men and the 
 wild antics they performed, while it was wonderful that 
 they did not wound each other in their intricate and rapid 
 evolutions with unsheathed knives. Some of them were 
 almost nude, while others wore a sort of loose shirt and 
 trowsers of cotton dyed red or blue. Round the waist 
 were suspended by leather straps powder-flasks of 
 uncured sheepskin, with other paraphernalia of the 
 usual jezail slung across the shoulder. Those who had 
 not the rifle carried the ' charia,' the sheath of which was 
 stuck into the folds of the waistband, while the blade 
 was flourished about in the air in the most insolent and 
 defiant air, and with grotesque antics and grimaces. As 
 we moved along, these ruffians, having failed to irritate 
 our men into retaliatory measures, sought to provoke 
 our fellows by their taunts and jeers, but eventually 
 gradually quieted down, leaving us, however, in full 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 7 7 
 
 expectation of a night attack when we should encamp. 
 The forbearance of our men, and the manner in which 
 they obeyed their orders, deserve every commendation. 
 Of course we were under no apprehensions of anything 
 beyond plunder, or the murder of some of our camp 
 followers, but at this juncture General Hills was most 
 'anxious to carry out his instructions, which were to put 
 up with everything except actual hostilities. Two 
 friendly sirdars, whose names I had better not mention, 
 rode with me several miles on our first morning's march, 
 and, while deeply incensed at the conduct of these hill- 
 men, explained that they were exceptionally lawless, 
 and opposed to the Barukzai rule. 
 
 ' They do not know,' said one of my interlocutors, a 
 fine, manly young Barukzai chief, ' all the good qualities 
 of my cousin, Abdurrahman, but he will soon regain his 
 popularity in the districts over which he ruled for many 
 years. In Turkestan his influence is considerable, and 
 from Balkh to Badakshan his name ranks high as a just 
 man and a good administrator, while as a popular 
 governor he has no rival. Under these circumstances, I 
 believe we have not made a false step in giving him the 
 chance of a probationary Ameership, without any posi- 
 tive guarantee of future assistance should his rule not be 
 accepted by the majority of the Afghan people.' 
 
 Said I, 'The address of Mr. Lepel Griffin in April 
 last admirably sets forth the reasons for our choice of 
 the new Ameer. It was to this effect : "The course of 
 events having placed the Sirdar Abdurrahman in a 
 position which fulfils the expectations of the Govern- 
 ment of her Majesty the Queen-Empress, they are 
 pleased to announce lhat they publicly recognise the 
 Sirdar Abdurrahman Khan, grandson of the illustrious 
 
 N 
 
1 78 Personal Records of 
 
 Dost Mohammad Khan, as Ameer of Cabul. It is to 
 the Government a source of satisfaction that the tribes 
 and chiefs have preferred a distinguished member of 
 the Barukzai family, who is a renowned soldier, wise 
 and experienced, with sentiments most friendly to the 
 British Government ; and so long as his rule shows that 
 he is animated by these sentiments he cannot fail to 
 receive our support." ' 
 
 WITH SIR FREDERICK ROBERTS ARRIVAL AT KANDAHAR. 
 
 Head-quarters Camp, Karez Hill, Night of 31 st Aug. 
 TO-DAY has been an eventful one in the annals of 
 our march from Cabul to Kandahar, for not only has 
 our gallant young chief arrived some days before his 
 estimated time, but he has, with the able assistance of 
 General Hugh Gough, felt the enemy's position, and 
 made all preparations for to-morrow's attack. Before I 
 tell of to-day's proceedings and our effective recon- 
 naisance, I perhaps had better take up some portion of 
 my broken story, dating from my last despatch of the 
 23rd ; and when our friends at the military clubs are 
 envying our fortunate stars in serving under such a 
 chief as ours, they must not forget that in fourteen 
 marches we have covered 235 miles, namely, from Cabul 
 to Khelat-i-Ghilzai, and that the remaining distance 
 has been accomplished at the same average per diem 
 roughly-speaking, sixteen miles a-day. To see the way 
 in which all ranks vied with each other in putting up 
 with the fierce blaze of an Afghan August sun, the 
 hardy resolution of our English soldiers, stimulated by 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 79 
 
 the example of their officers, both young and old, and 
 nobly emulated by our gallant Sepoys, would have 
 gladdened the eyes and warmed the heart of a Wel- 
 lesley, a Gough, a Clyde, or a Napier, still household 
 words in our native ranks. Almost within a month of 
 the Maiwand defeat we now stand face to face with the 
 foe ; ready nay, I may say certain to inflict one of 
 those terrible lessons of the game of war which our 
 little army is compelled now and then to teach. 
 
 The month of August, although trying in the mid- 
 day sun, is singularly favourable to the march of an 
 army in this portion of Afghanistan, in regard to sup- 
 plies of all kinds ; and the assistance afforded to us by 
 the headmen of the villages favourable to the new 
 Ameer, the strict discipline enjoined and carried out by 
 our General, and the ample recompense made in money 
 payments for what we consumed, have caused our troops 
 to be fed, as our subalterns observe, 'like fighting-cocks.' 
 The country through which we have passed is at this 
 period of the year in its most smiling mood. Nature 
 seems to revel in corn and wine, and plenty. Flocks and 
 herds have come in in abundance, and our men declare 
 they have never been better fed. 
 
 Between Cabul and Khelat-i-Ghilzai I told you in 
 one of my letters how wonderful was the system of 
 irrigation. The country has not such a cultivated look, 
 but this may be accounted for by the neglected water- 
 channels, whose remains show that in former years the 
 Afghan husbandman was more diligent or more provi- 
 dent than in our present day. After the close valleys 
 and cramped defiles leading out of the Logar Valley, it 
 was a delightful relief to come upon ground near Ghuzni 
 where wide and open plains enabled our General to 
 
1 80 Personal Records of 
 
 deploy his brigades and to march in line, thus saving 
 valuable time and allowing our baggage to come up in 
 reasonable time. On arrival at Ghuzni we found that 
 Sirdar Hashim Khan had made the best of his way 
 hence but a few days before, and the buildings and 
 barracks in the citadel and city gave ample indication 
 of the recent occupation of his troops. 
 
 Ghuzni has been so often described that I need only 
 say we were agreeably disappointed by its appearance ; 
 and much pleased during our hasty halt at being enabled 
 to look at its various historical landmarks still extant, 
 and reminding one of the old struggles between the 
 British and Afghan troops. The landscape round the 
 citadel and the neighbouring villages showed signs of 
 assiduous cultivation, and afforded us many welcome 
 delicacies in fruit and vegetables ; while the pleasant 
 waters of the small river enabled some of us to have an 
 impromptu swim, to the great astonishment of the native 
 inhabitants. 
 
 On leaving Ghuzni a few miles brought us to the 
 scene of General Stqwart's fight at Ahmed Khel, where 
 several of my friends were engaged last April ; and 
 here, as we passed, we could see many traces of the 
 battle, notably in the graves of our soldiers and those of 
 the enemy. The district and the villages through which 
 we passed were friendly, and most of the headmen came 
 in to our camp to offer supplies and to converse with us. 
 Here we obtained some excellent sheep of the fat-tailed 
 breed, and more than one chief explained to us what a 
 delicacy these tails were considered, dished either as 
 kabobs or pillau. On marching onwards from Khelat-i- 
 Ghilzai, I should have mentioned that General Roberts 
 decided to take with him the garrison under Colonel 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 8 1 
 
 Tanner, whose delight and that of his officers and men 
 at the chance of sharing in our fight with Ayub were 
 beyond all expression. I may tell you that to Colonel 
 Tanner's courtesy in keeping the communications open 
 I and my brother-officers are indebted for the oppor- 
 tunities we have had of sending letters on the march to 
 our friends in England. Colonel Tanner's contingent 
 was by no means an inefficient factor in our military 
 strength, consisting as it did of two guns of C.B., 2nd B., 
 a Belooch corps, and about 170 men of the 66th. The 
 old fort has been handed over by the General to the 
 Sirdar, and we are thus free from all present anxiety. 
 Our hour of march has usually been from 2 to 2.30 
 a.m., and this necessitates a parade of an hour before- 
 hand. Our camel loss, as I before said, was at first 
 heavy, but since we left Ghuzni matters have gone 
 better, as the country was more suited and the loads 
 were much lighter, mules and a few country ponies 
 having been obtained at the villages. During our last 
 week's marches the scenery has been exquisite in its 
 variety, displaying a singular combination of romantic 
 wildness with charming fertility. One day our columns 
 would wind through luxurious valleys, interspersed with 
 hamlets, vineyards, and flower-gardens ; and the next 
 we found ourselves struggling up mountain ridges and 
 forcing our path through alp-like passes, overhung with 
 toppling cliffs, looking as though some terrific con- 
 vulsion of nature had rifted the hillside asunder, and 
 scarped the precipice more regularly than could be 
 effected by the hand of the cleverest engineer. Some- 
 times looking below we saw streams rippling in the 
 moonlit and misty dells, and above us rose naked rocks 
 and splintered precipices, while the varied uniforms of 
 
1 82 Personal Records of 
 
 our moving stream of soldiers, their glittering arms 
 now seen, now lost amidst the windings of our route 
 gave a moving and panoramic character to the ensemble 
 that would make the fortune of an artist if reproduced 
 on the painter's canvas. 
 
 Some smart skirmishing occurred during our march 
 about five days back, when part of our rear guard was 
 attacked as it was coming into the camp ; but the affair 
 ended without any loss of men or baggage to us, while 
 we shot down some dozen or more fanatical robbers who 
 thought they would loot our mule train. 
 
 The spot where the attack was made was a wild and 
 romantic valley on the banks of a bright and rapid 
 stream. Our leading brigade had encamped here the 
 preceding afternoon, and it was chosen for our rear 
 guard on account of its defensive position, having ex- 
 cellent points of vantage and observation on the rocks 
 above for our sentries and vedettes. It is wonderful 
 how quickly, after a little practice, our fellows arrange 
 their resting-places after a halt. Within half an hour 
 from the halt of the advanced guard our rearmost mules 
 were up, the baggage unladen, the fires lighted, and 
 dinner prepared. No delay is ever seen at these impor- 
 tant operations ; every man has his place, and there are 
 no idlers, for every man is told off for some employment. 
 Here a party are unloading mules, there another are 
 carrying wood, some men are watching the camp-kettles, 
 others are mending harness. All are busy, while c chaff/ 
 smoking, and laughter, lighten each toil. 
 
 But to our skirmish. There is always to a soldier 
 considerable satisfaction in fighting under the eyes of a 
 favourite commander, and on the occasion of which I 
 speak our rear guard had that gratification, for General 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 183 
 
 Roberts, with a few of his staff, happened to be in the 
 rear of our last column. Although the ground was most 
 unfavourable for a surprise on the part of the enemy, 
 they attempted and managed to catch a Tartar. The 
 road by which we were passing was, it is true, rugged, 
 steep, and narrow ; but, at the same time, it was over- 
 hung with crags and underwood which the General had 
 carefully occupied early in the morning of the attempted 
 surprise. A mountain stream protected our rear, and in- 
 creased the difficulty of an attack in that direction. The 
 enemy, however, had established a breastwork of their 
 own on our right, and this was concealed by some tall 
 brushwood which grew luxuriantly in front of their work. 
 General Roberts has ridden frequently to hounds 
 with me in Lord Waterford's country, and has, as Iwell 
 remember, an inimitable eye for country. The quiver 
 of a blade of grass, the rustle, the ' frou-frou ' of a leaf, 
 or the slightest footfall in his neighbourhood, are to 
 him a language that a soldier or a sportsman can under- 
 stand. Sir Frederick, moreover, on this occasion had 
 other reasons, which he kept most carefully to himself, 
 for believing that our rear and baggage guards would 
 be attacked about this time, and in some locality 
 near this day's march. The rear guard, much to the 
 astonishment of its worthy commandant, was there- 
 fore somewhat reinforced, and the most stringent 
 orders were given to keep a sharp look-out during the 
 day. Every precaution, I need scarcely tell you, was 
 taken on this occasion. The sick, or rather those 
 who, although not exactly on our surgeons' list, were 
 at all ' done up ' or 'a little seedy ' from sun or 
 footsores, were carefully sent to the centre of our 
 column, and were replaced by well-selected fellows, 
 
1 84 Personal Records of 
 
 whose marching and athletic powers were known. The 
 steep slopes on either side were occupied by strong 
 pickets, except where the enemy's breastwork had been 
 formed, which we did not discover till later on. These 
 were flanked and supported by a couple of guns, and 
 under such conditions we entered what was intended to 
 be our trap. Still, our position was not all we could 
 have wished. Our length of column was of necessity 
 far extended, and might have been attacked at any point. 
 Our flankers were extended far up the mountain-sides, 
 and any help sent to them could only reach them after 
 considerable delay and a fatiguing ascent. Our extreme 
 picket on the left stood on a rocky and projecting crag, 
 commanding part of our line of march, and, indeed, 
 dominating, as it towered up towards the sky, the road 
 below. On our front, a little off the road, was another 
 pinnacle, almost equally commanding, and sparsely 
 clothed with pines. Both these coigns of vantage were 
 invaluable, and helped us to defeat the foe, for they en- 
 tirely overlooked our lower defences. But, high as these 
 positions were, they had other ridges and dominant 
 positions still again far above them, where our enemies 
 could gather unknown to us and pour upon us, at their 
 own choice of time, a fire from their long jezails and our 
 captured rifles. 
 
 The mode of fighting of these hillmen has been so 
 often described by older and more experienced hands 
 than mine, that I will merely say that their usual plan 
 of attack is carried out on the same simple and uniform 
 system. Taking up a position under cover, and, if pos- 
 sible, within short range, and with only the muzzles of 
 their matchlocks appearing above the sheltering rocks, 
 they, at a given signal, open up a brisk fire upon their 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 185 
 
 enemy, and thus compel our men to seek shelter by 
 coming to close quarters. Then their wonderful swords- 
 men rush to the attack, and are only too glad to have 
 a hand-to-hand fight against a man armed only with a 
 bayonet. These men are armed with the terrible 
 Afghan short sword, which they know so well how to 
 use, and which has lopped off the limbs of so many of 
 the Kaffir race. Collecting for a moment to regain their 
 breath, and to prepare for their final rush, while showers 
 of stone and vast splinters of rock are hurled at us from 
 above, the hillmen, with terrible and unearthly yells, 'go 
 for ' our young and hardly full-grown lads. 
 
 Is it then a wonder that, now and then, our battle 
 prestige of conquest is tarnished, and in actual hand-to- 
 hand combat, where a knowledge of the 'manual and 
 platoon ' is no match for the rude cunning of the tulwar, 
 we occasionally see demoralisation and a hitherto un- 
 known feeling of terror in our ranks ? It is, even to me, 
 a wonder that, marching for days and nights through a 
 difficult country, with an unfriendly population, and 
 under conditions to which 'Thomas Atkins' has never 
 been accustomed, our ' boys ' (for really many of them 
 are no more) bear up so bravely, and think so much of 
 England and so little of themselves. 
 
 On the morning of the 26th we were one day's march 
 from Khelat-i-Ghilzai, and encamped on the banks of 
 the Tarnuk, which graceful little stream has yielded us 
 capital supplies of excellent water. This river has its 
 origin in some fine springs we passed near Makier, a 
 village some eight or nine marches from Cabul. We 
 did not march from our camping-ground till rather later 
 than usual, as there was no moon and the night was 
 cloudy, with fitful gusts of rain. But about one a.m. it 
 
1 86 Personal Records of 
 
 became clear and starry, although there was no moon, 
 and the dark masses of mountain, occupied by our 
 enemy, were visible for many a mile. Waiting for us 
 on those hills above were, our General knew, some thou- 
 sands of Afghans thirsting for our blood. Few sounds 
 were there in the night except the challenge of our 
 sentries, the Highlanders, 'Wha gaes thar?' or the 
 Sepoys, ' Woo-go-da?' as our chief and two of his staff 
 go round. Then we heard the ripple of the waters, and 
 saw in their reflections a myriad stars, reminding us of 
 nights, perhaps less bright, but more dear, at home. 
 Away in the distance were the occasional watch-fires of 
 our men, for as our force was of such magnitude, it would 
 have been idle and useless to have attempted to conceal 
 our camps. 
 
 Our leading columns moved off quietly and un- 
 molested at four a.m., and not until our rear guard 
 approached the defile I have attempted to describe 
 were we attacked. Our last brigade was scarcely 
 clear of the pass when a heavy and rattling fire, al- 
 though ill aimed, came from the concealed breastwork 
 I have named. A dear young friend with whom I 
 was riding cried out with all the ardour of a schoolboy, 
 4 By George, the chief was right! There is a wasp's 
 nest here ! 
 
 Our conversation was curtailed, as the General 
 galloped up to find an officer to take a message. 
 Fortunately I was chosen, and putting spurs into the 
 old bay Arab, from whose saddle many a pig has been 
 smitten, I galloped up the side of the kotal to give the 
 General's order to young P who held the picket. 
 
 Meanwhile our baggage was clear of the pass, and 
 all we had to do was to keep these human vultures off 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 187 
 
 and give our mules and camels time enough to obtain 
 protection from our columns. The rocks I have named 
 on our flanks were held by some Highlanders and some 
 native troops, chiefly chosen marksmen, and these had 
 been until now unseen by the enemy. Our concealed 
 foe, as I have said, had constructed a small breastwork 
 on the rock to our right, but did not know that it was 
 dominated by our detachments hidden higher among 
 the tall crags. The Afghans, seeing our preparations 
 for attack, gladly accepted the challenge. We had 
 no sooner commenced to fire at them with our moun- 
 tain guns, with shrapnel, common shell, and shot, than 
 they rushed down the slopes of the hills, climbing, or 
 rather jumping, over places which no one but a born 
 cragsman could face ; then they with loud cries dashed 
 upon our pickets above. Our shrapnel fire had checked 
 them from advancing direct upon us, and drove them 
 on to the muzzles and bayonets of our concealed 
 pickets. The latter, I must say, were attacked with 
 the greatest determination, while two of the enemy's 
 standards were carried in front by leaders who evidently 
 did not belong to the village. All the efforts of our 
 enemy to dislodge our pickets proved unavailing, and 
 about an hour after the combat had begun a larger 
 body of men, who had hitherto fired only an occasional 
 shot, commenced to move upon us from their position, 
 their jezail and matchlock men posting themselves most 
 advantageously in the pine wood, and opening a fire 
 upon us which, with better marksmen, would have been 
 galling in the extreme. The steady mitraille, however, 
 from our rifles, with which they they were received, 
 rendered their gallant attempt abortive, and we drove 
 them back up the hill, leaving the ground marked here 
 
1 88 Personal Records of 
 
 and there by a few dead men, who had fought bravely 
 to the last, and who, doubtless, thought more of their 
 faith than of their lives. 
 
 Of our reconnaissance to-day and preparations for 
 to-morrow I would fain tell you, but I am sent for by a 
 staff officer, and must close my bag, unless the mail be 
 delayed. At all events, I may say that Gough this day 
 has done good work. His news after his skirmish was 
 important, and to the following effect : The head- 
 quarters of Ayub are now at Mazra, where nearly all 
 his best forces are with him. He has been endeavouring 
 to break up the roads leading from Kandahar to his 
 position with gunpowder, but, we hear, without much 
 success. This afternoon, therefore, Gough went out 
 with the 3rd Bengal Cavalry, 1 5th Sikhs, and a couple 
 of mountain guns, and made a most successful recon- 
 naissance towards the enemy on the Herat road. Of 
 this, as I obtained permission to go, I will tell you to- 
 morrow, if I 'keep the number of my watch,' for 
 to-morrow we fight, as Ayub cannot escape, and, to do 
 him justice, I do not think he would, flushed as he must 
 be with the bloody records of Maiwand. 
 
 CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE BEFORE THE BATTLE. 
 
 Head-quarters Camp^ Karez Hill^ Night of jist Atig. 
 
 YESTERDAY afternoon General Roberts sent for Generals 
 Macpherson, Hugh Gough, Macgregor, and Colonel 
 Chapman, chief of the staff, and explained to them his 
 wish for ft cavafry recnnn^ssance^ and to utilise the 
 same by clearing the low hills beyond our old canton- 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 1 89 
 
 ments, as these were held by the enemy in force, and 
 commanded our water supply in that direction. Indeed, 
 the supply for the use of the garrison had already been 
 cut off, and great was the rejoicing thereat by Ayub's 
 people. At first it was thought only necessary to drive 
 these fellows from the hills, whence they were occasionally 
 dropping shells into our camp, but second considera- 
 tions induced the General to make the reconnaissance in 
 force, and, if necessary, convert it into a serious attack. 
 ThejDosition of the ene.my_on the morning of the 3ist 
 was as follows : His main camp was on the Baba Wali 
 rangejmd Kotal^ standing on the right bank of the river, 
 and extending about thirty miles from east to west, and 
 at its topmost ridges not less than 5000 feet high. Its 
 sides are for the most part steep, bare, and rugged, the 
 higher summits being fringed with forests of fir, and in 
 the winter capped with snow. There are, however, 
 various small villages belonging to the tribes, amongst 
 which the principal is called Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab. 
 Here and there dense forests run down to the plait: s. 
 The roads are few and bad in fact, mere tracks for mules 
 between the villages. To the north-west of the Baba 
 Wali Kotal is a higher and more precipitous range, 
 through which there is only one pass, called Murcha 
 Kotal, and this lies almost due north of Kandahar. 
 The mountain on the eastern side is very abrupt, and 
 is divided by the Argandab, while all along its southern 
 slopes lie the plains of Pir Paimal. The scenery from 
 the crest of the Pir Paimal Kotal is very varied, and 
 contains, in many respects, elements of grandeur. To 
 the south-west the vast plains of Kandahar stretch away 
 in endless expanse at least, such is the effect produced 
 by the mists rising in the valleys. The Argandab, after 
 
1 90 Personal Records of 
 
 leaving the foot of the mountain, widens considerably in 
 its southern course, and at certain seasons attains the 
 proportions of a lake. Just before reaching the highest 
 range of hills it joins the Helmund, flowing in the valley 
 of that name, and then, passing along by many villages, 
 it rushes through a narrow gorge, and is lost to sight. 
 Whilst the chief characteristics of the southern view are 
 those of a vast cultivated plain, watered by numerous 
 rivers, and dotted here and there with peaceful villages, 
 the aspect to the north is of an entirely different character. 
 At the very foot of the northern slopes lies the sheltered 
 narrow valley of Mazra, and here Ayub had made his 
 head-quarters. 
 
 As many details had to be settled, our force did not 
 parade as early as originally intended, but by ten a.m. 
 the following troops were paraded : 3rd Bengal Cavalry, 
 two mountain guns, the I5th Sikhs, and a few of Mac- 
 pherson's Brigade. We moved quietly out of camp, the 
 cavalry and guns bearing away under some low hills to 
 our right, while Macpherson took his infantry steadily 
 to the front. Our plan was to drive the enemy from the 
 first range of low hills, which acted as a sort of glacis to 
 the Pir Paimal range to the south-west of Kandahar, 
 while Gough and Chapman took their handful of cavalry 
 along the Herat road, in the hope of getting the enemy 
 to show his strength in that direction. All turned out 
 admirably. But little resistance was made at first to 
 Macpherson, whose men did not fire more than twenty 
 shots before the fellows placed as outlying pickets on 
 the hills bolted in front of our men. At first they 
 seemed inclined to make a stand ; but when they saw 
 Macpherson's well-known grey charger, and heard the 
 ringing tones of his word of command, they would not 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 191 
 
 wait for the levelled bayonets. At the foot of the range 
 Macpherson dismounted, and giving his horse to his 
 orderly, deliberately formed his men in skirmishing 
 order, with two supports right and left, and a small 
 reserve in rear. Sending a company of the Sikhs to 
 the left to turn the enemy's flank, he placed himself in 
 the centre of his skirmishers, telling his men to keep in 
 a line with him, and advance according to his pace. In 
 this manner he proceeded to march up the height as 
 calmly as if he was executing the same manoeuvre at 
 Aldershot or the Phcenix. The Afghans have shown us 
 what they can do, and of what stuff they are made when 
 opposed to Native troops, however good ; but they were 
 not quite prepared for the direct assault of a Highland 
 regiment, which in open day, with its colonel at its 
 head, was steadily climbing a steep ascent, and would 
 infallibly try conclusions with the bayonet in a few 
 moments. The Afghans, therefore, retired as we ad- 
 vanced ; an occasional shot from both sides being all 
 the mischief done. Our troops pursued them along the 
 ridges, and here several were overtaken by the sturdy 
 Highlanders, whose mountain training was now of value 
 in the race. 
 
 Meanwhile another strong body of the enemy were 
 descending in great numbers to the hollow in our front, 
 which in half an hour was full of them. Here they 
 were held in check by the gallant I5th Sikhs, who 
 broke into yells of defiance as they advanced in masses 
 to the attack. We allowed them to approach to within 
 200 yards, and then Macpherson, bringing his line of 
 skirmishers ' right shoulders forward,' while he closed in 
 upon his left files, until he came in front of the new 
 enemy, opened a rapid and well-sustained fire along the 
 
1 9 2 Personal Records of 
 
 front, which we believe did great execution, and drove 
 them once more into cover, some to the broken and 
 wooded ground to the left, and the remainder to the 
 ravine below us. Half an hour now elapsed while we 
 were waiting to see Cough's sabres on our right. We 
 could not see any sign of his coming, but we did see the 
 walled enclosures of the villages now swarming with 
 Afghans, who opened a smart fire upon us, while sup- 
 ported by their guns on the ridge above. These latter 
 made tolerably good shell practice. Another half hour 
 and no sign of Gough, who, by-the-by, we discovered 
 afterwards, was hotly engaged on our right, where with 
 his mountain guns he was holding at bay about 5000 
 Afghans. Time after time they rallied, and, with in- 
 creased numbers, rushed again to the attack some- 
 times assaulting on his front, sometimes on his left. As 
 they came on in masses, shrapnel was poured into them 
 from the guns, and as soon as they were shaken Gough 
 dashed at them with his horsemen, cutting them down 
 like sheep, driving them again to the crags and rocky 
 ground, where he could not follow. 
 
 Meanwhile we were not idle. General Macpherson 
 called for his charger, mounted, and with his brigade- 
 major, Jarvis, and a bugler, rode away to the crest on 
 our right, and, adjusting his glasses, could distinctly 
 make out Gough's critical position. We had with us of 
 Macpherson's fine brigade contingents from the 92nd 
 (Gordon Highlanders), 2$rd (Pioneers), 24th B.N.I., and 
 the 2nd (Sirmur) Goorkha Regiment, making in all not 
 more than 400 bayonets, as it was deemed advisable to 
 keep the main portion of the brigade fresh in case we 
 attacked Ayub to-morrow. In view of strengthening 
 Gough's position, General Macpherson determined on 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 193 
 
 abandoning the ground we had won, as we had practi- 
 cally attained our object, and drew back his left flank, 
 concentrating his force on the right 
 
 was now as follows : Our right was in the bed of a 
 rocky stream^ a tributary of the Argandab ; our centre 
 in the mouth of a narrow pass ; and our left on the steep 
 slopes of the mountains we had just quitted. These 
 mountains were clothed with forests of fir of large 
 growth, whilst here and there open spaces and rocky 
 knolls formed convenient spots for our pickets. In our 
 front the pass gradually widened and merged into the 
 Argandab Valley, which we could see was well culti- 
 vated, and with small streams and canals flowing 
 through it. 
 
 ' It seems to me, gentlemen/ said the General, 
 shutting his glasses, and offering us from his wallet a 
 flask and sandwich-case, ' that our position here is not a 
 desirable one to hold for any length of time, and my 
 intention is to get out of it as soon as we can.' 
 
 We were in fact drawn up in a deep gorge with huge 
 mountains on either side, in front of a narrow defile nine 
 miles long, blocked up, we could see, by a powerful 
 enemy, well posted on the crags above, and hoping we 
 could be induced to enter, so that -they might hurl upon 
 us the huge pieces of rock they had already loosened 
 in anticipation. On our left a wing of Ayub's army, 
 ready to enfilade us should we move that way ; and the 
 night gradually closing in. 
 
 1 Let the brigade move down to the right, and see if 
 we cannot join hands with Gough to the left of the 
 Karez/ said the General. 
 
 The road we had now to traverse certainly presented 
 considerable difficulties for troops. The track lay up 
 
 O 
 
1 94 Personal Records of 
 
 the bed of a stream encumbered with boulders and large 
 masses of rock, and was overgrown with low trees and 
 jungle. The hills on either side rose to some height, but 
 for the most part with a gradual slope, so that our 
 flankers ascended them without much difficulty, not- 
 withstanding the obstacle presented by the thick jungle. 
 Our progress was consequently slow, as in one or two 
 parts our men were compelled to move in single file. 
 Our men by this time were getting much fatigued, but 
 the plentiful stream of water flowing through the pass 
 prevented any suffering from thirst. Hardly had we 
 cleared the pass and arrived within a few hundred yards 
 of the base of the next range of hills, when a heavy fire 
 was opened upon our advanced guard, and suddenly 
 from the broken ground and ravines several hundreds of 
 men, who looked like and probably were Ghazis, rushed 
 out sword in hand and furiously attacked the Goorkhas 
 who were leading, but rallied by General Macpherson 
 himself, who at once formed squares in echelon, and 
 supported by the 92nd, the two regiments poured in a 
 volley, and then commenced file-firing from the right of 
 faces. This staggered the enemy, who broke and fled. 
 The Goorkhas were allowed to pursue, and with their 
 long knives made short work of the unfortunate 
 wretches they overtook. 
 
 At this juncture, and while our commanders were 
 re-forming their ranks, the well-known sound of a cavalry 
 trumpet rings out on our right, and sweeping round the 
 base of the nearest hill we see with delight the pennons 
 of Gough's lancers, a squadron of whom are led on by 
 their brigadier. Nothing could be better timed ; nothing 
 could be more opportune for both. We had been nearly 
 all day working on the arc of a circle to effect a junction, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 195 
 
 but the nature of the ground, the intervening villages, 
 loopholed, barricaded, and defended with abatis of felled 
 trees, while full of Ayub's people, had made that circle 
 wider than we intended. As the enemy fled from our 
 little Goorkhas the avenging lancers of Gough dealt 
 death swiftly amongst them ; but, turning at bay, these 
 brave fellows refused all quarter, and died fighting to the 
 last. 
 
 The several regiments of the cavalry and infantry 
 brigades as they came up were formed under shelter of 
 the broken ground, the infantry being in the centre and 
 the cavalry with one gun on either flank. When all was 
 ready General Macpherson directed the advance to be 
 sounded from the centre of the line. At that signal qur_ 
 little array__oj' about lOOQ-men-xose up from their cover, 
 and advanced against the villages in the plain. Imme- 
 diately in our front stood the small but strongly fortified 
 village of Chuzirese, and a few hundred yards to its 
 proper left one of the great spurs running up the valley, 
 terminating in a lofty peak dominating the whole ridge. 
 On this natural stronghold the Afghans had established 
 themselves in great force, flying their standards over the 
 mountain top, and prepared for our attack. They had 
 increased the ordinary difficulties of the place by occa- 
 sional breastworks, so that it was a most formidable 
 position to take by assault. Our skirmishers, who were 
 spread across our front, had easily driven in the outlying 
 bands of the enemy, and were halted about 500 yards 
 from the village while waiting the arrival of our two 
 brigades and the mule batteries, which soon unlimbered 
 and opened fire. 
 
 It took but a few seconds for us to cross the open 
 ground, and then the steep ascent began, our men 
 
1 96 Personal Records of 
 
 having to climb from rock to rock, and our regular 
 formation being necessarily much broken. Foremost 
 among the many there could be distinguished the 
 gallant Colonel of the Q2nd, who led on his men ten 
 yards in front, steadily breasting the mountain, and with 
 his gallant countrymen carrying each successive defence 
 at the point of the bayonet, the enemy's standards 
 dropping as their outworks fell. Nothing could with- 
 stand the impetuosity of the assault, and although many 
 of the Pathans stood their ground well and fell at their 
 posts, their gallantry was of no avail, and before many 
 minutes had elapsed the village and its peak were in our 
 hands. In the meantime the guns had been brought 
 from the flanks to the front, and shelled the heights 
 crowded with fugitives, while across the plain, sweeping 
 along our former front, came Cough's pursuing squad- 
 rons, their fiery little horses covered with foam and the 
 gay pennons of each lance red with the foeman's blood. 
 Our object was now gained ; we had, with compara- 
 tively slight loss to ourselves, mastered the key of 
 Ayub's position. We had drawn out a considerable 
 portion of his force, he doubtless being under the im- 
 pression that we were about to push home our attack. 
 The Khan's principal camp we now knew was behind 
 a ridge of hills between Mazra and Baba Wali, with 
 canals and the Argandab in his rear. To attack him, 
 General Roberts would have to turn his flank by occupying 
 the village of Goondegaum and the adjoining hills, 
 while Gough with his cavalry watched the Murcha Pass, 
 and worked down past it to the Argandab to cut off the 
 enemy's retreat. The Picket Hill was to be held with a 
 strong force, while our 40 -pounders engaged Ayub's 
 guns on the Baba Wali Kotal. Our main body of three 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 197 
 
 brigades were to be massed in rear of Picket Hill, and 
 deliver the real attack by clearing the gardens, storming 
 the village of Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab in front, and then 
 to work around the Pir Paimal Kotal and take the Baba 
 Wali Kotal in rear and Ayub's position at Mazra in 
 flank. All these memoranda, with a sketch of the 
 ground we had worked over, were handed to General 
 Roberts, who met us on our return at dusk, when we 
 encamped, or rather bivouacked, for the night on a 
 position covering the Karez Hill. To-morrow, then, we 
 hopejo-win back all that was lost at Maiwand, and to 
 inflict such a blow upon Ayub that he will no longer 
 trouble us in this part of Afghanistan. I am just 
 starting to attend the General on his nightly round, and 
 will close my letter by hoping that next mail I may be 
 able to tell you how the Queen's troops caji_ fight jvyjien 
 ted-by a commander they regard as we do our present 
 chief. 
 
1 98 Personal Records of 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE VICTORY OF BABA WALL 
 
 Kandahar , Sept. 5. 
 
 As I mentioned in my last, General Hugh Cough's 
 admirable reconnaissance of the 3ist had put us com- 
 pletely au fait with the position and distribution of the 
 Sirdar Ayub's forces ; and, pity it is to say, had the 
 same use of his cavalry been made by General Burrows, 
 in all probability Maiwand would have been a victory 
 instead of defeat. The ' eyes and ears ' of an army, as 
 Varme blanche has been termed, have peculiar oppor- 
 tunities for distinction in a country like Afghanistan, 
 wjiere the native horsemen opposed to us are so nu- 
 merous, and, as a rule, so well handled. Of this fact no 
 one can be better aware than General Roberts ; and we 
 have only to go back to his cautious, yet brilliant tactics, 
 during the three days occupied in reconnoitring and 
 capturing the Peiwar Kotal, to see what good use he can 
 make of this arm of the service. The reconnaissance I 
 have described showed that our enemy was posted in 
 great strength behind the Baba Wali Kotal, that he had 
 taken up a strong position on the Pir Paimal ridge, 
 extending about a mile and a half south-west of the 
 Baba Wali, and that his camp at Mazra was strongly 
 entrenched. 
 
 I do not think that many of our officers thought of 
 sleep on the night of the 3ist. I know that neither Sir 
 Frederick nor any of his staff took any rest save what 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 199 
 
 could be obtained stretched in a cloak in front of a 
 camp fire. With our men it was different, and our 
 General is too old a soldier to allow a talkative and 
 noisy camp in front of an enemy's position. Nothing 
 could be more picturesque than our encampment. For 
 more than half a mile along our extended lines of occu- 
 pation our tents, crowning the heights or studding the 
 plains, showed the Afghans what manner of array the 
 Feringhi could put into the field. As the night came 
 on, as the moon rose, silvering the tall palms and the 
 mangoe groves in the valley, and as, one by one, each 
 bright star appeared, the bark of the wild dog and the 
 ghastly howl of the jackal, the half- whispered challenge 
 of the sentry, and the scream of some wandering night 
 bird, met the ear, and came to us more distinctly as the 
 hum of human voices died away in our camp. 
 
 Orders had been sent round during the evening that 
 the officers commanding brigades, together with our 
 principal staff officers, should meet at the General-in- 
 Chief's quarters at half-past five on the morning of the 
 first. The Chief's etat major was at the building in the 
 Sapper Gardens, and at the appointed time came Sir 
 Frederick and his A.D.C., Prettyman ; Colonel Chap- 
 man, Chief of the Staff ; Deputy-Surgeon-General Han- 
 bury, Captain Straton, Signal Superintendent ; Major 
 Cowie, Commissary of Ordnance ; Colonel Perkins ; 
 Colonel Hills, R.E. ; Colonel Johnson, commanding 
 R.A.; General Hugh Gough, commanding the Cavalry 
 Brigade ; Captain Brabazon, loth Hussars, Brigade- 
 Major; commanding officers of the 9th Lancers, 3rd 
 Bengal Cavalry, 3rd Punjaub Cavalry, 1st Central India 
 Horse, 2nd Central India Horse ; Major- General J. 
 Ross, commanding Infantry Division ; Captain Mansel, 
 
2OO Personal Records of 
 
 A.D.C. ; Brigadier - General Macpherson, V.C., C.B., 
 commanding 1st Brigade ; Captain Jarvis, Brigade - 
 Major; Brigadier-General Baker, C.B., commanding 2nd 
 Brigade ; Captain Farwell, Brigade -Major ; Brigadier- 
 General Macgregor, C.B., commanding 3rd Brigade ; 
 Captain Chalmer, 6oth Rifles, Brigade -Major ; and all 
 the commanders of infantry corps. 
 
 While this somewhat large gathering was collecting, 
 coffee, biscuits, cigars, and other refreshments, were 
 handed round ; men split up into groups, and conversa- 
 tion was carried on, as it were, in detachments. The 
 scene reminded me of a hunting breakfast at a large 
 country house, where ' coffee-house ' gossip whiles away 
 the impatient half-hour which intervenes between break- 
 fast and the signal to horse. 
 
 As soon as all were reported present complete silence 
 reigned, and Sir Frederick very briefly, but clearly, 
 pointed out the day's programme ; some officers taking 
 notes, and others trusting to their memory. The last to 
 arrive was General Primrose; but he had previously con- 
 ferred with Sir Frederick, and had been all the morning 
 engaged upon other duties. 
 
 ' I have sent for you, gentlemen/ said our chief, ' not 
 to call a council of war, which implies a difficulty or a 
 doubt in regard to action, but to point out to you my 
 plans for the attack I purpose making this morning. 
 From the report made to me yesterday evening by my 
 chief of the staff, Colonel Chapman, I find that Ayub's 
 position is as follows : Their camps are situated on the 
 range of hills extending from the Argandab westerly to 
 the Pir Paimal. To pass this ridge there are, as doubt- 
 less you may be aware, two openings from Kandahar 
 the Baba Wali and the Morcha. The latter is the 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 201 
 
 most difficult, but the former is more strongly held by 
 the enemy, who has several guns on its crest. The 
 Morcha Pass is covered by several half-dried -up canals, 
 which General Gough and Colonel Chapman consider as 
 formidable obstacles. Then, in rear of this position 
 there is, you will find, a detached hill, marked here on 
 the map, and connected with the outer ridge by a 
 number of detached orchards and gardens. I purpose, 
 therefore, attacking the south-west portion of the ridge 
 with three brigades of infantry, massed in the rear of 
 Picket Hill, while our 4O-pounders, on the extreme 
 right of the hill, supported by the /th Fusiliers and 
 Rifles, engage and silence Ayub's guns on the Baba 
 Wali. The Kandahar garrison will meanwhile watch 
 and be ready to operate on fhe Morcha Pass, while part 
 of General Gough's cavalry will act independently on 
 the left, and, if possible, cut off any fugitives on that 
 flank. The ieaJLattack will therefore be made, first by 
 clearing the gardens in front of Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab, 
 then by storming that village in front, then by turning 
 the Paimal hill, and, finally, taking the Baba Wali in 
 reverse and the Sirdar's camp at Mazra in flank. I feel 
 convinced, gentlemen, that if the villages and ridge of 
 Pir Paimal can be turned, the Baba Wali Kotal would 
 be untenable. I look, gentlemen, to you to carry out 
 my instructions, and I leave the details to you.' Such 
 was the simple yet scientific plan set forth in clear and 
 unmistakable terms by our chief, and I can only tell 
 you that it was carried out to the very letter, and pre- 
 cisely with the results anticipated by the General. 
 
 It was now only half-past six o'clock, and the General 
 advised all the Brigadiers to see that their men had a 
 good breakfast, with the day's meat and biscuit ration 
 
2O2 Personal Records of 
 
 in each haversack, together with the water-bottles pro- 
 perly filled. General parade was ordered for half-past 
 eight, and this gave ample time for these instructions 
 to be carried out. Meanwhile the brigades were already 
 in their respective positions, and ready to take their 
 breakfasts as they stood in order of battle ; but the 
 cavalry dismounted, and the infantry with arms piled. 
 At seven all the trumpets sounded the welcome * break- 
 fast call/ and a very amusing and comforting sight was 
 it to observe the different nationalities as denoted by 
 this morning meal, and the manner in which it was par- 
 taken of. At eight a.m. I rode along our position, which 
 was as follows : The troops of the Kandahar garrison, 
 under General Primrose, had, as I have said, a special 
 task to perform, to attack the batteries on the Baba 
 Wali with our 4O-pounders, and to make a feigned attack 
 on that pass, while the 1st and 2nd Brigades made their 
 real attack on the left and worked round the enemy's 
 right. General Primrose had with him for this duty 
 four companies of the 2-/th Fusiliers, and the iQth N.I., 
 behind the walls of the cavalry lines, the 4th Rifles, 
 Goorkhas, two companies 1st Grenadiers, four companies 
 66th, and two companies 28th N.I. These regiments 
 held the line you will see marked in my map from the 
 canal at Hyder Khan, on the right to the Picket Hill, 
 and Karez Hill on the left. Admirably posted between 
 Karez Hill and Picket Hill was a battery of artillery, 
 covering the advance of our real attack upon Gundi- 
 Moola-Sahibdab, while behind Karez Hill and Picket 
 Hill were the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades, under 
 Macpherson and Baker. To the left of Karez, and in a 
 splendid position to cover the advance of these brigades, 
 was the screw battery of mountain guns I told you of 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 203 
 
 when we left Cabul ; while still more to the left, and 
 commanding the Gandigan village, was the E B. Royal 
 Horse Artillery. All these troops, as I rode past, were 
 enjoying their morning meal, and seemed to be in ex- 
 cellent spirits, the delight of coming face to face with the 
 boasted and boasting Ayub more than repaying them 
 for the toils of the road and the privations of the 
 march. 
 
 It was impossible not to be struck with the splendid 
 appearance and peculiarly fine physique of the Highland 
 regiments. Their chest measurement, muscular develop- 
 ment, and the bronzed hues of sun and wind, giving them 
 a martial appearance beyond all the other corps. I 
 stopped with the friend with whom I was riding at the 
 92nd (Gordon) Highland column to exchange greetings 
 with an old comrade, and was glad to partake of some of 
 the national dish, oatmeal porridge, excellently cooked 
 and evidently highly appreciated by these hardy North 
 Britons, whose only grievance, it is said, is that it does 
 not always rain out here. As the screw battery was 
 close at hand we went on and partook of some excellent 
 coffee, made from Branson's extract. This, with a little 
 goat's milk boiled over a camp fire, and a ration biscuit, 
 was most acceptable after our matutinal peregrinations. 
 
 Ayub, it cannot be denied, had admirably chosen 
 his ground and cleverly concealed his men. Before 
 yesterday's reconnaissance St. John, with whom I had 
 been conversing, was positive that the Sirdar's strongest 
 position was at Mazra, where he had his head-quarters 
 and his military chest. But for the reconnaissance 
 this belief might have led us into a trap where, even if 
 we were successful, we might have lost heavily. 
 
 A long valley, over which we had to cross, intersected 
 
2O4 Personal Records of 
 
 in all directions by obstacles, watercourses, canals, 
 stone-wall enclosures, and loopholed villages full of 
 armed men ; the ground unequal, and backed, defiladed, 
 by higher points, crowned with cannon, and breastworks 
 placed on the crests of an acclivity that required the 
 attacking force to halt frequently for breathing- time 
 a General inclined to fight never had a field, I believe, 
 that offered more advantages, and a leader less skilful 
 than our own might have easily been forgiven had he 
 failed in his attack. I have noticed the positions of 
 our various columns and guns, and I may as well 
 describe those of our enemy. On the Baba Wali 
 Kotal Ayub had placed three guns, namely, one of 
 our 9 -pounders taken at Kushk-i-Nakhud and two of 
 his own Armstrong breechloaders. This position was 
 indeed a strong one, as on all sides it is scarped in a 
 most precipitous manner, while only two narrow winding 
 footpaths a few feet wide lead up to it. These guns 
 were en barbette, but traverses and epaulements had been 
 thrown up for their protection. Near Pir Paimal Ayub 
 had five guns in position, and his remaining artillery 
 was distributed along the front and flanks of his position. 
 At nine a.m. General Roberts threw away a half- 
 finished cigar, mounted his well-known chestnut Arab, 
 pulled out his watch, and made a signal to his chief of 
 the staff, and in one moment our four 4O-pounders of 
 5-11 R.A. were booming with their first fire. Some 
 changes had been made, and the battery was now 
 escorted and supported by General Nuttall's Kandahar 
 Cavalry Brigade, four companies of the 66th, and two 
 native regiments. This portion of the field was con- 
 fided to General Burrows. These arms were well 
 placed on the right position of Picket Hill, and left of 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 205 
 
 the old cavalry lines to Hyder Khan. C 2 R. A. battery, 
 placed on the right of the Karez Hill, took up the signal, 
 and soon got the range of the village in front of Gundi- 
 Moola-Sahibdab, and the little screw battery, on the left 
 of Karez and resting on the canal, at once followed 
 suit. General Roberts at this moment rode up to 
 see how the ranges were, and if the guns could be better 
 placed, but finding no fault, and having, on the contrary, 
 to praise one of our latest joined youngsters from 
 Woolwich, said, as he commended the successful shot, 
 ' This is better fun than even Woolwich eh ? Tell 
 them to stop the screw battery till the troops advance,' 
 added the General. 'They are only wasting their 
 ammunition at that range.' 
 
 The General now rode to a splendid position on the 
 centre of the Karez crest, where he could see almost 
 every position of the field. 
 
 * Tell General Gough to wait awhile/ said he. * Let 
 him not move his brigade until Gandigan is cleared by 
 Macpherson. He'll not keep him long waiting.' 
 
 ' I beg your pardon, sir, you ordered the 2nd, Ge- 
 neral Baker's brigade, to take Gandigan,' said Colonel 
 Chapman. 
 
 'You are quite right, and you see he has commenced,' 
 answered the chief, looking anxiously through his glasses. 
 ' Too soon, I fear ; too soon ; a few more rounds would 
 have cleared the way.' 
 
 ' No, sir, I think they're all right,' said Colonel 
 Johnson. * E Battery have peppered them, and they 
 are beginning to bolt to the next village.' 
 
 ' It is so,' said the chief ; ' and Baker is after them 
 like a greyhound out of leash ! ' 
 
 Major Tillard, who commanded the Horse Artillery 
 
206 Personal Records of 
 
 battery in front of Gandigan, now moved his guns where 
 he could fire over the heads of Baker's brigade as it 
 advanced in skirmishing order across the plain. A 
 check here occurred, for a wooded knoll dominated the 
 village, and a well -kept -up fire was opened on our 
 advancing companies, who were ordered to lie down 
 until reinforced. 
 
 Meanwhile the General ordered the screw battery to 
 reopen fire in support of C 2 Battery at Gundi-Moola- 
 Sahibdab, which we could see was the Houguemont of 
 the position, and which was held by a large body of 
 Afghans, who fired remarkably well. General Roberts 
 now despatched an orderly to General Baker to tell him 
 to work more to his left flank, so as to be out of range 
 of Gundi-Moola, which could otherwise gall him on his 
 right flank while moving on towards Gandigan. At 
 this moment it appeared as though the enemy were 
 abandoning Gundi-Moola, as a number of horsemen and 
 some infantry were seen escaping towards Pir Paimal, 
 and General Macpherson sent forward his Goorkha 
 regiment at the village. The Goorkhas were advancing 
 splendidly in skirmishing order on the left, the Q2nd 
 Highlanders on the right, and the remainder in reserve, 
 when, as the former drew near to the gardens on the 
 left, a hot fire was poured at them from the windows of 
 the houses, showing that the place was still held in 
 force. Still our two batteries, C 2 and the screw, poured 
 in shell in a terrific manner, a perfect /b/ cTenfer, which 
 must have made the garrison anything but comfortable. 
 The Goorkhas now advanced and lay down alternately, 
 waiting for the 92nd to come up on their right. They 
 had not long to wait, for the gallant Highlanders, 
 finding a garden wall on the right, made a rush for it, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 207 
 
 and obtained cover while the stragglers came up. The 
 Colonel now wisely detached a company away to make 
 a diversion on the right, and as soon as this was done 
 rushed in front with his bugler sounding the ' advance/ 
 and then the 'double.' From our hill we could see 
 them plainly, and our gunners being told to cease fire, 
 we had the delight of seeing the gallant little Goorkhas 
 rise from their cover on the left, dash through some 
 orchards, which for a moment hid them from our view, 
 and reappear simultaneously at the village with the 
 Q2nd on the other side. The principal portion of the 
 enemy here we could see were Ghazis, and while many 
 got away towards Pir Paimal, others remained con- 
 cealed in the houses and died at bay. Some splendid 
 hand-to-hand fighting, I was told, occurred. The 92nd 
 fellows would not be denied, and in many cases the 
 combatants were well matched, the one fighting for 
 duty, the other for life, and both for their country. 
 
 Meanwhile we had not ceased, with our glasses, to 
 follow the fortunes of General Baker, who had a much 
 larger circuit to make, but who had been equally suc- 
 cessful in his attack. 
 
 ' Nothing,' said General Roberts, ' could be finer than 
 the rush made by those two regiments, the Q2nd and 
 the Goorkhas, and how well the 23rd and 24th worked 
 in support !' 
 
 But we can see that the fighting still continues. 
 The village was taken, by my watch, at 10.30; but 
 hours after that fighting went on, and fanatical Ghazis, 
 having shut themselves up, could not be dislodged. 
 Here poor old Stewart was wounded in the first attack, 
 and here Menzies was cut down. 
 
 Meanwhile Baker and Gough, assisted by E B., 
 
208 Personal Records of 
 
 R.H.A., were steadily making good their ground. In 
 the first line of this gallant brigade were the 72nd and 
 the 2nd Sikhs, with the 5th Goorkhas and the 3rd Sikhs 
 in immediate support, and having as a reserve the 2nd 
 Beloochees on their left rear. The fighting on this side, 
 and among the orchards and walled enclosures, was 
 even more desperate than on the other flank. The 
 Ghazis did not always wait to be attacked, but when- 
 ever opportunity occurred dashed forward with terrible 
 valour upon our bayonets, their shields ringing against 
 our barrels, and their faces smeared with gunpowder 
 and blood. Ill betide the man that day who flinched 
 or wavered in his place ! 
 
 Seeing the fiery valour of these fanatics, General 
 Baker drew in his skirmishers, and made his men 
 advance shoulder to shoulder, in the good old fashion 
 that won so many victories long ago, before Flanders 
 and the Peninsula. On several occasions these fellows, 
 undeterred by our volleys, came right up to the ranks 
 and tried to wrest the bayonets from our men, and one 
 tall turbaned warrior actually clove one of our men 
 through his helmet before he could be cut down ! 
 
 The right wing of the 72nd had the hardest ground 
 to move on, cut up in all directions by watercoures and 
 nullahs, loopholed walls affording shelter and defence, 
 and here and there a garden full of Ghazis blazing at 
 our flanks. Here, at one of the walled enclosures, fell 
 Colonel Brownlow while in the act of giving an order to 
 his men. 
 
 While this was happening the left of the 72nd, 3rd 
 Sikhs, 5th Goorkhas, and 2nd Beloochees, were pushed 
 round by the Brigadier away to the left, to endeavour to 
 find better ground and take the enemy in flank. In 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 209 
 
 executing this movement, however, they were exposed 
 to a galling fire from a masked battery on the slopes of 
 the Pir Paimal basin. Pushing on, however, these were 
 carried with a rush, and at that moment the bugle calls 
 of the 1st Brigade were heard on the right. The Colonel 
 of the 92nd (Parker) saw his advantage, and making a 
 splendid forward movement at a swift run, the two 
 brigades were enabled to join hands and attack the Pir 
 Paimal in front, flank, and rear. 
 
 ' Send on your battery at once in support, Sir ! ' 
 shouted the chief, as he galloped quickly to this part of 
 the field. 
 
 The guns were rapidly limbered up, and went 
 forward at a rapid pace, coming to action right at a 
 favourable spot, and terribly shaking the dense masses of 
 the enemy, who were now driven in on both flanks. 
 
 The position was now as follows : The 92nd, under 
 Parker, and a couple of companies of the 2nd Goorkhas, 
 under my old friend Beecher, were hugging the slope of 
 the Pir Paimal, with the screw battery on an eminence 
 above, pouring shells upon the enemy. Major White, 
 with a wing of the regiment, was now detached round 
 the south-western edge of the ridge, and found himself 
 in close proximity to the main body of the Afghans in 
 the open. They were here in great strength, and scat- 
 tered along the northern slope of the Pir Paimal as far 
 as the Baba Wali. 
 
 General Ross now galloped to the front and directed 
 all operations, and as we had pushed the enemy from 
 his splendid position and our flanks were secure, he 
 directed Major White and Captain Beecher with their 
 men to go straight at the enemy in front. Here, I 
 believe, was the heaviest hand-to-hand fighting of the 
 
 P 
 
2 1 o Personal Records of 
 
 day. Here I came up with General Roberts and the 
 reserve brigade, commanded by General Macgregor, and 
 even the sight of this strong reinforcement did not 
 appal the gallant foe opposed to us. But again the 
 screw battery is moved. 
 
 * Where, Sir?' said the officer in command to the 
 General, who was sitting calmly on the Arab looking 
 for Baker's brigade over towards the Mazra basin, 
 hidden from our view by the intervening ridge. 
 
 'Follow me, Sir!' said the General, and, with the 
 trained eye of a gunner, showing the very spot where 
 the guns should be placed. ' Now, get your range and 
 let them have it, my boy,' said our chief; and as the 
 first shell fell amongst the broken masses of the already 
 routed foe, we saw the puggareed helmets of Baker's 
 men topping the low ridgea bove Mazra, where Ayub's 
 camp now lay at our mercy. 
 
 ' Meanwhile, where is our old friend Gough ?' Gough 
 had carried out his instructions, but could not get 
 through the village of Gandigan, although he made 
 some desperate attempts. He accordingly made a 
 much wider detour, and, rather late in the day, man- 
 aged to get his men across the Argandab, and then, 
 making up for lost time, pushed rapidly on in rear of 
 the Pir Paimal and Mazra, just in time to intercept 
 numerous detached bodies of fugitives who were en- 
 deavouring to escape in that direction. But in the 
 meanwhile General Roberts, seeing no sign of Gough, 
 made the best of it by sending for General Nuttall, and 
 detaching him, with the 3rd Bombay Cavalry and the 
 3rd Scinde Horse, towards the front of the Baba Wali 
 Pass as far as Mazra, with orders to carry on the pursuit 
 for fifteen miles. Some distance along the road Nuttall 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 2 1 1 
 
 and Gough met, and together continued the pursuit, 
 killing 500 of the enemy, of whom 300 fell to the lances 
 and sabres of Cough's men and 200 to those of Nuttall. 
 The Cavalry did not get back till ten o'clock, and many 
 of the horses were quite knocked up. Our casualties 
 are about 240; namely, 33 killed, 196 wounded; our 
 loss in officers being Colonel Brownlow and Captain 
 Frome, both of the /2nd, and poor dear Stratton of the 
 22nd. Our wounded officers are Captain Murray and 
 Lieut. Munroe, /2nd ; Lieuts. Menzies and Stewart, 
 Q2nd ; Lieut.-Colonel Battye, 2nd Goorkhas ; and Major 
 Slater of the 2nd Sikhs. 
 
 Of course, you will have heard of -the --sad fate of 
 poor Maclaine, taken prisoner at Maiwand. I heard 
 tlie story from two of our sowars taken prisoners at the 
 same time. They tell me, that up to the day of our 
 battle Maclaine was well treated by Ayub, who doubt- 
 less intended to exchange him for some of his relatives 
 in our hands. But, unfortunately, the defeat was so sud- 
 den on the 1st, and the Prince's flight so desperate, that 
 he neglected to give any special orders for the prisoner's 
 safety. The ruffians who were guarding him, when they 
 saw their camp about to be captured by the Feringhi, 
 in a moment of frenzy summoned him from his tent 
 and deliberately cut his throat. His body was not yet 
 cold when we found him. 
 
 The whQ.ljo~Ayub's camp fclLIatQ^our hands, with 
 standards, 27 guns (including the two lost by us at 
 Maiwand), stores, uniforms, tents, camp equipage, and 
 odds and ends too numerous to mention. At the end 
 of the action, at half-past one, our General rode up to 
 the head of each regiment, and personally thanked them 
 for their conduct on that day ; and I do not think that 
 
2 1 2 Personal Records of 
 
 Mr. John Bright would have grudged those few kindly, 
 homely, honest, and welcome words, valued by our 
 soldiers more deeply than any cross of valour or other 
 distinction won in honour for Old England. 
 
 AFTER THE BATTLE CAVALRY PURSUIT BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 
 
 Kandahar, Sept. 7. 
 
 ON the day following the battle I rode with General 
 Roberts over the principal portions of the field, and 
 was even more astonished than before at the strength 
 of Ayub's position. It was evident, however, to a mili- 
 tary eye, that he had weakened himself by covering too 
 much ground, and thus allowed himself to be treated in 
 detail. Had he, instead of -extending his front along 
 the whole length of the Baba Wali range, confined him- 
 self to holding Gandigan and Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab, 
 the keys to Pir Paimal, in force, and at the same time so 
 disposed his troops that the position should not be taken 
 in reverse, he would undoubtedly have made a better 
 stand against our attack. The first village we came to 
 was Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab, and here the carnage had 
 been more than we could have expected. The road was 
 strewn with the stark bodies of the mangled dead, while 
 the sickening smell of blood rose from the corpses through 
 which the General and his staff guided their horses. Al- 
 though during the whole of the previous night fatigue 
 parties had been working to bring in the wounded, still 
 here and there, as we passed, we heard the groan of some 
 unfortunate and shattered wretch whose life was hanging 
 in the balance of life and death. Dead horses, and others 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 2 1 3 
 
 frightfully mutilated and struggling pitiably where they 
 lay, were to be seen, while others, wounded and un- 
 wounded, wandered through the enclosures searching for 
 food and water. Broken tulwars, fragments of turbans, 
 rifles, pistols, lances, and shields, were littered around. 
 The stream which ran through the village was almost 
 choked with fragments of these things, while the mud of 
 the streets was black with gunpowder, and splinters of 
 shell lay in all directions. Here and there under the 
 orchard-walls we came to a cluster of corpses, while the 
 dark pool near them gave gastly evidence of their end. 
 On the hillside north of the village, where Ayub's 
 cavalry had charged our troops, we saw the ground 
 covered with dead men and horses, and in one place 
 I noticed no less than six Ghazis huddled together in 
 death, evidently struck down by the same shell. 
 
 Decomposition had not set in, for but a day had 
 passed. It was singular to note the difference of expres- 
 sion between those who had been killed by the bayonet 
 and those who had met their death by the bullet. In the 
 case of the former the features were, as a rule, distorted 
 in agony, while in the latter they seemed composed, and, 
 in some cases, even smiling. In whatever direction we 
 turned we saw the same havoc and ruin. In the houses 
 the same sights met the eye dead men singly and in 
 groups, shattered walls, smouldering doors, and carrion- 
 birds hovering about. Here it was that Battye's splendid 
 little Goorkhas taught the immense Afghan Ghazis what 
 pluck and the bayonet can do even against the most 
 skilful swordsman, and here in the clusters of dead 
 around were to be seen the evidences of their prowess. 
 The Goorkha fights capitally with the bayonet, but if 
 in any doubt or difficulty as to the result, invariably 
 
214 Personal Records of 
 
 dashes himself upon his adversary and finishes with the 
 knife, a curved weapon about twice the size of an or- 
 dinary bowie. In this and other villages, even after 
 their capture by our troops, numbers of Ghazis had 
 shut themselves up in the underground chambers of 
 the various houses, and fought there till nightfall. I 
 counted more than 150 bodies, but many had already 
 been carried away by the burying-parties we had 
 sent out. 
 
 My friend Menzies had rather a narrow escape at 
 Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab. In leading on his company to 
 capture a walled enclosure he found himself suddenly 
 opposed to about 300 Ghazis who were lying in ambush, 
 and their leader, a tall, stalwart fanatic, rushed at him 
 with a terrific yell, brandishing his tulwar and waving a 
 standard in his left hand. Menzies accepted the chal- 
 lenge and rushed half way to meet him, and as the 
 Afghan raised his tulwar to give the terrific backstroke 
 at the neck which is said to be so difficult to parry, the 
 young officer, with lightning-like quickness, by a straight 
 thrust in tierce ran his enemy through the heart. Before, 
 however, he could extricate his weapon, a real Andrea 
 Ferrara, he was cut down by two fellows behind him, 
 who in their turn were despatched by a corporal of 
 the 72nd. As his wound, although severe, was not 
 mortal, Menzies was placed by his sergeant, for shelter 
 and safety, in an empty room, and left ; but no sooner 
 had our men quitted the house than a Ghazi, concealed 
 in the veranda, crept through the window and stabbed 
 him in the shoulder. Fortunately a Goorkha sentry left 
 at the door saw the act, and at once despatched the 
 fanatic with his knife. 
 
 Here I was presented with the knife with which the 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 2 1 5 
 
 ruffian attacked my friend. It is called a * peshkabs/ a 
 peculiar sort of weapon worn by the Ghazis. The handle 
 is of ivory, though occasionally I have seen them made 
 of horn. The blade is long, with a straight, strong back, 
 and a curved edge running to a point. Such a ' toothpick 
 can inflict a fearful wound ; and they are often heavily 
 tipped, to enable the point to go through armour. The 
 hilt is very handsomely ornamented and the blade taste- 
 fully damascened. 
 
 A karez stream runs through the village, and seems 
 to supply the inhabitants with plenty of good water, as 
 well as to irrigate the gardens and orchards of the neigh- 
 bourhood. The karez is a subterranean aqueduct con- 
 necting several wells, and conducting their waters, when 
 united in one stream at a lower level, to the surface of 
 the earth. The object of this arrangement is to do 
 away with the loss caused by evaporation, which, if the 
 stream were to flow for any distance over the open sur- 
 face, would be so great that it would be almost dissi- 
 pated before it reached the fields it was to supply with 
 water. To make one of these karezha the following 
 plan is usually adopted : 
 
 On the slope of a neighbouring hill, or any rising 
 ground where underground springs are supposed to 
 exist, a large well or shaft is sunk until it opens on 
 one of the springs. Then, if there be signs of a suffi- 
 ciency of water, the construction of the karez for its con- 
 veyance is determined upon, and the work is commenced 
 on the site where it is intended that the water shall 
 issue to the surface. Here a shaft three or four feet in 
 depth is sunk, and, at regular intervals of twenty or 
 thirty paces from this, in the direction of the hill or 
 other site, where the former shaft had been sunk, a 
 
2 1 6 Personal Records of 
 
 series of similar shafts or wells are sunk, and these 
 are all connected by tunnels bored from the bottom of 
 one shaft to the base of the one next above it, and so 
 on up to the shaft first sunk over the spring from which 
 the water is to be drawn away. The depth of the shafts 
 gradually increases with their distance from the one near 
 the spot at which the stream is to issue to the surface, 
 and in proportion to the slope of the ground and the 
 number of the shafts. The length of the karez depends, 
 of course, upon the supply of water obtained, and the 
 distance of the spring from the site selected for culti- 
 vation or habitation. I noticed that from the shaft sunk 
 near the land to be irrigated the water is conducted into 
 the fields through a tunnel, which, commencing at the 
 base of the shaft, opens on the surface at the base of a 
 small aperture at about twenty or thirty feet distance, 
 and from this point onwards the water flows in a narrow 
 and shallow stream along a superficial trench that winds 
 through the fields. The position of the shafts was marked 
 by circular heaps of earth excavated from them, and col- 
 lected on the surface around their openings, which are 
 usually closed over by a roofing of leaves and matting 
 covered with earth. These coverings are removed at 
 intervals of a couple of years or more, according to cir- 
 cumstances, for the purpose of clearing out the shafts and 
 tunnels, which are mere excavations of the soil, with 
 bricks or mortar, and which in time naturally become 
 coated with a deposit more or less thick of earthy matter 
 from the streams flowing through them. Some karezha 
 (plural for karez) have afforded a constant stream of 
 water for ages, while some, on the other hand, have be- 
 come exhausted ere they have yielded a return commen- 
 surate with the cost of their construction. The oldest 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 217 
 
 karez in Afghanistan is the one we saw at Ghuzni, said 
 to have been constructed by the Sultan Mahmud Ghuzni, 
 whose name it bears. This karez is more than twenty 
 miles in length, and is now nearly eight centuries old. 
 
 Leaving Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab, where our fatigue 
 parties and dhoolie bearers were carrying away and 
 burying the dead, we rode through the orchards and 
 wall enclosures where yesterday the fighting was so 
 severe. Here the traces of the conflict were most 
 apparent, and here we were enabled to save several 
 wounded men who had managed to crawl under the 
 topes of the mulberry-trees for shelter during the night. 
 One poor fellow seemed to imagine that he was about 
 to be despatched, and although unable to rise, as both 
 his legs were shattered, he attempted to seize his jezail 
 in defence the moment our doctor approached. 
 
 ' Be not alarmed, my friend,' said the General ; ' we 
 shall take care of you.' 
 
 1 Ba aman i Khuda May God protect you!' replied 
 the man, a fine specimen of the Afghan mountaineer, 
 whose bold bearing and frank manner to the General 
 much impressed us in his favour. While the doctor 
 was probing the wound for the bullet he never even 
 winced, and there was a savage fierceness in his looks, 
 heightened by the fire of his piercing eyes, that declared 
 him to be a merciless ruffian upon his native soil and 
 out of the hands of the Feringhi power. 
 
 We also brought away a party of five of our own men, 
 Sepoys, who had been left overnight wounded. They 
 had become separated from our columns during the 
 attack, and were not able to get back to our camp. 
 These men were all more or less wounded with the 
 charah, or Afghan knife, and the wounds, although 
 
2 1 8 Personal Records of 
 
 frightful to look at, are seldom mortal, or even of a 
 very serious nature. This may be accounted for by the 
 way the Afghans use the terrible charah. They never 
 employ this weapon except for direct blows, which are 
 usually aimed at the outer side of the limbs, where, 
 although they produce enormous gashes, the larger 
 vessels and nerves, being inside, generally escape injury, 
 and the wounds are deprived of much of their other- 
 wise dangerous character. An Afghan has no idea of 
 thrusting with the charah, and I have always found it 
 successful to keep him at bay until an opportunity 
 occurred to give point. Any good pupil of Grisier, of 
 Angelo, or of Roland, should be able to hold his own 
 against the best Afghan swordsman. One of these 
 unfortunate fellows, a man of the 3rd Sikhs, had his arm 
 completely lopped off above the elbow by a blow from a 
 charah, but his antagonist was lying dead beside him, a 
 little Goorkha having nearly cut his head off with his 
 knife as he was attacking the Sikh. 
 
 The Colonel of the 2nd Goorkhas told General 
 Roberts rather a good story this morning. When the 
 village was about to be assaulted, as a compliment to 
 the regiment, the Brigadier ordered that the Goorkhas 
 should lead the way, supported by the Q2nd ; and when 
 the village had been carried by a rush at half-past ten, 
 one of Colonel Battye's Goorkhas raced with a Q2nd 
 Highlander for a gun which the Afghan gunners were 
 endeavouring to carry off. The Goorkha managed to 
 get up first, cut the mule-traces, cut down the drivers, 
 and jump upon the captured weapon, shouting, 'This 
 for the honour of my regiment ! The 2nd Goorkhas ! 
 The Prince of Wales's!' As Colonel Battye saw the 
 incident I can vouch for its authenticity. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 219 
 
 Leaving Gundi - Moola - Sahibdab, we cantered on 
 through the walled gardens, and along the banks of the 
 canal by the road taken the previous day by the ist 
 Brigade. As we advanced every portion of the way was 
 marked with the debris of the fight Guns, swords, 
 belts, Afghan drums, pouch-boxes, broken-down ammu- 
 nition-carts, dead mules and horses, and innumerable 
 human corpses, marked the progress of our attack. 
 Here and there, striving to reach the canal, we saw some 
 wretched horse, with shattered limbs and parched tongue, 
 unable to drag itself away from the body of its late 
 rider, who lay with cleft skull and staring eyeballs, 
 apparently watching us as we passed. The roads here 
 converge as well as the three canals, and here it was 
 that the screw battery played upon the flying masses of 
 the enemy as we drove them out of the orchards and 
 vineyards into the open plain. Here, or at least a little 
 farther on, it was that Baker and Macpherson joined 
 hands, and, after a tough struggle, drove the flower 
 of Ayub's infantry into the basin behind the low ridge 
 that hid the Mazra camp, and here the avenging shells 
 of Tillard's guns enfiladed them as they fled. Rounding 
 the base of the hills, we came to the village and crest of 
 Pir Paimal, and to the Prince's first camp, still standing, 
 and occupied by a portion of Baker's brigade, while 
 Macpherson held the Mazra camp. 
 
 Leaving the village of Baba Wali on our left, the 
 General pushed on to Ayub's camp in front of Mazra 
 and jn rear of the hills. The tents extended for more 
 than/ a mile, and were about half that distance in width. 
 They were well and regularly pitched, and, except in 
 the matter of cleanliness, would have been no discredit 
 to a European army. Everything was, however, in the 
 
22O Personal Records of 
 
 utmost disorder, showing how ill-prepared the Afghan 
 prince was for his defeat, and how completely ' Sauve qiii 
 pent /' must have been the order of the day. Ayub's 
 tent was still standing, and we carefully inspected it. 
 Sentries had been placed on the previous evening by 
 Colonel Parker, so that nothing had been looted or 
 removed. A couch of rich damask, covered with matting 
 of the finest description, and with some large leopard 
 skins as a counterpane, shaded and curtained by rich 
 shawls draped above the bed, a number of costly 
 weapons hanging from the hooks of the tent-poles, a 
 double-barrelled rifle of English make (Lancaster), with 
 an inscription in Persian, showing it to be a Russian 
 general's gift, pipes of all kinds, handsome chogas, pagris 
 (turbans), and other articles of dress, evidently lately in 
 use, lay about, and gave a lifelike look to the scene. 
 
 f I cannot help feeling sorry for the poor fellow,' 
 said the General, smiling at the curiosity of some of our 
 staff, who were minutely examining every article. ' How 
 comfortable he must have been here !' 
 
 'And now galloping for his life to Herat,' said 
 Colonel Chapman. 
 
 Round the Sirdar's tent, and within easy call, were 
 various smaller tents for the use of guards, attendants, 
 &c., and on entering these we could see the remains 
 of food partly cooked, and evidently intended for the 
 Prince. Here was a delicate ' pallao,' consisting of rice 
 stewed up with fowl, and deluged with melted fat from 
 the tail of the sheep, and coloured with turmeric powder, 
 sweetened with sugar, and flavoured with almonds and 
 raisins. There was also a kid roasted whole, and stuffed 
 with a mixture of rice, almonds, raisins, and pistachio 
 nuts. This is called the ' mallanjan pallao,' and, I can 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 221 
 
 say from experience, is a tasty dish, as we have more 
 than once tried it at our mess. A chess-board, several 
 Persian books, and a curiously shaped musical instru- 
 ment, something between a banjo and a guitar, showed 
 the Prince's tastes to be not by any means barbaric. 
 Orders were given by the General that every article in 
 the tent should be carefully labelled and packed away 
 that all the other tents should be cleared of rubbish and 
 placed ready for removal or destruction. Many of them 
 looked so dirty that our Scotch surgeon observed, 
 ' They're unco' filthy, an' wad breed a pestilence in our 
 camp!' an opinion in which I cordially agreed. In the 
 soldiers' tents were half-cooked rations, showing how 
 unexpected must have been our attack, and how ill- 
 prepared were they for the dashing energy of our com- 
 mander. Wheat, maize, millet, and various vegetables, 
 cooked generally in the form of a pottage, with dried 
 pulse or raisins, mutton, fowls, camel's flesh, goat and 
 buffalo, were here, but always accompanied by melted 
 fat or butter, not considered eatable unless rancid. 
 Another favourite dish I noticed, and this is * krut,' a 
 sort of essence of cheese. This is esteemed a great 
 delicacy, as it has a flavour of rancid cheese and sour 
 butter combined. 
 
 On the 2nd I had a long conversation with General 
 Gough, who gave me all the details of his pursuit, and I 
 find that, so far from being inactive, he was engaged, 
 although out of our sight, nearly the whole of the day. 
 Gough left the camp with his splendid little ' clump of 
 spears ' at 8 a.m., with a sort of skeleton instruction 
 from the chief, but with carte blanche to use his own 
 discretion as events came on. First of all, there was no 
 opportunity to utilise cavalry on our left, as the village 
 
222 Personal Records of 
 
 of Gandigan was only assailable by infantry, the ground 
 intervening being one mass of jungle, nullahs, water- 
 courses, and other impediments, where cavalry are 
 practically out of place and useless. Gough, as I before 
 said, had with him Brabazon, of the loth Hussars as 
 good a man across country as I know as brigade- 
 major, and the following fine corps of horsemen : The 
 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers, 3rd Bengal Cavalry, 3rd 
 Punjab Cavalry, and two squadrons each of the 1st 
 Central India Horse and the 2nd Central India Horse. 
 These may be taken roughly to represent not more than 
 1000 sabres, but the quality of the troops was unexcep- 
 tionable. Gough had been over some of the ground the 
 day before, and knew that, at one period of the day, he 
 might have lost many men but for Macpherson's flank 
 movement to his assistance, and he also knew that to 
 waste cavalry amongst stone walls, jungle, orchards, 
 gardens, vineyards, nullahs, and every kind of obstacle, 
 would be an unpardonable fault in a commander. He 
 determined, then, to give Baker sufficient time to clear 
 the village of Gandigan, and formed his brigade up 
 under the shelter of the Chuzina range, and on the right 
 of the E B. R.H.A., ready to move forward at the proper 
 time, and when Gandigan was cleared by Baker's 
 brigade. 
 
 1 Tell General Baker that I am waiting on him and 
 shall keep touch with him, if possible, all day/ said the 
 Brigadier to his adjutant, who put spurs into his horse 
 and dashed across the plain to give the order. Baker, 
 as I told you in my last, was considerably delayed at 
 Gandigan, and although Gough three times made 
 demonstrations against the village, it was found that the 
 ground was hopeless for either guns or cavalry. M Bat- 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 223 
 
 tery, B Brigade R.A., was then moved down to the right 
 of the canal, and shelled the village for some time with- 
 out any perceptible effect, and after more than an 
 hour's delay Baker sent back to ask Gough to act 
 independently. 
 
 ' By making a wider detour to the left, and leaving 
 Gandigan to me, you can get across the Argandab, and 
 work round to the reverse of Baba Wali,' wrote Baker on 
 a leaf of his pocket-book, which he sent by his orderly 
 to Gough. The latter at once adopted the suggestion, 
 and this will account for the non-appearance of his 
 brigade during the earlier period of the action. 
 
 Gough accordingly moved along the Herat road to 
 the left of Gandigan, and after a good deal of skir- 
 mishing through the villages came to Kokeran, which he 
 found strongly defended. Dismounting a portion of a 
 regiment to act as infantry, he attacked and soon cleared 
 the village by a charge of the 9th, and then pushed on 
 to the Argandab, which, at about eleven o'clock, was 
 crossed a little below the Sirtip's house. 
 
 ' It was most irritating/ said the Brigadier, as- we 
 discussed the matter, ' that you should have all the fun, 
 whilst we were unseen, fighting our way over fearful 
 ground and under great difficulties to shake hands with 
 you on our right.' 
 
 However, as it turned out, all went, well for by eleven 
 o'clock Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab was in Macpherson's 
 hands, and the fugitives were streaming away across the 
 Argandab, just in time to be met by Gough's squadrons 
 lying perdu for them on the right bank. Gough's pre- 
 sence on the right of the Argandab at this juncture was 
 most opportune, and enabled General Roberts to drive 
 home his principal attack upon the Pir Paimal and the 
 
224 Personal Records of 
 
 three camps ; while Nuttall, working steadily towards 
 the Murcha Pass and along the hills in front of Baba 
 Wali, completed the chain or web woven round Ayub's 
 force. Had it not been for the mass of enclosures 
 peculiar to the country on the banks of the Argandab, 
 Cough's Lancers would have given a better account of 
 the enemy ; but, as it was, they had no reason to be 
 dissatisfied with the day's work. Recrossing the river 
 by a ford in rear of Baba Wali, Gough had scarcely 
 formed his leading squadrons on the bank when he was 
 assailed by two guns posted on a ridge, and a heavy 
 mass of Afghan horse, who came on with wild yells till 
 they heard in ringing tones from the Brigadier the 
 command, ' In column of squadrons ! Walk ! march ! 
 gallop ! charge !' In one moment he had burst through 
 the swarm of Afghan horsemen, and drove a number of 
 them into the river, where, even with the water up to the 
 girths, a hand-to-hand combat took place. Re-forming 
 his column, the charge was continued until Nuttall's 
 trumpets were heard through the Murcha Pass, when the 
 two brigadiers joined hands, and continued the pursuit 
 till nightfall with what results I have already said. 
 
 AFTER BABA WALI A NIGHT RIDE WITH GOUGH IN PURSUIT 
 OF THE ENEMY. 
 
 Cavalry Lines, Kandahar, Sept. 7. 
 
 'WHAT were your fellows doing all day, during and 
 after Baba Wali?' Such is the query put to me where- 
 ever I go, and, for the sake of our friends at home, I have 
 just jotted down roughly what I for one saw of the fight, 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 225 
 
 and what share our brigade had in it. Cavalry service 
 is undoubtedly very pleasant, and when all goes well, 
 and we can get at our enemy, we come in for our share 
 of praise ; but, on the contrary, when fortune and 
 opportunity fail, small allowance too often is made for 
 our apparent inaction. On the eventful day of Baba 
 Wali we breakfasted in high glee at half-past six ; our 
 horses had on this occasion a double feed of grain, 
 and each trooper carried a day's forage. 
 
 Previous to moving from our own lines General 
 Gough had a careful inspection of the 9th Lancers, 3rd 
 Bengal Cavalry, 3rd Punjab Cavalry, and the Central 
 India Horse, and he was pleased to say that he never 
 wished to ride in front of a better lot of horsemen. 
 During the march from Cabul to Kandahar I have had 
 many opportunities of studying the interior economy 
 of these Native Cavalry regiments, and I have been 
 greatly impressed with the eminently workmanlike 
 manner in which all details are carried out. Arms, 
 horse equipment, saddlery, uniform and drill, are ex- 
 cellent, and even our own cavalry might take an occasional 
 hint from the system employed by these turbaned spear- 
 men. In looking over the horse appointments of my 
 orderly, a 3rd Punjabi, the other day, I found that the head- 
 stall of his bridle is now like our own cavalry, having the 
 bit and bridoon detachable when in the stable or in 
 lines, each being separately fitted. The horses used 
 to be tethered fore and after by a double fore-shackle 
 and heel-ropes, which added much to the weight ; but 
 this has been altered, and the new plan, introduced 
 some years ago by the i/th Lancers, is adopted. That 
 is to say, the animal is tethered by a single fore-tackle 
 and a single heel-rope ; the latter even might be abolished, 
 
 Q 
 
226 Personal Records of 
 
 and the horse, being tethered only by the fore-leg, could 
 turn round at will and avoid either sun or rain. On the 
 march these head-ropes are carried from the lower 
 ring of the head-stall to a ring in front of the saddle. 
 Formerly the sowar carried a pistol in his wallet, but 
 now these are available for spare kit or provisions, as a 
 beneficent Government issues to him a Snider carbine ! 
 In addition to this weapon he carries a curved and 
 uncommonly sharp sword and a lance. His uniform con- 
 sists of a dark-blue lunghi, or turban, wound deftly round 
 a red wadded skull-cap ; his frock, or koorta, of coarse 
 blue serge, shaped something like a Norfolk shirt, and 
 bound into the waist by a red cummerbund ; wide, 
 yellow pyjamas, tucked into long boots of brown un- 
 tanned leather ; brown leather pouch and sword-belt, 
 the former carrying twenty rounds, and a very long 
 bamboo lance with bright steel point and blue and 
 white pennon ; make up a neat, workmanlike, and most 
 picturesque set of * fixins,' as an American gentleman, 
 Colonel and Journalist, called them. The sowar would, 
 of course, be incomplete without his choga (cloak), and 
 this he carries strapped over his wallet, while he has 
 a lance-socket at each stirrup, a grain-bag on the near 
 side behind the saddle, with the horse's blanket and pegs 
 fastened behind. On the off-side is the carbine in its 
 bucket, as also his shot-case. A single leather girth 
 and surcingle to make all secure complete his equip- 
 ment. These men are, for this country, the perfection 
 of light cavalry ; they have taken kindly to the Snider, 
 and, since its issue, some of them make excellent 
 practice. They have also been taught the English 
 cavalry system of signalling, and the approach of an 
 enemy is at once notified to the column forming their 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 227 
 
 head-quarters in rear by the chain of scouts that 
 connect them with it. These fellows are allowed 
 twenty-seven rupees a-month, and for this each man 
 finds his horse and tatoo pony. Government finds a 
 small tent to every tv/o men, but they provide the tatoo 
 which carries it, as well as all their spare belongings. 
 
 Thanking my friend, Major Anderson of the 3rd 
 Punjab Cavalry, for all the above information, which 
 he gave me as we smoked our first cheroot, I rode over 
 to the Qth Lancers, and had a chat with old Stewart 
 Mackenzie and MacMuir of that fine old polo corps, 
 and they showed me all their Colonel's newest in- 
 ventions. Some of the saddles, to my astonishment, 
 had no numdah (felt saddle-cloths), only leather pannels. 
 The wallets carry a pair of high-lows and his brushes, 
 and the cloak is buckled in front. The shot-case is on 
 the off-side behind, ' with the carbine-bucket for the 
 Martini over it, and strapped to surcingle ; while the 
 mess-tin is over cloak on off-side. The feed-bag is 
 fastened to a D behind on near side, and looped to 
 prevent feed escaping. Pegs, heel-rope, and shackles, 
 strapped behind the cape on the cantle. The rider 
 then has to carry on his person his sword, haversack, 
 water-bottle, and pouch-belt ; pouch, with twenty rounds, 
 on waist-belt. Of course, as a rule, a Lancer does not 
 carry a carbine ; but this is an experiment, and the 
 innovation may, I think, with advantage be adopted. 
 The horse-blanket is carried on the tatoo, and one tatoo 
 is allowed to every two horses. 
 
 I need not tell you that the Qth keep up their old 
 reputation for smartness, and that Sir Hope Grant's 
 favourite corps are at present as near perfection as a 
 regiment can be. Each troop is more like a family than 
 
228 Personal Records of 
 
 a conglomeration of horsemen, and each captain is looked 
 upon as a friend as well as a commander. The regiment 
 itself is a clan, and esprit de corps, the life and soul of our 
 army, reigns supreme. Great care is taken as to re- 
 cruiting, and consequently the troopers are pretty much 
 of a size, and not too big for their horses. It is a great 
 mistake to send big regiments to India, as it is impossible 
 to mount them ; and when we remember that the regulation 
 height for a cavalry horse out here is only 14-2, it will 
 easily be understood that a six-foot man and big in 
 proportion would look as though he were riding a pony. 
 The Qth were having a sort of second breakfast when 
 I came up, and I was rather astonished to find myself 
 invited to share in a number of luxuries I little expected 
 at such a time and place. Apperley had actually a small 
 spirit-lamp in his wallet, and made me some capital tea 
 with sugar and preserved milk! Gough (not the General, 
 but the Captain) had a lot of kabobs, which we warmed, 
 and Stewart Mackenzie supplied some excellent German 
 sausage from an enormous tin case. These, with a 
 small chasse from a flask and a capital cheroot, rendered 
 the time less heavy on our hands. Meanwhile the 
 men, having finished their morning meal some time 
 before, were carefully overhauling their saddlery, shoes, 
 and weapons. Girths were examined, buckles adjusted, 
 and the horses' feet carefully looked over by the farriers, 
 and all was reported as correct to the Brigadier, who, with 
 Brabazon, his brigade-major, was sitting near his charger 
 carefully studying the rough sketch-map he had made 
 the day before. Talking of maps, I may warn you in 
 regard to one or two I have been shown here, and which 
 possibly may find their way to England. Some of these 
 are fairly drawn, and the distances are in proportion, but 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 229 
 
 they have the simple fault of being * partly upside down ;' 
 that is to say, the north is where the west should be, and 
 vice versa: the consequence being that, judging from 
 them as they are drawn, you would get a totally erro- 
 neous idea of the position of the Argandab, and the 
 various ridges over which we fought. 
 
 At eight o'clock an orderly galloped over to us from 
 General Roberts with a note in pencil for our Brigadier, 
 who immediately gave the word, ' Stand by your horses!' 
 What a change from the buzz and chatter in the ranks 
 to the deathlike silence that discipline enjoins ! Cigars 
 and pipes were hurriedly put away, mess-tins were 
 reclosed, biscuits, kabobs, cold meat, sausages, &c., are 
 hurriedly relegated to haversack or wallet, and grim and 
 stark at the sharp word of command stand our troops as 
 contiguous columns of squadrons, ready for the next 
 word, ' Prepare to mount !' ' Mount !' And a thousand 
 horsemen swing into the saddle as lightly and as deftly 
 as in the manege! At five minutes past eight the 
 General moved us on to Ahasabad, where, for a short 
 time, we were again dismounted, so as to give the 
 infantry brigades time to initiate their attack on Gundi- 
 Moola-Sahibdab. Here we were to wait until the time 
 came to advance through the village of Gandigan, push 
 across the Argandab river at Kokeran, and pursue the 
 enemy along the road to Sheurin. To the south of the 
 road which leads past the Baba Wali Kotal to the 
 Argandab are the three villages of Kalach-i-Haidar, 
 and although these were purchased by Colonel St. John 
 for our use more than a year ago (in May last), General 
 Primrose had to abandon them when Ayub advanced 
 to Kokeran. They were now, we believed, held in force 
 by the enemy, and strongly fortified by the villagers. 
 
230 Personal Records of 
 
 From the Herat gate to Kokeran is seven miles, and 
 from the peculiar nature of the ground, and the numbers 
 of villages and walled enclosures, we had to move with 
 the utmost precaution. On our left front we had the 
 ruins of old Kandahar, and here Ayub might have 
 posted a strong body of men to resist our advance, and 
 open upon us with a flanking fire from a gun placed 
 en cavalier. But this was obviated by Sir Frederick 
 Roberts, whose first care on the 3ist was to post a 
 strong detachment with two guns at the Chuzina Canal, 
 which commands the road to the ruins. 
 
 At nine o'clock the 4O-pounder battery placed on 
 the right crest of Picket Hill opened on Ayub's guns 
 on the Baba Wali Kotal ; and this was our signal to 
 move. Just as our chief was about to give the word we 
 heard the rattle of gun-carriages on our right, and we 
 turned and saw, to our great delight, Tillard with his 
 splendid battery of Horse Artillery sent to join us. 
 
 'Are we to have the pleasure of your company 
 during the day?' said the General to the Major, who 
 galloped up and saluted. 
 
 'Yes, sir/ said the latter. 'The General says the 
 ground is difficult by Gandigan, but he thinks, where 
 Cavalry can go Horse Artillery ought to go.' 
 
 ' So much the better,' replied the Brigadier. ' You 
 can shell the villages for us.' 
 
 The order was now given to move off by sections 
 from the right, with the guns divided on either flank, 
 two squadrons thrown out in open order in front, and 
 the usual flanking parties. The firing had now become 
 general, and the infantry, we could see, had commenced 
 to skirmish through the gardens and over the numerous 
 watercourses which impeded our way. Soon after we 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 231 
 
 were in motion we came to some splendid groves of 
 mulberry - trees and poplars, watered by one of the 
 numerous canals which irrigate the plain. Here our 
 advanced skirmishers were fired at, but dashing forward, 
 at a gallop our fellows cleared the wall of the enclosure 
 in splendid style, and sabred about half-a-dozen Ghazis, 
 while the remainder bolted on to the nearest village. 
 
 The ground was now cut up by enclosures and fields 
 of Indian corn, barley, lucerne, clover, with here and 
 there patches of red rose-bushes, as well as more clumps 
 of mulberries. Watercourses, or rather the beds of 
 such, ran in all directions, and these were quite deep 
 enough to considerably delay our artillery. After much 
 difficulty with the guns, we had pushed forward about a 
 mile across the plain, exchanging a shot now and then 
 as we pushed forward our first line of skirmishers through 
 the enclosures. Here we came to two villages right and 
 left, and as we could see they were loopholed, Major 
 Tillard, who rode in front with our Brigadier, suggested 
 a few shells to clear the way. While this was being 
 carried out, half a troop of the Central India Horse was 
 dismounted and sent forward to seize an avenue of fine 
 mulberry-trees, which would give us some cover while 
 attacking the villages. 
 
 The manner in which these men skirmished was 
 admirable, taking advantage of every bit of cover 
 afforded by the numerous clumps of tangled * bhendi/ 
 a sort of cucumber with a yellow flower, interspersed 
 with the more formidable cactus and prickly pear. 
 While these men were picking off the Ghazis who lined 
 the walls of the orchard, Tillard with his guns was 
 making capital practice in the mulberry tope. To have 
 carried the villages by a charge would have been quite 
 
232 Personal Records of 
 
 practicable, but our object was more to hold the enemy 
 in check until our first and second brigades had forced 
 their way through the orchards and gardens on our 
 right, than to make good our position at a heavy loss 
 of men and horses. Step by step, however, we pushed 
 on our skirmishers, until we drove the Ghazis from one 
 village into another ; and at this juncture General Gough, 
 taking advantage of an open piece of ground, deployed 
 one of his regiments to the left, and, pivoting on his right, 
 swept round until the village was almost surrounded. 
 
 The 9th Lancers were now detached to outflank the 
 enemy's position, and this they did by prolonging our 
 line to the left until we almost touched the river in that 
 direction. It was half-past ten o'clock ; we had cleared 
 the villages which had given us so much trouble, and we 
 were enabled to bring round our right shoulders and 
 advance towards Kokeran. On our right hand was a 
 broad plain of cultivated ground, sloping away towards 
 the Argandab river and divided by enclosures into 
 gardens, orchards, and vineyards, where peach, apricot, 
 nectarine, and vines, were cultivated. On our left was 
 a long barren range, covered with fragments of rock, 
 boulders, and the debris of innumerable storms. Behind 
 this ridge Tillard was moving his guns in a line parallel 
 to our advance, and with him were the gth Lancers. 
 This movement was ordered by General Gough in case 
 the enemy, driven from the slopes of the Pir Paimal, 
 should endeavour to break away towards Girishk. 
 About the middle of this ridge are two high points, 
 about a thousand feet above the bed of the river, and on 
 one of these used to be the heliographic signal-station 
 where messages were flashed to Kandahar while we held 
 the city. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 233 
 
 The road as we advanced became more steep, and 
 we had to cross more watercourses and to pass by 
 narrow paths winding along the face of the mountain, 
 where, in the distance, we could see some of the chiefs 
 of the tribes and villages in the vicinity. These with 
 their principal adherents, on horseback, were drawn up 
 the crest of the mountain, while their followers sprang 
 like demons from rock to rock, yelling uncouthly, and, 
 although out of range, firing their matchlocks at us as 
 we passed. The scene was most singular. On our left 
 a rugged and steep precipice, on the summit of which 
 were these creatures with ragged clothes, yet robust 
 figures, howling defiance at us, and firing in impotent 
 rage, while on our right our eyes were cheered by the 
 sight of rich fields, where corn and wine, wild myrtle 
 and roses, were in profusion, clear rivulets, date and 
 mulberry-plantations, flowers, and birds of song Man, 
 in all his savage nature, on the other side ! 
 
 Meanwhile Generals Gough and Baker had agreed 
 that the cavalry should make a very wide detour -, leaving 
 Gandigan to be carried at the point of the bayonet by 
 the latter officer, as it was important that the Argandab 
 should be crossed by our cavalry and its right bank 
 held by us. We could now see how well Baker, with 
 the 2nd Sikhs, 3rd Sikhs, and 5th Goorkhas, was doing 
 his work ; but a mounted orderly overtook our column 
 about eleven o'clock to tell us that Gandigan was carried 
 in gallant style, and that three guns were captured by 
 Colonel Monny with the 3rd Sikhs. The orderly also 
 told us that Baker and Macpherson had joined hands, 
 having carried Gundi-Moola-Sahibdab and Gandigan, 
 and were now reinforced by the 3rd Brigade, and about 
 to storm the Pir Paimal village and crest. 
 
234 Personal Records of 
 
 'This is good news, gentlemen,' said our Brigadier, 
 as he tied a silk handkerchief round his head, finding his 
 helmet rather heavy. ' I think, Major Tillard, that you 
 had better come on with us to Kokeran, and when 
 you've assisted us to take it you can get your battery 
 back along the Herat and Kandahar road a short 
 distance, and come up in rear and to the left of the 
 infantry. You'll be able then to take the Baba Wali in 
 reverse, which is what the General wants, while we cross 
 the river and cut off those who retreat towards Jul Sabor, 
 Niaz Mahomed, Shuin, and even Khanan Gharcaro.' 
 
 ' I see what you mean,' said Tillard. * You want 
 to prevent them getting into the Khakrez Valley, 
 where the villages are all friendly to Ayub. Come 
 along! 1 
 
 It is as well to note these names, as I have carefully 
 marked them on the map I send you, and Hills has 
 scaled them, and finds the distances tolerably correct. 
 You can thus see the admirable understanding which 
 exists between Sir Frederick and his lieutenants, and 
 how well his ideas are developed in detail by them. 
 This portion of our march, although almost unmolested, 
 was difficult, on account of the guns, as we got 
 entangled in a lot of nullahs, and although at this 
 season of the year there was nothing in the way of 
 water to stop any troops, yet a mile or two in the bed of 
 a nullah with high, steep banks, is enough to try the 
 wheels and spokes of even a gun-carriage. On getting 
 out of this difficulty our route lay past some plains, 
 broken by hillocks more or less bare and rocky, and 
 with few houses or dwellings of any kind. The fields 
 ran parallel to the numerous watercourses, and were but 
 sparsely cultivated. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 235 
 
 We came at length to a better road, and the General 
 deployed to make as wide a front as we could, and as 
 soon as the plain \\idened sufficiently the halt was 
 sounded, and we moved along in line of contiguous 
 columns, with guns upon either flank. On rounding the 
 spur of one of the hills we bore away to the right, and 
 came in sight of the village of Kokeran, seven miles 
 west of Kandahar and six south-west from Baba Wali. 
 Kokeran is a village, guarded as usual by mud walls, 
 and close to it is the dwelling of Nur Mahomed, the 
 Sartip, or commander of cavalry, whose son was so 
 active against us last May, and who himself attempted 
 at that time to oppose General Stewart's advance on 
 Kandahar. 
 
 As we neared the walls our guns galloped to the 
 front, and sent a couple of shells purposely over the 
 village and into the river, as the Brigadier did not wish 
 to injure the inhabitants should no opposition be offered. 
 A few horsemen were seen galloping down to the ford 
 and escaping, but not a shot was fired, and two 
 squadrons swept through the village, and with two of 
 Tillard's guns secured the ford. 
 
 It was now half-past eleven, and no time was to be 
 lost, as already we heard less firing, and we concluded 
 that Pir Paimal was won, and that our infantry were 
 pushing on to Baba Wali and the camps between it and 
 Mazra. By-the-by, I saw in a sketch-map sent home 
 from Kandahar that Mazra is marked on the right bank 
 of the Argandab. Such is not the case. It is in the 
 Argandab Valley, on the left bank, and is separated 
 from the river by several canals, as I have marked it 
 for you. 
 
 As soon as we were well across the river Major 
 
236 Personal Records of 
 
 Tillard's men gave us a cheer, and, limbering up, went 
 away towards Baba Wali at a speed that would have 
 made a nervous person quake. ' Au revoir ! ait revoir!' 
 cried our chief, waving his sword to them as they 
 galloped away. 'And now, gentlemen, it is our turn/ 
 added the General ; ' we have been out of sight all 
 day, and they will wonder where we have been 
 hiding.' 
 
 What a change of ground we now found ! Smooth, 
 sound, galloping ground, a little sandy here and there, 
 but delightful in comparison to the place we had ridden 
 over during the morning. 
 
 As we drew away from a low range of hills on the 
 left bank, which hid Baba Wali from our sight, we began 
 to get glimpses of what was going on on our flank. 
 Now and then these hills dipped until almost level with 
 the plain, and as the left bank of the river now began 
 to rise we could occasionally see the smoke from our 
 guns and those of Ayub as the slopes of the Pir Paimal 
 were contested, and the conflict drew nearer and nearer 
 to us. 
 
 ' I wonder if they can see us ?' said Colonel Cracroft 
 of the 3rd Bengal Cavalry to his major (Willock), as 
 they cantered along over the sandy plain. 
 
 ' I think not,' said the Major : ' there is too much 
 smoke to begin with, and they are too much occupied 
 themselves to look this way.' 
 
 At this moment the Brigadier sounded the halt, and 
 ordered the men to dismount to breathe their horses, 
 and we took advantage of this to ride up a little knoll 
 commanding the river and a portion of the Argandab 
 Valley. Every glass was out in an instant, and we were 
 soon rewarded for our pains. Imagine a rich, fair valley 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 237 
 
 stretching away from the angle made by the river at 
 Kokeran, up in a north-easterly direction towards Fattah 
 Khan and Sher Ahmad, met by the Baba Wall range, 
 running parallel to it almost due north of Kandahar 
 city. Imagine two gaps, seemingly cut shield-shape out 
 of this range, the one called Murcher Kotal and the 
 other Baba Wali Kotal, and in this four batteries of 
 guns, manned by Afghan soldiers, sworn to defend the 
 position and exterminate the infidel. Then look across 
 the intervening space between the river and these 
 defences, and see what resembles three long serpents 
 belching forth flame and smoke as they wind their 
 sinuous course up the reverse slopes of this position. 
 
 It is high noon, and the sun, till lately hidden by 
 light and fleecy clouds, rising over the green and flowery 
 valley, burst out in increased splendour as we watch our 
 gallant fellows marching up the heights, regardless of 
 the well-served guns that still continued to play from 
 Ayub's well-placed batteries. Ever and anon we could 
 see a mass of Afghans come down with a rush at our 
 fellows, and then the sun glanced on the glittering 
 and terrible steel barrier which met and stopped their 
 career. 
 
 ' Look ! look ! there goes the screw battery at them ! ' 
 exclaimed Egerton of the 3rd, as he handed Anderson, 
 his major, his glass. 
 
 ' What a pity that the river and three miles 
 intervene !' said the General. * However, they have got 
 cavalry, and u*e must account for them. ' Stand to your 
 horses!' 'Prepare to mount!' 'Mount!' 'Colonel Cracroft, 
 be good enough to take two squadrons of your regiment 
 on to the second ford, which is at Niaz Mahomed ; I 
 need not tell you what to do when you get there/ 
 
238 Personal Records of 
 
 f Major Willock, you will take the remaining squadron, 
 and hold the nearest ford at Jul Lahor. If General 
 Nuttall's people are where they should be, on the left 
 bank, we shall astonish them. Major Anderson, let 
 Captain Macpherson take about a dozen or more 
 vedettes along the ridge to move parallel to us, as signal 
 to us as we move along in the other. Major Buller, take 
 a wing of the Central Horse, and keep half a mile in 
 front, with a few connecting files to signal. And Major 
 Colledge can do the same in rear.' 
 
 But action came on sooner than we had expected, 
 and it was well that the General had taken these 
 precautions. The dash of our infantry, and especially 
 the Highlanders, up the slopes of Pir Paimal and the 
 Baba Wai i was more than the Sirdar's mercenaries or 
 Ghazis could stand. The splendid advance of the screw 
 battery and Tillard's fortunate arrival with the R. H. A. 
 drove the Afghans headlong from their strong positions. 
 There is nothing an Afghan soldier dreads more than 
 to be taken in flank, unless it be to be attacked in 
 reverse, and on this occasion both were accomplished. 
 As our men ran up the slopes like deer the guns were 
 abandoned, random volleys were fired, their defensive 
 camps were abandoned, and a mass of fugitives made 
 for the river and the fords. Before the Brigadier's orders 
 could be carried out a strong body of Herati horsemen 
 had managed to get across the Niaz Mahomed ford, and 
 were making their way by a road which led to the 
 Khakrez Valley on our left. General Gough saw this 
 just as it was signalled to him, and at once sounded the 
 halt. All at once an orderly galloped up to our 
 column, where the General was riding in front of the 
 9th Lancers, and informed us that Colonel Cracroft was 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 239 
 
 engaged with a large cavalry force of the enemy, and 
 was driving them back into the river. 
 
 ' Walk ! March ! Trot ! Draw swords ! Form squad- 
 rons !' (the plain would not allow a wider front), were 
 given by the commanders in obedience to the chief, who 
 had told them to take the time and pace from him. In 
 about seven or eight minutes we were in the plain, and 
 on fairly good ground. We saw on our right Cracroft 
 having a very pretty little ' mill ' with about 300 Heratis. 
 Our fellows, it seems, were hidden in a mango tope, and, 
 allowing them to cross the ford, had caught them in 
 flank and en flagrant delit, as they were coming up the 
 bank in column. However, they managed to wheel into 
 line, and took the initiative, charging down upon 
 Cracroft's handful of sabres, as they knew it was 
 their only chance. As fast as each man reached the 
 bank he galloped after his comrades, and the two lines 
 met at a good pace about 300 yards from the bank. 
 Our fellows, however, were better under hand, and 
 having the impetus, went through them with unbroken 
 files, rolling the Afghan horsemen down the hill and 
 many of them into the river. A hand-to-hand en- 
 counter then ensued, our men laying their lances in 
 the socket and taking to their swords. Meanwhile we 
 had no idle time. A much larger body of horsemen had 
 crossed at a ford we knew not of, and came round the 
 brow of a small hillock on our right. Fortunately for 
 us the ground was in our favour, and General Gough, 
 leaving the 9th in reserve to cover us if necessary, 
 formed his remaining men in column of squadrons, and 
 went steadily at them. 
 
 * Advance in column of squadrons ! Walk ! March ! 
 Trot ! Canter ! Gallop ! Steady, men ! the pace from 
 
240 Personal Records of 
 
 me ! Charge ! ' As the trumpeter rings out the 
 welcome sound we are into their ranks, and down they 
 go like ninepins. Now the avenging lances of the gth 
 come * pricking o'er the plain,' not quite a ' thousand 
 spears in rest,' but a poor 300, and woe to the poor 
 wretch who does not cast away his weapon and cry for 
 quarter ! We must have chased them for more than two 
 miles, and while capturing several standards and a 
 number of prisoners, one or two of high rank, our sabres 
 and lances must have cut down a couple of hundred. 
 Still numbers got away into the villages, and of course, 
 hiding their arms and uniforms, escaped. 
 
 Getting his men together, and leaving detachments 
 at every ford, General Gough pushed on for fifteen miles, 
 occasionally coming up with small parties of infantry, 
 who as a rule died hard and would not accept quarter. 
 Ten miles on, near Shuin, we met Nuttall, who had 
 been doing good execution on the other bank. It was 
 now dark, and we were much encumbered with 
 prisoners, but we lashed them on their horses, and 
 fastened the latter in strings together, placing twenty 
 or thirty in the middle of a troop. In this manner, 
 and with our own nags almost dead beat, we reached 
 our lines at Kandahar about 1 1 p.m. Our friends were 
 much exercised to know where we had been all day, but 
 when General Gough's report was made, and General 
 Nuttall gave in his, Sir Frederick said, ' Gentlemen, you 
 could not have done better!' At a rough estimate 
 we must have put some 500 hors -de- combat > but 
 doubtless many of them are now being banded in the 
 villages. 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 241 
 
 THE SITUATION IN KANDAHAR PEACE, HONOURS, AND REWARDS 
 BREAKING UP OF THE KANDAHAR FIELD FORCE RETIRE- 
 MENT TO INDIA. 
 
 Kandahar^ Sept. n. 
 
 THE victory of the 1st has, I need scarcely tell you, 
 made glorious summer out of the five weeks' winter of 
 discontent which came between Mai wand and Baba 
 Wali. Pessimists who inundated our mail-bags with 
 long tirades against that time-honoured field-officer, 
 General Incapacity, are now vigorous and ardent ad- 
 mirers of the heroes of the hour, and every excuse is 
 sought for to condone what at first was set down as an 
 unpardonable series of military faults. Perhaps in the 
 long run, deferred, if not posthumous criticism, will' turn 
 out the most true ; and Time, the great physician, may 
 award the true and just balance of praise and blame to 
 those who caused our defeat and those who retrieved 
 our hidden, if not lost, prestige. Sir Frederick Roberts' 
 own account of the battle of the 1st September may 
 ahvays be quoted as a model of terse and clearly worded 
 despatch writing ; and, like the great Caesar, he has 
 certainly the gift of the pen as well as of the sword. 
 On the occasion, a day or two since, of the presenta- 
 tion of the distinguished service medals to the soldiers 
 of the 72nd and Q2nd Highlanders, and my little friends 
 the gallant 5th Goorkhas, Sir Frederick ordered a general 
 parade of all arms, and made use of the opportunity by 
 addressing a few eloquent and welcome words of com- 
 mendation to the regiments on the ground. As his speech 
 has been most imperfectly reported, I will give you the 
 text as it was copied into our general order-book. After 
 the General had ridden on to the ground where the whole 
 garrison was drawn up on three sides of a square in 
 
 R 
 
242 Personal Records of 
 
 close columns facing inwards, and a general salute had 
 been given, Sir Frederick raised his helmet in acknow- 
 ledgment, and spoke as follows : 
 
 1 1 need scarcely tell you, Soldiers of the Kandahar 
 Field Force, how pleased I am to have this opportunity 
 of giving to the men of the ?2nd and p2nd Highlanders, 
 and the 5th Goorkhas, the medals for distinguished 
 conduct on the field, which they have so deservedly 
 earned and won. I say this, from my experience as a 
 soldier, that no men with whom I ever served could 
 have better deserved these rewards ; and it is an ad- 
 ditional pleasure to me to have seen the other day of 
 what material my Highlanders and Goorkhas are made. 
 I can but hope that it may be my good fortune to have 
 such good soldiers by my side when next I go into 
 action. The 72nd have, I grieve to say, to mourn the 
 loss of their Colonel, as fine a leader of men as I have 
 ever seen, and with him fell an equally gallant spirit, 
 Captain Frome, and many brave men, amongst whom, 
 I grieve to say, Sergeant Cameron, a grand specimen of 
 a Highland soldier! But the Q2nd had also a heavy 
 loss, Colour-Sergeant Fraser, and other good soldiers, 
 being amongst the slain. On the 2nd of September 
 no less than fourteen gallant fellows were laid in one 
 grave, and many of their comrades are now lying 
 wounded in our hospital. But in all this you have 
 a British soldier's consolation, that of knowing that you 
 did your duty nobly. I bel'eve, in my day, I have seen 
 some hard knocks given and received, but never do I 
 remember noticing a greater look of determination to 
 win a battle than I observed on your faces on that 
 morning of the 1st of September. 
 
 ' Not even the bravest of the Afghans could stand 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 243 
 
 against such a bold attack. Yes ! You beat them at 
 Cabul and you have beaten thr.ni at Kandahar; and 
 now, as you are about leaving the country, you may feel 
 assured that the very last troops the Afghans ever wish 
 to meet in the field are Highlanders and Goorkhas. 
 You have indeed made for yourselves a name in this 
 country, and as you will not be forgotten in Afghanistan, 
 so you may rest assured you will never be forgotten 
 by me.' 
 
 General Roberts has an admirable presence. His 
 seat on horseback is perfect, and his voice is clear and 
 well pitched, while his charm of manner is proverbial. 
 At the close of these few well-chosen sentences there 
 was a short pause, but only for a moment, for the 
 enthusiasm of the Highlanders was contagious; and led 
 by them, three ringing British cheers were given, echoing 
 and re-eelming far away into the city and the heights 
 above Shcrpur. 
 
 Although not yet officially announced in orders, I 
 hear on the best authority that General Roberts, as well 
 as Sir Donald Stewart, arc to have the higher grace of 
 the Hath, while the former will succeed General Sir 
 Neville Chamberlain as Commander- in -Chief of the 
 Madras Army in February next. But more remains 
 behind. These rewards have been already earned in the 
 winter of 1879 in Cabul and in Shcrpur, and for the 
 wondrous march of 318 miles in twenty days, and the 
 battle and relief of Kandahar, a peerage and the thanks 
 of Parliament, we think, are not too much ! 
 
 Few, if any nfiieer of our (leneral's age, have SUeh a 
 record of good and successful service to show. From 
 the mutiny of 1857 to the- battle at Ma/.ra, what a long 
 bead-roll of glory! The siege and cnptme of Delhi 
 
244 Personal Records of 
 
 (wounded badly, and horse shot under him) ; the affairs 
 of Bulundshuhur (horse shot), Allygunge, Agra, Kanoug 
 (horse sabred) to Bundhera, where he was nearly cap- 
 tured while on reconnaissance ; from the relief of Luck- 
 now by Lord Clyde, the operations at Cawnpore, the 
 defeat of the Gwalior contingent, the battle of Khod- 
 nagunge, the retaking of Futtehghur, the storming of 
 Meangunge, the skirmish at Koorsee, and the various 
 actions which ended with our taking of Lucknow 
 (thanked by the Governor - General, Victoria Cross, 
 Brevet Majority, and Medal with three clasps) to the 
 pe"riod when he was employed on special service with 
 the expedition of 1863 against the tribes on the north- 
 western frontier of India ; from the Abyssinian campaign 
 of 1868 (Assistant Quarter-Master-General, and bearer 
 of Sir Robert Napier's final despatches ; Brevet of 
 Lieutenant - Colonel and Medal) ; from the Looshai 
 expeditionary force in 1871 to the capture of the Khobel 
 villages, the attack on the Northlang Range, and the 
 burning of Taikoom ; from the Afghan campaign of 
 1878, with the actions of the Peiwar Kotal, Saperi Pass, 
 Khost expedition, the action of Malun (thanks of 
 Parliament, and K.C.B. ; the outbreak and massacre at 
 Cabul in September, 1 879, the second command of the 
 Kurram field force, and passage of Shuturgardan ; 
 the defeat of the Afghan army at Charasaiah ; the 
 reoccupation of Cabul and defence of Sherpur ; the 
 final defeat of the enemy on 23rd December, down to 
 the famous march and the crowning victory of Baba 
 Wali ; where can a more glorious calendar of success 
 be shown in so short a space of time ? 
 
 Since I wrote to you on the 7th our time has been 
 fully occupied. The whole of Ayub's guns have been 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 245 
 
 brought in thirty -two, including the two we had to 
 abandon after Maiwand, but not the six presented to the 
 Wali. These are said to be somewhere on the Girishk 
 road, and we shall probably get them before long, as 
 our cavalry are scouring the country in all directions. 
 
 Meanwhile, immediately after the battle on ist, 
 Ayub fled towards Khakrez, en route to Herat, where 
 it is doubtful what sort of a reception, as a beaten man, 
 he will receive. He had with him, we learn, no bag- 
 gage, and but a couple of hundred Herati horsemen. 
 His Khakrez-Cabuli infantry fled without attempting to 
 make a stand, and were cut down in numbers as they 
 retired up the Argandab Valley. Day by day we 
 continue to receive additional particulars of Ayub's 
 loss, which is now found to be much more severe than at 
 first estimated. As forage is very scarce here it was 
 decided on the 2nd that Gough should march his cavalry 
 brigade to Kokeran, where supplies of all kinds are 
 plentiful, and where the position is of high strategic 
 value. Our total casualties on 3ist and ist are now 
 ascertained to be 248, including two officers not before 
 mentioned, viz. Rowcroft of the 4th Goorkhas and 
 young Chesney of the 23rd Pioneers. 
 
 As soon as we have full reports from Gough as to 
 the state of the country we shall send a strong column 
 to Kushk-i-Nakhud, to bury the dead and open out the 
 district, which is most fertile for supplies. Kokeran is 
 not more than eight miles from Kandahar ; it has a 
 walled village and a fort, and during our early occupa- 
 tion of Kandahar we had a considerable detachment of 
 our garrison stationed there, and if these had not been 
 we should not have been so painfully in the dark as to 
 Ayub's movements. 
 
246 Personal Records of 
 
 Some three months ago I was sent out towards the 
 Helmund to report upon Kokeran and the neighbouring 
 village of Khalacha-i-Hyder, and found them in all 
 respects amply suited to the requirements of a strong 
 brigade. Chinar and mulberry-trees, the date, the 
 plantain, the cocoanut, the vine, and almost every 
 species of grain and fruit, abound. The walnut-trees 
 were finer than any I had yet seen, except, perhaps, in 
 the Kurram Valley, many of them being upwards of ten 
 and some seventeen feet in height. Apricots, plums, 
 apples, pears, grapes, peaches, quinces, pomegranates, 
 and almonds abound, while mulberries are grown for 
 feeding silkworms. Wheat, barley, field peas, turnips, 
 lucerne, and Indian corn, are grown round the villages, 
 and in the rivers are trout and barbel, although not of 
 large size. I have caught them with a worm, not a fly, 
 up to two pounds weight. Teal also, in the season, were 
 to be got, but only in the spring and autumn ; while in 
 the cold weather there are large flocks of blue pigeons, 
 making a welcome addition to our mess bill of fare. 
 Sheep of the dumba, or broad-tailed breed, are plentiful, 
 browsing along the sides of the valleys, where they 
 thrive upon the aromatic herbs ; and on the hills north- 
 ward of the Helmund there are wild sheep and goats, 
 while the chikore, or hill partridge, can be shot in the 
 gulleys to the south. Gough, with whom I rode out on 
 the day of his march, has taken with him a whole 
 battery of weapons of the fire-arm persuasion, and has 
 sent us in numerous delicacies in the genre of fish, flesh, 
 and fowl. 
 
 On the 3rd, the day after our arrival at Kokeran, 
 we organized an expedition, partly to reconnoitre 
 and partly to shoot, as far as Sangeri, which is 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 247 
 
 on the further side of the Argandab, and my description 
 of Kokeran will apply very much to it. As we were 
 told by the Kazi of Kokeran last summer that 
 September and October were the two best months for 
 shooting chikor (hill partridge), as in August they are 
 not full grown, we determined to combine pleasure with 
 business, and see some sport while we surveyed the line 
 of country. The chikor very much resembles in colour 
 and size the French red-legged partridge, with the 
 exception that the latter appeared to be darker about 
 the throat and more brown on the back and wings than 
 the former. The call of the birds is, moreover, very 
 much alike, and its name, ' chikor/ given to it by the 
 natives, is the exact sound of its cry. 
 
 Taking some cold meat and biscuits in our haver- 
 sacks, and accompanied by a small escort of Gough's 
 native cavalry, we made an early start on the morning 
 of the 3rd, and before the sun was over the horizon were 
 well upon our way. There is a peculiar formation of 
 the three plateaus near the villages of Kokeran and 
 Khalacha-i-Hyder, owing to the drainage of the river, 
 and these plateaus make consequently splendid camp- 
 ing-grounds, with much purer air than at Kandahar. 
 From the right bank of the Argandab, opposite 
 Kokeran, a capital view of the village is obtained. 
 The village lay beneath us, on the banks of the river 
 we saw winding away in the distance, with other small 
 villages dotted about its banks, and surrounded by 
 green rice-fields and orchards. Chehul Dokteran 
 stands to our left, while the gardens of Rahmedil 
 and Ameen Kans are glowing with colour and fertility. 
 To the north-east we saw the Pir Paimal and Baba 
 Wall range, black and frowning, and with but scanty 
 
248 Personal Records of 
 
 vegetation on its lower spurs, while nearly the whole 
 range beyond lay before us, its many spurs running out 
 in all directions, and taking various hues, lit up here, 
 shadow there. Again, on our right, we looked upon 
 Haaz Madat Khan and the wooded ranges which gave 
 to each kotal such a variety of tints in the colour of 
 their foliage. All this neighbourhood is well cultivated, 
 rich in barley, rich in rice, the villages surrounded by 
 fruit-trees, and most of the fields watered by a most 
 elaborate system of irrigation from the Argandab. 
 
 About half-past six we were crossing the steep slope 
 of a rocky ledge, and having left our escort in the plain 
 below, with instructions to choose a good camping- 
 ground with wood and water, as well, of course, as a 
 position where we could keep a good look-out, we 
 could hear by the peculiar call of the birds that we 
 should have some sport. Not a whisper did we indulge 
 in as we wended along our toilsome ascent, where it was 
 with difficulty we were enabled to balance ourselves. 
 This was evidently the place for chikor in the early 
 morning, and we soon saw one, two, three, and more 
 coveys driven down from the hills above by our markers, 
 whom we had sent on. A chikor comes whizzing down 
 the hill, and, making at the same time a tremendous 
 curve, offers a most difficult shot, while I manage to 
 bowl him over with the right barrel. 
 
 After getting a few brace of birds and driving the 
 first covey about we lost sight of them, and my friend, 
 a gunner, who is a most excellent mentor, advised us to 
 sit down quietly above, where we had an idea the birds 
 were, and in a few minutes, as the covey had been split 
 up, one of the lost tribe ascended a piece of rock, and 
 began to call his fellows with all his throat power. The 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 249 
 
 silence once broken, every bird in the covey joined in, 
 and we thus became aware where each one was, and 
 were enabled to pick them nearly all up in succession. 
 The chikor is one of the best Indian partridges for the 
 table, and we did full justice to those we bagged. 
 
 I stayed with my friends, the Sirdars, at Kokeran for 
 three days, until General Roberts' first brigade began its 
 march for Quetta, and I accompanied several search 
 parties of our cavalry to the various villages about here, 
 where we picked up a number of Ayub's wounded, and 
 sent them to our hospitals in Kandahar. These men 
 gave us many particulars of the action, and told us, I 
 believe truly, that their loss on the Pir Paimal was in- 
 finitely greater than we imagined, 
 
 General Phayre's advanced brigades reached Kan- 
 dahar on the 6th, and on the 8th General Macgregor, 
 with his brigades of the Cabul Kandahar forces, 
 marched for Killa Abdulla. General Roberts went 
 with it to see after transport and supplies, and when he 
 has seen his men well out of Afghanistan he goes home 
 on short leave to England. Meanwhile a brigade under 
 General Daubeny marches to-day to bury the dead at 
 Maiwand, and to search the villages not visited by 
 Gough for arms and prisoners. 
 
 'Are we to retain Kandahar ? ' Such is the question 
 we ask each other every day, and no one can give a 
 positive answer. The victory we have achieved under 
 Roberts has undoubtedly restored our name and prestige, 
 and we shall, I believe, lose all the honour gained by the 
 battle if we at once withdraw. The argument which 
 formerly applied to the possession of Kandahar now no 
 longer exists. The railway to Sibi alone has brought 
 us so near to the southern capital that we can hold it 
 
250 Personal Records of 
 
 with ease with a moderate garrison, while the completion 
 of the line to Quettah would make the Durani city our 
 strongest and most natural outpost. 
 
 My young friend, our host, to whom I interpreted 
 many expressions of English good will, seemed greatly 
 pleased at the compliments paid by our Government to 
 the head of his house, and as we were then joined by 
 his friend, the Sirdar General Gholam Hyder Khan, 
 just appointed by the Ameer as Governor of the Bala 
 Hissar, he translated my remarks, to the evident grati- 
 fication of the older soldier and an intelligent lad who 
 rode with him. 
 
 Transport and commissariat difficulties, and that 
 'unspiritual god, Circumstance,' have, as usual, compelled 
 our General to alter his arrangements, and to move by 
 separate brigades instead of in one compact column. 
 On the rough road map and itinerary I send you will see 
 the difficulties, from the immense extent of our columns, 
 we had to encounter, and that we did manage to sur- 
 mount them so far may be attributed in a great measure 
 to the good fortune we have experienced than to the 
 providence of the Government, who have had now three 
 years' experience of transport difficulties, and still grudge 
 the necessary money required to overcome them. 
 
 Leaving Cabul as I have said at an early hour on the 
 morning of Wednesday, the I ith, and with the Siah Pung 
 hills occupied by villagers more or less hostile on our 
 left, here, along the base of which lay the road be- 
 tween the Bala Hissar and the cantonments, was the 
 spot so fatal to the British force in 1841 ; and here it was 
 that Akbar Khan, at the last moment, declared that it 
 would be impossible to restrain the Ghilzai robbers. 
 Here it was on the 6th of January, 1842, the army 
 
the Kandahar Campaign. 251 
 
 commanded by General Elphinstone, which had for 
 sixty-five days endured such humiliation as a British 
 force had never perhaps suffered, prepared to abandon 
 its possession, and, leaving the trophies of war in the 
 hands of a semi-savage enemy, commenced a retreat 
 which has scarcely a parallel in horror and disgrace ! 
 We could not avoid these thoughts as we moved along 
 at a fearfully slow pace, and after four days marching only 
 reached Seh-i-Babi, the whole of Saturday being taken 
 up in ascending the Lataband Pass, an ascent of 8000 
 feet. On the I4th our first brigade halted at Seh-i-Babi, 
 while our other two moved on to Jagdallak, to which 
 place the first placed followed by the I5th. 
 
 Of the passage of the Lataband I will speak in my 
 next, but I may tell you that our transport difficulties com- 
 menced, and from the fearful heat, the steepness of the 
 road, and the bad condition of the camels, our loss in these 
 animals was immense. The view from the summit of this 
 celebrated mountain defile is magnificent, and our huge 
 columns winding slowly along the range, while the 
 morning sun lit up the accoutrements and white trappings 
 of our cavalry, gave a picturesque and life-like feature to 
 the scene. Towards the distant west stretched a maze 
 of misty network of valleys, in lovely contrast to the 
 wild and tangled crags that formed our foreground. 
 Nearer to ourselves rose in wild grandeur a confused 
 mass of mountain peaks, already fast parting with their 
 green mantle, and exposing to view a bare, craggy 
 surface, almost destitute of vegetation. These hid from 
 us the distant view towards the south and west, and 
 immediately below the position we occupied, at a depth 
 of some 1500 feet, wound the long, narrow, tortuous 
 gorge, through which lay our road, and down which 
 
252 Personal Records, &c. 
 
 we descended on the almost perpendicular side of 
 the mountain. Winding along this for some distance, 
 and passing between rocks overhanging from the sides of 
 precipices fearful to look upon, and which appeared so 
 insecurely held as to threaten all who passed with 
 annihilation by their fall, we passed through a lot of 
 natural gateways to the pass, formed by the approxi- 
 mation of the opposite sides of the valley, and leading 
 us into a wider and more open gorge, the scenery of 
 which was no less wildly grand than that over the one 
 from which we had just emerged. 
 
 Through this natural gateway, as regularly made by 
 Nature's hand as if it had been artificially built through 
 the solid rock, as if to unite the two gorges, flowed away 
 to the west a little rivulet, whose course we had followed 
 through the gorge above the pass. Varied in hues of 
 porphyry and syenite pebbles, that formed its bed, and 
 fragments of which showed the path, its waters sparkled 
 with the most delightful hues. 
 
 All of this pass consists of a single mountain road, 
 where our camps were situated on rocky mountain beds 
 such as I have endeavoured to describe. 
 
 The heat in the tents, even at night, is great, and 
 our loss in camels has been great. The secret we should 
 learn if possible, from this, in any future war, the mule 
 should be the only transport animal. If well bred and 
 well chosen he will live, while a camel, unless fed on his 
 own species of rations, will perish. From Lalaband to 
 Gundarnuck is twenty miles, and this we accomplished 
 in two days. All our brigades reached Gundamuck on 
 the 1 8th, and Jellalabad to-day. No time to say more 
 till to-morrow. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PrirtrJ by CTHANO^-WAYS & SONS, Tower Street, Upper St. Martin's Lane. 
 
A CATALOGUE 
 
 OF WORKS ON 
 
 Science and Art, 
 Natural History, 
 
 AND 
 
 General Literature 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 DAY ID B O G U E 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 3, ST. MARTIN'S PLACE, TRAFALGAR SQUARE. 
 OCTOBER, 1880. 
 
NOTICE 
 
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 ness, which after the decease of Mr. Hardwicke he 
 carried on at 192, Piccadilly, under the style of 
 HARDWICKE AND BOGUE, to more commodious 
 premises at No. 3, ST. MARTIN'S PLACE, TRAFAL- 
 GAR SQUARE, W.C. 
 
 The business is now continued in the name of 
 MR. DAVID BOGUE only. 
 
INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 
 
 ANGLING. See Dick. 
 
 ANIMALS. Sec Lankester (E.), 
 Wood. 
 
 ANTHROPOLOGY. See Bon wick. 
 
 ANTIQUARIAN. S^Jewitt, Wai- 
 ford. 
 
 AQUARIUM. See Science Gossip, 
 Taylor. 
 
 ART. See Bayliss, British Pain- 
 ters, Heaphy, Zerffi. 
 
 ASTRONOMY. See Darby. Her- 
 schel, Popular Science Review, 
 Proctor. 
 
 ATHLETIC TRAINING. See Ex- 
 ercise, Michod. 
 
 BEES. See Hunter, Jardine, Ri- 
 beaucourt. 
 
 BIOGRAPHY. See Dramatic List, ' 
 Kaye. 
 
 BIRDS. See Ornithology. 
 
 BIRTHDAY BOOKS. See Byron, i 
 Time's Footprints. 
 
 BOTANY. See Braithwaite, Car- 
 rington, Cooke, De Crespigny, 
 Edgeworth, Hooker, Lankester 
 (Mrs.), London, Messer, Mid- 
 land Naturalist, Nave, Notes 
 on Collecting, Popular Science 
 Review, Rohson, Schleiden, 
 Science Gossip, Smith (J.), 
 Smith (W.), Sowerby, Sprague, 
 Taylor, Trimen. 
 
 CHEMISTRY. See Brande and 
 Taylor, Popular Science Re- 
 view, Ralfe. 
 
 CHILDREN'S BOOKS. See JEsop, 
 Keene, Letters, Wordsworth. 
 
 CONCHOLOGY. See Conchology 
 (Journal of), Notes on Collect- 
 ing, Rimmer. 
 
 CRUIKSKANK. Sec Chamisso. 
 
 DEVOTIONAL. See Aids to 
 Prayer, Alford, Personal Piety, 
 Sunday Evening Book. 
 
 DOGS. See Smith (C. H.) 
 
 DRAMATIC. See Dramatic, Shak- 
 spere. 
 
 EDUCATION. See Pascoe. 
 
 ELECTRIC LIGHTING. See 
 Shoolbred. 
 
 ENTOMOLOGY. See Duncan, 
 Midland Naturalist, Naturalist's 
 Library, Newman, Notes on 
 Collecting, Science Gossip. 
 
 EYE (THE). See Angell, Dud- 
 geon. 
 
 FABLES. See ^Esop, Keene. 
 
 FEKNS. See Eaton, Hooker, 
 Lankester (Mrs.), Smith (J.) 
 
 FICTION. See Alcott, Author of 
 " Schonberg-Cotta Family." 
 
 FISH. See ICHTHYOLOGY. 
 
 FOLK- LORE. See Dyer. 
 
 FOOD. See Johnson, Lankester. 
 
 GENEALOGY. See Walford. 
 
 GEOLOGY. See Ansted, Croll, 
 Geologist, Kinahan, Midland 
 Naturalist, Notes on Collecting, 
 Reade, Science Gossip, Sy- 
 raonds, Taylor. 
 
 HISTORY. See Kaye, Mangnall. 
 
 HORSE AND RIDING. Sue How- 
 den, Waite. 
 
DAVID BOGUE, 
 
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 CHAP. 
 
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