A

PEEP INTO TOORKISTHAN. 

BY CAPTAIN ROLLO BURSLEM, THIRTEENTH PRINCE ALBERT'S LIGHT INFANTRY. 

1846. 

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[Transcriber's Note: [=a] is representing a-macron, unicode characterU0101, and [=A] is representing A-macron, unicode character U0100. This is usually pronounced as a long a. There are around 240 instances of vowels accented with macrons(straight line above), mostly A-macron or a-macron, with one instanceof e-macron, and five instances of u-macron, and one u that should beu-macron(Dao[=u]b) and isn't (Daoub). 

Use of the macron is _not_ consistent throughout the text. . . 

. . . And the spelling of some place names is not consistent either:e. G. Toorkisth[=an]; Toorkisthan; Toorkistan. 

(There are also a number of words with 'unusual' spellings. 

These spellings I have corrected:

territories for territorities; retrograde for retrogade; amongst for amonst. 

These 'period' spellings I have left intact:

befel, chace, surprized, loth, gallopped, gallopping, secresy, shew, shewed, shewing, preeminence, handfull, negociation, threshhold, trellice, picketted, barricadoed, compaign. 

I have also retained M'Naghten for the modern McNaghten. )]

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[Illustration: Drawn by Mr Gompertz Pelham Richardson Litho. View ofthe Outer Cave of Yeermallik, shewing the Entrance Hole to the largerCavern]

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[Illustration: MAP OF CABUL AND THE KOHISTAN WITH THE ROUTE FORKOOLLUM]

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A PEEP INTO TOORKISTHAN. 

BY CAPTAIN ROLLO BURSLEM, THIRTEENTH PRINCE ALBERT'S LIGHT INFANTRY. 

1846. 

TO THE

RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF CARNARVON, HIGHCLERE CASTLE. 

MY LORD, Having received your Lordship's permission to dedicate to you this myfirst essay as an Author, I beg to tender my best acknowledgements forthe honour, and for the interest you have so kindly expressed in thesuccess of the following pages. Under such favourable auspices asuccessful result may be confidently anticipated by

Your Lordship's Obliged and obedient servant, ROLLO BURSLEM. 

HAREWOOD LODGE, HAMPSHIRE. 

TO THE READER. 

The following pages are literally what they profess to be, a recordof a few weeks snatched from a soldier's life in Affghanist[=a]n, andspent in travels through a region which few Europeans have ever visitedbefore. The notes from which it is compiled were written on the desertmountains of Central Asia, with very little opportunity, as will beeasily supposed, for study or polish. Under these circumstances, it canhardly be necessary to deprecate the criticism of the reader. Composition is not one of the acquirements usually expected of asoldier. What is looked for in his narrative is not elegance, butplainness. He sees more than other people, but he studies less, and thestrangeness of his story must make up for the want of ornament. I canhardly expect but that the reader may consider the style of my chaptersinferior to many of those which are supplied to the public by those whoare fortunate enough to enjoy good libraries and plenty of leisure; twoadvantages which a soldier on service seldom experiences. But this Icannot help. Such as they are, I offer him my unadorned notes; andperhaps he will be good enough to let one thing compensate another, andto recollect that if the style of the book is different from what hesometimes sees, yet the scenery is so too. If instead of a poeticalcomposition he gets a straightforward story, yet instead of the Rhineor the Lakes he gets a mountain chain between Independent Tartary andChina. 

WALMAR BARRACKS, _March_, 1846. 

A PEEP INTO TOORKISTH[=A]N. [*]

[* Note: A portion of the following pages in their original form hasappeared in the Asiatic Journal. ]

CHAPTER I. 

During the summer of 1840, the aspect of the political horizon inAffghanist[=a]n afforded but slight grounds for prognosticating theawful catastrophe which two short years after befel the British arms. Dost Mahommed had not yet given himself up, but was a fugitive, anddetained by the King of Bokhara, while many of the principal Sirdarshad already tendered their allegiance to Shah Sooja: and there was intruth some foundation for the boast that an Englishman might travelin safety from one end of Affghanist[=a]n to the other. An efficientforce of tried soldiers occupied Ghuzni, Cabul, Candahar, Jellalabad, and the other strongholds of the country; our outposts were pushedto the north-west some fifty miles beyond Bamee[=a]n, the Khyberand Bolun passes were open, and to the superficial observer all wastranquil. The elements of strife indeed existed, but at the time whenI took the ramble which these pages attempt to describe, Britishpower was paramount, and the rumour was already rife of the speedydiminution of the force which supported it. 

Notwithstanding the modern rage for exploration, but few of ourcountrymen have hitherto pierced the stupendous barrier of theParopamisan range; but the works of Hanway, Forster, Moorcroft, andTrebeck, Masson, and Sir Alexander Burnes, convey most valuableinformation concerning the wild regions through which they travelled, and I am bound in simple honesty to confess that my little book doesnot aspire to rank with publications of such standard merit. Anauthor's apology, however humble and sincere, is seldom attended toand more rarely accepted. Surely I am not wrong in assuming that afeeling of mournful interest will pervade the bosom of those who havethe patience to follow my perhaps over-minute description of placeswhose names may be already familiar to them as connected with thecareer of those bold spirits who in life devoted their energies to thegood of their country and the advancement of science, and who in thehour of disaster, when every hope was dead, met their fate with theunflinching gallantry of soldiers and the patient resignation ofChristians. 

My lamented friend, Lieutenant Sturt, of the Bengal Engineers, wasone of the foremost of those who endeavoured, during the criticalsituation of the Cabul force previous to its annihilation, to rallythe drooping spirits of the soldiers; and without wishing in any wayto reflect on others, it may fairly be said that his scientificattainments and personal exertions contributed not a little to thosepartial successes, which to the sanguine seemed for a moment torestore the favourable aspect of our military position. But I forbearfrom now dwelling upon these circumstances, lest I might undesignedlygive pain to those who still survive the fatal event, merely statingmy humble opinion that the memory of any mistake committed, either ina political or military light, will by the noble-minded be drowned insorrow for the sufferings and death of so many thousands of brave men. 

In the month of June, 1840, Lieutenant Sturt was ordered to survey thepasses of the Hindoo Koosh, and I obtained leave from my regiment, then in camp at Cabul, for the purpose of accompanying him; my objectwas simply to seek pleasant adventures; the "_cacoethes ambulandi_"was strong upon me, and I thirsted to visit the capital of ancientBactria; the circumstances which prevented our reaching Balkh willhereafter be detailed, but the main object of the expedition wasattained, as Sturt executed an excellent map of the passes alluded to, and satisfactorily demonstrated that almost all the defiles of thisvast chain, or rather group of mountains, may be turned, and that itwould require a large and active well-disciplined force to defend theprincipal ones. I have made every possible inquiry as to the fate ofthe results of Sturt's labours, but fear that they too were lostin the dreadful retreat. Whatever still exists must be in theQuarter-Master General's Department in India, far out of my reach, sothat I am obliged again to request the indulgence of my reader for thewant of a proper map on which he might, if he felt so inclined, traceour daily progress, [*] and to crave his forgiveness if I occasionallyrepeat what has been far more ably related by Moorcroft and the otherauthors whom I have already mentioned. 

[* Note: Since receiving the proof sheets for correction I have beenkindly supplied by my friend Major Wade with a map taken principallyfrom the one executed by the late Lieutenant Sturt. ]

To the traveller whose experience of mountain scenery is confined toSwitzerland, the bold rocks and rich though narrow valleys of thefrontiers of Toorkisth[=a]n offer all the charms of novelty; the lowerranges of hills are gloomy and shrubless, contrasting strikingly withthe dazzling, yet distant splendour of the snowy mountains. It isan extraordinary fact, that throughout the whole extent of countryoccupied by these under features, which presents every variety of formand geological structure, there are scarcely any hills bearing treesor even shrubs; every valley, however, is intersected by its nativestream, which in winter pursues its headlong course with all theimpetuosity of a mountain torrent, but in the summer season glidescalmly along as in our native meadows. 

The multitude and variety of well-preserved fossils which are imbeddedin the different strata of the Toorkisth[=a]n hills would amply rewardthe researches of the Geologist, and to the Numismatologist thisportion of Asia proves eminently interesting, Balkh and otherlocalities in its vicinity abounding in ancient coins, gems, and otherrelics of former days; and I much regret that I was unable to reachthe field from whence I expected to gather so rich a harvest. 

CHAPTER II. 

In accordance with the golden rule of restricting our baggage to theleast possible weight and compass, we allowed ourselves but one pony apiece for our necessaries, in addition to what were required for oursmall tent and cooking utensils, Sturt's surveying instruments beingall carried by Affgh[=a]n porters whom he hired at Cabul for thatpurpose. 

On the 13th of June we commenced our ramble, intending to proceedto Balkh by the road through Bamee[=a]n, as we should then have totraverse the principal passes of the Hindoo Khosh, and our route wouldbe that most likely to be selected by an army either advancing fromBokh[=a]r[=a] on Cabul or moving in the opposite direction. Theplundering propensities of the peasantry rendered an escort absolutelynecessary, and ours consisted of thirty Affghans belonging to one ofShah Soojah's regiments, under the command of Captain Hopkins. AsGovernment took this opportunity of sending a lac[*] of rupees for theuse of the native troop of Horse-Artillery stationed at Bamee[=a]n, our military force was much increased by the treasure-guard of eightySipahis and some remount horses; so that altogether we considered ourappearance quite imposing enough to secure us from any insult fromthe predatory tribes through whose haunts we proposed travelling. Ourfirst day's march was merely to make a fair start, for we encamped twomiles north-west of the city in a grove of mulberry-trees, and thewind, as usual in summer, blowing strong in the day-time, laid theproduce at our feet; so that by merely stretching out our hands, wepicked up the fruit in abundance; for although the sun was powerful, we preferred the open air under the deep foliage to the closeness ofa tent. During the early part of the night an alarm was raisedthroughout our small camp, and as we knew the vicinity of Cabul tobe infested with the most persevering thieves, we naturally enoughattributed the disturbance to their unwelcome visit, but it turned outto be only one of the remount horses, which having broken away fromhis picket was scampering furiously round our tents, knocking overthe chairs, tables, and boxes which had been placed in readiness forpacking outside the tent door. The neighing of the other horses, and their struggles to get loose and have a fight with their morefortunate companion, added to the braying of donkeys, barking of dogs, and groaning of the camels, gave me the notion of a menagerie in astate of insurrection. The affair looked serious when the animal beganto caper amongst Sturt's instruments, but luckily we secured himbefore any damage was done, though for some time theodolites, sextants, artificial horizons, telescopes, and compasses were inimminent danger. The worst of an occurrence of this kind is, that yourservants once disturbed never think of returning to rest when quiet isrestored, but sit up for the remainder of the night, chatting over theevent with such warmth and animation, as effectually to keep theirmaster awake as well as each other. We started next morning at four, and marched about six miles and a half, the distances being alwaysmeasured with a perambulator, the superintending of which gave Sturtconsiderable trouble, as it was necessary to have an eye perpetuallyon the men who guided it, lest they should have recourse to the usualpractice of _carrying_ the machine, whenever the nature of the groundmade that mode of transportation more convenient than _wheeling_. This, together with taking bearings, and the other details ofsurveying, gave my companion plenty of occupation, not only during themarch, but for the rest of the day when halted. 

We were now encamped close to a village called Kulla Kazee, a place ofno very good repute as regarding honesty; indeed, we were well awareof the predatory propensities of our neighbours; but we seemeddestined to experience more annoyance from the great apprehension ofbeing attacked which existed amongst our followers, than from anywell-founded anticipation of it; their fears were not totallygroundless, as it must be confessed that to a needy and disorganizedpopulation the bait of a lac of rupees was very tempting. 

[*Note: lac, lakh (-k), n. (Anglo-Ind. ). A hundred thousand(usu. _ of rupees)_. ]

We had chosen a picturesque little garden for our resting place, thetreasure and remount horses with the Sipahi guard being encamped abouthalf a mile off to our rear. At about eleven at night the Europeansergeant in charge of the horses burst into our tent in someconsternation, stating that a large band of robbers were descendingfrom the adjacent hills to attack the treasure. Sturt immediatelyjumped up, and mounting his horse gallopped off to the supposed sceneof action. All was quiet _without_ the camp; _within_ there was aterrible bustle, which Sturt at last succeeded in allaying by sendingout patrols in various direction, who reported that nothing could beeither heard or seen of the dreaded robbers. Being rather averse tothese nocturnal diversions, especially as they promised to be offrequent occurrence, I made careful inquiries to ascertain if therewere any real foundation for the alarm, but all I could learn was, that the neighbourhood had always been noted for robbers, who hastentowards the point upon the report of any party worth plunderingpassing near any of their forts. Possibly some robbers had gainedintelligence of our treasure, and had actually appeared on the hills, but on discovering the strength of our party had retired. 

The next day our route lay through delicious fields of ripeningclover, in such profusion that the air was impregnated with itsagreeable perfume, to a small fort called Oorghundee, remarkablechiefly for being the head-quarters of the oft-mentioned thieves, ofwhom I daresay the reader is as tired as we were after the mere dreadthey inspired had caused us to pass two sleepless nights. But we werenow determined to assume a high tone, and summoning the chief of thefort, or, in other words, the biggest villain, into our presence, we declared that in the event of our losing a single article of ourproperty or being annoyed by a night attack, we would retaliate in themorning by cutting the surrounding crops and setting fire to the fort!

The military reader, especially if conversant with some of thepeculiarities of eastern discipline, will question how far we shouldhave been justified in carrying our threats into execution. I canassure him we had no such intention; but be that as it may, ourthreats had the desired effect, and at length we enjoyed anuninterrupted night's rest. 

On the morning of the 16th we proceeded to Koteah Shroof, the wholedistance being about ten miles: but the first three brought us to theextremity of the beautiful valley through which we had been travellingever since we left Cabul. The aspect of the country in the immediatevicinity of our path has been well described by one of the mostlamented victims to Affghan ingratitude and treachery. "If the readercan imagine, " writes Sir Alexander Burnes, "a plain about twentymiles in circumference, laid out with gardens and fields in pleasingirregularity, intersected by three rivulets which wind through it bya serpentine course, and dotted with innumerable little forts andvillages, he will have before him one of the meadows of Cabul. " Tocomplete the picture the reader must conceive the grey barren hills, which, contrasting strongly with the fertility of the plains theyencompass, are themselves overlooked by the eternal snows of theIndian Caucasus. To the English exile these valleys have anotherattraction, for in the hot plains of Hindoostan artificial grasses arerarely to be found, and the rich scent of luxuriant clover forciblyreminds the wanderer of the sweet-smelling fields of his native land. 

But these pleasing associations were soon dispelled by the steep andrugged features of the pass through which we ascended on leaving theplain. It is called the Suffaed K[=a]k or White Earth, and we found bythe barometer, that the gorge of the ravine was about a thousand feetabove our last encamping ground. The hills on either side were raggedand abrupt, but of insignificant height: the length of the pass itselfwas about two miles, and from its head to Koteah Shroof the road wasstony and difficult; but, as we had been careful at starting not tooverload our baggage animals, they got through their work withoutbeing much distressed. 

CHAPTER III. 

I find it difficult to convey to the reader an adequate conceptionof the strange character of the hilly country we had now entered: noparts of Wales or even the varied groupings of the Swiss mountainsoffer a correct analogy. After passing the defile of the SuffaedK[=a]k the hills recede to a distance of about two miles on eitherside of the road, and the whole space thus offered to the labours ofthe peasant is very highly cultivated; but the barren rocks soon hemin the narrow valley, and as you approach nearer and nearer youfind your enchanting gardens transformed into a dreary and desolatedefile, --this succession of small plots of fertile ground, alternatingwith short rugged passes, extends to Julrez, ten miles beyond KoteahShroof; which latter place is an insignificant fort, situated in thecentre of one of the little green spots so pleasingly varying thispart of the country. 

At Koteah Shroof we gained the banks of the Cabul river, a placidflowing stream, and as the neighbourhood of our camp did not offer anyfeatures of peculiar interest, I determined to try my luck in fishing;but first I had to tax my ingenuity for implements, as I had neitherrod, line, nor net. A willow stick and a bit of string was all I couldcommand; and yet my primitive apparatus was very successful, for thefish also were primitive, affording me ample sport and taking the baitwith extraordinary eagerness. My occupation attracted the attention ofa few peasants who gathered round me, and stood wondering what potentcharm attached to the string could entice the fish from their nativeelement. I endeavoured to explain the marvel, but was utterlyunsuccessful; indeed, the peasants did not accept my explanation, which they evidently considered as a fabrication invented to deceivethem and conceal my supernatural powers. The inhabitants of thesevalleys seemed a simple and inoffensive race, and, as in Europe, theirrespectful demeanour became more conspicuous as we increased ourdistance from the capital. 

With regard to the state of cultivation of this valley--in which itresembles others generally throughout Affghanistan--wherever there issoil enough to hold the seed, the Affgh[=a]n husbandman appears tomake the most of it. We found here and there in profusion the pear, apple, cherry, mulberry, and luxuriant vine, and in some situationswheat, with an under-crop of clover. 

On the 17th we proceeded to Julrez, a collection of wretched hovelsof no interest, and on the 18th, after a march of ten miles througha succession of valleys and defiles, we reached the Kuzzilbash fort, Suffaed Kulla. About two miles before we arrived at our encampingground we passed near the Sir-e-chusm or "fountain head, " one ofthe sources of the Cabul river; it is a large pool stocked with amultitude of enormous fish that are held sacred by the few inhabitantsof the adjoining hamlets, and which are daily fed by an aged fanatic, who for many years has devoted himself to their protection. As itwould be deemed in the highest degree sacrilegious to eat any of thesemonsters, they are never molested, and are so tame as to come readilyto the hand when offered food. Of course, my necessary compliance withthe prejudices of the guardian of the fish prevented the exercise ofmy Waltonian propensities. 

A little further on is a remarkable bourj or _watch-tower_ isolated ona projecting rock, and supposed to have been built for the purpose ofgiving the chiefs of the little plain below, when at variance with theneighbouring mountaineers, notice of the approaching invader. At thispoint the valley is extremely narrow, being almost choked up with hugemasses of rock hurled by the violence of some convulsion of naturefrom the sides of the impending precipices. 

There are several minor forts in the vicinity of Suffaed Kulla, whichis the largest, and is at present occupied by a Kuzzilbash chief, who took advantage a few years ago of the temporary absence of itsrightful owner, and acting upon the principle of "might makes right, "possessed himself forcibly of it, and has held it ever since. Hetreated us with great kindness and attention, sending us mostacceptable presents of fruit, with food for our followers and cattle. 

We here experienced to a great degree that remarkable daily variationof temperature so peculiar to these regions: in the gully the wind wasbleak and cold, but when encamped under the shelter of the fort theheat from the sun's rays reflected from the smooth surface of the barerock was so intense that the thermometer rose to 100 of Fahrenheit. While in camp at Cabul I frequently experienced the same rapid change, for it would sometimes be a hard frost at day-break and an Indiansummer heat at mid-day. 

On the 19th of June we started very early, as the tremendous Oonnyepass rising to the height of 11, 400 feet lay before us, and we had afull ten miles march ere we could reach our proposed halting place atthe village of Uart. We soon entered the mouth of the pass, which wasgirt on either side by magnificent precipices; the road was narrow andslippery--of course without even an apology for a parapet--runningalong a natural ledge on the verge of a perpendicular cliff, and so_sheer_ was the side, that from a horse's back you mightsometimes have dropped a stone into the apparently bottomlessravine--bottomless, for the rays of a noon-day sun have never brokenthe eternal darkness of the awful chasm beneath. Had horse, camel, or man missed their footing whilst scrambling up the steep and stonypathway, nothing could have saved them from being dashed to pieces. Frequently, when rounding some projecting crag, the small treasure-boxfastened on the camel literally overhung the abyss, and I held mybreath and the pulsations of my heart increased as I watched horseafter horse and camel after camel weather the critical point. 

Before we reached Uart a poor woman of the Huzareh tribe (the mostpersecuted and enslaved throughout these regions) came and complainedto us that her child had been seized by a band of plunderers, as shesupposed, to be sold into slavery. Sturt immediately despatched acouple of the guard to recover her child if possible, and the poorwoman went off with the two soldiers in the full confidence that herescort would be successful. I own that I myself was not so sanguine, but I had yet to learn how much even in these wild mountains theBritish name was respected. The mother's hopes were realized, and inthe course of the day the child was recovered, having been instantlysurrendered on the requisition being made; but I was surprised to seeinstead of a helpless child a fine handsome well-knit young man. Thegratitude of the poor woman was sincere; she had nothing, she said, tooffer in return, but prayed that every blessing might descend upon usand our most distant relations; that we might all become great kings;and that finally we might be successful in conquering the country wewere proceeding to invade: vain were our endeavours to set before herin their true light the object of our expedition. 

We arrived rather late at Uart after a hard day's work, and were notmuch gratified by the aspect of our camp, which was disagreeable, fromits great elevation and its situation on a bleak table-land, thinlycovered with a short grass, with the strong winds of the Hindoo Khooshsweeping across it. 

Here a young woman came to our tent asking permission to availherself of our protection, as she was proceeding to the frontiersof Toorkisth[=a]n to purchase slave girls for the Cabul market. Sheaccompanied us to Bamee[=a]n, and there remained. I heard afterwardsthat she did not succeed according to her anticipations, and that onher return to Cabul she died of fever. Our English ideas of slaverydrawn from our knowledge of the varied sufferings endured by thethousands who are annually exported from the western shores of Africa, are opposite to those entertained in the east even by the victimsthemselves. The Asiatic and African slave are alike in name alone; thetreatment of the latter in those parts of America where, spite of theprogress of civilization and the advancement of true principlesof philanthropy over the world, slavery is still tolerated andencouraged, has been too well and too often described for me toventure a word of my own opinion, but in Asia, in many cases, the lossof liberty is hardly felt. 

The situation of the domestic slave of Egypt (though, strictlyspeaking, he must be classed under the head of "African") is analogousto that observable generally in the east; and I form my opinion partlyfrom an anecdote related to me by my friend Captain Westmacott, of the37th Native Infantry, who was killed in the retreat from Cabul, whichI will venture to repeat as an illustration. He was proceeding by theoverland route from England to India, and remained some time in Egyptto view its splendid antiquities. On making inquiries with the objectof procuring servants, he was informed that he had better purchaseslaves. The civilized notions of my friend revolted at the idea, buthe was assured that it was a method very generally adopted, as hewould find it extremely difficult to hire servants, and if successful, they would prove the veriest rascals on the face of the earth. Hereluctantly consented, and had them purchased. On his departure forIndia he summoned his slaves, and informed them that as they hadbehaved themselves well he would give them their freedom. They lookedastounded and burst into tears, reminding him that instead of beingkind to them he had shewn cruelty, "for where, " said they, "shall wego now? Who will have anything to say to us? We shall starve and die;but if your highness will sell us again, we shall be well fed andclothed. " I confess I do not see why the servants, if they really wereso anxious to return to slavery, should not have sold themselves, andpocketed their own value. Throughout Afghanist[=a]n a slave is treatedas an humble friend, and is generally found to be faithful andtrustworthy. 

CHAPTER IV. 

After surmounting the Oonnye Pass, which is one of the principaldefiles of the Hindoo Khoosh, we proceeded on the 20th toGurdundew[=a]l, a distance from Uart of about six and a half miles. The road was a gradual descent, and very rugged, leading along thebases of barren rocks, till we debouched upon the river Elbon, asit is termed by the natives, but the Helmund or Etymander of theancients. Even here, where the stream was in its infancy, the currentwas so strong, that while we were fording it, one of our baggageponies laden with a tent was carried away by its violence, and, butfor the gallant exertions of our tent-pitcher, we should have had tosleep in the open air for the rest of our journey; as it fortunatelyhappened, both animal and load were recovered; and when properlydried, neither one nor the other were a bit the worse for theirwashing. On the 21st we encamped near the village of Kazee, after amarch of nine miles along the right bank of the Helmund, which hereflows in a south-westerly direction; we could procure no supplieswhatever, either for man or beast, which was the more vexatious aswe had a very hard day's work in prospect for the morrow, and wereanxious to recruit ourselves and cattle before attempting it. Wemanaged well enough in spite of our compulsory fast, and on the 22d wereached Kalloo, a distance of twelve miles, after crossing the steepand difficult pass of Hadjekuk, 12, 400 feet high; as we approachedthe summit we found ourselves amongst the snow, and experienced somelittle inconvenience from a difficulty of respiration; though thispass was even higher than that of Oonnye, it does not possess thesame abruptness and boldness of feature which render the latter sointeresting and dangerous. The hills near the gorge were so stronglyimpregnated with iron as sensibly to affect the needle of thetheodolite. 

Throughout this country, and especially amongst the Uzbegs, there is afortified wall in the form of a square surrounding each village, withsmall bastions or towers at the angles. Plunder is so much the orderof the day, or rather of the night, that, as a protection, the cattleand every living animal are shut up in these places at sunset; thewicket is locked and barred, and if the villagers happen to have afeud with any of their neighbours, which generally is the case, awatchman is stationed on each bastion. Truly of this land it may besaid, that "what one sows another reaps, " for frequently a chiefforming a "chuppäo" or plundering party against his neighbour, ifunsuccessful in seizing men to sell for slaves or cattle for use, reaps and carries off the corn. These chuppäos are considered amongthe predatory tribes very exciting affairs, as affording opportunitiesfor the young warriors to flesh their maiden swords; but it seldomhappens that these encounters are very bloody, as, in the event of oneparty shewing a determined front, the other generally retreats. Theunfortunate Huzareh tribe are constantly the sufferers, and thetraveller will recognize more slaves of that than of any other "clan. "

We were now in the vicinity of the Koh-i-baba, a mountain whosegranite peaks still towered six thousand feet above us, though ourown camp was at least nine thousand above the level of the sea. Wedetermined upon ascending it the following morning, but at firstexperienced considerable difficulty in procuring guides, not from thenatives being either unqualified or unwilling to undertake the task, for they were chiefly hunters, and familiar with the paths they hadthemselves formed in pursuit of game, but they could not conceive why_we_ should be anxious to climb the difficult height, and thereforewere obstinately stupid in refusing to understand the purpose forwhich we required their services. At length we obtained a guide, andstarted next morning at half-past five: with considerable fatigue andsome little risk we reached the summit after three hours walking, butthe magnificent view amply rewarded us for our trouble. The peaksabout us were capped with eternal snow; those below were rugged andblack. The comparison of the view from the top of a lofty mountain ina hilly country with that of the sea in a storm is old perhaps, butonly the truer for that very reason. It was, indeed, as if the handof God had suddenly arrested and turned to stone varied and fantasticforms of the dark tumultuous waves. 

The solemn stillness of these lofty regions was a striking contrastwith the busy plains below. The mountains abound in wild sheep, whichthe hardy hunter pursues for days together, taking with him a slenderstock of food, and wrapping his blanket about him at night, when heseeks his resting-place amongst the crevices of these barren rocks. Itis seldom that he returns empty-handed if he takes up a good positionover-night, for the flocks of wild sheep descend from the leastaccessible parts at the earliest dawn in search of pasture, and onegenerally falls a victim to the unerring bullet of the restedJuzzyl. The distant view of the barrier range was beautiful beyonddescription, for, though the peak on which we stood was the highestfor many miles around us, the lofty peaks of the Indian Caucasus weremany thousand feet above us. We were now beyond the range of the wildsheep, and not a living creature was to be seen save a majestic eagle, who, deeming _us_ intruders where he was lord of all, sailed up alongthe sides of the precipitous ravines, sweeping about our heads as hesoared upwards, then again wheeling downwards near and nearer, till atlength I fancied him within range; but so deceptive was the distanceor so defective my aim that he continued unruffled in his course, whilst the sharp crack of the rifle echoed and re-echoed from crag tocrag. After satiating our gaze with these wild splendours of creation, a most unsentimental craving of the inward man warned us to descend, and we returned to Kalloo by eleven o'clock to do ample justice to ourbreakfasts. 

We left Kalloo on the 24th, ascending by a rugged broken track to thehighest point of the pass, where we came upon a fort surrounded by asmall belt of cultivation divided into fields by hedgerows aboundingwith wild roses. I could hardly have imagined the road practicable forcamels, but the cautious though unwieldy animals eventually succeededin surmounting all difficulties, and arrived late at our encampmentnear a village called Topechee, the whole distance being ten miles anda half. From the crest of the pass to Topechee was a gradual descent, the road bordering a tremendous fissure, deep and gloomy, along thebottom of which a pelting torrent forced its way. The variegatedstrata on the mountain side, forming distinct lines of red, yellow, blue, and brown, were very remarkable, and I much regret that I hadnot time to devote to them most strict examination in a geologicalpoint of view. 

On the 25th we started for Bamee[=a]n, passing by another Topechee afew miles further on, which is famous for its trout stream. Very fewof these fish are found in the country, and only in the streams withina few miles of this spot. They are red-spotted and well-flavoured, and, as the natives do not indulge in the angler's art, they will riseat any kind of fly and gorge any bait offered. While halting a fewminutes at lower Topechee we fell in with an Uzbeg warrior, a mostformidable looking personage, armed, in addition to the usual weaponsof his country, with a huge bell-mouthed blunderbuss at least threeinches in diameter; the individual himself was peaceably enoughdisposed, and, contrary to the usual habit of Asiatics, made noobjections to our examining the small cannon he carried. On inspectingthe deadly instrument we discovered it to be loaded to the verymuzzle, a mixture of pebbles, slugs, and bits of iron being crammedinto the barrel over a charge of a couple of ounces of powder. On ourinquiring why it was so heavily charged, the man told us with muchnaiveté, that it was to kill _nine_ men, illustrating the method bywhich this wholesale destruction was to be accomplished, by plantingthe butt on his hip and whirling the muzzle from right to left in ahorizontal direction across us all, and telling us very pleasantlythat if he were to fire we should all fall from the scattering of thedifferent ingredients contained in the blunderbuss; had we not aninstant before drawn the charge from which the fellow anticipated suchdire effects, we might have felt rather uncomfortable at our relativepositions; but I doubt whether the owner had ever had occasion to trythe efficacy of his boasted manoeuvre, as he would probably at thefirst discharge have been killed himself either by the recoil or thebursting of the defective and honey-combed barrel. 

The approach to Bamee[=a]n was very singular; the whole face of thehills on either hand was burrowed all over with caves like a hugerabbit-warren. I am informed that these caves are the work of nature, "yet worked, as it were planned, " and are occupied occasionally bytravellers both in summer and winter; they are observable in manyplaces in Toorkisth[=a]n, and, when situated high up on the face ofthe hill, afford a safe retreat for the hunter. The road was tolerablygood for the last three miles, running along a narrow valley sprinkledwith numerous forts, which are generally occupied by the Huzarehtribes, an ill-featured but athletic race. 

I shall not detain the reader by any description either of thewonderful ruins of the ancient city of Goolgoolla or of the giganticimages of Bamee[=a]n, these curiosities having been ably described inMasson's very interesting work; but I was a good deal amused by thevarious legends with which the natives are familiar, of one of which, relating to a chalybeate spring in the neighbourhood called the"Dragon's Mouth, " I shall take the liberty to offer a free version. Itwas related to me by an old gentleman who brought a few coins to sell, and I listened to him with some patience; but in proportion as the oldfellow observed my passive attention did he increase in verbosity andpompous description. I still waited for the _point_ of the story, butmy friend, after exhausting his powers of speech and metaphor, wasfain to wind up his tale with a most lame and impotent conclusion. I now give it to the reader, not from a wish to punish him as Iwas punished, but because from the prolixity of the narrator henecessarily most minutely described scenes and customs, which, thoughthey had nothing on earth to do with the "Dragon's Mouth, " may proveinteresting to the reader, as illustrating the peculiarities of thepeople amongst whom we were now sojourning. 

CHAPTER V. 

"A TALE OF THE DRAGON'S MOUTH. "

In the reign of Ameer Dost Mahommed Kh[=a]n, when all the pomp andpride of glorious war was in its zenith at C[=a]bul, there lived onthe borders of Kulloom and Kundooz, a chieftain named Khan Shereef, whose grandfather had accompanied the illustrious Nadir Shah fromPersia in his expedition through Affghanist[=a]n, and followed thefortunes of his royal master, even to the very gates of the imperialDelhi. On his return towards Persia, he had for a time intended tosettle in C[=a]bul, but "death, who assaults the walled fort of thechieftain as well as the defenceless hovel of the peasant, " seized himfor his own; the father also paid the debt of nature in the capital ofAffghanist[=a]n, but not before the young Khan Shereef had seen thelight. Growing up to manhood and wearying of the monotonous life aresidence in C[=a]bul entailed, he pursued his way across the frontiermountains of Toorkisth[=a]n, and arrived at the court of Meer MooradBeg. Here he performed good service in the field, and becoming hismaster's personal friend and favourite, had a fort and a small portionof territory assigned to him. It was at the court of the Kundoozruler that he first became acquainted with Zebah, the lovely roseof Cashmere, whom he eventually purchased from her father forhis wife. [*] He started with his bride to take possession of hisnewly-acquired gift, an insulated fortress in the heart of a countryabounding in those extensive prairies for which Toorkisth[=a]n isso justly celebrated. On these magnificent savannahs he reared theToorkman steed, and soon boasted an unrivalled stud. 

[* Note: It is customary in this country as well as in other partsof Asia to purchase the young women who may be selected for wives oftheir relations, the purchase money varying according to the degreesof beauty. ] Towards the close of the first year he became a father, anevent which was hailed with extravagant joy by all his vassals, theold retainers of his father foretelling the future achievements in theforay of the young Abdoollah Reheem. 

A few months had scarcely elapsed, when the anxious mother spied anold crone moving about in the court-yard; their eyes happening tomeet, Zebah screamed and fell into a swoon. The young heir wasinstantly hurried away, but not before the old hag had cast awithering glance on the boy's beautiful face; every one was now fullyconvinced that he had been struck by the "evil eye, " which was but tooclearly proved by the event, for from that day he sickened and pinedaway till reduced to a mere skeleton. 

Large sums of money were expended by the fond parents in the endeavourto discover a charm to counteract the effects of the "evil eye, " tillat length in an auspicious moment it was proposed the boy should trythe efficacy of the celebrated water of the "Dragon's Mouth, " which issituated at the head of the enchanting vale of Bamee[=a]n, just beyondthe western limits of Toorkisth[=a]n. The slave girl who proposed thisscheme related numerous and wonderful cures effected by the magicwaters, and enumerated many hundred individuals, the lame, the blind, the infirm, the rheumatic, and those afflicted with _bad temper_, whohad been perfectly cured by either drinking of the water or beingimmersed in the fountain itself. She would not be positive whichmode was the best, but certain she was that the cure was perfect andpermanent; she herself had been ugly and cross-tempered, and now sheleft her audience to judge of her character and appearance. This lastproof at once determined the mother to adopt a plan, which after somany unsuccessful attempts she could not but consider as her lastresource. 

Khan Shereef was not quite so credulous, but what chance has a manalone against his united harem! He was so far influenced by theearnest entreaties of his disconsolate wife, that it was determinedin three days he should with a strong cavalcade accompany his darlinginvalid to the charmed waters of Bamee[=a]n. The Toorkm[=a]n warriorswere too religious to doubt the fortunate results of the experiment, and accordingly for the few days which elapsed previous to the settingforth of the expedition the fort was a scene of active preparation. Armour was burnished, swords brightened and fresh ground, juzzylscleaned and matches got ready, so that they might produce as imposingan effect as possible, not only on the presiding spirit of thefountain, and the very questionable friends through whose territoriesthey were about to pass, but also that they might do due honour totheir lord and master. 

But before proceeding with my history, I must not omit a more minutedescription of Khan Shereefs fort. I have already described itslocality on the borders of Toorkisth[=a]n. It was situated at the baseof a low conical hill, on the summit of which a look-out tower hadbeen erected; this building was in troublesome times occupied by aparty of Juzzylchees, who took their station in it, and, fixing theircumbrous pieces on the parapet, watched the approach of any hostileparty, and from their commanding and protected position would beenabled to keep in check an enemy attempting to ascend the oppositeside of the hill. As the nearest stream of water was full two milesfrom the fort, the present owner, being a man full of science andmathematical knowledge, had with unparalleled ingenuity sunk a deepand substantial well inside his walls, thus rendering his positioninfinitely more tenable than if his water-carriers had been dailyobliged, as is the case in most places, to run the gauntlet ofthe enemy's fire whilst procuring the requisite supply of thatindispensable article. 

The fort itself was an oblong square, and required three hundred mento man its walls; it was built of mud, with a large bastion at eachangle three and four stories high, and loopholed. It had but one gate, on which the nature of the defences afforded means for concentrating aheavy fire. Immediately facing the gate, and detached from buildingsof inferior importance, was the Khan's own residence, and some lowflat-roofed houses lining the inside of the whole extent of walls, which afforded a secure shelter to the vassals. The audience-chamberor public sitting-room was so situated that the Kh[=a]n could surveythe whole of the interior of his fort whilst squatting on hisPersian carpet or reclining on the large soft pillow, which is anindispensable luxury for a grandee of the rank and importance ofKh[=a]n Shereef. 

The sides of the apartment consisted of a lattice-work of woodreaching nearly to the ceiling, and connecting the mud pillars whichsupported the roof; the framework was richly carved, and on slides, soas to enable the owner to increase or diminish the quantity of lightand air at his pleasure. 

Between the Kh[=a]n's dwelling and the gate was the mosque, whoseminarets towered above the walls and bastions of the fort, --its domewas beautifully proportioned, and inlaid with agate, jasper, andcarnelian, besides being wonderfully painted with representations ofstrange animals unknown to the common people, but which the Moollahaffirmed were all taken from the life. 

At this time the base of the mosque was occupied by a party of mensmoking and passing the Kalee[=a]n to each other; amongst them wasone, evidently superior to the rest in age and wisdom, for his opinionwas frequently appealed to by all and listened to with much deference. When not called upon to interfere he sat quiet and reserved, andto judge by his countenance was in a melancholy mood. His name wasRhejjub;--he was the oldest retainer of the family, and to him in allcases of emergency did the Kh[=a]n apply for advice, which had neverbeen given without due deliberation and almost prophetic foresight. Hehad only that morning been deputed to remain and guard the fort duringthe absence of his master, and although he knew it to be a post ofhonor and trust, yet he could not but consider it an effeminate dutyto be left guardian of the Koch-khanah or _family_, and superintendentof the _un_chosen of the band. With him, "to hear was to obey, " stillhe envied those who had been selected to accompany their lord. OldRhejjub had been a great traveller in his day; had wandered over manyportions of Arabia, and visited the holy city of Mecca; thus gainingthe valuable privileges of a Suyud or _holy man_, which title alonewas a passport and safeguard amongst even the lawless Ghilgyes andKhyberr[=e]es of Affghanist[=a]n, it being a greater crime for a manto kill a Suyud than even his own father. Thus, whenever a Chuppao orother warlike expedition was in contemplation, Rhejjub was invariablydespatched to reconnoitre and obtain information, and being a man of ashrewd turn of mind, and calculating all chances during his homewardjourney, was always prepared after detailing his news to give a soundopinion as to the best plan to be pursued. 

At early dawn of the proposed day of departure the whole party weresummoned by the Muezzin's call to offer up prayers for their safearrival at the "Dragon's Mouth, " for the effectual cure of the youngAbdoollah, and his happy return to his fond mother. Before mounting, was performed the ceremony of taking from its resting place the famoussword given to the Kh[=a]n's grandfather by Nadir Shah himself. The blade was of Damascus steel, and valued alone at one hundredtomauns;[*] the ivory handle was ornamented with precious stones, and the pommel was one large emerald of great beauty and value. Thescabbard was of shagreen finely embroidered in gold. This preciousweapon the Suyud had the enviable office of presenting to his chiefunsheathed, whilst the aged Moollah who stood by read aloud the inlaidArabic inscription on the blade, "May this always prove as true afriend to thee as it has been to the donor. " The Kh[=a]n received thevalued heir-loom with all due respect, and kissing the weapon sheathedand fixed it firmly to his belt. 

[* Note: Tomaun, twenty rupees or about £2. ]

All necessary preparations for the departure being now completed, thecamel destined for the accommodation of the invalid was brought to thedoor of the palace, conducted by a favourite Arab who had for manyyears filled the office of head Surwan or _camel-driver_. The colourof the animal was almost white, and the large gold embroideredhousings swept the ground; on either side was fixed a wicker-basketlined and covered with red cloth, and furnished with soft cushions;one of these held the young Kh[=a]n, whilst the other was occupied bythe nurse who was the original promoter of the expedition. At lengththe word to march was given, and the escort consisting of sixtyhorsemen galloped forth. Khan Shereef himself was clad in a coatof mail, and wore a circular steel head-piece, in which were threereceptacles for as many heron plumes; a light matchlock, the barrel ofwhich, inlaid with gold, was slung across his shoulder; attached tohis sword-belt were the usual priming and loading powder-flasks madeof buffalo's hide, with tobacco-pouch and bullet-holder of Russialeather worked with gold thread; and the equipment was completed bythe Affgh[=a]n boots drawn up over the loose trousers reaching to theknee, with sharp-pointed heels serving for spurs. 

The procession moved on, the escort forming an advance and rear-guard, the chief galloping sometimes in front of the party, and now walkinghis Toorkm[=a]n steed alongside the richly caparisoned camel with itsprecious burthen. 

Occasionally a horseman would dash out from the ranks in chace ofa wild goat or sheep crossing the little frequented road, or, dismounting and giving his horse in charge of a comrade, would makea detour on foot in the hope of getting a shot at a chichore. [*] Thetedious hours of march were thus wiled away till they reached the"Dundun Shikkun Kotul" or _tooth-breaking_ pass, when the horsemenassumed a more steady demeanour. They were now within forty miles ofthe celebrated spring, which they hoped to reach on the following day. 

[* Note: This is a species of partridge very abundant throughoutToorkistan. ]

The Dragon's Mouth is situated four or five miles to the north-westof Bamee[=a]n, high up in the mountains in the direction of theYookaoolung country. After a toilsome and somewhat perilous ascentthe traveller finds himself at the edge of a deep ravine--or ratherfissure in the rock, for the width at the top is seldom more thantwelve feet--the sides presenting a ferruginous appearance, with tintsvarying from extremely dark to lighter shades, by reason of the soilbeing so strongly impregnated with ore. The low gurgling of thewonder-working stream might be heard issuing from the depths of thedark abysm. 

Below, and at the only point of feasible approach for thedisease-stricken, is a large cave, where the water bubbles up warm, and forming innumerable small whirlpools before it breaks again into astream, and mingles its waters with those of a torrent below. 

Here, at the base of a large fragment of rock, almost entirely coveredwith Arabic inscriptions and quotations from the Kor[=a]n alluding tothe healing powers of the well and the mercy of God, Khan Shereef andhis now dismounted followers offered up prayers for success. Suddenlya huge mass of rock detaching itself from the mountain side thundereddown the steep; it was hailed by all as a good omen, and the Moollahdeclaring that "now or never" was the auspicious moment, the child wastaken from the arms of the now trembling nurse and immersed in theturbid waters. Hope elevated the breasts of the father and of theattendants, nor was that feeling fallacious, for on the followingmorning the invalid was pronounced decidedly better, and was againtaken to the cavern, and again, with sanguine prayers and invocations, dipped into the pool. 

Khan Shereef, feeling assured that he could now do no more, andtrusting to the goodness of Providence, ordered a retrograde movement, and in a few days arrived at his castle with the infant nearlyrestored to health. A few years after the young Abdoollah was ahealthy active boy, indulging in the sports of the field, andanxiously awaiting the time when he should be of sufficient age tojoin in the more exciting scenes of the chuppao. The old nurse, theproposer of the successful scheme, was highly honoured, and becamechief attendant in the seraglio, which office she holds to this day. 

"And now, " concluded the old gentleman, "if my lord will choose topurchase these beautiful coins, he shall have them for whatever pricehis generosity may think fit to put upon them. "

CHAPTER VI. 

The force stationed at Bamee[=a]n consisted, at the time we werethere, of a troop of native horse artillery and a regiment of Goorkahsin the service of Shah Seujah. 

On our arrival, Dr. Lord, the political agent, sent us a polite noteof invitation to pitch our tents near his fort, and (we) become hisguests during our stay; we remained with him till the 29th, and weremuch gratified by his kind attention. 

The quiet demeanour of the natives here was very remarkable, and aswe can hardly attribute the circumstance to an inherent pacificdisposition, we must the more appreciate the wonderful addressdisplayed by the political agent in his dealings with the variousparties, who in these remote mountains, as well as in more civilisedcountries, are ever ready to quarrel with each other, and only suspendtheir animosity when a common powerful enemy is to be resisted or ahelpless stranger to be plundered. As it was, we reaped considerablebenefit from the favourable impression made on the peasants by theauthorities, for we were enabled to go out shooting, alone, and evenwander unarmed amongst the hills without experiencing the slightestinsult or incivility. 

Indeed, at the period of which I am writing, there seemed to havebeen a pause in the wild passions of the Affgh[=a]ns throughout thecountry, which was perhaps one of the fatal causes which lulled usinto that dangerous feeling of security, from whence we were awoke bythe most dreadful disaster that has ever befallen the British arms. Poor Dr. Lord was killed at Purwan Durrah during the short campaign inthe Kohistan under Sir Robert Sale; and the other British officer, Dr. Grant, who was the medical attaché to the mission, disappeared duringthe retreat from Charrik[=a]r in 1841, and has never been heard ofsince. 

On the 29th June we left Bamee[=a]n for Surruk Durrah (red valley), which is situated at the mouth of the gorge; it is a place ofno importance, but the face of the impending hills has a mostextraordinary appearance from the fanciful shapes of the harder rockswhich jut out from the clayey sides of the mountains. 

Here it was that Colonel Dennie, of the 13th, who afterwards fell atJell[=a]labad, with a small force of a few hundred men, completelyrouted the Ex-Ameer Dost Mahommed Kh[=a]n, who was accompanied by allthe principal Uzbeg chiefs and the famous Meer Walli of Kulloom. 

A report reached the gallant Colonel in the morning, that the enemyhad taken up a position at the head of the Bamee[=a]n valley;he immediately ordered a reconnoitring party to proceed in thatdirection, for the purpose of ascertaining whether there was anyfoundation for the alarm, and accompanied them himself; he was ratherastonished on perceiving the enemy debouching from the hills in greatforce; the odds were fearfully against him in numbers, but, like agood soldier, he at once decided upon attacking without delay. Heimmediately opened a fire on them from his two guns, under the ablesuperintendence of Lieut. McKenzie, and then dashing forward, drovethem back with great slaughter into the narrow gorge, from whence theyagain attempted to advance, but were again beaten back, till at lengththey lost courage and broke away in every direction. 

On the 30th we marched to Akrob[=a]d, a distance of ten miles. Onleaving Surruk Durrah we entered the narrow gorge before alluded to;it is five miles long, and has precipitous sides, at the bottom ofwhich rushed a foaming torrent: the formation of the hills was slatewith a superstratum of limestone. On emerging from the Akrob[=a]dPass, where there was not a breath to disturb the meagre foliage, wewere suddenly surprized by a bleak piercing wind, which we were toldinvariably blew across the table land on which the fort is built. Although in the height of summer, the wind was intensely cold, and wewere glad to take into wear the scanty supply of winter clothing whichwe had brought with us in case of emergency. Out of the stream runningin front of the fort in less than an hour I managed to take a fewwell-flavoured trout, which swallowed my bait most greedily. FromSurruk Durrah to Akrob[=a]d the road was, comparatively speaking, good, it being under the superintendence of Lieut. Broadfoot, whohad been directed to make it practicable for artillery as far asSygh[=a]n; he had made good progress in his work, and at the period Iwrite of, it was a very fair military road as far as Akrob[=a]d. PoorBroadfoot was slain in the gallant and desperate charge made by theofficers of the 2d Bengal Cavalry at Purw[=a]n Durrah, of which Ihope in the proper place to be able to give the reader a slightdescription. 

The hills about Akrob[=a]d are so situated as to form a funnel for allthe winds of the snowy range, rendering the temperature of the littletable-land bitterly cold both in summer and winter--so much so inwinter, that the Huz[=a]reh inhabitants desert the fort in autumn forsome more sheltered locality, and return again with the spring. 

We now entered Toorkisth[=a]n, the pass of Akrob[=a]d dividing it fromAffghanist[=a]n. Should the traveller form his opinion of the countrybeyond by the specimen now before us, he would be loth indeed toproceed, for a more dismal corner can hardly be conceived. The outlineof the adjacent mountains was dreary and uninviting, with very littlecultivation in the valley, which also bore a most desolate aspect--itwas barren and unpromising, without participating in the wild andgrand features which generally characterize these regions. Fuel waswith difficulty procured, and our camp was but scantily furnished witheven the most necessary supplies. 

CHAPTER VII. 

On the 1st of July we left this sad region, and pitched our tentssome five miles further onwards, in a pleasant meadow, where we met abrother of Dost Mahommed, the well-known Sird[=a]r Jubber Kh[=a]n, whoarrived in the course of the day from the interior of Toorkist[=a]n, and encamped close to us. He was then on his way to Cabul, havingin charge the women and children belonging to the seraglio of theex-king. He invited us to pay him a visit, which we did in uniform, and found him an agreeable old gentleman, with manners far morepolished than the generality of his countrymen, who, though notdeficient in a certain national savage grace, frequently shock ourEuropean notions of propriety by their open disregard of what we areaccustomed to consider the decencies of society; but Jubber Kh[=a]nseemed to have all the good qualities and few of the vices soprevalent in the Affgh[=a]n character. No doubt that superior polishof manner was derived from his more extensive intercourse withEuropeans. During our visit he presented us each with a small silverMahommedan coin, saying at the same time with peculiar grace anddignity that he was now a poor man, and entirely dependent on thegenerosity of the British; that the coin was of no intrinsic value, but still he hoped we would remember the donor. Much as we respectedthe character of our host, I could not but regret that he had not yetpicked up the English habit of sitting on a chair; for what withtight pantaloons and a stiff uniform, I got so numbed by sittingcross-legged like a tailor, that when the interview was over I couldnot rise from my cramped position without assistance, much to theamusement of Jubber Kh[=a]n, whose oriental gravity was entirelyupset. 

I was informed that on being requested by the British authorities todeliver up the family of his brother, he boldly refused, stating thatthey were given into his charge, and that he deemed it a sacred trustnot to be betrayed by any consideration of personal advantage. It willbe gratifying to the reader to know that this manly refusal did notoperate to his prejudice in the opinions of those to whom it was made. He subsequently obtained from the Dost permission to comply with thedemand, and was now on his journey for that purpose; but though heprofessed to have every confidence in our honour and generous kindnesswith regard to the females, he appeared somewhat anxious as to theinfluence which his previous refusal might have with reference to hisown treatment. Jubber Kh[=a]n's name was in great repute amongstthe Affgh[=a]ns, who, all wild and savage as they are, still havesufficient feeling to admire in others those virtues which areso rarely met with amongst themselves: he is considered an ablepolitician also, as well as the poor man's friend--high and low findhim equally easy of access, and he is the general mediator in quarrelsbetween the different chiefs, and the principal counsellor in thenational debates. 

Whilst encamped here the united seraglios of Dost Mahommed and JubberKh[=a]n passed in front of our tents, on their way to K[=a]bul. It wasa very large procession, consisting of nearly eighty camel loads offair ones of every age and quality. Each camel was furnished on eitherside with a large pannier, and in each pannier was a lady--weightagainst weight. The presence of Englishmen so much excited theircuriosity that we were enabled to enjoy a nearer and better view ofthe beauties than strict decorum would have justified, and it may notperhaps be uninteresting to my fair readers, if, turning to advantagethis slight impropriety, I here take the liberty of describing as muchas I could observe of the very remarkable travelling costume of thefemale Affgh[=a]n aristocracy. When in public the highborn Affgh[=a]nlady is so completely enveloped by her large veil (literally sheet), that the person is entirely concealed from head to foot; there aretwo eyelet holes in that part of the sheet which covers the face, admitting air and light, and affording to the fair one, herselfunseen, a tolerable view of external objects. I trust I may bepermitted without indiscretion to remove this shroud and give someslight description of the costume. 

Over a short white under-garment, whose name of Kammese[*]sufficiently denotes its use, is a Peir[=a]n or jacket, which amongstthe higher classes is made of Bokh[=a]ra cloth, or not unfrequently ofRussian broad cloth, brought overland through Bokh[=a]ra. This garmentis generally of some glaring gaudy colour, red or bright yellow, richly embroidered either in silk or gold; it is very like the Turkishjacket, but the inner side of the sleeve is open, and merely confinedat the wrist with hooks and eyes. A pair of loose trousers, gatheredat the waist with a running silken cord, and large at the ankle, formsa prominent feature in the costume, and is made either of calico, shawl-cloth, or Cachmere brocade, according to the finances of thewearer. Instead of stockings they wear a kind of awkward-looking linenbag, yellow or red, soled with thick cloth or felt, the top beingedged with shawl-cloth. The shoes are similar to the Turkish slipper, with the usual Affgh[=a]n high-pointed heels tipped with iron; and asthese articles must from their shape be an impediment to walking, Ipresume that the real use to which they are generally put musthave given rise to the common expression in Hindoost[=a]n for anypunishment inflicted, the term being "jutte mar, " literally, beating with the shoe. The weapon put to this purpose would be veryformidable, and I have little doubt that the beauties of the haremkeep their lords in high discipline by merely threatening with such aninstrument. 

[* Note: Anglice, Chemise. It may fairly be inferred that the name ofthis under-garment is derived from the word mentioned in the text; anddoubtless there are many words in our own as well as in other modernlanguages that may equally be traced to Asia; for instance, Sheittan, Satan. ]

On the head of the Affgh[=a]n female is worn a small skull cap, keeping in place the hair in front, which is parted, laid flat, andstiffened with gum, while the rest hangs in long plaits down the back. 

Next day we left for Sygh[=a]n, and after a march of about fifteenmiles pitched our tents in the vicinity of the principal fort. Thewhole journey was through a deep defile, except about half-way, whenwe came upon a small but well cultivated plain, with a fort in thecentre. The contrast was pleasing after travelling so many milesamidst the dark overhanging crags, threatening destruction on thepasser-by; but this relief was of short duration, for after two milesit gradually contracted, and formed a continuation of the defile downto the valley of Sygh[=a]n. 

The fort is on a small hill detached from the main range, but easilycommanded, though it is said for ages to have been deemed impregnable, till some chief more knowing than his neighbours hit upon the veryobvious expedient of lining the overhanging range with Juzzylchees, and picking off every individual who ventured to appear on thebattlements. It is now in our possession, and occupied by twocompanies of Sepoys; and though the place might be seriously annoyedby musketry from the adjacent hills, still the sides of those hillsare so rocky and precipitous that cannon could not be brought to bearfrom the summit without immense labour. 

These hills are composed of sandstone and indurated clay, in whichnumerous fossils abound. 

The valley along which we proceeded produces many varieties of fruit, and is rich in the cultivation of artificial grasses, lucerne beingthe most abundant. 

On arriving at our encamping ground on the 3rd of July, about fourmiles and a half beyond Sygh[=a]n, a poor villager, a vassal ofMahommed Ali Beg's, to whom the fort of Sygh[=a]n belonged previous toits cession to the British, came to complain that some of our baggageanimals had injured one of his fields by trampling down his grain. Upon enquiry his story was found to be correct. Mahommed Ali Beghappened to be paying us a visit when the man presented himself, andwished to drive the poor fellow away to prevent his troubling us; andgreat indeed was the wonder and astonishment shewn by all the nativesabout us when Sturt desired that the peasant should receive ten rupeesas compensation for the damage done to his crops. 

Loud were the praises bestowed upon our _extraordinary_ justice; andMahommed Ali Beg, forgetting the line of conduct he had but a momentbefore advocated, delivered the following expression of his reformedopinion in a loud pompous tone, whilst his followers listened, open-mouthed, to the eloquence of their now scrupulous chief:"Although the Feringhis have invaded our country they never commit anyact of injustice;" then, having delivered himself of this inconsistentspeech, he lifted a straw from the ground, and turning round to hisaudience, continued: "they don't rob us even of the value of_that_; they pay for every thing, even for the damage done by theirfollowers. " Corporal Trim's hat falling to the ground was nothing tothe effect produced by the comparison of the straw; but, alas forhuman nature! I had but too strong grounds for suspecting that, ofthe ten rupees awarded to the peasant, seven were claimed by Ali forhaving induced the Feringhis to listen to the claim!!

The surrounding hills have here as at Surruk Durrah the appearance ofruined castles, with donjon or keep and tower; they forcibly remindedme of the "Castle of St. John, " in Scott's Bridal of Triermain, but myvisions of Merlin and fair maidens awoken from their charmed slumberswere destroyed by the sight of a little purling brook which promisedme a few hours angling. Nor was I disappointed; for in a short time I(being unprovided with my fishing basket) filled two towels full offish, and congratulated myself on my sport; however, to use an oldphrase, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating, " and so we foundit, for when brought to table "my catch" fell far short of ourepicurean anticipations, and I almost regretted that I had notcontinued my dreams instead of disturbing the finny tribe. 

A complaint was made to us in the course of the day, that an Huzarehfemale, returning to her own country with one attendant, had beenseized and carried away to one of the adjacent forts, where she wasdetained; and our interference was requested with a view to obtainingher release. We were of course most anxious to help the poor woman, especially as it appeared from what was reported to us that there werenot the slightest grounds for the outrage, beyond the helplessnessof her situation and the natural cupidity of the robber chief of thefort; but, unfortunately, we were travelling without credentials, theEnvoy having declined to furnish us, lest the inhabitants should fancythat we were vested with any political power; and therefore we couldnot interfere, and what became of her I know not, though we wereafterwards told that on her resigning her trinkets as her ransom shewould be released. Indeed the personal ornaments of the petty chiefsare generally the point of some lawless proceeding like the onealluded to, as they are seldom possessed of sufficient capital inspecie to purchase jewels, but exchange their grain and fruits forclothes and precious stones. I have mentioned the above circumstanceto give the reader some notion of the lawless state of society, deeming it out of keeping with the humble character of this simplenarrative, and perhaps beyond the ability of the writer, to enter moreminutely into the various causes which have contributed to bring thecountry into so unhappy a state. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

On the 4th July our route lay across the Dundun Shikkun. Kotul, or"tooth-breaking pass, " and a truly formidable one it is for beastsof burden, especially the declivity on the northern side. Very fewventure upon the descent without dismounting, for the surface of therock is so smooth and slippery, that the animals can with difficultykeep their legs even when led, and many teeth, both of man and horse, have been broken before reaching the bottom. 

The valley of K[=a]mmurd lying at the foot of the northern side ofthe pass has a very fertile appearance, and orchards of differentdescriptions of fruit-trees are interspersed throughout thecultivation. The fort of the principal chief, named Uzzuttoollah Beg, from whom we received a visit, is high up the valley, and there aretwo others of minor importance on either bank of the river, lower downand together. 

Uzzuttoollah Beg was in appearance a very fine old man with animposing white beard; he was six feet high, large boned and muscular, and by far the most powerful and stately looking personage we hadhitherto met; but he was a shrewd wicked old fellow, and when the starof British prosperity began to wane, proved himself a dangerous enemy. His own vassals, from whom he exacted the strictest obedience, stoodin great awe of him. He came merely, he said, to pay his respects, to chat over political affairs, and to inquire from us whether theEnglish intended giving up his valley to the Meer Walli of Koollum. We could give him no information as to the intentions of Government. "Khoob (well, )" answered he, "if such really be the case, the MeerWalli may seize me if he is able, provided _you_ keep aloof; the Meerhas tried that game before now, but did not succeed; on two separateoccasions he has visited my fort in an unceremonious manner, and withhostile intent; but, gentlemen, there are two sides to a fort, theinside and the out. I was in--the Meer was out, and I kept him there;till, (suffering no other inconvenience myself than the deprivationfrom riding for a few days, ) by keeping up a constant fire on hisragamuffins, I one fine day compelled him to beat his retreat:" andso saying, he stroked his beard with much complacency, evidentlyconsidering it and its owner the two greatest wonders of theToorkisth[=a]n world. 

It may be as well to remark here, that in these valleys as throughoutAffghanist[=a]n in general, the forts are made of mud, the walls beingof great strength and thickness; they are built gradually, and ittakes many months to erect a wall twenty feet high, as each layerof mud is allowed to bake and harden in the sun before the next issuperimposed. Now, as none of the chiefs possess cannon, except theMeer Walli and Moorad Beg of Koondooz, it is almost impossible to gainan entry into a well-constructed fort, except by treachery; and eventhe few honey-combed pieces of small calibre possessed by the abovechieftains would not have much effect against the massive ramparts. 

But the Uzbegs have a method of undermining the bastion, by turningthe course of some convenient stream right under the very base; thisgradually softens the lower stratum of mud, and diminishing itstenacity, the whole fabric comes tumbling down from its own weight. They also have frequently recourse to mining, but for either method tosucceed the defenders cannot be on the alert. 

A man who had been engaged in an operation of the latter kind, bywhich the fort of Badjgh[=a]r was once taken, explained to me the planadopted, which bears a rude analogy to the modern plan of mining underthe glacis to the foot of the counterscarp. 

To-day a horseman came into our camp at about 3 P. M. With letters fromBamee[=a]n; he had left early in the morning, and thus accomplished ajourney of fifty miles with the same horse, over two severe passes, and through a succession of difficult defiles. On alighting, he tiedhis horse to the branch of a tree, merely loosening the girths, butnot intending to give him food till the evening. The horses arehabituated to the want of any midday feeding, and at night and morningseldom get grain. But the dried lucerne and other artificial grasseswith which they are supplied must afford them sufficient nourishment, as they are generally in very good working condition; they areundersized, but very sure-footed; it is indeed astonishing over whatfearful ground they will carry their riders. The yabboo is a differentstyle of animal, heavier built and slower; its pace is an amble, bymeans of which it will get over an immense distance, but it is not sosure-footed. 

I remarked that aged horses were very rarely met with, and oninquiring the reason, was informed that the horses were all soviolently worked when young as soon to break down, after which theyare slaughtered and made into _kabobs_. I was assured that theeating-shops of Cabul and Kandah[=a]r always require a great supply ofhorseflesh, which is much liked by the natives, and when well seasonedwith spices is not to be distinguished from other animal food. 

At this station fruit was in great profusion; I observed that thesides of a barren hill near our camp were of a bright yellow tintfor upwards of a mile and a half, and on approaching to discover thecause, I found the whole space covered with apricots placed side byside to dry in the sun. I tasted some of them, which had apparentlyonly just been gathered, and found them very well flavoured, thoughgenerally speaking I must allow that the fruits of these valleys areinferior to those of Europe, with the exception of the grape, which isunequalled. But the grape and apricot are not the only fruits whichflourish in this green spot surrounded by barren rocks, --the walnut, the peach, mulberry, apple, and cherry, also come to perfection intheir respective seasons. 

At sunset Uzzuttoollah Beg sent us a plentiful supply of fruit, grainfor our cattle, and flour for the servants, regretting at the sametime that he was not able to send us sheep enough for the whole party. When he came to take leave, we told him we had received more thanwe expected or required, and begged his acceptance of a loonghee or_headdress_ in remembrance of us. He was much gratified with thetrifle, it being of Peshawurree muslin, a kind much sought after andprized by the Uzbegs. He immediately took off his own turban, whichwas indeed rather the worse for wear, and binding the new one roundhis head, declared with a self-satisfied look, that "it would beexceedingly becoming. " He then arose, and probably to shew hisknowledge of European breeding, gave me such a manly shake of the handas made me expect to see the blood start from the tips of my fingers. I am not sure, with all due respect for the good old custom of shakinghands, that I should not have preferred submitting to the Uzbeg modeof salutation. On approaching an equal, the arms of both are throwntransversely across the shoulders and body, like the preparatoryattitude of wrestlers in some parts of England, then, placing breastto breast, the usual form of "salaam aleikoom" is given in a slowmeasured tone. But on horseback the inferior dismounts, and, accordingto the degree of rank, touches or embraces the stirrup. 

The valley of Kammurd is of an oblong form flanked by stupendousmountains; the enormous barrier of the Dundun Shikkun almost precludesthe possibility of bringing cannon from the south, although one gun isknown to have been dragged over by sheer manual labour; it was broughtby Dost Mahommed from Cabul to quell some refractory chiefs, thecarriage being taken to pieces, and the gun fastened by ropes in thehollowed trunk of a tree. 

On the 5th of July we reached Piedb[=a]gh, five miles further down thevalley, which gradually decreased in breadth, seldom exceeding twohundred yards, and sometimes contracting to fifty. Along the banksof a muddy river flowing through the centre of the narrow vale, thesycamore tree was very luxuriant, and two or three forts formed achain of communication from one end of the cultivated land to theother. Piedb[=a]gh, as its name implies, is a complete orchard, _piedan_ meaning perpetual, and b[=a]gh, garden; from a distance itlooks like a thick wood with the turrets of the forts overtopping thedark foliage. We took advantage of the quiet beauty of this spotto give our horses a day's rest, and lucky it was for us we had atBamee[=a]n exchanged for stout yaboos the unwieldy camels which we hadbrought from Cabul; the yaboos get over the ground twice as fast asthe camel, and for mountainous districts are infinitely preferable tothe "ship of the desert. "

It was lucky also that we had not burdened ourselves with bedsteads orcharpoys, as they are called in the East (literally "_four feet_");they would have inconvenienced us much; and we should, probably, havebeen forced to abandon them on the road, the pathways along the glensbeing often so narrow, and so encumbered with the detritus from theoverhanging mountains, as to make it necessary to pack our baggagevery compactly; inattention to this important point in mountaintravelling is sometimes followed by very serious consequences, for thechair or bedstead, projecting far beyond the centre of gravity of theunfortunate animal, catches against a corner of rock, and both loadand pony run imminent risk of being hurled into the abyss below. Wewere now so inured to sleeping on the ground, that had it not been forthe multitudes of fleas we should never have felt the want of amore elevated sleeping place. The animal and vegetable character ofPiedb[=a]gh may be stated in a few words--apricots and fleas are inabundance, the former very large sized, and the latter healthy. 

In the course of my journal I hope to be able to relate thecircumstances of a very pretty little affair which occurred here, somemonths after we passed through, between two companies of Shah Soojah'sGoorkah regiment and the inhabitants of the neighbouring forts. TheGoorkahs, upholding their well-known character, fought desperatelyagainst an overwhelming force; they would have suffered severelybut for the able conduct of their leader, who was an Europeannon-commissioned officer and quarter-master sergeant of the corps; hismanoeuvring would have done credit to many an older soldier. 

On the 7th July we quitted Piedb[=a]gh for Badjgh[=a]r, the mostwesterly of our advanced posts; it was occupied at the period of whichI write by Captain Hay, and was the head-quarters of the Goorkahbattalion. The hills from a little above Piedb[=a]gh encroach so muchupon the valley as to reduce it to little more than a ravine formingtwo gigantic walls, that on the right being inaccessible save to thewild goat, whilst the left-hand boundary, though still precipitous, may be surmounted by active light-armed troops. On emerging fromthe orchards we came upon a grass meadow extending to the fort ofBadjgh[=a]r, which is again situate at the mouth of a defile leadingto M[=a]ther, the route we eventually pursued. The fort is capable ofcontaining about two hundred men; when first taken possession of itwas literally choked with filth and abominations of all kinds, but theindustry of the little garrison had succeeded in giving it an air ofcleanliness and comfort. As a military position it is most faulty, andit is really astonishing to conceive how heedless those who fixedupon it as a post of such importance must have been of the manifoldweakness of the place; from the surrounding heights it has theappearance of being situated in a deep dyke; it is completely hemmedin, and juzzaelmen occupying the adjacent hills could easily findcover from whence they might pour in so destructive a fire as torender the place untenable. In addition to these defects, the fort ofBadjgh[=a]r is unprovided with a well within its defences; this, as has before been remarked, is a common case, but still it wouldmaterially affect the integrity of a force within, as they would bereduced to the necessity of frequent sallies to the neighbouringstream to obtain water. 

We found Capt. Hay in no enviable position; he had but one European toassist him in his various important duties; the three or four officerswho were nominally attached to the corps being either on detachment orother military employ, so that with such slender aid as one Europeansergeant, it was very hard work for him to keep up discipline amongsta brave but half savage band, to provide for their subsistence, keep asharp look-out on his front and flanks, and remain on good termswith the neighbouring chiefs, whose conflicting interests, lawlesspropensities, and savage nature were continually requiring hismediation or interference. 

"_Quem deus vult perdere prius dementat_" is an old saw mostapplicable to the conduct, or rather want of conduct of the "powersthat were" during the spring of 1841, and the state of the importantoutpost of Badjgh[=a]r is a type of the condition of most of thedetached posts throughout the kingdom of Cabul; the dreadfulcatastrophe which ushered in the year 1842 is but too unanswerable aproof of the opinion I here express; and though innumerable instancesof individual gallantry as well amongst the unlettered privates as thesuperior officers have thrown a halo round their bloody graves, thestern truth still forces itself upon us, that the temporary eclipse ofBritish glory was not the consequences of events beyond the power ofhuman wisdom to foresee or ward off, but the natural results of anoverweening confidence in our power, and of an infatuated blindness tothe sure indications of the coming storm which for many months beforeit burst darkened our political horizon. 

It will easily be believed that the various duties entailed upon Capt. Hay left him but little time for scientific researches, yet thisindefatigable officer had already made a fine collection of geologicalspecimens from the adjacent hills. I regret that circumstances preventme from giving any of the useful information which his industrysupplied. I am only able to say, that the fossils were generally foundin tertiary deposits, and were plentiful in quantity, but the varietywas not great. He had at the time of our visit made, likewise, considerable progress in putting his position into as good a stateof defence as circumstances allowed; of course he had not means todefilade his fort, but he had erected a breastwork four feet and ahalf high across the defile, which would certainly be of great use inchecking any body of horsemen who might advance from the north, atleast for a time sufficient to enable the garrison to prepare for anattack. The fort seemed a focus for all the rays of the sun, and wasintensely hot, the thermometer ranging from 95 to 110 in the shade;nor was the situation healthy, for a great many Goorkahs were inhospital, and all were more or less debilitated from the effects ofthe climate. 

Whilst at Badjgh[=a]r we made the acquaintance of one of the chiefs, Suyed Mahommed of the Dushti Suffaëd or _white desert_, through whosecountry we eventually travelled; we found him an easy good-temperedman, well inclined towards the British, but grasping and avaricious. Throughout our intercourse with him he behaved well, but he tookoccasion frequently to remind us we were not to forget that he lookedfor a reward; still, in summing his character, I must say he wassuperior to his "order;" for, either from the wish to lead a quietlife or from his limited means and unwarlike disposition, he was notgiven to feuds or chuppaos like his neighbours. He sent rather acharacteristic letter to Shah Pursund Kh[=a]n, a chief whose dominionswere also on our line of route, recommending us to his notice, butconcluding by telling him to judge of us and act according to ourmerits. 

CHAPTER IX. 

On the 9th July we bade our kind friend Capt. Hay farewell, and manywere the prayers offered up for our safe return; the Goorkah soldierseven accompanied us for three or four miles. Sturt had not beensupplied with any introductory letters from Sir William M'Naghten, although he was sent on duty, for it was uncertain what kind of areception we might meet with amongst the chiefs of Toorkisth[=a]n, and it was therefore deemed unadvisable to give us the character ofaccredited agents, which would necessarily tend to mix us up withpolitics. Though this plan may have been very wise on the part ofGovernment, yet it by no means contributed to our comfort, as we foundourselves frequently the objects of suspicion. Some of the chiefsplainly said, "you are come to survey our country, and eventually totake possession;" but most of them cared very little whether we cameas friends or foes: they had little to lose and everything to gainby a _row_. With a few of the more influential chiefs the case wasdifferent; if we had caused Dost Mahommed, the all powerful Ameer ofC[=a]bul, to become a fugitive, what chance had they if our views ledus across the Hindoo Khoosh? Such was their mode of reasoning; but itmust be confessed that they were ignorant of the immense advantagethe rugged nature of their barren land would give them over a regulararmy, and thus they were unable to form an idea of the value of theresistance which a few determined mountaineers might oppose. Amongstother wild schemes, I fancy that the idea was once entertained, orat all events the question was mooted, of sending a force toBokh[=a]r[=a] to procure the release of poor Stoddart. Withoutdwelling upon the enormous sacrifice of life and treasure which suchan expedition of magnitude sufficient to ensure success would entail, I may be permitted to point out what from personal observation I havebeen led to consider as the "least impossible" route. The line Ishould recommend would be the one we pursued as far as Koollum, whenthe force should so shape its route as to avoid the great sandydesert, which extends for three hundred and fifty miles from Koollumto Bokh[=a]r[=a], by keeping to the north, and "striking" the Oxus, which is navigable for boats of heavy burthen for many hundred milesabove the capital. But even on this plan we must suppose the forceto have already surmounted the thousand and one passes which occurbetween Cabul and Koollum. Much has been printed and a great deal morewritten and wisely left _un_printed concerning the practicability ofthese routes for a modern army; it savours of a useless truism tostate, that if the government making the attempt has resourcessufficient in men, transport, and treasure, and dwells not upon thesacrifice of these three necessaries for an army, the thing may bedone; but I can hardly conceive any crisis in political affairs whichcould render such a measure advantageous to the party undertaking it. The advancing force will always suffer, whether it be Russia advancingupon India, or India advancing towards Europe. The hand of God hasfixed the tremendous barrier; woe to him who would despise thewarning. 

Our route lay along the usual green vale so often described, boundedby barren hills, over which a few inhabitants might occasionally beseen stalking along in their dark-coloured garments, which harmonizedwith the sombre character of the country. We pitched our tentsnear the little fort of M[=a]ther, about five miles from our lastencampment, and situate at the foot of the Kara Kotul, or _blackpass_. Our resting place afforded nothing remarkable; and indeedI feel that some apology is due to my readers for the unavoidablesameness of the details of this part of our journey; but I am in hopesthat this very defect, though it render the perusal of my journalstill heavier, will assist in conveying an accurate idea of the natureof the country; it is not my fault if we met with no adventures, nohairbreadth escapes, or perilous encounters. I must once more craveindulgence. 

The Affgh[=a]n soldiers of our escort did not much relish thediscipline I enforced. A complaint was made to me in the course of theday by a peasant, that these warriors had most unceremoniouslybroken down hedges, and entering his apricot orchard, had commencedappropriating the fruit, responding to his remonstrances with threatsand oaths. I thought this a fine opportunity to read my savages alecture on the advantages of discipline and regular pay. I asked themwhether they were not now much better off than when employed by theirown countrymen, and whether they expected to be treated as regularsoldiers, and still be allowed to plunder the inoffensive inhabitants?One of the men, who was evidently an orator, listened to me with moreattention than the rest, but with a look of evident impatience for theconclusion of my harangue, that he too might show how well he couldreason. "My lord, " said the man, putting himself into an attitudeworthy of the Conciliation-Hall, to say nothing of St. Stephen's, "my lord, on the whole your speech is very excellent: your pay isgood--the best, no doubt, and very regular; we have not hitherto beenaccustomed to such treatment; though you brought the evil the remedyhas come with it; your arrival in C[=a]bul has so raised the priceof provisions that we could not live on Affgh[=a]n pay; we have, therefore, entered the service of the foreigner; but had we receivedthe same wages we now get from you, we should in our own service havebeen gentlemen. " Here the orator made a pause, but soon imagining frommy silence that his speech was unobjectionable, he boldly continued;"but there is one powerful argument in favour of the Ameer's service, _he_ always allowed us on the line of march to plunder from everyone; we have been brought up in this _principle(!!)_ since we werechildren, and we find it very difficult to refrain from what has solong been an established practice amongst us: we are soldiers, sir, andit is not much each man takes; but the British are so strict, thatthey will protect a villager or even a stranger:" this last sentencewas evidently pronounced under a deep sense of unmerited oppression. "But, " continued he, "look at that apricot orchard on the right, howripe and tempting is the fruit; if we were not under your orders, those trees would in a moment be as bare as the palm of my hand. " ButI remarked, "would not the owners turn out and have a fight; is it notbetter to go through a strange country peaceably and making friends?""_They_ fight, " answered my hero; "oh! they are Uzbegs and no men, more like women--one Affghan can beat three Uzbegs. " I was not quitesatisfied how far the vaunted pay and discipline would prevail overthe natural lawless propensities of _my army_, and in order not to trytheir insubordination too much, I conceived that a compromise would bethe wisest plan, and giving them a few rupees, I desired them to makethe most they could out of them. Off they went highly delighted withthe results of the interview, clapping their orator on the back, crying out _sh[=a]bash, sh[=a]bash, bravo, bravo_, and evidentlybelieving the gift of the rupees as entirely due to the eloquenceof their comrade. They are a simple people with all their savagecharacteristics, but it is very sad to contemplate a whole nation as arace of systematic plunderers. 

In the afternoon the chief of M[=a]ther called to pay his respects, bringing a present of fruit and sheep's milk; the latter I found sopalatable, that I constantly drank it afterwards; it is consideredvery nutritious, and is a common beverage in Toorkisth[=a]n, where thesheep are milked regularly three times a day. Goats are very scarce, cows not to be seen, but the sheep's milk affords nourishment invarious forms, of which the most common is a kind of sour cheese, being little better than curdled milk and salt. Tea is also afavourite drink, but is taken without sugar or milk; the former istoo expensive for the poorer classes, and all prefer it without thelatter. Sometimes a mixture such as would create dismay at an Englishtea-table is handed round, consisting principally of tea-leaves, salt, and fat, like very weak and very greasy soup, and to an Europeanpalate most nauseous. We could never reconcile our ideas to its beinga delicacy. Tea is to be procured in all large towns hereabouts, ofall qualities and at every price; at C[=a]bul the highest price fortea is £5 sterling for a couple of pounds' weight; but this is of veryrare quality, and the leaf so fine and fragrant that a mere pinchsuffices a moderate party. 

What would our tea-drinking old ladies say for a few pounds of thatdelicious treasure? This superfine leaf reaches Cabul from Chinathrough Thibet, always maintaining its price; but it is almostimpossible to procure it unadulterated, as it is generally mixed bythe merchants with the lesser priced kind. The most acceptable presentwhich a traveller could offer in Toorkisth[=a]n would be _fire-arms_or _tea_; the latter is a luxury they indulge in to excess, taking itafter every meal; but they seldom are enabled to procure it withoutthe lawless assistance of the former. 

On leaving M[=a]ther we commenced the ascent of the Kara Kotul orBlack Pass, which lasted for seven long miles and was very fatiguing. The large masses of rock on either side the pathway were of a deepbrown colour. From the length and steepness of the ascent, this passmust be higher than any we had hitherto surmounted; the descent on theother side is difficult in proportion. The approach to Doa[=u]b isthrough one of the most romantic glens conceivable. It is here thatthe Koollum river takes its rise; it flows due north and soon reachesa mountain meadow, where it unites with another stream coming from theeast, whence the name of the Doa[=u]b (two waters) is given to thisdistrict. In this defile are scattered huge rocks, which have beendislodged from the overhanging precipices by the effects of frost orconvulsions of the elements: in vain do these masses obstruct theprogress of the waters of this river. The torrent dashing in cataractsover some of the large boulders and eddying round the base of others, pursues an agitated course until it reaches the desert, through whichit glides more calmly, and combines with the Oxus beyond Koollum, whence the confluent waters proceed uninterruptedly to the sea ofAral. 

The banks of this river differ from those of the mountain streams ingeneral; they were decked with the most beautiful wild flowers, whichbloomed luxuriantly on the bushes, and growing from the deep clefts inthe rock, scented the air with their perfume. 

The glen is here so filled with large blocks of granite, that toaccomplish our passage through it, it was necessary to transfer bymanual labour the loads of the baggage animals across the obstructingmasses: the difficulties we encountered, and more particularly theromantic scene itself, are still imprinted on my memory. 

The wind whistling round the jutting points, the dashing of thewaters, and the cries of one of the most timid of our followers, whoto save himself from wet feet had mounted an overladen pony, and wasnow in imminent danger both of Scylla and Charybdis, added to theinterest of the picture; but, occasionally, the reverberation causedby the fragments of rock, which, detaching themselves from the upperregions, came tumbling down, not far from where we stood, warned usnot to dwell upon the spot. We took the hint, and hastily extricatingman and beast, though not until they had experienced a severe ducking, we proceeded onwards to where the waters enclose within theirfertilizing arms the grassy fields of the mountain Doa[=u]b. Here itwas that we caught the first glimpse of the extensive plains where theToorkm[=a]n mares are turned out to graze; those in foal are left forseveral months; and after foaling, the animals are put into smallerpastures provided with enclosures, where they are shut up at night. The extent of the larger savannahs is very great, some of themexceeding twenty miles, and the horses that are allowed to range inthem become so shy, that their owners only can approach them, and theanimals are considered safe from depredators. 

As we gradually emerged from the hard bosom of the mountains, we werestruck with the simple beauty of this little garden of nature. Thevale is triangular, its greatest breadth being about five miles;its whole extent is covered with a rich turf, intermingled by justsufficient cultivated land as to supply the inhabitants withgrain. Every wild flower that enlivens our English meads grew hereluxuriantly, while the two streams crept along on either side likesilver threads bordering a jewelled carpet. This gay and brilliantsight was enhanced by the lofty range of dark frowning hills whichencompassed it. It was worthy of being sung as the "Loveliest vale inToorkisth[=a]n. "

CHAPTER X. 

I have already mentioned that we had received a letter to Shah PursundKh[=a]n, the chief of the Doa[=u]b, who accordingly came out towelcome us to his territory; he embraced us in the Uzbeg fashion, telling us in eastern phraseology "to consider his dominion asour own, and that we might command all he possessed. " After manycompliments of this nature, he inquired with some bluntness whitherwe were bound and what our object was? We answered him, that we wereproceeding to Koollum, and were anxious to get as much information ashe would be good enough to afford us concerning so beautiful a portionof the globe, and we wished to survey its particular features. "Mind, "rejoined he, "that the chief of Heibuk and the Meer Walli of Koollumare my enemies, and may be yours. " "If, " answered Sturt, "we shallmeet with the same reception from them as we have hitherto enjoyedfrom all other chiefs whose possessions we have had occasion totrespass upon during our journeyings, we cannot complain of want ofeither kindness or hospitality; for as travellers we come, and onceeating the 'salt of an Uzbeg, ' we know that none would dishonourhimself by acting the traitor. " "True, " retorted the kh[=a]n, "but hewho is your friend while in his dominions will rob you as soon as youset your foot across his frontier. " We were not much pleased at thisprospect, as we knew he spoke truth when declaring himself at enmitywith the surrounding chiefs, but "sufficient for the day is the evilthereof, " so we made up our minds to take what advantage we could ofhis friendly disposition towards us, and trust to our good fortune andthe "chapter of accidents" for our future safety. Shah Pursund Kh[=a]ndid not confine his kindness to words, for he sent us an ample supplyof flour and clarified butter for our followers, grass and corn forour cattle, and a sheep for ourselves; these sheep are of theDoomba species, with large tails weighing several pounds, which areconsidered the most delicate part of the animal. He also sent us fromhis harem an enormous dish of foul[=a]deh, made of wheat boiled to ajelly and strained, and when eaten with sugar and milk palatable andnutritious. 

The following morning, as we were preparing to start, I happened toenter into conversation with an aged moollah, the solitary cicerone ofthe Doa[=u]b, who gave us a brief but very extraordinary account of acavern about seven miles off; our curiosity was so much excited by themarvellous details we heard, that we determined to delay our departurefor the purpose of ascertaining how much of his story was due to thewild imagination of our informant. We accordingly gave orders tounsaddle, and communicated our intentions to the khan. At first hestrongly urged us not to put our plan into execution, declaring thatthe cave was the domicile of the evil one, and that no stranger whohad presumed to intrude upon the privacy of the awful inhabitant hadever returned to tell of what he had seen. It will easily be imaginedthat these warnings only made us more determined upon visiting thespot. At length, finding our resolution immovable, the kh[=a]n, muchto our astonishment, declared that it was not from personal fear, butfrom anxiety for our safety that he had endeavoured to deter us, butthat, as we were obstinate, he would at least afford us the advantageof his protection, and accompany us, I confess we were not sanguine inour expectations that he would keep his word, and were not a littlesurprised to see him shortly after issue forth from his fort fullyarmed, and accompanied by his principal followers. We immediately madeall necessary preparations, and started on our visit to his satanicmajesty. 

A bridle-path conducted us for some miles along the edge of a gentlestream, whose banks were clothed with long luxuriant grass extendingon either side for a few hundred yards; we proceeded rapidly at first, keeping our horses at a hand gallop, as the path was smooth, and alsoto escape from the myriads of forest-flies or blood-suckers which wereperpetually hovering around us, and irritating our cattle almost tomadness whenever we were obliged to slacken our pace; our tormentors, however, did not pursue us beyond the limits of the pasture land, sothat we were glad to exchange the beauties of the prairie for thestony barren ground which succeeded it. We soon reached the base ofa hill from whence the wished-for cavern was visible, situated abouthalf-way up its face. We were now obliged to dismount, and leavingour horses under the charge of an Uzbeg, who could hardly conceal hisdelight at being selected for the least dangerous duty, we commencedthe ascent. 

During our ride I had endeavoured to gather a few more particularsconcerning the dreaded cavern, and as might have been expected, theanticipated horrors dwindled away considerably as we approached it;still enough of the marvellous remained to keep my curiosity on thestretch. Shah Pursund Kh[=a]n confessed that he was not positivethat the devil actually lived there, but still, he said, it was veryprobable; he had first heard of the existence of the cave when heobtained possession of the Do[=a]ub twelve years ago, from the verymoollah who was our informant. Urged by a curiosity similar to ourown, he had ventured some little distance inside, but suddenly he cameupon the print of a naked foot, and beside it another extraordinaryimpression, which he suspected to be from the foot of sheittan (thedevil) himself; quite satisfied that he had gone far enough, heretreated precipitately, and from that day to this had never intrudedagain. He argued that any _human_ being living in the cave wouldrequire sustenance, and of course would purchase it at his fort, whichwas the only one where the necessaries of life could be procured formany miles around; but he knew every one who came to him, and nostranger had ever come on such an errand; he therefore concludedwith an appealing look to the moollah who was with us. The moollah, however, had a tale of his own to tell, and seemed to have no greatrespect for the superstitious fears of his patron. "The name of thecavern is Yeerm[=a]lik, and the fact of the matter is this, " said he, settling himself in his saddle for a long story. "In the time of theinvasion, six hundred years ago, of Genghis Kh[=a]n the Tartar, sevenhundred men of the Huzareh tribe, with their wives and families and astock of provisions, took possession of this cavern, hoping to escapethe fury of the ruthless invader, and never stirred beyond its mouth. But the cruel Genghis, after wasting the country with fire and sword, set on foot a strict search for such of the unfortunate inhabitants ashad fled from his tyranny. His bloodhounds soon scented the wretchedHuzarehs, and a strong party was sent to drive them from their placeof refuge. But despair lent to the besieged a courage which was notthe characteristic of their tribe, and knowing that, if taken alive, alingering torture and cruel death would be their fate, they resolvedto make good their defence at every hazard. The mouth of the cave wassmall, and no sooner did the invaders rush in than they were cut downby those inside; in vain were more men thrust in to take the place ofthose slain; the advantages of position were too great, and they wereobliged at length to desist. But Genghis was not to be balked of hisvictims, and his devilish cunning suggested the expedient of lightingstraw at the mouth of the cave to suffocate those inside, but the sizeof the place prevented his plan from taking effect; so he at lastcommanded a large fragment of rock to be rolled to the mouth of thecavern, adding another as a support, and having thus effectuallybarred their exit, he cruelly abandoned them to their fate. Of coursethe whole party suffered a miserable death, and it is perhaps thespirits of the murdered men that, wandering about and haunting it, have given a suspicious character to the place; but, " concluded he, rather dogmatically, "the devil _does not_ live there now--it is toocold!!"[*]

[* Note: Those who have been familiarized to the atrocitiesperpetrated by the French in Algeria will not feel the horror that themoollah's tale would otherwise have excited; the similarity of theseoutrages to humanity is so striking, that I quote a passage extractedfrom the French paper, "The National, " which will speak for itself. 

"The National gives a frightful picture of Marshal Bugeaud's doingsin Africa. According to the accounts published by this paper, fifty prisoners were one day shot in cold blood--thirteen villagesburned--the Dahra massacre acted over again, for it appears that aportion of a tribe having hid themselves in a cave, the same meanswere resorted to exactly as those employed by Colonel Pelissier, andall smoked and baked to death. The Marshal himself is the author ofall these horrors--his last triumph was a monster razzia--he hasordered the most strict secresy as to his barbarous proceedings; andthe writer of the accounts calls him a second Attila, for he puts allto the sword and fire, sparing only women and children. "]

After scrambling over loose stones, climbing up precipices, andcrawling round the projecting rocks, which consumed an hour, we foundourselves on a small ledge in front of the outer aperture, which wasnearly circular and about fifty feet high. We were now in a cavernapparently of no great extent, and as I could not discover any otherpassage, I began to fancy that it was for this paltry hole we hadundergone so much fatigue, and had had our expectations raised sohigh. I was about to give utterance to my disappointment, when Iperceived the Uzbegs preparing their torches and arranging the line ofmarch, in which it seemed that no one was anxious to take precedence. I now began to look about me, in the hope that there was somethingmore to be seen, and was delighted to observe one adventurous herowith a torch disappear behind some masses of rock. We all followed ourleader, and it was with great difficulty that, one by one, we managedto squeeze ourselves through a narrow gap between two jagged rocks, which I presume I am to consider as the identical ones that wererolled to the mouth six hundred years ago at the stern command of theTartar Attila. 

I confess that hitherto I had treated the moollah's account as anidle tale; my unbelief, however, was quickly removed, for just as weentered the narrow passage the light of the torches was for an instantthrown upon a group of human skeletons. I saw them but for an instant, and the sight was quite sufficient to raise my drooping curiosity toits former pitch. 

CHAPTER XI. 

We proceeded down the sloping shaft, occasionally bruising ourselvesagainst its jagged sides, until our leader suddenly came to a deadhalt. I was next to him, and coming up as close as I could, I foundthat one step further would have precipitated the adventurous guideinto an abyss, the bottom and sides of which were undistinguishable;after gazing for a moment into this apparently insurmountable obstacleto our further progress, I could just perceive a narrow ledge aboutsixteen feet below me, that the eye could trace for a few yardsonly, beyond which it was lost in the deep gloom surrounding us. Ourconductor had already made up his mind what to do: he proceeded tounwind his long narrow turban composed of cotton cloth, and called tohis comrades to do the same; by joining these together they formed akind of rope by means of which we gradually lowered each other, tillat last a party ten in number were safely landed on the ledge. We lefta couple of men to haul us up on our return, and proceeded on our way, groping along the brink of the yawning chasm. Every now and then loosestones set in motion by our feet would slip into this bottomless pit, and we could hear them bounding down from ledge to ledge, smashingthemselves into a thousand fragments, till the echoes so oftenrepeated were like the independent file-firing of a battalion ofinfantry. Sometimes the narrow path would be covered for a distance ofmany feet with a smooth coat of ice, and then it was indeed dangerous. After moving on in this way for some minutes, the road graduallywidened till we found ourselves on the damp and dripping flooring of achamber of unknown dimensions; the torch light was not strong enoughto enable us to conceive the size of this subterraneous hall, but allaround us lay scattered melancholy proofs that there was some sadfoundation for the moollah's story. Hundreds of human skeletons werestrewed around; as far as the eye could penetrate these mournfulrelics presented themselves; they were very perfect, and had evidentlynot been disturbed since death; some had more the appearance of theshrivelled-up remains which we find in the Morgue on the road tothe Grand St. Bernard, and lay about us in all the varied positionsinduced by their miserable fate. Here, it seemed that a group had, while sufficient strength yet remained, huddled themselves together, as if to keep up the vital warmth of which death so slowly and yetso surely was depriving them; a little farther on was a figure in asitting posture, with two infants still clasped in its bony arms;and then again the eye would fall upon some solitary figure withoutstretched limbs, as if courting that death which on the instantresponded to the call. Involuntarily my thoughts recurred to Dante'sbeautiful description of the Comte Ugolino's children and theirpiteous end in the Torre della Fame--but here, a sickening sense ofthe dreadful reality of the horrors, which it was evident from thesemute memorials of man's cruelty to his fellow had been endured, quiteoppressed me, and I wished I had never visited the spot. I felt myselfso much harrowed by this sad scene, that I endeavoured to distractmy attention; but what was my astonishment when my eye fell upon theprint of a human naked foot, and beside it the distinct mark of thepointed heel of the Affgh[=a]n boot!--I hope my reader will give mecredit for truth--I can assure him that it was some time before Icould believe my own eyes, though I considered that the result of ourexplorations would explain in part the sight, which appeared to meso extraordinary, and which tallied so strangely with the footprintswhich had frightened Shah Pursund Khan twelve years ago. I was stillabsorbed in reflections of no very gay colour, when one of theattendants warned me that if I staid all day amongst the "deadpeople, " there would not be sufficient oil to feed the torches, and weshould be unable to visit the Ice Caves. I was immediately roused, and proceeded onwards with the party through several low arches andsmaller caves, --suddenly a strange glare spread itself about me, andafter a few more steps a magnificent spectacle presented itself. 

[Illustration: Drawn by Mr Gempertz Pelham Richardson Litho

View of the Ice Caves in the Cavern of Yeermallik. ]

In the centre of a large cave stood an enormous mass of clear ice, smooth and polished as a mirror, and in the form of a gigantic beehive, with its dome-shaped top just touching the long icicles which dependedfrom the jagged surface of the rock. A small aperture led to theinterior of this wonderful congelation, the walls of which were nearlytwo feet thick--the floor, sides, and roof were smooth and slippery, and our figures were reflected from floor to ceiling and from side toside in endless repetition. The inside of this chilly abode was dividedinto several compartments of every fantastic shape; in some the glitteringicicles hung like curtains from the roof; in others the vault wassmooth as glass. Beautifully brilliant were the prismatic coloursreflected from the varied surface of the ice, when the torches flashedsuddenly upon them as we passed from cave to cave. Around, above, beneath, every thing was of solid ice, and being unable to stand onaccount of its slippery nature, we slid or rather glided mysteriouslyalong the glassy surface of this hall of spells. In one of the largestcompartments the icicles had reached the floor, and gave the idea ofpillars supporting the roof. Altogether the sight was to me as novelas it was magnificent, and I only regret that my powers of descriptionare inadequate to do justice to what I saw. 

After wandering for some time amongst these extraordinary chambers, weproceeded further to examine the nature of the caverns in which theywere formed: these seemed to branch out into innumerable galleries, which again intersected each other. Sometimes they expanded intohalls, the dimensions of which our feeble light prevented us fromcalculating, and anon they contracted into narrow passages, so lowthat we were obliged to creep along them on our hands and knees. Ourparty had just emerged from one of these defiles and were standingtogether on a kind of sloping platform, at which point the declivityseemed to become more precipitous as it receded from our sight, when our attention was suddenly arrested by the reappearance of themysterious naked footprints which I had before observed in the chamberof skeletons. I examined them minutely, and am certain from the spreadof the toes that they belonged to some one who was in the habit ofgoing barefoot. I took a torch, and determined to trace them as far asI could. Had I met with these prints in the open air, I should havedecided upon their being quite fresh, but the even temperature andstillness of atmosphere which reigned in these strange regions mightaccount for the tracks retaining that sharpness of outline whichdenotes a recent impression. The direction I took led me immediatelydown the slope I have just mentioned, and its increasing steepnesscaused me some misgivings as to how I should get back, when suddenly alarge stone on which I had rested my foot gave way beneath my weight, and down I came, extinguishing my torch in my fall. Luckily I managedto stop myself from rolling down the fearful chasm which yawnedbeneath, but the heavy rounded fragment of rock rolled onwards, firstwith a harsh grating sound, as if it reluctantly quitted its restingplace, then, gradually acquiring impetus, down it thundered, strikingagainst other rocks and dragging them on with it, till the loud echoesrepeated a thousand times from the distant caves mingling with theoriginal sound raised a tumult of noise quite sufficient to scare abraver crew than our party consisted of. The effect of my mishap wasinstantaneous. Our followers raised an universal shout of Sheit[=a]n, Sheit[=a]n, (the devil, the devil, ) and rushed helter skelter backfrom the direction of the sound. In the confusion all the torchescarried by the natives were extinguished, and had not my friend Sturtdisplayed the most perfect coolness and self-possession, we shouldhave been in an alarming predicament; for he (uninfluenced by any suchsupernatural fears as had been excited amongst the runaways by theinfernal turmoil produced by my unlucky foot, and though himselfignorant of the cause of it from having been intent upon the footmarkswhen I slipped), remained perfectly unmoved with his torch, the onlyone still burning, raised high above his head, waiting patiently tillthe panic should subside. Order was at length restored in some degree, but the thirst of enterprise was cooled, and the natives loudlydeclared they would follow the devil no farther, and that we mustreturn forthwith. Shah Pursund Kh[=a]n, who was just as great a cowardas the rest, declared it was no use following the track any more, forit was well known the cavern extended to Cabul!!! Finding it uselessendeavouring to revive the broken spirits of these cravens, wereluctantly commenced a retrograde movement, and I was obliged toremain in lasting ignorance of the nature of the mysterious origin ofthe footprint. 

We had considerable difficulty in finding our way back to the icerooms; the fears of our followers had now completely got the better ofthem; they lost their presence of mind, and, consequently, their way;and it was not till after we had wandered about for more than an hourthat we hit upon the ledge which eventually led us to the drop whichwe had originally descended by means of the ladder of turbans. At thehead of this drop we had left a couple of men to haul us up; as soonas they perceived the light of our expiring torches, they called outloudly to us to make haste and get out of the place, for they had seenthe _Sheit[=a]n_, about an hour ago, run along the ledge beneath them, and disappear in the gloom beyond. This information raised the terrorof the poor natives to a climax; all made a rush for the rope ofturbans, and four or five having clutched hold of it, were in the actof dragging down turban, men, and torches upon our devoted heads, whenSturt interfered, and by his firm remonstrances, aided by the timelyfall of a few well-aimed stones upon the heads of the crew, made themrelax their grasp and ascend one by one. 

The chief, being the lightest, claimed the privilege of being drawn upfirst, which was readily agreed to; and so in succession each when hehad mounted assisted in drawing up his companions, till at last wewere all safely landed at the top, out of the reach of _any ordinarysized_ devil. We soon emerged into the open air, covered with dustfrom head to foot like Indian Faqueers, after having been for nearlyfour hours wandering in the bowels of the earth. Our followers soonregained their courage now that the danger was past, and each in turnbegan to boast of his own valour and sneer at the pusillanimity of hiscomrade; but all agreed that nothing on earth or in heaven should evertempt them again to visit the ice-caves of Yeermallick. 

CHAPTER XII. 

On the 13th of July we bade adieu to our friend Shah Pursund Kh[=a]n, who accompanied us a short distance on our way, after in vainendeavouring to induce us to remain with him for some time longer, this we could not accede to, but promised, if our time permitted, topay him a lengthened visit on our return. We had a long march thisday, the distance being nearly eighteen miles; but our beasts ofburden were much the better for their day's halt, and, the greaterpart of the road being a descent, we reached Rhoeh, where we pitchedour tents, in very good time. The first few miles were along thedelightful valley of the Doaub, which we reluctantly quitted, andafter crossing a low ridge descended through broken country till wereached the foot of the hills, where I observed for the first timea genuine Tartar krail, composed of a number of small black blankettents fastened to a kind of wattle. In the plain of Rhoeh is a smallmud fort in a dilapidated state, and uninhabited; the village itselfwas not of any importance, the habits of the people being evidentlymigratory. 

The Jerboa is a native of this country as well as the steppes ofTartary, where it is most commonly found in the shrubless plains;in form it is a miniature of the kangaroo, to which in some of itspeculiarities it bears a close resemblance, though in size it is verylittle larger than our common English rat. The name of the "VaultingRat, " by which it is known among naturalists, is very applicable. These little animals burrow deeply in the ground, and the method ofdislodging them adopted by us was the pouring a quantity of water intotheir holes, which causes them to rush out at another aperture, whenthey commence leaping about in a surprising manner until they observeanother burrow and instantly disappear. If chased, they spring fromthe hind quarters, darting about here and there, and affording greatamusement to the pursuers. It is difficult to hold them, as they arerarely grasped without losing a portion of their long and beautifultails. The forelegs are much shorter than the hind ones, the ears arevery large and silky, and the eye surpassingly black and brilliant. It is a harmless animal, and no doubt when tamed would be perfectlydomesticated. 

Nothing of interest occurred either this day or the next, whichbrought us, after another dreary march of seventeen miles, to the fortand village of Koorrum. For nearly the whole distance between Rhoehand Koorrum not a drop of water is procurable; as we had not providedagainst this contingency, we suffered in proportion. Altogether thispart of the road offers considerable obstacles to the progress of anarmy, from its numerous ravines and steep though short ascents anddescents, which would be very difficult for artillery; I should, froma cursory glance at the country, imagine that these steep pitchesmight be avoided by a more circuitous route, though the one we pursuedwas the beaten track for the caravans, and they generally find out themost convenient passage. The approach to Koorrum was pretty, but thescenery was of a character with which we were now so familiar thatits peculiar beauties did not perhaps impress us as much as when theyafforded the additional charm of novelty. A succession of walnut, apricot, mulberry, and apple trees shaded our path, which lay throughextensive orchards, carpeted with beautiful turf. The vines clung tothe sycamore trees; and where the spade had been at work, corn andartificial grasses grew in abundance. Our next halting place wasSarbagh, where we arrived on the 15th, after marching through apleasant and fruitful valley, flanked by parallel belts of mountainland, the agreeable verdure relieving the eye from the barrenness ofthis, I may call it, parietal range. The ornamental trees which fringethe banks of the Koollum river, as it gracefully pursues its course tothe Oxus, had altogether a very picturesque appearance. 

The son of Baber Beg, the chief of Heibuk, was at this time residingat Sarbagh, and shewed us every possible attention, sending us sheep, fowls, corn, flour, fruit, and every article required for aboutseventy people. It was very gratifying to us to find that we weretreated by the Uzbeg chiefs in so friendly a manner, as we had somemisgivings lest our being unprovided with any letters from influentialmen in C[=a]bul, might create unfavourable surmises amongst ahalf-savage and naturally suspicious race. Doubtless we gained a largeportion of attention and civility from the idea which pervaded all ourhosts that we were great hakeems, _physicians_, and if we chose, could relieve the human body from every illness whether real orimaginary--and I was glad to remark that the latter class of ailmentwas by far the most common. Still, some diseases were very prevalent, particularly those which may be considered as induced by a totalabsence of cleanliness. Sore eyes were very common here, as inAffghanist[=a]n, and our powers and medicine chest were sometimesrather too severely taxed by importunate applicants, who never wouldapply the remedy in the manner described, unless it was administeredupon principles which they understood, and which was in accordancewith their own reasoning. In C[=a]bul, the medical officers were theonly class of Europeans allowed an entrance to the harems of the rich, when they were expected after feeling the pulse of some Cashmerianbeauty to pronounce her malady, and effect her cure forthwith. Thelords of the creation too, debilitated from early dissipation or alife of debauchery, sued for remedies and charms, which, alas! areonly to be found in the hundredth edition of a work known by itsmysterious advertisement in the columns of a London newspaper. 

On the 16th, after a long march of twenty-two miles, we approachedHeibuk through the same kind of scenery as the preceding day; onrounding a projecting ledge of rock we saw that fortress in thedistance, on an insulated eminence adjacent to a low range of hills. Meer Baber Beg has placed his fortress in a very respectable stateof defence, quite adequate to repel the desultory inroads of hispredatory neighbours; but commanded by and exposed to enfilade fromthe hills about it, on one of these hills he has built a tower as akind of outwork, but it is very weak and of insignificant size. 

The only thing worth seeing near Heibuk is the Tukt-i-Rustum or Throneof Hercules, which we accordingly visited, and found it to be afortification of no very great extent on a most uncommon principle, and of unknown date. The best idea I can convey to the reader of itsshape, is by begging him to cut an orange in half, and place itsflat surface in a saucer; he will then have a tolerable model of theTukt-i-Rustum. We entered by a narrow gallery piercing through thesolid mass of rock which forms the outer wall or saucer, and leadingby an irregular flight of steps to the summit of the orange. Iinstituted many enquiries concerning the origin of this place, butI could obtain no information; not even a legend beyond that it washoly. We were accompanied by one of the chief's sons, a fat jollyyouth of about four-and-twenty, with a countenance that was a type ofhis good humour--he sat with us for some time whilst we were at ourtoilette, but affected to be somewhat shocked at the very scantyclothing which we considered sufficient while our Bheesties poured thecontents of their mussocks[*] over us. It was rather amusing to hearthe remarks of the bystanders, who seemed to view cleanliness asa consideration very secondary to etiquette. It would have beenfortunate for us if I could have persuaded our criticising friends totry on their own persons the advantage of a dash of fresh water, forthey were without exception the most filthy race it has ever been mymisfortune to meet; their garments teem with life, and sometimes, after merely sitting on the same rug placed to receive visitors, Ihave been under the necessity of making a fresh toilette. 

[* Note: Skins of water. ]

Meer Baber Beg was a great man in these parts, and kindly sent usthree sheep, with fowls, flour, fruits, and grain in abundance, intimating, at the same time, his intention to pay us a visit in theevening. He came accordingly, and favoured us with his presence for aconsiderable time. He seemed an intelligent man, but in a very infirmstate of health, and quite crippled from rheumatism. One would hardlyhave supposed, while admiring his pleasing features, which expressedso much benignity, that when on the throne of Koollum he had been sucha bloody tyrant; yet such was the case;--though the hereditary rulerof Koollum and its dependencies, he had by his brutality made himselfso obnoxious, that he was deposed by his own subjects headed by hisyounger brother, and dare not now shew his face on his paternalestate. 

This corpulent son whom I have before mentioned brought adouble-barrelled percussion gun for my inspection, and requested thatI would test its qualities on some pigeons that were flying about;I was fortunate enough to bring down a couple on the wing, but wassomewhat mortified to find that the burst of admiration which followedmy feat was entirely confined to the weapon, which, together with thedonor, Dr. Lord, was praised to the skies, whilst no kind of creditwas given to my skill in using it. 

We halted at Heibuk on the 17th, as the Meer requested we would stay aday with him before putting ourselves in the power of the dreaded MeerWalli of Koollum. At first he endeavoured to persuade us to abandonour project of proceeding further, but, finding us determined, hecontented himself with relating every possible story he could rememberor invent concerning the many acts of cruel treachery which theMeer Walli had perpetrated, and concluded by an eulogium on his ownmanifold virtues. 

During the course of the day a Hindoo from Peshawur peeped cautiouslyinto my tent, and, on my inquiring his business, he approached, andwith many salaams, laid a bag of money at my feet; rather astonishedat so unusual an offering, I requested to know the cause of this actof generosity, and I was informed that it was a "first offering, " or, in other words, a bribe to propitiate me, in the hope that I would usemy influence to get the Hindoo out of the clutches of Meer Baber Beg. The story he told me was, that some years back he came to Heibuk totrade, and having made a little money was packing up his propertypreparatory to his departure, when he was suddenly ordered into theMeer's presence. "Friend, " said this benign ruler, "stay here alittle longer; it is not right that, having made a sum of money in mycountry, you should spend it in your own. " Since then, he added, hehad been ill-treated and robbed several times to satisfy the rapacityof this wicked monster; and then, as if frightened at his ownexpressions, he peered cautiously round the tent, apparently fancyingthe Meer himself would start from behind the screen to punish him forhis audacity. I returned him his 250 rupees, but told him if his storywere true I would use what little influence I possessed to procure hisrelease. When Baber Beg came to pay us his evening visit I broachedthe subject, and requested as a favour that the Hindoo might bepermitted to accompany our party as a guide and interpreter. "If youwill take my advice, " said he, "you will have nothing to say to thescoundrel, who will come to a bad end: he has been deceiving you; butif, after my warning, you still wish to have him as a guide, take himby all means. "

Accordingly I took him, but in justice to the Meer's discrimination ofcharacter it must be owned that my protegé, as soon as he consideredhimself safe from the Meer's indignation, proved himself to thefull as great a scoundrel as he had been represented. The followingmorning, before taking our departure, Sturt presented to the Meer'syoungest son a handsome pair of percussion pistols, for which thefather seemed so very grateful that I could not help suspecting heintended to appropriate them to his own use as soon as we were wellaway. 

On leaving the fortress of Heibuk we passed through a very extensivecultivated district, the principal produce being the grain which inHindoostan is called jow[=a]r. The remaining portion of our journey toHazree Soolt[=a]n, which was a distance of eighteen miles, was nothingbut a barren waste with occasional patches of low jungle. We were nowevidently on the farthest spur of the Hindoo Khoosh; the hills werelow and detached, gradually uniting into the endless plain whichbounded the horizon to the north and west. On the road we met amessenger who was on his way to Sir Alexander Burnes at K[=a]bul, having come from Bokhara, bearing a letter from the _Vakeel_, ornative ambassador, whom Sir Alexander had sent some time back toendeavour, by persuasion or stratagem, to effect the release of ourunfortunate countryman, Col. Stoddart. The courier, who had receivedthe account from the Vakeel, whether true or false he could notinform us, stated "that Col. Stoddart accompanied the Persian army toHer[=a]t, and finding they could not make the desired impressionon the walls, raised the siege, and the Colonel left the army andproceeded across to Bokhara, whether to endeavour to effect therelease of the Russian slaves, (there being many in the dominions ofthe Bokhara King, ) or merely for amusement, he could not say; but thatthe latter was the generally received opinion. On approaching the cityof the tyrant king he met a man riding furiously away with a woman, and as she passed, called out to the Colonel Amaun, Amaun! mercy, mercy! whereupon he immediately galloped up to the ravisher, andsecuring the deliverance of the woman, told her to keep under hisprotection until he entered the city. On the first day afterhis arrival the King passed as the Colonel was riding onhorseback, and although the latter gave the salute usualin his own country, it did not satisfy the ruler; moreover, he, theFeringhi, was on horseback without permission, and therefore the Khanordered him the following day into his presence. Messengers the nextmorning were sent, who abruptly entered the Colonel's house, andfinding he would not willingly submit, dragged him before their chief. He was asked, why he had infringed the customs of the country byriding on horseback in the city, and why he did not pay the recognisedsubmission to the ruler of a free country? The reply was, that thesame compliment had been paid to the King of Bokhara as was customaryin Europe to a crowned head. And why have you presumed to ride onhorseback within the city walls, where no Feringhi is allowed? BecauseI was ignorant of the custom. It's a lie; my messengers ordered youto dismount and you would not. 'Tis true, they did order me and I didnot, but I thought they were doing more than their duty. After thisthe King ordered him into confinement, where he now is. "

The courier, after giving us this information, remarked that hewas penniless, and that as his business concerned the safety of acountryman, he hoped we would assist him. Though we were not quitesatisfied with the man's story, we stood the chance of its being true, and furnished him with funds for the prosecution of his journey, for which, on our return to Cabul, we were kindly thanked by SirAlexander, who informed us that the note from the Vakeel conveyed theintelligence of the failure of his endeavours, and that he had himselfbeen put in confinement. 

At the time of which I am writing both Dost Mahommed Kh[=a]n and hisnotorious son Akbar were prisoners at Bokhara; but the means takenby _their_ friends to release them were more successful than thoseadopted by our politicals at Cabul. It appears that the chief at ShereSubz had for some time been at enmity with his Bokhara neighbour, and, wishing to do Dost Mahommed a good turn, he picked out fifty of themost expert thieves in his dominions--a difficult selection where theclaims of all to this bad preeminence were so strong--but the ShereSubz chief was from experience a tolerable judge of the qualificationsof an expert rogue, and having pitched upon his men, he promised themvaluable presents, provided they effected, by whatever means theymight choose to adopt, the release of the Dost; hinting at the sametime that if they failed he should be under the necessity of seizingand selling their families. The thieves were successful, and at theexpiration of a month the Dost was free. 

If we could have interested the chief of Shere Subz in our favour bypresents and fair words, might not the same means have been employedfor the rescue of poor Stoddart? The only way to deal with a ruffianlike him of Bokhara would have been by pitting against him some of hisown stamp. 

The King of Bokhara has several times endeavoured to coerce theShere Subz's chief, but the instant a hostile force appears on hisfrontiers, the latter causes the whole of his country to be inundated, so that the invader is obliged to retire, and is by this stratagemkept at a respectful distance. 

Another traveller came across us this day, who had resided for someyears at Kok[=a]n, and furnished us with some account of the nature ofthe Chinese garrison of that fort. It is situated on an isolated rock, and every five years relieved with men, provisions, and ammunition;the flanks of the bastions are armed with ponderous wall pieces, requiring three men to work them. Chambers are also bored in the liverock, from whence enormous masses of stone might be discharged on anassailing foe. The Kok[=a]nese have often attempted to dislodge theintruders, but owing to the good state of defence in which the fortis kept, and the strong escorts under which the reliefs are regularlyforwarded, they have been always repulsed with severe loss. Myinformant had been in the service of the Kok[=a]nese, and was now onhis way to Hindoostan; in military notions he must have been of thefamous Captain Dugald Dalgetty's school, for I afterwards met him as anon-commissioned officer in Shah Seujah's Goorkah battalion. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

A march of eighteen miles brought us on the 19th July to Koollum. 

[Illustration: Drawn by J. Cowell Esq! Pelham Richardson Litho

View of Koollum, from the eastward. ]

The road continued along the banks of the river, through a wide valleybounded by low distant hills for nearly the whole way. Towards the endof our journey a spur from these hills struck right across the directionof the river, which had forced for itself a passage through the obstaclewithout deviating much from its rectilinear course, but considerablydisturbing its previously placid character, for here it rushed withimpetuous violence through the narrow cleft which it had formed, throughthis, the most advanced outpost of the glorious range of the HindooKhoosh. The defile, though short, was difficult of access and capable ofbeing long defended; there is a small tower about the centre, slightlyremoved from and commanding the road: but a mere handfull of troopsstationed on the crags above could, by hurling down the loosened massesof rock which totter on the edge of the cliff, for a time effectuallystop the progress of a hostile army from either side. I should imagine, however, that this as well as every other pass I have ever seen exceptthe Khyber and Bolun would be more easily turned than forced. 

On emerging from this last defile, a prospect presents itself stronglycontrasting with the romantic scenery we had recently been witnessing. Immediately before us lay the populous city of Koollum, the fortressstanding on a small isolated eminence, and the dome-shaped housesembosomed in the deep foliage of their gardens and orchards clusteredround it for miles on every side. Immediately on the outskirts of thecity the desert commences, which, stretching away to Bokhara as far asthe eye could reach, formed a melancholy and uninviting backgroundto the busy scene before us. As we approached the city, we had ourmisgivings as to the nature of our reception by the Meer Walli, as, contrary to the treatment we had invariably experienced from thechiefs of all the considerable places through which we had hadoccasion to pass since entering Toorkisth[=a]n, no one appeared on thepart of the Meer to welcome us. At length, after wandering about thesuburbs for more than an hour, followed by a crowd of gaping idlerswho seemed half disposed to question our right of _squatting_, weselected an open space and commenced unloading our baggage animals, and prepared to establish ourselves. 

Our spirits were raised, however, soon after, by the welcome arrivalof an officer of the Meer's household, who was sent by his masterto convey us to the caravanserai, where, after a short period, wereceived three or four sheep with fruit and other provisions of alldescriptions, which supply was regularly continued during the wholetime we remained at Koollum. Our uneasiness, thus quieted, was soonentirely dispelled by a message announcing that a visit from the greatman himself would take place in the evening. We must have been ratherdifficult to please, however, on this particular day, for after thewished-for visit was over, we both agreed that it had been dreadfullytiresome; to be sure, as fate would have it, we had not had time toeat our dinner before his arrival, and etiquette obliged us to defereating till after his departure, which did not release us till pastmidnight, though he made his appearance soon after eight o'clock. 

In person the Meer Walli was certainly very prepossessing; his voicewas peculiarly musical, and his manner gentlemanly and easy; his facewould have been eminently handsome but for a dreadful wound by whichhe had lost a portion of his nose. At this our first interview nothingrelative to our own future proceedings was discussed, though thatwas the subject uppermost in our own minds, as we could not but feelourselves entirely at the mercy of a robber prince of notoriouscharacter. As it was, the conversation was made up of thosecompliments and common-places with which the Orientals know so wellhow to fill up "awkward pauses, " when, for reasons of their own, theydo not intend talking upon the real business. He very politely accededto our request of visiting the bazaar the following morning, whichbeing market-day, the influx of strangers from the Tartar encampmentsat the different oases of the Bokhara Desert, and country people fromthe Toorkisth[=a]n mountains, was very great. One of his household wasalways in attendance as we passed out of the gate of the caravanserai, where we lodged, to conduct us about, and act in the double capacityof spy and cicerone. The city was crowded, and our appearance excitedconsiderable sensation--much more so in truth than was pleasant, forwe were followed wherever we went by a very curious and a very dirtycrowd. We had heard a good deal about the Mahommedan college atKoollum, and of course were very anxious to see what comparisonexisted between it and our own colleges: we could trace none beyondthe term of college. The house itself was new and capacious, withclean-looking apartments for the scholars. We entered the hallsof study, which were long narrow verandahs, and found severalwhite-bearded and sagacious-looking Moollahs reading out portions ofthe Kor[=a]n to their attentive scholars, with a grave countenance anda loud nasal twang, exciting a propensity to laughter which I withdifficulty repressed. I do not think the reasoning of the college isvery deep, or that the talents of its senior wrangler need be veryfirst-rate, and am inclined to suspect that this pompous readingwas got up for the occasion for the purpose of astonishing the weakintellects of the Feringhee strangers. 

From the college we proceeded to the slave market, which was wellfurnished, and chiefly supplied from the ever victimized Huzarehs; thewomen were generally ill-favoured, but all appeared contented withtheir lot so that _somebody_ purchased them. After making the tour ofthe city in search of wonders, we returned home, hot, wearied, anddisappointed, for we had found nothing to repay us for the annoyanceswe had been subjected to from the impertinent curiosity of the filthymultitude. Our own intentions were to get away from Koollum in orderto be able to reach Balkh and return to C[=a]bul before the coldweather should set in; but alas! our wishes were not destined to befulfilled. Our uneasiness concerning the real intentions of the Meerwas again excited towards the evening, for one of our followers cameto us almost frantic with terror, stammering out as soon as hisnervous state permitted him to speak, that he had heard it stated as anotorious fact that we were all to be detained at Koollum--that suchwas the pleasure of the Meer. The reader will believe that thisintelligence was any thing but satisfactory; I could not helpconjuring up visions of a long and wearisome captivity--of hopedeferred and expectations disappointed--with Stoddart's melancholysituation as a near precedent. I managed to make myself for a shorttime as thoroughly uncomfortable as if I were already a prisoner, butsoon a sense of the great foolishness of indulging in this tone ofthought came over me, and making a strong effort to shake off thegloomy shadows of an imaginary future, I betook myself to consider thebest means of ascertaining, in the first instance, the truth of thereport, which if I had done so at once would have saved me a good dealof painful thought. As a preliminary step I desired a couple of ourAffgh[=a]n escort to proceed, so as not to excite suspicion, to thebourj or _watch tower_ in the centre of the defile by which we hadapproached Koollum, and through which our only retreat must have been, to ascertain if the post was occupied by any of the Meer's people. They soon brought us the satisfactory intelligence that not a manwas to be seen; but the Affgh[=a]ns qualified their information bypersisting in their opinion that some treachery was intended. Sostrong was this feeling amongst our men that it became imperativelynecessary that our doubts should be resolved into certainty one wayor the other, and Sturt and I, after a short consultation, determinedthat at the interview which was to take place next morning we shouldput the question to the chief categorically. Having come to thisconclusion, we were obliged to smoke the "pipe of patience" on the"couch of uncertainty" till the Meer Walli arrived. 

The Meer made his appearance the following morning, and, after theusual compliments, to our great astonishment himself touched on thesubject. "I have heard, " said he, "that you have sent out spies to seeif the Bourj in the defile is occupied, and if any of my peopleare abroad to restrain your movements. " This was rather an ominouscommencement: "but, " continued the old gentleman, "if such had been myintention, could I not have put the whole of you into confinement themoment you arrived? At all events, what could you and your partydo against my force?" Sturt glanced his eye at the speaker; for aninstant, too, it rested on me, as if to read my opinion; then heboldly answered, "You may outnumber us by thousands, but you willnever capture us alive. " He said this so calmly, with such politenessof manner, and yet so firmly, that the Meer was evidently taken aback:at length he replied, "But no such piece of villainy has ever enteredmy head. " He then adroitly changed the subject, and shortly after tookhis leave. 

When he was gone we held another council of war. It was by no meansclear that the last declaration of the chief was a sincere one; butit might have been a temporizing answer elicited by the perhapsunexpected boldness of Sturt's remark. We determined, at all events, to keep on the alert, guard against any surprise, avoid as much aspossible offering any pretext for offence, and, if the worst came tothe worst, make as good a resistance as we could. 

The next day we received a polite message, requesting an interview, and asking us to visit him in his favourite garden. Under allcircumstances we deemed it best to allow it to appear that oursuspicions were dissipated, and we accordingly accepted theinvitation, and found the Meer seated on the chabooka, or _raisedplatform of masonry_, under the shade of some magnificent trees. Heimmediately commenced saying, "The reason I did not go out to meet youas you approached my city is, that during the warm weather I sleep thegreater portion of the day and sit up enjoying the coolness of thenight air; but I sent a messenger to escort you in with all care, andunfortunately _he missed the way_. " Such an excuse was possible, butnot at all probable. We did not give him credit for telling the truthabout the guide, as there was only one road from Heibuk, and theapproach of our party to Koollum was known in the city several daysbefore our arrival. It was now evident to us that on our approach theMeer Walli was undecided whether he should treat us as friends orfoes; it seemed that for the present he had determined in our favour, but distrusting his capricious disposition we were only the moreanxious to get out of his reach, though we both agreed that the wisestand safest plan would be to carry our heads very high and put a boldfront upon all our proceedings. This decision we came to whilstsitting in the garden in the presence of the Meer. Suddenly we hearda confused murmur behind us, and the heavy sound of the butt end ofseveral muskets striking the ground as in "ordering arms;" we turnedsharply round, and perceived with astonishment, not unmingledwith satisfaction, that six or eight of our Affgh[=a]n guard, notwithstanding the numerous followers round the Meer, had entered thegarden of their own accord and placed themselves immediately in ourrear with bayonets fixed. The Meer appeared to take no notice of thisextraordinary intrusion, and after a few compliments permitted us towithdraw. 

On returning to the caravanserai we inquired why the guard had actedthus without orders; they told us they had secretly heard thattreachery was intended by the Meer towards us, and that therefore theyhad deemed it their duty to protect us from any surprise; moreover, that ten more of the guard had been stationed close outside the gardenready to support them at a moment's notice. Our own opinion was thatat that time nothing of the kind was in contemplation, but it wassatisfactory to view the determined spirit which animated our men. Strange anomaly that these very men who now came voluntarily forwardto protect our persons from insult at the imminent risk of theirlives, should have been found amongst those who, with their arms andaccoutrements, had deserted in a body from the British to the side ofthe Ex-Ameer at the battle of Bamee[=a]n a few months after. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Pursuant to our plan of appearing to have full confidence in the MeerWalli's integrity of purpose, we affected to lay aside all personalprecaution and courted his society, of which, to say truth, heseemed disposed to give us plenty. We had several interviews withhim, --indeed, hardly a day passed without his sending for andhonouring us with his presence for several hours. 

During these meetings we used every endeavour to sound the chief as tohis intentions with respect to us, without betraying an undue anxietyon the subject, but could make very little out of him. 

Our conversation frequently turned on military matter, and many verypertinent questions were put to us relative to our rank, pay, duties, discipline, &c. On Sturt informing him that he was in the engineerdepartment, and that his particular duties were to construct bridges, repair fortifications, superintend mining operations, and furnishplans of attack, he was promptly asked, "In how long a time do youthink your army could take my fortress?" In about a quarter of anhour, answered Sturt in his quiet way. "No, no, " said the Meer withsome indignation, "I am sure you could not do so in so short a time;"and then he paused, evidently making up his mind to tell us a story. After a little, out it came. "That Feringhis should take my fortress, the strongest in the world, in a quarter of an hour is impossible, for it took me, with five hundred horsemen, double that time. " Then, apparently forgetting his anger in the anxiety to recount his ownexploits, he continued, "when I took possession of this fort I leftmy army at a little distance, and selecting a few expert warriors, I gallopped up to the gate of the fortress, which I found _open_. Idashed in before the enemy were alarmed, and immediately proclaimedthat the place was taken by the victorious Merr Walli. The foolsbelieved me, and all ran away. By-and-bye my army came up and marchedquietly in. "

We had heard some time before that Dost Mahommed's eldest son, MeerUfzul Khan, was in Koollum, and it must be confessed that thiscircumstance did not much contribute to our sense of security, for wecould not but feel that we might fairly expect he would not lose sopalpable an opportunity of doing us harm should he be so disposed. Onemorning he sent us a polite message to request an interview, which ofcourse was readily granted. He came, looking pale and sorrowful, and his tone and manner soon satisfied us that his intentions werepeaceable. After the usual compliments he entered on the subject ofhis father's present position and political prospects; he remarkedthat our _star was too bright_, and assured us that his father wasanxious to accede to any terms which the British might think fit toimpose short of banishing him to India, and strongly urged us to writeto our Government to that effect. We explained to Ufzul Khan that wehad received no instructions to act in a political capacity, and thatany interference on our part with the affairs of the nation might belooked upon by our superiors as an unwarrantable piece of presumption. He seemed much disappointed at the reply, and, at last, Sturt promisedto write and mention the conversation to the authorities, which hedid. I am not certain whether he wrote to Dr. Lord or Sir WilliamM'Naghten, nor can be positive that his letter ever reached itsdestination--at all events, it was of no avail. Ufzul Kh[=a]nendeavoured to persuade us to remain at Koollum till his father shouldarrive, who, he said, had escaped from his prison at Bokhara by theassistance of the chief of Shere Subz, as I have already noticed, and was now making his way to the territories of the Meer Walli bya circuitous route, so as to elude the vigilance of the king, andfrustrate his endeavours to recapture him. We were much pleased tofind that Ufzul Khan had no suspicion of our not being free agents, and Sturt answered he regretted much that the shortness of the time wehad yet at our disposal would prevent his complying with his request, which, indeed, considering all the circumstances of the case, it wouldhave been an act of most culpable folly to have acceded to. At theconclusion of this interview Sturt presented him with a handsomerifle, which he received with the utmost gratitude, saying that he wasnow poor and had nothing to offer in return but his thanks, which, however, he hoped we would believe to be sincere. 

No sooner had Meer Ufzul taken his leave than the Meer Walli made hisappearance with the evident intention of ascertaining the resultsof our interview, and the part we were disposed to take in anynegociation concerning the Dost. The Meer was apparently anxious toremain on good terms with both parties, or, in other words, preferredhaving two strings to his bow. "Should the Dost claim my protection, "said he, "how would you advise me to act?--He is your enemy, yet Imust not abandon him, or deliver him into the hands of the British;for, although I do not wish to offend the British Government, I owe mypresent power to the influence of the Ameer, --he has always been mypatron, and I must be his friend. And then, moreover, you are thefirst British officers I have seen since your army took possession ofAffghanist[=a]n; no notice has been taken of me, the Meer Walli ofKoollum; yet, to the petty chiefs of Bamee[=a]n vakeels and friendlymessages have been sent, with valuable presents--while, to my repeatedletters courting an amicable alliance, not even an answer has beengiven. --Is it courteous to treat an inferior so?--Is it the conductgenerally adopted by the first nation in the world? The doubtful wayin which your Government has behaved leaves me uncertain as to how myconduct will be interpreted, --but, if _you_ will represent that theMeer Walli wishes to be on terms of amity, I shall consider you asmy best friends. Indeed, I would have it known I wish to remainas neutral as possible in any political struggle that may takeplace. "--Here he paused, as if expecting some answer which would bea guide to him, but, receiving none, he at length continued: "Iwill receive the Dost and be kind to him until he recovers from thefatigues of his journey, and then will beg him to leave Koollum. "--Itwas obvious enough that a consideration for himself was the onlymotive which really influenced our worthy guest, who, it was clear, would gladly have betrayed his former patron if he could have inducedus to guarantee an adequate reward to himself. Of course we did notfeel authorised to hold out any such prospect, and endeavoured toconvince him of the truth that we were not employed in any politicalcapacity, and could not possibly interfere without exposing ourselvesto severe animadversions from our superiors. I could not but feel thetruth of the Meer's remarks on our policy in conciliating the pettychiefs, whilst the friendly overtures of the more powerful weretreated almost with insulting neglect. 

From the expression of the Meer's sentiments during this interview, weconcluded that, however great a rascal his highness might eventuallyprove, still his present policy was to be on good terms with us, andall anxiety on our part as to being forcibly detained was allayed, sothat we began now seriously to determine on our future proceedings. As one of the principal objects I had in view on joining Sturt wasto procure coins and those relics of antiquity so abundant in theneighbourhood of Balkh, I was most anxious to prosecute my journeyhither, and accordingly took an opportunity of explaining to theMeer my wishes and intentions, requesting him to furnish me with anadequate escort for my protection. He evinced a decided unwillingnessto facilitate my advance, treating my anxiety to collect coins as anassumed reason to conceal some other more important motive. This wasvery provoking, but, by this time, we were so much accustomed to havethe true and simple account of our plans and intentions treated withcivil incredulity, that we felt almost disposed to allow thefrequent insinuations of our concealed political character to remainuncontradicted--so useless were all our endeavours to satisfy thenatives as to our real position. In vain I urged upon the Meer theemptiness of all his professions of friendship if he now declined toassist me in the manner I clearly pointed out; all was of no avail; onthe contrary, the more urgent I became the more obstinate he grew, andI at last was painfully convinced, not only that he disbelieved me, but that he had not the slightest intention of permitting us toproceed across his frontier in the direction of the territories of theKing of Bokh[=a]r[=a]. He objected that it was a long journey fromC[=a]bul to Balkh merely to pick up "rubbish;" and though the actualdanger was only for a short space, yet, if any accident happened, if, as he declared was highly probable, we were seized and carried intoslavery, he should have to answer to the British Government. Hishorsemen too would be an insufficient protection against an attackfrom the numerous hordes of thieves who infested the desert, andwould surely be on the alert to pounce upon so valuable a booty. He continued repeating these arguments till we lost all hope ofpersuading him, and not deeming it advisable to risk a rupture of ourpresent apparently good understanding, we reluctantly submitted andturned our thoughts homewards. [*]

[* Note: The anxiety I have here shewn to procure the escort fromthe Meer will perhaps appear uncalled for, but those who delight innumismatological specimens will agree with me that the disappointmentwas not trifling, as only a few travellers had succeeded in obtainingrare coins, and I had every reason to believe other varieties were tobe found. ]

[Illustration: Coins. ]

No sooner was it rumoured in the bazaar that we were about to returnto Cabul, than several Hindoo bankers waited upon us to pay theirrespects and offer whatever sums of money we might require forthe journey. They were all very anxious to lend, and were muchdissatisfied at the insignificant amount of the cash we required, though the only security was a written promise that we would pay theamount to a certain banker in Cabul on our return; they offered usas much as ten thousand rupees, and appeared very anxious to availthemselves of the opportunity of sending money to Cabul. At all eventstheir confidence was a gratifying proof of the high estimation inwhich the British name was held in that remote country. 

CHAPTER XV. 

After a most friendly parting interview with the Meer Walli, when hepresented us with a horse and baggage pony, we started from Koollum onthe 22nd of July, accompanied, by the Meer's special directions, byone of his confidential servants to act ostensibly as our guide, butwho, probably, had also his secret instructions to report on all suchof our proceedings as might in any way affect the interests of hismaster. 

We proposed to diverge from the route by which we had advanced, atHeibuk, passing through Ghoree, in the territories of the Koondoozchief, and returning to Badjgh[=a]r by the Dushti Suffaed pass, whichSturt was very anxious to survey. 

Our first day's march brought us to Hazree Sultan, and the nextmorning we reached Heibuk, where we were cordially welcomed by our oldfriend Meer Baber Beg, and had again to undergo the infliction of thatdetestable compound of grease, flour, salt, and tea, which the Meer inhis hospitality was always pressing us to swallow. 

On our departure the next morning, he sent us a present of a horse;an indifferent one, 'tis true, but, at least, it marked his kindlyfeeling; he warned us not to delay longer than was absolutelynecessary in the country of Meer Moorad Beg, whom he described in novery flattering terms; and he, moreover, cautioned us against theKoondooz fever, which he declared would inevitably attack us if wewere not very careful in selecting our encamping ground at a distancefrom the pestilential marshes which skirted the bases of the hills. Wethanked him for his friendly advice, and started for Rhob[=a]t, wherewe arrived after a dismal ride of twenty-two miles. The countrythrough which we travelled was perhaps the most dreary portion ofToorkisth[=a]n; for about twelve miles we traversed a dry low grassjungle of about a foot in height, tenanted by a species of wild goat, several of which we disturbed on our passage through their haunts, butnot being prepared for any sport, I did not take advantage of theirunwariness. 

The road was utterly devoid of water for a space of full sixteenmiles, at the end of which we came upon a scanty supply, scarcesufficient for our immediate necessities and utterly inadequate for aforce of any magnitude. The pista tree, the fruit of which is carriedto the Indian market, was seen here in considerable quantities; it isvery similar in its growth and foliage to the Dauk of Hindoostan. 

The _assa foetida_ shrub also abounded on the neighbouring hills, andwe were almost overpowered by the horrible stench exhaled therefrom. It is collected in its wild state and sent to C[=a]bul and India, yielding a good profit to those who pick it, as it is used verygenerally throughout the East for kabobs and curries. We alsoobserved, that day, several coveys of chikore. 

At Rhobat is an old caravanserai for travellers, the remains of a veryfine and extensive building, with accommodation and apartments allround the square of about twenty-four yards. It is said to have beenconstructed in the time of the famous Abdoollah Khan, and was reducedto its present desolate state by Meer Moorad Beg, the chief ofKoondooz, who some years ago ravaged the whole of this district, burning and laying waste whatever he could not carry off. 

On the 25th of July we marched to Ghoree, a distance of about 21miles. As we approached it, we enjoyed a fine prospect of theextensive savannahs of grass so characteristic of Toorkisth[=a]n; manyhorses were feeding in the distance, and the vale, flanked by lowhills, was bounded only by the horizon. We were told that it extendedin a right line upwards of thirty miles, and that it was frequentlyused for horse-racing, the customary length of the course beingupwards of twenty miles. We were now in the territories of Meer MooradBeg, a chief of notorious character, but, trusting to the continuanceof the good fortune which had hitherto attended us, we did not makeourselves uncomfortable about him. We could not much admire his townof Ghoree, which, with his fort, was situate on the edge of a morassextending from the limits of the savannah to the foot of the hills--Ishould think that the fever so prevalent in these districts must be ina great degree attributable to the absolute want of drainage and thedecomposition of vegetable matter. Its position was most insalubrious, for the marshy swamps commenced at the very base of hills, and thus asit were encircled the savannahs with a belt of miasma. 

The ague, which is usually accompanied by fever, is of a kind verydifficult to shake off, gradually weakening the sufferer till he sinksunder its influence; the natives themselves are by no means free fromits strokes, to which attacks every stranger who remains for many daysin the vicinity of the marshes is liable. Though a veil of mysterystill covers the particulars of poor Moorcroft's fate, it seems morethan probable that he fell a victim to the fever of this country, though the seed that was sown did not mature till some time after hehad quitted it. 

The fort of Ghoree has great strength, being on a level with theadjacent country and surrounded by a wet ditch thirty feet wide andvery deep; its stagnant water teemed with fish of a large size, butI had no opportunity of ascertaining their species. There was a rudedrawbridge across the moat, and the dwellings around the fort weretemporary hovels composed of straw; so suspicious were the occupantsof our intentions that they would not allow us access to the interiorof the fort. While reposing at the door of my tent on the evening ofour arrival at Ghoree, I was accosted by an old man, with the usualrequest for a little medicine, as one of his family was afflicted withrheumatism; I gave from our now much reduced medicine chest what Ithought at least could do no harm, and endeavoured, as was my custom, to engage the old gentleman in conversation. I have before mentionedthe propensity of these people for _story-telling_, and I much fearthat when, with their native acuteness in discriminating character, they detect an anxiety on the part of the questioner for old stories, no difficulty exists in the concoction of one for him. In the case nowalluded to, I beg to assure my readers that I do not in the slightestdegree pledge myself for the veracity of the story which the old manrelated to me. I should not like even to say that the customs to whichhe alluded were really "_bonâ fide"_ the customs of his country;however, I give it as it was related, nothing doubting that it will bereceived with due caution, and, at all events, though it may not bereceived as a legend really characteristic of Toorkisth[=a]n weddings, it has indisputable claims to illustrate the habits of Toorkisth[=a]n_story-tellers_. 

I was remarking to him on the beauty and extent of his savannahs, and, in assenting to what I said, he observed that they were frequentlythe theatre of wedding races; having soon engaged my attention, heproceeded to narrate the following story, founded perhaps on thenumerous outrages of which the despised Huzareh tribe were thevictims. 

"Far up in one of the numerous valleys of the Yakkoollung country, " hecommenced, "resided an ancient couple, whose occupation throughout thesummer day consisted in storing food for the winter season, and who, when their work was finished, continued mournfully to dwell on theall-absorbing subject of the forcible abduction of their daughter byone of the Uzbeg chiefs. 

"Two years and more had now passed since the outrage was perpetratedby a party of Uzbeg horsemen, who, ever bent on plunder and bloodshed, made an incursion into the valley, visiting the different forts atthe time when the male inhabitants were employed in the labour ofcultivation, and seizing numerous youths and maidens. On the occasionalluded to, among the number of victims was the only daughter of theaged Huzareh peasants, who was considered amongst her tribe as aperfect Peri--'A maid with a face like the moon, scented like musk, a ravisher of hearts, delighting the soul, seducing the senses, andbeautiful as the full moon, ' She was placed for security behind one ofthe best mounted of the robbers, whilst the other helpless wretcheswere driven unresistingly before the horsemen like a flock of sheep, till the abductors reached their own independent territory. 

"Before the close of that ill-fated day, the mothers and relationsof the stolen were rushing in frantic despair through the fields, announcing to the husbands and fathers the misfortune which hadovertaken them. 

"The men immediately quitted their work, and armed only with theirimplements of labour pursued the ravishers for many a mile; butwhat could they do on foot against so many horsemen? Perhaps it wasfortunate for them that they could not overtake the robbers, for theywould only have become additional victims. They returned home tobewail their unhappy fate and curse the cruel authors of their misery. 

"It happened about a year afterwards that the old man's son returnedfrom Candah[=a]r, to enjoy, as he anticipated, a few weeks' happinesswith his aged parents and blooming sister; but no sooner had hecrossed the threshhold and received the blessing of his tremblingparents, than he was made aware of the desolation that had passed overhis house. Vowing vengance on the perpetrators of this foul act, andcalling down the anger of heaven on all the generation of Uzbegs, thebrave Azeem left his home, and abandoning all hopes of repose, busiedhimself in collecting a band of athletic and desperate young men, whoswore on the Kor[=a]n their determination to have revenge or perishin the attempt. Young Azeem was unanimously chosen commander ofthe party, and the next morning at break of day, without furtherpreparation beyond taking a small supply of food, they started ontheir journey. Travelling long days, and resting short nights in thecrevices of the mountains, after eighteen days' toil, they at lengthreached a part of Tartary, distant only two days' march from the fortbelonging to the robber Uzbegs who had so cruelly injured them. It nowbecame necessary to advance with more circumspection, as they could nolonger depend upon the peasants for protection in the less friendlycountry they had reached, so separating into several small partiesthey approached stealthily the Uzbeg fort; some kept the hills oneither side, while the rest followed the winding of the grassy plains. Thus proceeding, they formed a kind of circle round the fort, so thatthey could notice the ingress or departure of its tenants on everyside. The fort appeared too strong for an open attack, and when, atnight, the leaders of the detached parties assembled to discuss theirfuture plans and to report what they had seen during the day, it wasdetermined to lie in ambush another day for the chance of the mainbody of the Uzbegs quitting their fort on some foray, so that theywould have a better chance, should it become necessary to attack it. Providence seemed to favour their designs, for early next morningconsiderable parties of Uzbegs were seen issuing from the fort andproceeding towards a large savannah, where some festival was evidentlyin preparation--for, from the quantity of women and children whoaccompanied the horsemen, it was clear that fighting was not thebusiness of the day. 

"Anxiously did Azeem and his followers watch the movements of theirunsuspecting enemy, and soon, from the nature of the preparationsgoing forward, they discovered that a wedding race was about to takeplace. It was instantly determined to allow the ceremony to proceed, and the capture of the bride was to be the signal for all the Huzarehsto rush in and carry out their object. 

"And now the suitors of the maiden, nine in number, appear in thefield, all unarmed, but mounted on the best horses they can procure;while the bride herself, on a beautiful Turkoman stallion, surroundedby her relations, anxiously surveys the group of lovers. Theconditions of the bridal race were these:--The maiden has a certainstart given, which she avails herself of to gain a sufficient distancefrom the crowd to enable her to manage her steed with freedom, so asto assist in his pursuit the suitor whom she prefers. On a signal fromthe father all the horsemen gallop after the fair one, and whicheverfirst succeeds in encircling her waist with his arm, no matter whetherdisagreeable or to her choice, is entitled to claim her as his wife. After the usual delays incident upon such interesting occasions, themaiden quits the circle of her relations, and putting her steed intoa hand gallop, darts into the open plain. When satisfied with herposition, she turns round to the impatient youths, and stretches outher arms towards them, as if to woo their approach. This is the momentfor giving the signal to commence the chace, and each of the impatientyouths, dashing his pointed heels into his courser's sides, darts likethe unhooded hawk in pursuit of the fugitive dove. The savannah wasextensive, full twelve miles long and three in width, and as thehorsemen sped across the plain the favoured lover became soon apparentby the efforts of the maiden to avoid all others who might approachher. 

"At length, after nearly two hours' racing, the number of pursuers isreduced to four, who are all together, and gradually gaining on thepursued; with them is the favourite, but alas! his horse suddenlyfails in his speed, and as she anxiously turns her head she perceiveswith dismay the hapless position of her lover; each of the morefortunate leaders, eager with anticipated triumph, bending his head onhis horse's mane, shouts at the top of his voice, "I come, my Peri;I'm your lover. " But she, making a sudden turn, and lashing her horsealmost to fury, darts across their path, and makes for that part ofthe chummun, _plain_, where her lover was vainly endeavouring to goadon his weary steed. 

"The three others instantly check their career, but in the hurry toturn back two of the horses are dashed furiously against each other, so that both steeds and riders roll over on the plain. The maidenlaughed, for she well knew she could elude the single horseman, andflew to the point where her lover was. But her only pursuer was rarelymounted and not so easily shaken off; making a last and desperateeffort he dashed alongside the maiden, and, stretching out his arm, almost won the unwilling prize; but she, bending her head to herhorse's neck, eluded his grasp and wheeled off again. Ere thediscomfited horseman could again approach her her lover's arm wasaround her waist, and amidst the shouts of the spectators they turnedtowards the fort. 

"Alas! this was the agreed signal amongst the Huzarehs, who, screenedby the undulations of the savannah or hidden in the watercourses, hadbeen anxiously awaiting the event. With a simultaneous shout theyrush in upon the unprepared multitude, and commence an indiscriminatemassacre; but short was their success, for a distant party of Uzbegswere observed rapidly gallopping to the scene of action, and theHuzarehs were compelled to retire, their spirit for vengeance yetunslaked. The panic their sudden onslaught had caused was so greatthat they might all have retired unmolested had not Azeem suddenlyrecognized his sister amongst a group of females who were beinghurried towards the fort. Regardless of the almost certain death thatawaited him he rushed to embrace her, but hardly had he clasped her inhis arms when the chief of the harem drove his Persian dagger throughhis back. At sight of this all thoughts of further revenge wereabandoned, and the Huzarehs hastily quitting the field made the bestof their way home, not without having, though at the expense of thelife of their leader, inflicted a severe punishment on the invaders oftheir peaceful country, "[*]

[* Note: Clark, in his Travels in Russia and Tartary, describes theceremony of marriage among the Calmucks as performed on horseback. 

"The girl is first mounted and rides off at full speed. Her loverpursues, and if he overtakes her she becomes his wife, and themarriage is consummated on the spot; after which she returns with himto his tent. But it sometimes happens that the woman does not wish tomarry the person by whom she is pursued, in which case she will notsuffer him to overtake her; and we were assured that no instanceoccurs of a Calmuck girl being caught, unless she has a partiality forher pursuer. If she dislikes him she rides, to use the language ofan English sportsman, 'neck or nothing, ' until she has completelyescaped, or until the pursuer's horse is tired out, leaving her atliberty to return, and to be afterwards chased by some more favouriteadmirer. "]

Such was the old man's tale; whether the offspring of his fertileimagination, or actually founded upon fact, so plausible did itappear, and so much interested was I in his narration, that it becameforcibly imprinted on my memory, and I have minutely followed him inits details. 

The morning after our arrival at Ghoree several of our followers weretaken ill, and as all were in great dread of the Koondooz fever, aconsiderable alarm prevailed in our small camp. We did not at firstthink much of the sickness, which we attributed to too free anindulgence in the Koondooz melon, which is of a very large size, andequal in flavour to those of Cabul. We therefore determined to remaina day or two at Ghoree, in the hopes of a favourable change takingplace. But on the third day it was evident that the Koondooz fever hadreally made its appearance, and several of the guard and servants, to the number of twenty and upwards, were so much weakened as to beunable to proceed. In this dilemma we deemed it advisable not toremain any longer in the vicinity of the marshes, and resolved toproceed with such of our men as were still healthy, to survey theDushti Suffaed Pass, already alluded to. We determined on leaving thesick and the greater portion of our baggage behind, and despatched aletter to Meer Moorad Beg, requesting permission for them to remain atGhoree till our return, which we hoped would not be delayed beyond afew days. The ruler of Koondooz civilly acceded to our request, andsent us many friendly messages, but hardly sufficient to dispel ouruneasiness at leaving even for so short a time such temptation for thegratification of his predatory propensities; but we had the choice oftwo evils--our time was so short that if we all remained together atGhoree, not only might the ravages of the fever become more serious, but the opportunity would be lost of examining the pass. Beforeleaving Ghoree we received a message from the governor of the fort, apologizing for his inability to visit us, with the excuse that therebeing much treachery and ill will in the neighbourhood, he dare notquit his post, lest he fall under the dreaded displeasure of MeerMoorad Beg. 

We now dismissed, with a dress of honour and letter of thanks, the_confidential_ man whom the Meer Walli of Koollum had ordered toaccompany us, and leaving the greater part of our medicine chest forthe use of the sick, we started on the 28th of August. Before ourdeparture we received a further proof of the friendly disposition ofMoorad Beg, in the shape of a beautiful Toorkm[=a]n saddle, not largerthan an English racing one; the flaps were richly embroidered, and thesteel pommel was inlaid with inscription in gold of sentences from theKor[=a]n. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

We were now about to explore a part of Toorkisth[=a]n which I havereason to believe had never been visited by Europeans; the distancebetween Ghoree and Badjgh[=]ar is about eighty miles, across as wildand romantic a country as can well be conceived, consisting of asuccession of difficult and in some places perilous defiles; the lastof these was the famous Dushti Suffaed, which leads to Badjgh[=a]r. There is a sameness in the features of these Toorkisth[=a]n passeswhich renders a faithful description tedious, from its monotony andthe necessary repetition of similar characteristic features; yet thereader will hardly fail to draw important conclusions from the immensedifficulty and almost practical impossibility that a modern armyof considerable numbers, with all its incumbrances, through such acountry, with any hope of its retaining its efficiency or even atithe of its original numerical strength, will encounter. And when weconsider that the passes of Toorkisth[=a]n embrace only a small partof the distance to be traversed by an army from the west, we maywell dismiss from our minds that ridiculous impression, once sounfortunately prevalent in India, that is now justly denominated_Russophobia_. What a fearful amount of human suffering might havebeen averted! what national disgrace might have been avoided! and whatmillions of treasure saved, had the authorities in India but examinedthe practicability of an invasion which Russia had too much wisdomever seriously to contemplate!

But to return to our wanderings. As I said before, we left Ghoreeearly in the morning of the 28th, and soon reached the foot of thehills, ascending a narrow valley which gradually contracted into arocky ravine. As we traversed the higher levels all vegetation ceased, excepting the Pista tree already alluded to; yet there must have beensome herbage in the gullies, as we saw several flocks of wild goats, so wild indeed that it was impossible to get within rifle rangeof them. We had heard of a place called Shull[=a]ctoo, within thedistance of a day's march, and conceiving naturally that it was ahabitation of men, we determined to pass the night there. As theevening advanced, the aspect of the country assumed a still wilderand more desolate character, our cattle began to show symptoms ofdistress, and as the hills were apparently destitute of water, webecame a little uneasy regarding the nature of our billet. A suddenturn of the ravine brought us to a small open space, without a bladeof grass or a vestige of any thing human, which our guide complacentlyinformed us was Shull[=a]ctoo, a mere "locus standi. " After the firstfeeling of dismay had subsided, we recollected that we had a smallsupply of food for our horses; and water being now found for the firsttime since we entered the hills, --and we had come a good sixteenmiles, --we determined not to proceed further, so pitching our littletent we made ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would admit. 

On the 29th we marched, a distance of fourteen miles, to a small fortcalled Keune. But I unfortunately commenced the day's work by losingmy way amongst the rocks, with some of the guard: after wanderingfor some hours, surrounded by scenery the grandeur of which I shouldbetter have appreciated under different circumstances, one of theAffgh[=a]n soldiers hit upon a pathway, and seeing a man in thedistance, he made for, and, seizing him in the most unceremoniousmanner, brought him to me. The poor fellow was in the greatest stateof alarm; he had evidently never seen a Feringhi before, and fanciedthat his last hour had arrived. I put a rupee into his hand, andendeavoured to make him understand that we were neither robbers normurderers, but travellers who had lost their way; he was naturallyincredulous, for certainly our appearance gave but small indication ofour respectable character. [*] At length we were obliged to intimatethat his fears might be realized unless he showed us the way to Keune, which we eventually reached in the evening, much exhausted with ourexcursion. 

[* Note: I was armed with a huge old-fashioned sword of the 11thdragoons, purchased in the Cabul bazaar, (marked D-XI Dr. ) and clad ina green Swiss frock. I had a coloured turban wound in copious foldsround my head as a protection from the sun, beard of nearly threemonths' growth, and accompanied by a ferocious-looking tribe ofAffghans, all unshorn as well as myself, created anything buta prepossessing impression to a stranger. The reader will not, therefore, feel surprised at the man's hesitation in meeting us. ]

The chief of the fort at first declined furnishing us with anysupplies, though we offered liberal payment, declaring that he hadonly sufficient for his own consumption; he, however, relented, andsent us enough for our immediate wants. He afterwards came himself, and informed us that we had acted very unwisely in mentioning atGhoree the route we proposed to follow, as one of the SheikkalleeHuzareh chiefs, who was in a state of rebellion, had passed throughKeune the day before, and had stated that a party of Feringhis wereabout to pass through his country with a quantity of odd looking boxesfilled with money, (alluding, I suppose, to the theodolite, &c. )and that he would with his whole tribe waylay and rob us. This waspleasant news, but we took the hint and determined to be on our guard. In return for this piece of information, the inhabitants of Keuneexpressed a desire to see the _Feringhis feed_; rather a novelrequest, but one which we easily gratified by striking the walls ofthe tent while we eat our dinner. The natives squatted down in acircle outside the tent pins, and watched every morsel we put into ourmouths with the utmost interest and with many exclamations of surpriseand astonishment; and when before retiring for the night we as usualhad a skinful of water poured over us, their wonder knew no bounds;they were evidently but slightly acquainted with the use of water asapplied for the purposes of cleanliness. 

We left Keune at daybreak on the 30th, hoping to be able to make ourway to Badjgh[=a]r, distant about forty-five miles, by surmounting theKeune pass and proceeding down the Surruk Kulla valley. The ascentwas long and steep, the distance we had to travel before reaching thesummit being above thirteen miles; and though we had been on the movenearly all day, such were the difficulties of the pass that nightovertook us shortly after we had reached its crest. 

Not a sign of habitations or trace of cultivation was visible; we hadno corn for our cattle, but fortunately the more sheltered spots inthe vicinity of water were clothed with luxuriant grass, which thehorses greedily eat. Our followers had, with the improvidence ofAsiatics, brought but a scanty supply of food, and indeed we wereall to blame for having trusted too much to the wild mountainsfor supplies. There were plenty of chikore, however, and as I hadsucceeded in shooting two or three in the morning we were not entirelywithout food; and having pitched our tent, we retired to rest in thehope that the next day we should come upon some fort where we mightrecruit. 

As we were preparing to start early on the morning of the 31st, we meta traveller pursuing his solitary way to Keune, who, after expressinghis wonder at encountering a party of Feringhis in such a place, inquired our proposed route. We informed him that our intention was toproceed over the Surruk Kulla pass and make our way to Badjghar, buthe cautioned us not to attempt any such thing; for though the roadwas better than the more direct one, called the Espion Pass, it wasinfested by a robber tribe from whose hands he had himself onlyescaped, not having any thing to lose. 

This unwelcome intelligence induced Sturt to change his plan, and weagreed that having done our utmost to fulfil the wishes of governmentin ascertaining the nature of the passes in the vicinity of Badjghar, it was our duty to consult the safety of ourselves and followers, andget them as soon as possible within reach of protection. We had nofood of any kind left, but after all we did not anticipate muchserious evil from a forced fast of forty-eight hours; so, afterrewarding our wanderer for his very seasonable warning, we struck offto cross the Espion Pass. The event proved how imminent had been ourdanger, for after reaching Badjghar we were made aware that a largebody of horsemen had assembled in the Surruk Kullah valley for thepurpose of attacking us--that they had come up the road to meet us, and had actually reached the point where we turned off about two hoursafter us. 

We travelled the whole of the 31st August across a succession ofbroken passes; so complicated were the valleys and so broken werethe range of hills, that we were unable to tell when we reached theback-bone of the ridge, and we struggled on in doubt and difficultytill we were again overtaken by the shades of night. 

Our cattle were quite exhausted; our followers grumbling, dispirited, and frightened, the prospect of a second bivouac by no means improvingtheir discipline and insubordination. 

While I was endeavouring to pacify them by the only argument I hadat my disposal, founded on the principle of "_levius fit patientiâquidquid corrigere est nefas_, " one of our servants brought us thejoyful news that from an eminence adjacent he had discovered anabatta, or clump of blanket tents, surrounded by cultivated land, about a mile off. Where tents were, food would probably be obtainable;and as we were not in a condition to be very particular as to thecharacter of the inhabitants, we immediately despatched an embassywith money to purchase whatever edible substances they could procure. Our anxieties were now relieved by the return of our mission, drivingbefore them a couple of very thin sheep, and carrying a small supplyof corn for the cattle. With this reasonable supply we made atolerable meal, and succeeded in putting the discontented into abetter frame of mind. 

We determined to make a push next morning for Badjghar, and startedbefore day-break for the Dushti Suffäed Pass, the crest of which wereached after travelling a distance of about nine miles over very badground. We were now "_en pays de connoissance_, " but our cattle wereso much weakened by the work and privations of the last three or fourdays, that we could not attempt the long and difficult descent intothe valley beneath. I therefore rode on alone and reached Badjghar ina few hours. I immediately visited Capt. Hay, and having procured asupply of food, returned with it the same night to the party, muchexhausted with my trip, but satisfied now that there could be nofurther cause for grumbling on the part of our followers. 

The state of our baggage-equipage next morning was so bad, that Sturtthought it advisable to give them another day's rest, and he wenton himself to Badjghar; but in the course of the day I received anexpress from him, stating that circumstances had occurred which madeit absolutely necessary for me to bring in the whole party withoutdelay. I knew Sturt too well to doubt the urgency he represented, andin spite of lame legs, sore backs, &c. I managed to bring all handssafe into Badjghar late on the evening of the 2d of August. Our menwere taken every care of, (which indeed they required, as fever andague had weakened them much, ) and in a few days all traces of theirsufferings had disappeared; but poor Sturt, who had been complainingfor some days before of great debility and headache, was seized on themorning of the 3d with a violent attack of Koondooz fever, which soonprostrated his strength and caused me some uneasiness. He weatheredthe storm, however, and by the 11th was sufficiently recovered toenable him to resume his duties. 

I have before mentioned, I think, that we had left some of ourfollowers and a considerable portion of our baggage at Ghoree, intending to return to that fort after visiting the passes which Ihave alluded to; but on our reaching Badjghar we found that the cloudswhich had been gathering for some time past in the political horizonhad assumed so threatening an appearance that it would be madness toattempt to prosecute our examination of the nature of the country, when its wild and lawless population were in such an excited state. The intentions of the Koondooz ruler were not known, and we felt veryanxious for the safety of the sick whom we had been necessitatedto leave at Ghoree, as in addition to his natural sympathy for afellow-creature's sufferings, Sturt feared that if any misfortunebefel them, he might, though unjustly, be accused of having desertedthem. His uneasiness was increased by receipt of a letter from Ghoreefrom one of our people, in which it was stated that the baggage we hadleft behind had been opened and some things abstracted, and that theythemselves were in imminent danger of being seized and sold as slaves. 

After making every allowance for the exaggerations of fear, therewas still sufficient in this communication to aggravate poor Sturt'sdifficulties; he was in doubt whether to assume a high tone, or toendeavour by flattery to save his followers, and his last act beforethe violence of the fever obliged him to succumb was a firm butrespectful letter which he wrote to Meer Moor[=a]d Beg, in which hestated that reports inconsistent with that chief's known good faithhad reached him; that he had heard that his property had been seizedand his people threatened; that he was sure they were lies invented byMoor[=a]d Beg's enemies to create a bad feeling towards him; and thathe requested the men and property might be immediately forwarded safeto Cabul. Those who are familiar with the vanity and punctiliousnesson points of etiquette of the chieftains of the Hindoo Khoosh willeasily conceive how much depended upon the wording of this letter. 

In the written intercourse between equals it is customary to put theimpression of the signet at the top of the sheet, but from an inferiorsuch an act would be considered as highly presumptuous. Sturt, thoughadvised to assume the humble tone, was resolute in putting his seal atthe beginning of the letter, and the event proved that his judgmentwas as usual correct, for though (it was stated) the chief of Koondoozwas but a few months after in arms against the British, yet our peopleand property were safely forwarded to us at Cabul. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

It was only after my arrival at Badjghar with the men that I becameacquainted with Sturt's reasons for requesting me to come in withoutdelay, Capt Hay was in daily expectation of the arrival of a convoyfrom Bamee[=a]n with a supply of provisions, clothing, and ammunitionfor the use of his regiment, and having received information from oneof the numerous spies, who gain a livelihood by supplying informationto _both_ parties, that large bodies of men were assembling inthe Kammurd valley, through which the convoy would have to pass, determined, though he did not attach much credit to his informant, todespatch as strong a body as he could spare to reinforce the escort. He accordingly sent out two companies of the Goorkha regiment withdirections to proceed to the "Dundun Shikkun Kotul, " there to meet theconvoy and protect them in their passage through the Kammurd valley. Such was the scarcity of European officers, that Capt. Hay was obligedto intrust the command of the force to the quarter-master-serjeant ofhis corps; who, though unused to the management of so considerable aparty in the field, and who might have been excused if in the hour ofneed his brain had not been as fertile of expedients as is generallynecessary in encounters of this kind, acquitted himself in a mannerthat would have done credit to the best light infantry officer in theservice. I much regret that I cannot record his name, but before beingappointed to the Goorkha corps he was a non-commissioned officer inthe Bengal European regiment. He was one of the many victims, I fear, of the year 1841, as I have been unable to trace his career. Hundredsof brave European non-commissioned officers met a similar fate, andare merely noticed as having perished in the retreat from Cabul. Themany acts of coldblooded treachery which disgraced the Affghans, andwhich ought to have opened the eyes of those in power to the absurdityin trusting to their faith, were merged in the wholesale murders ofKhoord Cabul, Jugdulluk, and Gundummuk. 

I have before described the narrowness of the valley up to Kammurd andthe lofty ranges of precipitous hills by which it is flanked; and thereader will perhaps recollect my noticing two forts on either side ofthe river a little above Piedb[=a]gh. It was here that the Serjeanthalted his party after the first day's march, intending to proceedthe next morning to the Dundun Shikkun pass to meet the convoy. Atday-light he was informed that the expected convoy had not crossed thepass, and while forming his men to proceed and ascertain whether thereport was correct or otherwise, he was suddenly attacked by largebodies of horse and foot: the serjeant immediately took advantage ofthe ground to protect his party from the heavy fire which was pouredin from all sides, and having observed that the enemy, whoever theywere, were in too great a force to leave him a chance of successfullymaintaining his position, which was commanded from several points, hedetermined on retreating to Badjghar, a distance of about nine miles. The valley was full of orchards divided by low walls, and perhaps toa well-disciplined company of steady old soldiers with plenty ofofficers, a retreat, even in the face of several hundred Uzbegs, mighthave been effected without loss, by forming the whole body into twolines of skirmishers, and retiring alternately; but the serjeant knewtoo well the temper of his gallant little mountaineers, who are morefamous for bravery than judgment, to trust the safety of his party tothe success of a manoeuvre, the chief point in which was to know whento retreat. His first line of skirmishers would never have retired inorder, taking advantage of every natural obstacle of the ground forconcealment, but would have boldly confronted the cavalry and probablybeen destroyed to a man. He therefore moved his Goorkhas in quarterdistance column steadily along the road, which luckily hugged theprecipitous hills on one side, so that the enemy could only availthemselves of the valley on the other side of the road to attack him, the mountains being so impracticable that while they attempted toclimb them to turn his flank he had already gained so much ground asto be out of reach of even a "plunging" fire. In ordinary quick timedid this little band retire under a heavy though straggling fire froma force many times more numerous than themselves. The serjeant wasenabled with difficulty to carry out his plan, which was, not toreturn the enemy's fire, but to proceed steadily on till he couldsuddenly take advantage of some protecting ledge of rock or orchardwall behind which he could form his men and confuse the enemy bypouring in a few volleys. He would then form quarter distance columnsof subdivisions again, and proceed in his retreat as before. He had nomisgivings as to the courage and firmness of his men, for the Goorkhashave ever been noted for their dashing bravery, and an incident soonproved how wisely he had judged in not extending his men. Whileretiring, a chance shot killed a man who happened to be a greatfavourite; his nearest comrades immediately halted and faced about, and notwithstanding the commands and entreaties of the serjeant; theydetermined to avenge his death. Grouping themselves round the body oftheir dead companion, they awaited the enemy, and when sure that everyshot would tell, each man delivered his fire, and then drawing hisknife with a yell of defiance, rushed upon hundreds of their foes;to have supported them would have been to lead the whole party toinevitable slaughter, and the authority of the quarter-master-serjeantwas scarce sufficient to restrain his men from breaking from theircover to join the unequal fight: as it was, the gallant little bandwere soon outnumbered, and after a reckless and desperate resistancewere literally hacked to pieces. The enemy encouraged by this successnow pressed hard upon the Goorkhas, and had they been fortunate enoughin getting round to the front not a man would have escaped; as it was, the men were falling very fast, when a happy occurrence changedthe aspect of affairs. It seems that a chief, conspicuous from hisglittering armour and steel head-piece, mounted on a powerful horsewith an armed footman behind him, attracted the notice of the Goorkhasby the cool manner in which he rode up to within a distance of abouteighty yards, delivered his fire, then galloped away out of gunshotto allow the gentleman "en croupe" to reload. A few of the men havingobserved this manoeuvre repeated three or four times, concealedthemselves behind a rock, while the main body retired. On came thechief to within his prescribed distance; a volley from behind the rockscarce ten paces off rolled horse and man over and over. The effect onthe enemy was such that they kept at a more respectful distance, and after a few random shots discontinued the pursuit. Such was theaccount the serjeant himself gave me of the fight, and I have noreason to suspect him of exaggeration. He accomplished his arduousretreat with a loss of nineteen men killed, but more than half thisnumber voluntarily sacrificed themselves to avenge the death of theircomrade. It is difficult, when relating the numerous acts of heroismof the Goorkha troops, to refrain from drawing invidious comparisonsbetween their conduct and that of the Hindoo soldier during theretreat from Cabul; but though it must be allowed that the despondencyand mental enervation which sometimes spreads like an epidemicamong Sepoy troops, must importantly deteriorate from their generalcharacter as soldiers, still it must be recollected that the physicalconstitution of the Hindoo incapacitates him from action under somecircumstances. Severe cold benumbs his faculties of mind as well asbody, and the nature of his ordinary food is such that unless thesupply is regular and sufficient his strength fails him; and again, his belief in predestination is strong, and often a trivial reversewill induce him to abandon himself to his fate. But in these days theHindoo soldier need not fear that his noble and gallant qualities willnot be understood or appreciated. Every good soldier will honor theHindoo for his patient endurance, his courage, and fidelity. 

To turn to the convoy: the attempt was made to get the camels ladenwith ammunition, stores, and provisions over the Dundun Shikkun Pass;but the difficulties were found to be so great that the escort andconvoy returned to Sygh[=a]n, and crossing the Nulli Fursh Kotul, reached their destination. 

This was the first glaring instance of the state of the country, andsome people may well be astonished it was viewed by the politicalauthorities in so insignificant a light. But I will not too muchimpose upon the patience of the reader by detailing the execrablereasons which were put forth for the most absurd measures during thetwelve months preceding the annihilation of our army. 

It was now evident to those who were not obstinately blind that ageneral rising was contemplated; and a few days after our arrival atBadjghar we heard that Dost Mahommed had arrived at Koollum, and thatafter all his diplomacy our old friend the Meer Walli had received himwith open arms, and was now on his way to attack our out-posts. Theauthorities were shortly afterwards aroused from their apathy, theadvanced troops were very properly withdrawn, the gallant Col. Denniewas sent in command of a small but efficient force to the head of theBamee[=a]n valley, where, as has been before detailed, he repulsed thecombined forces of Dost Mahommed Khan, the Meer Walli of Koollum, andall the Uzbeg chiefs. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

On the 12th of August we departed from Badjghar on our return toC[=a]bul, and I reached Bamee[=a]n by a forced march in two days, preceding Sturt, who was still very weak and obliged to travel moreleisurely. I was very nearly suffering from my anxiety to get on, forone of the laden Yabboos, being urged beyond what he considered hislawful rate of progress, lashed out most furiously with both hindlegs; luckily, the flap of my saddle received the full force of oneof his heels, and the soft part of my leg the other, which lamed meseverely for a time. 

On the 22nd, Sturt having arrived, we made up our party to visitthe ruins of the Castle of Zohawk, distant about ten miles fromBamee[=a]n. I was rewarded for my trouble, both from the picturesquenature of the ruins themselves, and because I was fortunate enoughagain to fall in with one of those professional story-tellers fromwhom I have already largely quoted. I have indeed listened to manymore stories than I have ventured here to insert; some I have rejectedfrom the nature of their details, others from there being a strongimpression on my mind that they were the extempore invention of thestory-teller with a view to the rupee, which he feared he would notsecure if he confessed he had nothing to relate. I have not perhapsbeen judicious in my selection of those which I hoped would amuse thereader, but I have done my best to choose for insertion those whichdiffered the most from each other; and I may be allowed to add as anexcuse for my apparent credulity regarding the tales themselves, thatthey are implicitly believed by the inhabitants, so that, makingallowance for the corruption of tradition, the facts on which they arefounded in all probability did really occur. 

The ruins of the Castle of Zohawk are situated on a hill commandingthe high road from Toorkisthan over the Ir[=a]k and Kalloo passes, andin the angle formed by the union of the Bamee[=a]n and Ir[=a]k rivers. It is impossible to fix the date of the first structure; it seems fromthe ruin to have been added to at many successive epochs. The size ofthe towers appeared very insignificant compared with the extent ofground which the building at one time evidently covered, but perhapsthe towers, though small, were numerous. The only one now standing wassituated high up the hill, from which a covered passage partly cutthrough the solid rock leads down to the water side. We had sometrouble in gaining the highest point of the ruins, as we were obligedto scramble up the steep face of the precipice, still covered with theremains of walls and bastions, which had been built up wherever theground was sufficiently level for a foundation. Many dreary-lookingcells attracted our notice amongst the ruins, and all the informationI could get was, that they were the abode of evil spirits. Myinformant would, I do believe, have amused me for hours with legendsof the said spirits, and indeed every river and lake, every mountainand valley in this district bears its peculiar legend, alwaysimprobable, generally absurd, and though from that very causediverting for the moment, I fear that the naïve taste amongst our"savans" which delighted in the history of Jack the Giant-killer beingfast on the wane, they would not be gratified by a lengthy recital;but I must still take the liberty of repeating as well as I couldfollow the vile jargon of my narrator, a tale which he told me of theCastle of Zohawk while standing on its ruins. He had evidently beenaccustomed to tell the same story to others, or else I imagine that, in consideration of our both being on the spot, he would have spared adescription of what I saw before my eyes. I give it to the reader asnearly as I can in the narrator's words. 

"At the extreme end of a precipitous hill jutting out from the mainrange of mountains at the junction of the Bamee[=a]n and Ir[=a]krivers, are the remains of an old castle called Zohawk, after a notedfreebooter, who, secure in the strength of his fortress, was theterror of the surrounding villages, and lived by rapine, pillage, andplunder of every kind. To a careless observer the diminutive tower, which alone remains standing, would not convey an adequate idea of theoriginal extent of the castle; but on a close examination the wholeface of the mountain will be found to be covered with ruined wallsand roofless chambers, now the fit abodes of devils of all sorts anddenominations. Many hundreds of years ago, before the invasion ofNadir Shah, Zohawk Khan occupied the castle; he did not build it, butas it acquired an infamous notoriety during his life-time, and has notbeen inhabited since, it still bears the name of the ferocious robber, who with a band as vicious as himself lived there for many years. Zohawk Khan was originally an Huzareh peasant; he was seized whilea child and carried off in slavery to Toorkisth[=a]n, wherehis naturally cruel and savage disposition was exasperated byill-treatment and fostered by the scenes of wickedness with which hewas made familiar. Being very cunning, he soon acquired influenceamongst his fellow slaves, and organized a conspiracy, in thefulfilment of which his own master and many other Toorkomaun chiefswere put to death under every refinement of torture. Zohawk at thehead of the rebel slaves then traversed the country, robbing theharmless peasants, till he reached the vicinity of the castle, which still bears his name. It was then inhabited by an old Huzarehchieftain, who had formerly been a kind master to Zohawk's parents. Regardless of the memory of past kindness, the ruffian determined topossess himself of this place, and under the pretence of craving thehospitality of the rightful owner, introduced himself and fellowvillains into the fortification. In the dead of the night, accordingto a preconcerted plan, the robbers rose from their place of rest, andstealing to the sleeping apartment of the chieftain, murdered him; theaffrighted garrison craved for life, but one after another were placedin irons to be disposed of as slaves. The freebooter, now master ofthe fortress, assumed the title of Kh[=a]n, and commenced that careerof ruthless cruelty and depravity which more than any thing elsecauses his name to be remembered and his memory cursed by the presentinhabitants of the neighbourhood. The government of the self-styledKh[=a]n was a reign of terror, and many were the nameless atrocitiescommitted within the walls of the castle. He had, however, oneconfidant, whom he believed faithful, but who from interested motivessubmitted to the savage passions of his master, and being the chiefeunuch of the harem, had great influence in that department. It wasthe custom of Zohawk Kh[=a]n to choose the autumn of the year for theseason of his predatory excursions, and it happened that, whileabsent with the flower of his force on one of these death-dealingexpeditions, a conspiracy was set on foot, the principal agitatorbeing the eunuch of the seraglio. "It was determined that on theevening when the chieftain was expected to return, a general feastshould be given to those remaining at home, with the double view ofrendering the men who had not joined in the conspiracy incapable fromthe effects of debauchery in siding with Zohawk, and of exasperatingthe ferocious chieftain, who was known to be averse to any revelryduring his absence. The favourite wife summoned all the harem to afeast, whilst a copious allowance of intoxicating liquor was servedout to the minor portion of the garrison. The wine soon producedthe required effect, and in the midst of the revelry and uproar theKh[=a]n appeared at his castle gate, and without enquiring the causeof the tumult, instantly proceeded to the harem, and lifting thePurdah stood in the presence of his wives. 'What is this?' said he, glancing savagely round. --'We expected your return and have prepared afeast to welcome you, ' was the ironical reply of the favourite wife, who at the same time trembling in her limbs scarce dared to face theenraged tyrant, 'It is a lie, offspring of a Kaffir; you shall pay thepenalty of your disobedience of my orders. Here, Saleh, take her andthrow her over the battlements into the river;' but ere the reluctanteunuch could enforce the cruel mandate, the woman raised her hand, and with a small dagger pierced herself to the heart. Unmoved by hertragic fate, Zohawk instantly commanded that four of the other womenshould be dealt with in the same way, and seeing the eunuch hesitate, drew his Persian blade and rushed at him; but ere the sword fell, theknife of Saleh was sheathed in the ruffian's breast. "The news of hisdeath spread rapidly through the castle; then followed the strifeof war. The Kh[=a]n's party, though in number nearly double that ofSaleh, were wearied with their recent foray, and after a desperateconflict of three hours they were driven into one of the wings ofthe castle, and butchered to a man. Blood flowed in almost everyapartment; broken swords, daggers, and matchlocks lay in alldirections, shewing how terrible the strife had been. And now, whenZohawk's party had been exterminated, a murmuring arose amongst thevictors as to who should be the chief, and Saleh, perceiving that heshould gain nothing for the exertions he had made, demanded permissionto leave the castle, taking with him as his sole share of booty hissister, who was an inmate of the harem. His terms were immediatelycomplied with, and the wary eunuch lost no time in quitting the sceneof blood. 

"Those remaining agreed to defer the election of a chief till they hadrefreshed themselves after their labours: in the heat of intoxicationblood again flowed, and after passing the whole night in drinking andfighting, morning appeared to eighteen survivors of the fray. Eachstill claimed for himself the chieftainship, and while still wranglingon the subject, one of the wounded partizans of Saleh, unperceivedby the drunkards, secreted a large bag of powder in the room, andigniting it by a train with his slow match crawled out of the castle. 

"The explosion was terrific; down toppled tower and bastion, enveloping in their ruins the remainder of the garrison, and thecastle was in a few moments reduced to the shapeless mass which it nowpresents. 

"The wounded author of the catastrophe alone escaped; but theknowledge of his crimes prevented him from returning to his country, and he wandered for many years about the blackened walls, the terrorof the neighbourhood, who considered him an evil spirit. He subsistedon herbs growing on the adjacent mountains, till at last hedisappeared no one knew where. Since that period, the fortress hasnever been the resting place of the traveller or the haunt of thefreebooter. "

Such was the terrible tale of blood and wounds which my informantcommunicated to me, and certainly, if it rests its foundation on anyone of the horrors with which it is filled, the castle of Zohawk doeswell deserve its bad repute. 

On the 23rd we left Bamee[=a]n and proceeded over the Ir[=a]k pass toOorgundee, where we arrived on the 28th. No event occurred nor anything worth mentioning, unless it be the "naïveté" of an old man, who, observing me light my cigar with a lucifer-match, asked in a graveand solemn tone, whether that was indeed fire. I took his finger, andplaced it in the flame, much to his astonishment, but convincing himof its reality. He then enquired if it was the fire from heaven, whichhe heard the Feringhis were possessed of. I endeavoured, but I fearwithout success, to explain to the old gentleman the nature offulminating substances, and though he listened with patience, he wasevidently still in the dark, when I presented him with the contentsof my match-box and shewed him how to ignite them; his gratitude wasmanifest, as he walked off highly pleased with his toy, which I hopemay not have burned his fingers. 

Sturt left me on the 29th, being anxious to get back to Cabul; butas I had three days to spare, and my taste for wandering was stillunabated, I joined Capt. Westmacott, of the 37th Native Infantry, ina flying excursion into the valley of Charrik[=a]r, which theAffgh[=a]ns consider as the garden of Cabul. The first day we rodefrom Oorgundee to Shukkur Durra, or "the sugar valley, " so called, not from growing that useful article of grocery, but from its fertileorchards and extensive vineyards. After a few miles' ride we crosseda low range of hills, and came upon the flourishing district ofBe-tout, --literally, "without mulberries. " The sagacious reader willjustly infer that mulberry trees were in profusion every where else;indeed so plentiful are they in general that many of the nativeslive almost exclusively in winter upon the fruit, which is dried andreduced to a powder, and after being mixed with a little milk, or evenwater, forms a palatable and nutritious food. The view from thecrest of the low range of hills was really enchanting, and stronglycontrasted with the wild and craggy mountains amongst which we had oflate been struggling. An extensive plain, bounded by high mountains, and again crowned by the snowy peaks of those more distant, laybefore us, its whole surface dotted with a multitude of white fortssurrounded by a belt of the most vivid green, the barrenness of theuncultivated spots acting as a foil to the rich vegetation whichsprings under the foot of the Affgh[=a]n husbandman wherever he canintroduce the fertilizing stream. We rode leisurely on through thiswilderness of gardens, till on approaching the village of Be-tout theloud wail of women hired to pour forth their lamentations for somemisfortune assailed our ears, and on enquiring we learnt that oneof the inhabitants had been murdered the preceding night under thefollowing circumstances. 

It appears that ten years ago the murdered man (who was a Persian) hada very pretty daughter, and that a neighbouring chief hearing of herbeauty caused her to be forcibly seized and conveyed to his own fort. The father, regardless of any consideration but revenge, arminghimself with his long Affgh[=a]n knife, gained admission into thechief's house and immediately cut him down and made his escape. Forten years he concealed himself from the vengeance of the relativesof the chief, but a few days before he had returned to his nativevillage, hoping that time would have softened the vindictiveness ofhis enemy; but he shewed his ignorance of the Affgh[=a]n character, with whom revenge is a sacred virtue. He had not been long returned, when a nephew of the chief he had slain shot him through the heartfrom behind a wall. As we passed through the village we saw theinhabitants crowding round the still unburied corpse of the injuredfather, and our thoughts were painfully diverted from a contemplationof the richness and plenty which Providence had vouchsafed to thisfertile spot, to a mournful consideration of the wild passions of man, who pollutes the earth with the blood of his fellow-creature. 

As we proceeded onwards we came upon those luxuriant vineyards whichproduce the famous Kohist[=a]n grape, of enormous size as to berryand bunch, but excelling in delicacy of flavour, in juiciness, andthinness of skin even the far-famed Muscadel. 

The vines are trained either upon a trellice work or along the ground, the latter mode being used for the most delicate grape; but itrequires more care and attention, it being necessary while the fruitis ripening so to trim the plant and thin its foliage, that the branchmay have sufficient sun, and be kept as near as possible to theearth without touching it. This mode of training is adopted in thecultivation of the enormous black grape, called from its size andcolour "the cow's-eye. " Towards evening we reached the vicinity ofShukkur Durrah, lying at the extremity of the plain and backed bymountains of considerable height. Here we encamped for the night underthe shelter of a magnificent walnut tree, in a small garden adjoiningthe fort. 

After we had pitched our tents, many Hindoos who trade in fruit, thestaple produce of the country, came to pay their respects, and one ofthem informed me that about four miles across the mountains to thenorth-west in the Sheikkallee Huzareh country, there were three lakesso extensive that it occupied a well-mounted horseman a whole day toride round them. No European, he said, had ever visited them; onegentleman, whose name he did not know, had tried to reach them, butdrank so much brandy by the way that he was obliged to lie downinstead, and the guide had great difficulty in getting him back. Iregretted that the expiration of my leave prevented me from exploringthese lakes, which I do not think have ever been examined by any ofour engineers; but I hope that, had I undertaken the excursion, Ishould not have fallen into the same scrape the above mentionedgentleman did. The gardens belonging to the chief were well worthlooking at, with a beautiful stream of water flowing through thecentre, tortured by artificial rocks into fifty diminutive cataracts. 

We were well satisfied with our quarters, but after night-fallintimation was given us that unless we kept a sharp look-out it wasvery probable we might have some unwelcome intruders before morning, as a neighbouring fort was hostile to that of Shukkur Durrah; andmoreover, that the inhabitants of the fort itself were in the utmostdread of a band of desperadoes who infested the adjacent hills andoccasionally paid them a nocturnal visit. Luckily for us they were inhourly expectation of such an intrusion, for their fears kept themon the alert, and they had a watchman on each of the towers, whosesonorous voices proclaimed every hour of the night. Our guard wasnow reduced to six, the remainder being employed to escort Sturt'sinstruments into Cabul, so that I really did not much like theappearance of things; when about midnight my servant reported to methat the sentry saw a great many lights moving about us. 

I instantly rose and distinctly observed the lighted slow matches offirearms; there might have been forty or fifty. The sentry challenged, but the ruffians returned no answer, and decamped, finding us on thealert, and probably not knowing our weakness; for had we come to blowsour party must have got the worst of it, though I have not the leastdoubt that our Affgh[=a]n guard would have stood by us even againsttheir own countrymen. 

The next morning we proceeded along a very pretty road, flanked bygreen hedgerows full of wild flowers, and varied occasionally near thehouses with parterres of roses of exquisite fragrance. My route lay toB[=a]ber's tomb, but Capt. Westmacott being anxious to reach C[=a]bulcould not accompany me, so we parted, mutually regretting that we hadso short a time to spend in this delicious region. At B[=a]ber's tombthe Kazi of the adjacent village endeavoured to play off on me atrick, well known to old campaigners, by assuring me that unless Itook from his hands a guard of at least twelve men (of course payingthem for their services), my life would not be safe during the night. I refused his guard, and the only annoyance I experienced was frommyriads of musquitoes, who tormented me incessantly throughout thenight. I rode into camp the following day, and was delighted to findmyself once more with my brother officers. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

On the 24th September I started on another excursion, though undervery different circumstances; our party on this occasion consisting ofHer Majesty's 13th Light Infantry, two companies of the 37th NativeInfantry, two squadrons of the Bengal 2nd Cavalry, a small body ofAffgh[=a]n horsemen under Prince Timour Shah, three nine-pounders, two24-inch howitzers, and two 8 1/2-inch mortars, the whole under thecommand of Sir Robert Sale, the object of the expedition being toquell some refractory chiefs inhabiting the northern and some hillyparts of the Kohist[=a]n. 

It would be beyond the sphere of this little book to enter into adetailed account of our operations in the field, nor do I pretendto have sufficient materials by me for such a delicate task, in theexecution of which I might by erroneous statements expose myself tojust animadversion. 

I had not, I regret to say, the means of ascertaining with precisionthe different causes which had driven these hill chiefs intorebellion. The footing which Dost Mahomed had lately acquired in thenorth-west encouraged them to persist, and it will be seen in thesequel, that at the disgraceful scene of Purwun Durrah the Dost wasalmost a _prisoner_ in the hands of those who were considered, by theunversed in the intricacies of Affgh[=a]n policy, to be only in armsfor the restoration of their favourite to the throne of C[=a]bul. 

Were it in my power to give an accurate description of the differentpositions assumed by the enemy, and provided I had the leisure tosurvey the ground, then I am well aware that I might have claimedadditional interest for my pages, as I should have elucidated the modeof warfare peculiar to the Affgh[=a]ns; but such an attempt wouldperhaps carry me out of my depth. I must therefore be content withremarking, that though in action the Affgh[=a]ns acknowledge someguiding chieftain, yet the details of position are left to each tribe. They have no confidence in each other; it follows, therefore, that thewisest plan is to turn either or both flanks, as this manoeuvre isalmost sure to require a change in the original disposition of theirforce, which they, for want of good communications between theirdetached parties, are unable to effect. Hence confusion arises, andthe uncertainty of support generally causes the whole to retreat. TheAffgh[=a]ns have great dread of their flanks being turned, and willsometimes abandon an almost impregnable position in consequence of ademonstration being made to that effect, which after all could neverhave been carried out. 

On the third day after our departure from C[=a]bul, the force encampedat a place called Vaugh opposite the beautiful Ist[=a]lif, whoseluxuriant vineyards and magnificent orchards have before excited theadmiration of the traveller. But we had still some marches to get overbefore reaching the territories of the refractory chiefs, and itwas not till the 29th that we came to Toottum Durrah, or valley ofmulberries. Here we found the enemy posted in force, but it was merelyan affair of detachments, two companies of the 13th and two of the37th being ordered to make a detour to the right and left, so as tothreaten the enemy's flanks. The main column closing up continued toadvance; the enemy did not make a very determined resistance, yet achance shot killed poor Edward Conolly, brother to the victim of theruffian king of Bokhara. His--poor fellow!--was a soldier's death;though we deplore his loss, we know that he died in honorable warfare;but we have no such consolation for the fate of his poor brother, andit is with difficulty that his indignant countrymen can refrain fromimprecating the vengeance of God upon the cowardly destroyer of somuch talent and virtue. 

The enemy made no further stand this day, and we proceeded aboutfifteen miles down the valley to Julghur, destroying before ourdeparture the mud forts of Toottum Durrah. At Julghur the enemy shewedmore resistance; they trusted in the strength of their fort, and weperhaps too much to its weakness. The result was, that a wing of the13th, not more than one hundred and twenty strong, suffered a lossof fourteen men killed and seventeen wounded, and the enemy wereeventually shelled out by the batteries under the direction of Capt. Abbott. 

The following morning we buried our gallant companions, amongst themour respected serjeant-major (Airey), in one deep grave; but a reportwas current, that shortly after our departure, the bodies had beendisinterred and exposed in front of the grave, that every Affgh[=a]nmight witness and exult in the disgrace to which they had subjectedthe corpses of the Feringhis. 

This is but a single instance of the hatred which actuated our enemy, and when we consider the exasperating effects of these cowardlyoutrages on the minds of the soldiery, we should the more admire thegenerosity and clemency of the British in the hour of victory. Iam aware that ill-informed people have accused our armies inAffghanist[=a]n, especially after the advance of General Pollock'sforce, of many acts of cruelty to the natives, but I can emphaticallydeny the justice of the accusation. Some few instances of revenge forpast injuries did occur, but I am sure that an impartial soldier wouldrather admire the forbearance of men who for days had been marchingover the mangled remains of the C[=a]bul army. 

But to return to the Kohist[=a]n. On the 4th of October we took atransverse direction westward, crossing the plain of Buggr[=a]m, supposed to be the site of the "Alexandria ad Calcem Caucasi" of theancients; numerous coins, gems, and relics of antiquity are foundhereabouts, particularly subsequently to the melting of the snows. Formerly they were considered useless, but when our enterprisingcountrymen and the army of the Indus found their way to C[=a]bul, these memorials of the Greek had ready purchasers amongst thenumismatologists of the British force. At the same time theC[=a]bulese considered it great folly our exchanging the current coinfor what were in their estimation useless pieces of old silver andcopper. 

Throughout the marches and countermarches which it was necessary forus to make in the northern districts of the Kohist[=a]n, in order toprevent the enemy from gathering together, we were much interested bythe varied beauty of the scenery; and it must candidly be admittedthat our ignorance as to the nature or amount of force we might anyday find opposed to us by no means diminished our excitement. Ratheran extraordinary phenomenon occurs in a small range of hills detachedfrom the parent mountains, a little to the northward of the fort ofJulghur. From top to bottom of the precipitous side of one of thesespurs extends a light golden streak, rather thicker and less highlycoloured at the bottom than at the top. I was unable to approach itnearer than about four miles, but I was credibly informed that thestreak was in reality what its appearance first suggested to my mind, a body of fine sand continually flowing over the side of the hill, anddepositing its volumes in a heap at the base of the mountain. I mightperhaps in a windy day have ascertained the correctness of the report, as then the sandy cascade would appear as a cloud of dust, but theweather was calm during the whole time we were in its vicinity. Itis called by the natives the Regrow[=a]n or flowing sand. Being nogeologist, I refrain from offering any suggestions as to its cause, but merely state what I saw and heard. 

After marching about the country for some days like the Paladins ofold in search of adventure, we turned our faces once more towardsC[=a]bul and encamped near Kara-bagh. While here, a scene occurredwhich will doubtless be still in the recollection of many officerswith the force, and which I relate as illustrative of the barbarouscustoms of the people. Many of the stories which I have introducedmust of course be received by the impartial or incredulous reader "cumgrano salis. " I have given them as they were repeated to me, but I canpersonally vouch for the following fact. 

Our bugles had just sounded the first call to dinner, when a fewofficers who were strolling in front of the camp observed a woman witha black veil walking hurriedly from some dark-looking object, andproceed in the direction of that part of the camp occupied by theAffghan force under Prince Timour Shah, the Shah Zada, heir apparentto the throne of C[=a]bul. On approaching the object, it wasdiscovered to be a man lying on the ground with his hands tied behindhim, his throat half severed, with three stabs in his breast, and twogashes across the stomach. The mangled wretch was still breathing, and a medical man being at hand, measures were instantly taken mostcalculated to save his life, but without success, and in a quarter ofan hour he was a corpse. Familiar as we were with scenes which in ourown happy land would have excited the horror and disgust of every manpossessed of the common feelings of humanity, there was something inthis strange murder which caused us to make enquiries, and the readerwill hardly believe me when I tell him that the victim met his fatewith the knowledge and consent of Timour Shah. The woman whom we firstobserved was the legal murderess. She had that morning been to theShah Zada and sworn on the Kor[=a]n that the deceased many years backhad murdered her husband and ran away with his other wife; she haddemanded redress according to the Mahommedan law--blood for blood. TheShah Zada offered the woman a considerable sum of money if she wouldwaive her claim to right of personally inflicting the punishment onthe delinquent, and allow the man to be delivered over to his officersof justice, promising a punishment commensurate with the crime he hadcommitted. But the woman persisted in her demand for the law of theKor[=a]n. Her victim was bound and delivered into her hands; she hadhim conducted in front of the prince's camp about three hundred yardsoff, and effected her inhuman revenge with an Affgh[=a]n knife, a fitinstrument for such a purpose. 

Before returning to C[=a]bul it was deemed requisite to punish therebellious owner of the fort of Babboo-koosh-Ghur. On the approach ofour force he decamped with all his vassals, and as it was advisable toleave some permanent mark of our displeasure, the bastions were blowndown with gunpowder. It seems that the enemy imagined we were verynegligent in camp, for they honored us the same evening with one oftheir night attacks, for which they are famous, the object in generalbeing rather to harass their adversary by keeping him on the alertthan to penetrate to his tents. 

On the present occasion they commenced a distant fusillade upon theleft of our line, extending it gradually along nearly the whole face;a few rounds of grape from the artillery soon cleared _their_ front, but the enemy continued for above three hours a random fire upon theleft, and, strange to say, they kept aloof from the European troops, who were encamped as usual on the right of the line. The artilleryhorses being picketted in soft ground soon drew their iron pegs, andhaving thus obtained their liberty, scampered up and down in rear ofthe troops and amongst the tents, thereby considerably adding to theconfusion and uproar. On the alarm first sounding every light wasextinguished in the camp, and well was it that these precautionarymeasures were adopted, for a great portion of the standing tents wereriddled. The enemy fired without aim, and we were fortunate enough tolose only one sepoy; we could not ascertain the amount of casualtyamongst them, but from the sudden cessation of any attack upon thatpart of the line where the artillery was stationed, we concluded thatthe rounds of grape must have told with considerable effect. 

After midnight the enemy withdrew, and when at a distance of abouthalf a mile from our outposts gave a shout of defiance, perhaps todraw a party from the camp to pursue them, which, however, was notdone, or rejoicing at the havoc they imagined to have made in ourranks. We heard afterwards that the Affgh[=a]ns with their usualsuperstition had remembered that many years ago a large army had beenattacked on the same ground we then occupied and annihilated, andthat probably a like success would crown their efforts in the presentinstance. 

This night attack rendered some further demonstration of our powers ofretaliation necessary, particularly as a portion of our adversarieswere from the fort of Kardurrah, to which we proceeded the next dayand easily captured, the enemy retiring to the hills on our advance, abandoning a strong and easily defended position, for their flankcould not have been turned without incurring considerable loss, ifthe fort of Kardurrah had been held in a determined manner. It wasgenerally remarked as being a particularly strong place, the approachleading through orchards surrounded by mud walls six or seven feethigh and loopholed, the lanes intersecting them being barricadoed asif to be held to the last extremity. 

Probably such was their valiant intention, but it seems they werebewildered by our attacking them from different points, and nottrusting to each other for support, all took to their heels. Theundulating ground was strewn with masses of detached rocks, and theyhad also built up several small but substantial stone breast-works, so that altogether we had reason to congratulate ourselves on theirunexpected retreat. 

The women had been previously conveyed away with the heavy baggage, and we found the houses empty, but fruit of every description waslying about the streets, prepared and packed for the winter supply ofthe C[=a]bul market. Melons, peaches, pears, walnuts were either inheaps against the walls or placed in baskets for transportation; butthe most curious arrangement was exhibited in the mode in which theypreserved their brobdignag grapes for winter consumption. About thirtyberries, each of enormous size and separately enveloped in cotton, were hermetically enclosed between a couple of rudely shaped claysaucers, so that we were obliged to crack the saucers to get atthe fruit inside, and great was the scrambling amongst the thirstysoldiers for their luscious contents as they rolled out upon theground. 

CHAPTER XX. 

The thread of my narrative now guides me to an event which cannotbe contemplated without astonishment and regret. I allude to theunaccountable panic which seized the 2nd Cavalry during the action atPurwan Durrah; indeed I would willingly pass it over in silence, but Iam anxious to express my humble admiration of the chivalrous bearingof the European officers on that melancholy occasion. 

The several severe blows which we had recently inflicted upon theAffgh[=a]ns during the course of this short compaign, and their nothaving lately appeared in any organized force in the vicinity of ourcamp, caused an opinion to prevail amongst many that our labours forthe season were brought to a close; but on the 20th of October we wereagain excited by the rumour that Dost Mahommed, who had been hoveringabout, intended as a "dernière ressource" once more to try his fortunein war. Our anticipations of a little more active service were soonrealized by an order to advance upon Purwan Durrah. We accordinglystruck our tents, passing by Aukserai, and encamped near MeerMusjedi's fortress, remaining there till the 3rd of November watchingthe movements of the enemy. On that day information was received thatthe Dost, with a large body of horse and foot, was moving towards usby the Purwan Durrah; the general decided upon checking his progress, and an advanced guard consisting of four companies of the 13th underMajor Kershaw, two companies of Native Infantry, two nine-pounders, and two squadrons of the 2nd Bengal Cavalry, the whole under thecommand of Col. Salter of the 2nd Cavalry, preceded the main column. On the road we met a follower of one of the friendly chiefs chargedwith a report that the ex-Ameer's party had been attacking some of theforts in the valley, but for the present had taken up a position onthe neighbouring hills. We soon came on them, and at a short distanceperceived a small body of cavalry in the plain. A rumour passedthrough our ranks that Dost Mahommed was himself amongst the horsemen, and it was a subject of congratulation that the only opportunity hadnow arrived of our cavalry engaging theirs, and that one brilliantattack would bring this desultory warfare to a glorious termination. 

The squadrons under the command of the gallant Fraser were ordered toadvance, and moved steadily forward at a trot; all eyes were fixedupon them--the men were apparently steady--and even the least sanguinecould hardly doubt the result of a shock of disciplined cavalry on anirregular body of horse not half their numerical strength. 

But when the word to charge was given, an uncontrolled panic seizedthe troopers; instead of putting their horses into a gallop anddashing forward to certain victory, the pace gradually slackened; invain did their officers use every effort to urge the men on--in vaindid the spirit-stirring trumpet sound the charge--the troopers werespell-bound by the demon of fear; the trot became a walk, then a halt;and then, forgetful of their duty, their honor, and their officers, they wheeled about and shamefully fled. 

But not for one single instant did Fraser hesitate; with a bitter andwell-merited expression of contempt at this unmanly desertion, hebriefly said, "We must charge alone, " and dashing spurs into hishorse, he rushed to an almost certain fate, followed by Ponsonby, Crispin, Broadfoot, Dr. Lord, and by about a dozen of his men, who allpreferred an honourable death to an ignominious life. 

The feelings of disgust mingled with intense admiration with whichthis unparalleled scene was viewed by the infantry can be betterimagined than expressed; and those who under similar tryingcircumstances would have endeavoured to imitate the heroism of theircountrymen, could scarce subdue a thrill of horror as this handful ofbrave soldiers galloped forward. The intrepid Fraser, mounted upon alarge and powerful English horse, literally hewed a lane for himselfthrough the astonished Affghans; and Ponsonby too--for I am weary ofseeking fresh epithets for their unsurpassable conduct--on a strongPersian mare, for a time bore down all opposition. Dost Mahommedhimself, though in some personal danger from the impetuosity of thisdesperate charge, could not restrain his admiration. 

The event fully proved the danger incurred. Dr. Lord, Crispin, andBroadfoot upheld the glory of their country to the last, and fellcovered with many wounds. Fraser and Ponsonby were both desperatelyhacked, and owed their lives to their horses becoming unmanageable, bearing their riders from the midst of the enemy. The reins ofPonsonby's bridle were cut, and he himself grievously wounded in theface, while Fraser's arm was nearly severed in two; neither didtheir horses escape in the conflict, as both bore deep gashes of theAffgh[=a]n blades. 

While the European officers were thus sacrificing themselves in theexecution of their duty, the dastard troopers came galloping inamongst the infantry of the advanced guard, some of whom were withdifficulty restrained from inflicting on the spot the punishment theyso well deserved. 

Meanwhile the enemy's cavalry, flushed with success, advanced againstthe infantry with colours flying and loud shoutings, as in expectationof an easy victory. But the infantry were prepared to receive them, and a few rounds from the nine-pounders soon caused them to halt;finding that their antagonists were not under the same influence asthe cavalry, they gave up the attack and retired to a distant positionon the hills. The steady advance of the 37th N. I. From the main bodyof our forces, together with a few judiciously thrown shells, soondrove their infantry to a more elevated range of hills; and beforesunset we had quiet possession of the field. 

We had the melancholy satisfaction of finding the bodies of ourcomrades, whom we buried at night in one large grave, and performingthe solemn service of the dead by torchlight. There is no chance oftheir being forgotten: so long as gallantry is admired and honourrevered amongst British soldiers, so long will they remember Fraser'scharge at Purwan Durrah. 

I am loath to dwell on the misconduct of the troopers; as far as I amenabled to ascertain it was unexpected by the officers. Some, indeed, declare that previous disaffection existed amongst the men; others saythat the troopers being Mussulmen did not like to charge against DostMahommed himself, whom they considered as their religious chief; butI think we may fairly attribute their flight to downright_cowardice_, as no complaint or cause was assigned by the menprevious to encountering the foe. Whatever be the truth, the event wasmost unfortunate, for it appears that the Dost was even previousto the action anxious to throw himself upon the protection ofthe British, but his followers would not permit him to do so;nevertheless, on the evening of that day he managed to elude theirvigilance, and riding directly to C[=a]bul met the envoy Sir WilliamM'Naghten taking his evening ride, and surrendered himself into hishands. 

The news of this event of course put an end to further hostilities, and on the 7th of November we returned to C[=a]bul, heartily glad oncemore to get comfortably housed, as the winter was rapidly approachingand the nights severely cold. 

THE END. 

LIST OF PLATES. 

View of the Outer Cave of Yeermallik, shewing the Entrance Hole to thelarger Cavern

Map of Cabul and the Kohistan, with the Route to Koollum

View of the Ice Caves in the Cavern of Yeermallik

View of Koollum from the Eastward

Fac-Simile Drawings of Ancient Coins found in Toorkisthan andAffghanistan, in the possession of Capt. Burslem, as follows:

No. 1. A Bactrian coin: legend on the obverse, [Transliterated fromthe Greek lettering, Basileus ermaion sot]. Reverse, Hercules on atuckt or throne, with his right arm extended. 

No. 2. A square copper coin of Apollodotus: legend, [Transliteratedfrom the Greek lettering, Basileus pollodot soter]; a male figure, holding in one hand a club, and a spear in the other. The reversebears Pelhvic characters. 

No. 3. A square copper coin of Eucratides: [Transliterated from theGreek, Basileus megal] is only decypherable. If of Eucratides theGreat, of which I have no doubt, this coin is of great value, as hereigned in Bactria 181 B. C. The reverse bears a Pelhvic legend, withthe figures of two warriors mounted. 

No. 4. A square silver coin of Menander. A helmeted head, with theinscription, [Transliterated from the Greek, Basileus soteros Menandrou]. The reverse bears the emblematic figure of an owl. 

No. 5. A square copper coin, inscription illegible. On the obverse isa woman holding a flower or a priest offering incense. It appears tobe a Kanirkos coin. 

No. 6. A round silver Indo-Scythian coin. 

No. 7. A square silver coin of Apollodotus, 195 B. C. Obverse, anelephant, with the Bactrian monogram beneath--[Transliterated fromthe Greek, Basileus pollodoton soteros]. Reverse, an Indian bull. Thecharacters and figures on this coin are very distinct. 

No. 8. Another coin of Menander. An elephant's head with the probosciselevated: legend, [Transliterated from the Greek, Basileus soterosMenandrou]. On the reverse is a cannon. This is an old and valuablecoin. 

No, 9. A gold coin, supposed by Lady Sale to be a Kadphises. Thelegend begins with Amokad and ends with Korano. On the reverse is anaked figure, with the right arm stretched out. A few specimens, butin copper, have been found in the barrow at Maunikyala in the Punjaub. Lady Sale considers this coin to be a great beauty and of value. 

No. 10. A gem found in the plain of Buggram.