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diff --git a/old/50145-8.txt b/old/50145-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1cfdf50..0000000 --- a/old/50145-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2493 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The First Afghan War, by Mowbray Morris - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The First Afghan War - -Author: Mowbray Morris - -Release Date: October 6, 2015 [EBook #50145] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR *** - - - - -Produced by Moti Ben-Ari and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - THE - FIRST AFGHAN WAR. - - BY - MOWBRAY MORRIS. - - London: - SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON, - CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET. - 1878. - - [_All rights reserved._] - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The following pages pretend to give nothing more than a short summary -of events already recorded by recognised authorities. - - - - -THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR. - - -It was in the year 1808, when the power of Napoleon was at its height, -that diplomatic relations were first opened between the Courts of -Calcutta and Cabul. Napoleon, when in Egypt, had meditated on the -chances of striking a fatal blow at England through her Indian -dependencies; some correspondence had actually passed between him and -Tippoo Saib on the subject, and subsequently, in 1801, he had concluded -a treaty with the Russian Emperor Paul for an invasion of India by -a force of 70,000 men, to be composed of equal parts of French and -Russian troops. The proposed line of march was to lie through Astrakhan -and Afghanistan to the Indus, and was to be heralded by Zemaun Shah, -who then ruled at Cabul, at the head of 100,000 Afghans. There was but -little danger indeed to be apprehended from Afghanistan alone, but -Afghanistan with Russia and France in the background was capable of -proving a very troublesome enemy. In such circumstances the attitude -of Persia was of the last importance, and Marquess Wellesley, then -Viceroy of India, at once proceeded to convert a possible enemy into -a certain and valuable ally. A young officer who had distinguished -himself under Harris at Seringapatam was selected for this delicate -service. How the young captain, whom Englishmen remember as Sir John -Malcolm, fulfilled his mission is matter of history. A thorough master -of all Oriental languages, and as skilful in council as he was brave in -the field, Malcolm soon pledged the Court of Persia to the interests -of England, and not only was it agreed that the two contracting -parties should unite to expel any French force that might seek to gain -a footing on any of the islands or shores of Persia, but the latter -Government bound itself to "slay and disgrace" any Frenchman found -in the country. This treaty, which may be thought to have somewhat -dangerously stretched the bounds of diplomatic hostility, was, however, -never formally ratified, and internal dissensions, culminating in the -deposition of Zemaun Shah by his brother Mahmoud, removed all danger -from our frontier for a time. - -But the idea still lived in Napoleon's restless heart. The original -treaty with Paul was discussed with his successor Alexander, and in -1808 a French mission, with the avowed design of organizing the -proposed invasion, was despatched, not to Cabul, but to Teheran. The -magic of Napoleon's name was stronger even than British eloquence and -British gold, and Malcolm, once all-powerful in Iran, when he sought -to renew the former pledges of amity, was turned back with insult from -the Persian capital. A second mission, however, despatched direct from -London under the guidance of Sir Harford Jones, was more fortunate. -Napoleon had been defeated in Spain, and the news of his defeat had -spread. Russia was something less eager for the French alliance than -she had been in 1801, while between the Muscovites and the Persians -there had long existed a hereditary feud, which the proposed league -had by no means served to extinguish. The English envoy, skilfully -piecing together these broken threads to his own ends, was enabled with -little loss of time to conclude an offensive and defensive alliance -between Great Britain and Persia, the earliest result of which was the -immediate dismissal of the French mission. By this treaty the Persian -King bound himself not to permit the passage through his dominions -of any force hostile to India, and, in the event of war arising -between England and Afghanistan, to invade the latter at the cost of -the former; furthermore, he declared null all treaties previously -concluded by him with any other European power. The English, in their -turn, pledged themselves to assist him, should his kingdom be invaded, -either with men or money and arms, but should the war be one only with -Afghanistan, they were not to interfere unless their interference was -sought by both parties. Though this treaty was concluded in 1808-9, it -was not formally ratified till November 15, 1814. - -Not on Persia alone, however, was the English Government content to -rely. In a friendly Afghanistan was a second most serviceable string -which it had been the height of imprudence to let another fit to his -bow. The two countries stood in almost precisely similar relations -to English India; each as an enemy contemptible single-handed, but a -dangerous item in an invading force; each a useful ally, and each a -salutary check upon the other. At the same time, then, as Sir Harford -Jones was neutralizing the French influence at Teheran, the Honourable -Mountstuart Elphinstone was despatched by Lord Minto, who had succeeded -Lord Wellesley at Calcutta, to the Court of Cabul. - -Previous to the year 1808 Afghanistan was practically a _terra -incognita_ to Englishmen. Zemaun Shah, the once terrible Ameer whose -threatened invasion had disturbed even the strong mind of Lord -Wellesley, was, indeed, in their hands, living, dethroned and blinded, -a pensioner on their bounty at Loodhianah, but of the country he had -once ruled over and of the subjects who had driven him into exile but -little was known in Calcutta and still less in London. Before the close -of the eighteenth century but one Englishman had ever penetrated into -that unknown land. Forster, a member of the Bengal Civil Service, in -1783-84 had crossed the Punjab to Cashmere, and thence had descended -through the great Khyber and Koord-Cabul passes to the Afghan -stronghold, whence journeying on by Ghuznee, Candahar, and Herat he -had won his way to the borders of the Caspian Sea. His book was not -published till some fifteen years after, and shows chiefly, to use -Kaye's words, "how much during the last seventy years the Afghan Empire -and how little the Afghan character is changed." But the labour and -intelligence of one man, however much they may profit himself, have -rarely by themselves added much to the knowledge of a nation. Many -well-read Englishmen could still own to little more than a vague idea -of Afghanistan; that it was a bare and rocky country, which the heat of -summer and the cold of winter alike rendered impervious to travellers, -happily shut out from more civilised regions by a mighty barrier -of mountains, topped with eternal snow, through which, by passes -inaccessible to all save the mountaineers themselves, hordes of savage -warriors had in earlier days poured down in irresistible flood on the -fertile valleys of the Indus. Elphinstone let in more light on the -gloomy and mysterious scene. Though with his own eyes he saw but little -of the country and the people, as his journey was stayed at Peshawur, -he acquired from various sources a vast amount of information, which -he reproduced with extraordinary distinctness. His book rapidly became -the acknowledged text-book of the history and geography of the country, -and may still be read with pleasure and studied with profit. It would -have been well if one of the lessons he taught had been better laid -to heart; and thirty years later his unfortunate namesake must have -recalled with peculiar bitterness all he had once read of the ingrained -treachery of the Afghan character. The mission was in itself entirely -successful, though the rapid march of events soon neutralised, and -eventually wholly destroyed its work. Shah Soojah, a name to be before -many years but too familiar to English ears, received the envoys at -Peshawur, then one of the chief cities of his kingdom. He appeared -to them in royal state, seated on a golden throne, and blazing with -jewels, chief among which shone forth in a gorgeous bracelet the -mighty Koh-i-noor. Nor were the English outdone in magnificence. The -entire mission was on a scale of profuse splendour, and the presents -they brought with them so numerous and so costly that when, thirty -years later, Burnes arrived in Cabul the courtiers turned in disgust -from what Kaye contemptuously calls "his pins and needles, and little -articles of hardware, such as would have disgraced the wallet of a -pedlar of low repute." The envoys were most hospitably received, and -Elphinstone formed a very favourable opinion of the character of -Soojah, whom he described as both affable and dignified and bearing -the "manners of a gentleman." He listened attentively to the envoys' -proposals, and declared that "England and Cabul were designed by the -Creator to be united by bonds of everlasting friendship," but at -the same time he confessed his country to be in such an unsettled -condition, and his own throne so insecure, that, for the present, -the best advice he could give the English gentlemen was that they -should retire beyond the frontier. On June 14th, 1809, therefore, the -mission set out on its homeward journey, having, however, arranged a -treaty, which was shortly after formally ratified by Lord Minto at -Calcutta, by which Soojah bound himself to treat the French, if allied -with the Persians, much as the Persian monarch had pledged himself to -behave to them if allied with the Afghans. But even at the very time -of ratification this treaty had been practically rendered null by -the success of Sir Harford Jones's mission to Teheran, and within a -year Soojah had been deposed by his brother Mahmoud, from whom he had -himself wrested the crown, and was a captive in the hands of Runjeet -Singh. - -The final overthrow of Napoleon in 1815 removed all fears of a French -advance on India, but in its stead arose the still more imminent shadow -of Russia. For many years past that shadow had been looming larger -and larger to the eyes of the kings of Teheran, till the annexation -of Georgia brought the eagles of the Czar over the Caucasus up to the -very frontier of their northern provinces. The English alliance, and an -army drilled under the supervision of English officers, had, however, -turned the head of the Persian king, and his heir, Abbas Mirza, at the -head of 40,000 troops, of whom half were drilled and equipped after -the English fashion, dared, in 1826, to throw down the gauntlet to the -Czar. He paid dearly for his daring. English drill and English arms -availed him little without English officers. His son, Mahomed Mirza, -was utterly routed with the division under his command, and soon after -he himself was defeated in open battle by the Russian Paskewitch with a -loss of 1200 men. The English help, promised by the treaty of 1814 in -the event of Persia becoming involved in war with any European power, -was not forthcoming. Mediation took the place of armed men, and with -the help of Great Britain a peace was concluded in 1828 between the two -powers, humiliating to Persia, and ultimately disastrous to England. -By this treaty Persia lost the Khanates of Erivan and Nakhichevan, and -practically her whole defensive frontier to the north. In Sir Harford -Jones's words, "Persia was delivered, bound hand and foot, to the Court -of St. Petersburg." The territory acquired by Russia was nearly equal -in extent to the whole of England, and her outposts were brought within -a few days' march of the Persian capital. From that time, up to Lord -Auckland's arrival at Calcutta in 1836, Persia was little more than -a minion of the Czar, used by him to cover the steady advance of his -battalions eastward. The death of Futteh Ali Shah, at Ispahan in 1834, -snapped the last link that bound Persia to our interests. Futteh Ali, -as far as lay in his power, had ever striven to remain faithful to his -English allies, and to resist, as far as he dared, Russian intrigue -and Russian influence within his kingdom. But his son and grandson had -welcomed the Muscovite alliance with open arms, and when the latter -ascended the throne on his grandfather's death, it was evident that the -Czar would be paramount at the Persian Court. Mahomed Mirza Shah, the -new king, had long dreamed of the conquest of Herat and the extension -of his eastern frontier, and had more than once, in his grandfather's -lifetime, striven to turn his dreams to facts. Nothing could have -been more favourable to the Russian plans, and no sooner was Mahomed -secure upon the throne than he was urged to the immediate execution of -his long-cherished designs. Such was the state of affairs when Lord -Auckland was despatched by Lord Melbourne in 1836 to take the reins of -Indian Government from the hands of Sir Charles Metcalfe. - -Meanwhile many changes had taken place at Cabul. The weak and dissolute -Mahmoud, the deposer of Soojah, proved no more than a puppet in the -hands of his Vizier, Futteh Khan, the head of the great Barukzye tribe. -The youngest of the twenty brothers of this able and powerful chief -was the celebrated Dost Mahomed. Born of a woman of an inferior tribe, -he had entered life as a sweeper of the sacred tomb of Lamech. From -thence he was promoted to hold a menial office about the person of his -great brother, into whose favour he at length rose by the murder, when -only a boy of fourteen, of one of the Vizier's enemies. From that time -his rise was steady, and as he rose so did he discard the follies and -excesses of his youth, displaying a daring and heroic spirit, great -military address, and a power of self-discipline and self-control -unparalleled among the chiefs of Central Asia. To his hands was -entrusted the execution of the Vizier's project for establishing the -Barukzyes in Herat, then held by a brother of the reigning king. The -design was completely successful for the moment, owing to the daring -and also to the treachery of Dost Mahomed, but the blow recoiled -with fearful force on the person of the Vizier. Returning from his -raid against the Persians, which had been the ostensible pretext for -his march to Herat, Futteh Khan was seized by Prince Kamran, son of -Mahmoud; his eyes were put out, and persisting in his refusal to give -up his brother to the Prince's vengeance, he was hacked to pieces -before the whole court. This brutal act finally overthrew the long -tottering dynasty of the Suddozyes, who had been kings in Cabul since -Ahmed Shah founded the Afghan Empire in 1747. Dost Mahomed's vengeance -was sudden and no less brutal. But it is impossible in this limited -space to enter into all the details of his rise to the chief seat of -power. It must suffice to say that when Lord Auckland entered on his -government Dost Mahomed was firmly seated on the throne of Cabul, and -the whole of the country in the hands of the Barukzye Sirdars, with the -exception of Herat, where Kamran still reigned, the last remnant, save -the exiled Soojah, of the legitimate line. - -Shortly after Lord Auckland's arrival at Calcutta Dost Mahomed -addressed to him a letter of congratulation on his assumption of -office. Adverting to his quarrel with the Sikhs, who, under Runjeet -Singh, the old one-eyed "Lion of the Punjab," had wrested the rich -valley of Peshawur from the Afghan Empire, he said, "the late -transactions in this quarter, the conduct of the reckless and misguided -Sikhs, and their breach of treaty, are well known to your Lordship. -Communicate to me whatever may suggest itself to your wisdom for the -settlement of the affairs of this country, that it may serve as a rule -for my guidance." And he concluded with a hope that "your Lordship -will consider me and my country as your own." To this complimentary -effusion the Viceroy returned a suitable reply, assuring the Ameer -of his wish that the Afghans should become a "flourishing and united -nation," but declining to interfere in the Sikh quarrel, on the plea -that it was not "the practice of the British Government to interfere -with the affairs of other independent states." It was hinted, too, that -"some gentleman" would probably be deputed to the Ameer's Court to -discuss certain "commercial topics." This plan, which had originally -commended itself to Lord William Bentinck, shortly after took effect in -the despatch of Captain Alexander Burnes to Cabul. - -But by this time affairs in Persia had reached a crisis. Though -Mahomed Shah, breathing fire and sword against Herat, had ascended the -throne in 1834, it was not till 1837 that his threats took practical -shape. Despite the ceaseless promptings of the Russian minister at -Teheran (who, it is perhaps needless to say, had, according to his -own Government, done his best to dissuade Mahomed from any advance on -the Afghan frontier), the Shah still hung back. If Kamran would send -hostages and a large present, would own the Persian king as sovereign, -coin money, and have prayers read in his name, all should be well. -The hostages and the present Kamran was content to allow, but the rest -he could not stomach. The Barukzye chief who ruled at Candahar viewed -the proposed invasion with complaisance, hoping to secure Herat for -himself, and being perfectly willing to hold it as a fief of Persia. He -even went so far as to propose to send one of his sons to the Persian -camp as hostage for his fidelity, and to secure the best terms for -himself and his brothers. Dost Mahomed warned him that if he did so he -would be made "to bite the finger of repentance," but the warning was -disregarded. Egged on by the flattering assurances of the inestimable -advantages to be derived from a Persian alliance, that the Russian -agent did not cease to lay before him, Kohun Dil Khan disobeyed the -commands of his chief; the boy was to be sent, and the alliance was -to be completed. Mahomed Shah then commenced his march against Herat, -and at the same time Burnes appeared at Cabul. "Thus," says Kaye, "the -seeds of the Afghan war were sown." - -Burnes had been at Cabul before. He had gone there in 1832, with the -sanction of Lord William Bentinck, and had been courteously received -by Dost Mahomed, of whom he had formed a very favourable opinion, in -contrast with that which he entertained of the weak and vacillating -Soojah. His opinion of the Ameer was, probably, in the main a correct -one, but he scarcely seems to have exercised his usual judgment when -he declared the Afghans to be "a simple-minded, sober people, of frank -and open manners." Returning in the following year, Burnes was sent -to England to impart to the authorities at home the results of his -travels and observations. In London he was received with the greatest -enthusiasm. His book was published, and read by every one. He became -the "lion" of the season, and the name of "Bokhara Burnes" was to be -seen in every list of fashionable entertainments. Returning to India in -1835, he was soon removed from Cutch, where he had acted as Assistant -to the Resident, on a mission to the Ameers of Sindh. While still -engaged in that duty he received notice to hold himself in readiness -to proceed to Cabul, and on November 26, 1836, he sailed from Bombay -"to work out the policy of opening the river Indus to commerce." -That Lord Auckland had at that time any idea, much less any definite -plan, of interfering in Afghan politics is most unlikely, as it is -certain Lord William Bentinck had not when he first thought of this -"commercial" mission. It is worthy of note, however, that when Burnes -first broached the plan to the Court of Directors at home they refused -to countenance it, feeling, in the words of the chairman, Mr. Tucker, -"perfectly assured that it must soon degenerate into a political -agency, and that we should, as a necessary consequence, be involved in -all the entanglements of Afghan politics." Mr. Grant, of the Board of -Control, held similar views, and Sir Charles Metcalfe in an emphatic -minute pointed out the evils of this "commercial agency." The die, -however, was cast, and on September 20, 1837, Burnes for the second -time entered Cabul. - -As before, Dost Mahomed received him with all courtesy, and with "great -pomp and splendour." The navigation of the Indus soon disappeared -into the background. From Burnes's own letters to Macnaghten, the -Political Secretary at Calcutta, it may be seen how much of importance -he himself attached to his commercial character. Nevertheless, at a -private interview, "which lasted till midnight," with the Ameer, he -talked a good deal about the Indus, and about trade, and other such -harmless topics. The Ameer listened with the greatest attention, but -when it came to his turn to speak, he substituted for the Indus the -word Peshawur, and for commerce, the ability and resources of Runjeet -Singh. If only he could regain Peshawur it was very evident that -whoso would might hold the trade of the Indus. On this head Burnes -was cautious. He suggested that possibly some arrangement might be -concluded with Runjeet Singh by which Peshawur might be restored to the -Ameer's brother Mahomed, from whose government the Sikhs had originally -won it. But the Ameer wanted it for himself, and by no manner of means -for his brother. Further than this, however, Burnes would not commit -himself. He distinctly stated, moreover, that neither Dost Mahomed -nor his brothers (should they decline the Persian alliance, of which -the Ameer, and probably with sincerity, declared himself in no way -desirous) must found any hopes on British aid. Sympathy he promised -largely, should they behave themselves well, but not a single rupee nor -a single musket. Still, even after this, the Ameer persisted in his -professions of friendship to the English, nor is there any reason to -doubt that he, at that time, meant what he said. Nay, he even offered -himself to compel his brothers at Candahar to break once and for all -with the Shah; but this Burnes declined, exhorting him, however, -to use all pacific means to influence them, and himself writing -to Kohun Dil to threaten him with the displeasure of England if he -continued his intrigues with the Persian and Russian Courts. At that -particular time the Candahar chiefs had rather cooled in their desire -for the Persian alliance, and began to have suspicions that instead -of obtaining Herat they were not unlikely to lose Candahar. Burnes -thereupon despatched Lieutenant Leech, an officer of his mission, to -them, promising them that should the Persian army after the fall of -Herat advance on Candahar, he would himself march with Dost Mahomed to -their defence, which he would further with all the means in his power. -It was a bold step, but as many thought at the time, and as nearly -all were agreed afterwards, it was by far the best that could have -been taken. Lord Auckland, however, thought, or was advised to think -otherwise. Burnes was severely censured for having so far exceeded his -instructions--though he might well have pleaded in excuse that he knew -not what were the instructions he had exceeded--and ordered at once to -"set himself right with the chiefs." There was nothing left for him but -to obey, and the result of his obedience was a treaty concluded between -the chiefs and the Shah under a Russian guarantee. - -Such a risk was not to be run again, nor was Burnes for the future -to be able to plead any want of definite instructions. From this time -forward his instructions were, indeed, explicit enough. Briefly they -may be defined as to ask for everything and to give nothing. In vain -did Dost Mahomed point out that in desiring to regain Peshawur from the -Sikhs, he was doing practically no more than England was avowedly bent -on doing, on guarding his frontier from danger, and that to exchange -Runjeet Singh for his brother Mahomed was but to make his last state -worse than his first. Burnes himself fully recognized the justice of -his arguments, but Burnes's masters remained obstinately deaf. All -they would promise was to restrain Runjeet Singh from attacking Dost -Mahomed, provided Dost Mahomed in return bound himself to abstain from -an alliance with any other state. At this, says Burnes, the Sirdars -only laughed. "Such a promise," said Jubbar Khan, the Ameer's brother, -and a staunch champion of the English cause, "such a promise amounts -to nothing, for we are not under the apprehension of any aggressions -from Lahore; they have hitherto been on the side of the Ameer, not of -Runjeet Singh, and yet for such a promise you expect us to desist from -all intercourse with Russia, with Persia, with Toorkistan, with every -nation but England." To make matters still worse, at this crisis a new -actor appeared on the scene, the Russian Vickovitch, bearing letters -from Count Simonich and from the Czar himself, though the latter was -unsigned, so as to be repudiated or acknowledged as events might -require. The Ameer, still willing to please the British, offered to -turn the Russian back from his gates, but that, Burnes pointed out, -would be contrary to the rule of civilised nations, and Vickovitch was -therefore allowed to enter Cabul and to present his letters, which -were ostensibly, as those of Burnes had been, of a purely commercial -bearing. What Burnes, however, thought of the arrival, he showed -plainly enough in a letter written a few days after to a private -friend. "We are in a mess here," he writes. "The Emperor of Russia has -sent an envoy to Cabul with a blazing letter three feet long, offering -Dost Mahomed money to fight Runjeet Singh.... It is now a neck-and-neck -race between Russia and ourselves, and if his Lordship would hear -reason he would forthwith send agents to Bokhara, Herat, Candahar, -and Koondooz, not forgetting Sindh." His Lordship, however, would not -hear such reason as Burnes had to offer, and when on March 5th, 1838, -certain specific demands were presented by the Ameer, that the English -should protect Cabul and Candahar from Persia, that Runjeet Singh -should be compelled to restore Peshawur, and various others of the same -tendency, Burnes could only, in the name of the British Government, -refuse his assent to any and all of them, and then sit down to write -a formal request for his dismissal. One more attempt was made by Dost -Mahomed to come to terms, but it was of no use. The old ground was -traversed again, and only with the old result. As a last resource the -Ameer wrote to Lord Auckland in terms almost of humility, imploring him -"to remedy the grievances of the Afghans," and to "give them a little -encouragement and power." This was the last effort, and it failed. Then -the game was up indeed. Vickovitch was sent for and received with every -mark of honour; one of the Candahar chiefs came up in haste to Cabul, -and on April 26th, 1838, Burnes turned his back on the Afghan capital. - -As the Russian here disappears from our story a a few words as to -his subsequent career and end may not be out of place. After the -departure of the English envoy he flung himself heart and soul into his -business; promising men, promising money, promising everything that -the Ameer asked. He even proposed to visit Lahore and use his good -offices with Runjeet Singh, but that plea failed, owing chiefly to -the address of Mackeson, our agent at Lahore. For a time the Russian -was all-powerful throughout Afghanistan, but after the repulse of the -Persians from Herat and the entry of the English into Cabul his star -paled. He proceeded to Teheran to give a full report of his doings to -the Russian Minister there, and by him was ordered to proceed direct -to St. Petersburg. Arrived there, flattered with hope, for he felt he -had done all man could do, he reported himself to Count Nesselrode. The -minister refused to see him. "I know no Captain Vickovitch," was the -answer, "except an adventurer of that name who is reported to have been -lately engaged in some unauthorised intrigues at Cabul and Candahar." -Vickovitch understood the answer thoroughly. He knew that severe -remonstrance had been sent from London to St. Petersburg; he knew his -own Government only too well. He went home, burnt his papers, wrote a -few lines of reproach, and blew his brains out. - -To return to Cabul. Notwithstanding the Russian promises, and the -exultation of his brothers at Candahar, the Ameer felt that he had -acted unwisely. Very soon he saw that Russia could do little more than -promise, and that England had made up her mind to perform. Despite -Russian money and Russian men, the Shah could not force his way into -Herat while Eldred Pottinger stood behind the crumbling walls, and -a vast army was assembling on the banks of the Indus to drive Dost -Mahomed and the whole Barukzye clan from power. - -To keep friends with the Afghan ruler and to preserve the independence -of his Empire was the obvious policy of the British Government. But -the authorities at Simlah, Lord Auckland, Mr. Macnaghten, Mr. Henry -Torrens and Mr. John Colvin, had determined that that ruler should be, -not the Barukzye Dost Mahomed, a man of proved energy and ability, who -had shown himself anxious to cultivate the friendship of England, and -who possessed the confidence and the favour of his subjects, but the -Suddozye Shah Soojah, who, though born of the legitimate line, was -no less a usurper than Dost Mahomed himself, who was regarded by the -majority of his countrymen with indifference and contempt, and who -more than once had proved alike his inability to administer and to -maintain dominion. By what process of reasoning the Viceroy arrived -at this remarkable conclusion has never been made perfectly clear, -but though he alone, notwithstanding Sir John Hobhouse's generous -declaration from the Board of Control, will be, rightly or wrongly, -held by posterity responsible for the disastrous events which followed, -it is at least to his credit that he left no stone unturned to arrive -at the opinions of all competent advisers before deciding on his own. -Prominent among these was Mr. McNeill, then our envoy at the Court of -Teheran, a man of keen powers of observation and undoubted ability, -who may be said to share with Pottinger the glory of the Persian -repulse from Herat. His plan, as he impressed more than once on Burnes, -was to consolidate the Afghan Empire under Dost Mahomed. Placing no -reliance on the sincerity of the Candahar chiefs, he yet entertained -a high opinion of the Ameer himself, whom he would have been well -pleased to see established in Herat and Candahar as well as in Cabul. -McNeill's correspondence, however, had to pass through the hands of -Captain, afterwards Sir Claudius, Wade, himself also well versed in -the politics of Central Asia, and at that time holding the responsible -post of Governor-General's Agent on the North-Western Frontier. Wade -forwarded a copy of McNeill's letter to the Governor, and forwarded -with it one from himself in which he strongly deprecated the policy of -consolidation. To him it seemed better that the Afghan Empire should -remain, as it then was, sub-divided into practically independent -states, each of whom, as he conceived, would be more likely in their -own interests to court our friendship and to meet our views, than -if brought under the yoke of one ruler, to whom they could never be -expected to yield a passive obedience. "Supposing," he continued, "we -were to aid Dost Mahomed to overthrow in the first place his brother -at Candahar, and then his Suddozye rival at Herat, what would be the -consequence? As the system of which it is intended to be a part would -go to gratify the longing wish of Mahomed Shah for the annexation of -Herat to his dominions, the first results would be that the Shah-Zadah -Kamran would apply to Persia, and offer, on the condition of her -assistance to save him from the fate which impended over his head, to -submit to all the demands of that General, which Kamran has hitherto -so resolutely and successfully resisted, and between his fears and -the attempts of Dost Mahomed to take it, Herat, which is regarded by -everyone who has studied its situation as the key to Afghanistan, would -inevitably fall prostrate before the arms of Persia, by the effect of -the very measures which we had designed for its security from Persian -thraldom." That it was our interest to maintain the independence of -Herat was obvious, so long as Herat was able to remain in the position -it was then assuming, that of a barrier against Russo-Persian invasion. -Prince Kamran was, in fact, then playing our game as well as we could -have played it ourselves. But the question was, how long would Herat be -able to retain its independence? The fall of Herat meant the fall of -Candahar, and the absorption of all Southern and Western Afghanistan -into a Persian province, and a Persian province was then but another -name for a Russian province. Could it have been possible, and that -McNeill thought it possible was a strong argument in its favour, to -consolidate the various states under one ruler strong enough to retain -the reins when once placed in his hands, Herat and Candahar would -have been secured for ever, and there would have arisen in a united -Afghanistan a perpetual barrier to Russian ambition. Had we come to -terms with Dost Mahomed, in all human probability we should not have -had to chastise the insolence of his son. Burnes for his part still -championed the cause of the Ameer, urging that it was not yet too late -to secure his friendship, that, despite all that had taken place, he -still wanted only the smallest encouragement to range himself on our -side, and that as whatever action was taken could not be taken save at -some cost, the money could not be better spent than on Dost Mahomed. -But when Burnes's opinion was asked, the Government had already decided -on their policy, and as Dost Mahomed was to go, he was only asked to -pronounce on the expediency of choosing Soojah as his successor. It -seemed to him that McNeill's plan, of which he was a staunch advocate, -would be better served by restoring Soojah to his crown than by giving -it to Sultan Mahomed or any other of the chiefs, who would probably -be but a tool in the hands of the Sikhs, themselves objects of bitter -hatred to the Afghans. As the Government, then, were committed to one -of two evils, Burnes gave his vote in favour of that which seemed to -him the least, and which he, in common with the rest of the Council, -believed could be accomplished with little danger and at comparatively -little expense. - -Lord Auckland's first idea was that the deposition of Dost Mahomed -should be effected by the combined forces of Runjeet Singh and Soojah, -raised and drilled under British supervision, and assisted by British -gold--in Kaye's words, "England was to remain in the background, -jingling the money-bag." Such were the first instructions issued to the -Mission sent in May, 1838, to sound Runjeet Singh on the design, but -scarcely had they been written when the thought of employing British -troops seems first to have dawned in, or been introduced into Lord -Auckland's mind. He would have preferred that the two Princes should -undertake the work on their own account, while he contributed merely -his countenance and perhaps some money, but he was very doubtful -whether the Princes would see the matter in the same light. Macnaghten, -the leader of the mission, was instructed therefore to suggest the -first course to Runjeet Singh, and should he view that with disfavour, -to hold out the possibility of some sort of "demonstration" being -undertaken by British troops from some convenient point. The event -proved that Lord Auckland's doubts were just. The Sikh Prince heard -the proposal for restoring Soojah with pleasure, and at once gave his -consent to the plan; but when Macnaghten, cautiously feeling his way, -hinted that an army of Sikhs, together with such a force as Soojah -could raise with British help, would be amply sufficient, the crafty -old man stopped him with an emphatic refusal. That England should -become a third party to the treaty already existing between him and -Soojah was, in his own phrase "adding sugar to milk;" he was willing, -moreover, himself to play such a part as England might deem necessary; -but with the independent expedition he would have nothing to do. -Macnaghten therefore at once returned to his original proposal, and -after a good deal of fencing and delay on Bunjeet Singh's part, the -treaty was concluded. From Soojah, of course, little difficulty was -to be anticipated, but he, unlike Runjeet Singh, though willing to -employ British gold and British skill in equipping and disciplining the -forces he declared his ability at once to bring to his standard, was -by no means anxious to see a British force in the field with him. He -was doubtful what effect such an apparition in their strongholds might -have upon his countrymen, nor was he at all desirous to appear as owing -his throne to British bayonets. He proposed that his own force should -proceed by way of the Bolan Pass on Candahar and Ghuznee, while the -Sikhs, with whom should go his son Timour, should march on the capital -through the Khyber and Koord-Cabul defiles. Already, he said, had he -received offers of allegiance from numerous chiefs discontented with -the Barukzye rule, and offended at Dost Mahomed's alliance with the -Persians, prominent among whom appeared, strangely enough, the name of -Abdoolah Khan, destined to become the prime mover in the insurrection -which ultimately cost Soojah his life, and restored the Barukzye -dynasty. "The faggots," they wrote, "are ready; it only requires the -lighted torch to be applied." Soojah therefore was urgent with -Macnaghten that he should be allowed to accomplish his restoration with -his own troops, as he expressed himself confident of doing; a feat -which would greatly tend to raise his character among his countrymen, -while the fact of his being "upheld by foreign force alone could not -fail to detract in a great measure from his dignity and consequence." -Soojah's wishes, in fact, tallied precisely with Lord Auckland's -original design, but every day brought fresh complications, with fresh -confirmation of the impracticability of that design. First Soojah and -Runjeet Singh alone were to be the agents; then a British force was to -"demonstrate" in reserve at Shikarpoor; next a few British regiments -were to be added to Soojah's levies. Finally, all these plans were -dismissed, and one wholly different to any Lord Auckland had hitherto -dreamed of was substituted in their stead. - -Sir Henry Fane, Commander-in-chief of the British army in India, -was then at Simlah, with Lord Auckland. That he had from the first -disapproved of English interference with Afghan politics the following -passage from his correspondence with Sir Charles Metcalfe, written -in 1837, sufficiently proves. "Every advance you might make beyond -the Sutlej to the westward, in my opinion, adds to your military -weakness ... if you want your empire to expand, expand it over Oude or -over Gwalior and the remains of the Mahratta Empire. Make yourselves -complete sovereigns of all within your bounds, _but let alone the far -West_." But as it had been decided that the work was to be done, he -was vehement in his opinion that it should be done as thoroughly as -possible. With a "fine old Tory" contempt of anything approaching to -economy, he advised the employment of a regular British force, horse, -foot, and artillery, with which there could be no possibility of a -reverse, a contingency in the peculiar circumstances of the case to be -guarded against with more than common care. There were, still nearer -to the Viceroy's person, other and even warmer advocates of the same -policy; so after some weeks of suspense and oscillation Lord Auckland -yielded, and the fiat for the "Army of the Indus" went forth. - -In August the regiments selected were warned for field service, and -in September a General Order published the constitution of the force. -It was to be divided into two columns, the Bengal column and the -Bombay column. The former was to consist of a brigade of artillery -under Colonel Graham; a brigade of cavalry under Colonel Arnold; -and five brigades of infantry under Colonels Sale and Bennie, -of Her Majesty's, and Colonels Nott, Roberts, and Worseley, of the -Company's service. The latter were told off into two divisions under -Sir Willoughby Cotton, an officer of Her Majesty's army, who had seen -service in the Burmese war, and Major-General Duncan, of the Company's -army. The whole was to be under the personal command of Sir Henry Fane -himself. The Bombay column was to consist of a brigade of artillery -under Colonel Stevenson; a brigade of cavalry under Major-General -Thackwell; a brigade of infantry under Major-General Wiltshire; the -whole to be under the command of Sir John Keane, Commander-in-chief -of the Bombay army. The English regiments selected were, besides the -artillery, in the Bengal column, the 16th Lancers and the 3rd and 13th -Regiments of the Line; in the Bombay column, the 4th Dragoons and the -2nd and 17th Regiments of the Line. Besides these troops, Soojah's -own levies were being actively raised on the other side of the Indus, -under the supervision of Captain Wade, who found it no easy matter -to quiet the Afghan's not unfounded fears lest he should come to be -no more than a puppet in the hands of the English officers, and his -restoration finally effected, not by his own arms, but by the English -bayonets. Though the sympathies of the majority of our army were -rather with Dost Mahomed than with Soojah, and it was far from clear -to them on what pretext they were to invade the former's kingdom, the -prospect of active employment after so many years of repose was popular -with all classes of military men, and from every quarter of India -officers, leaving without a murmur the luxurious ease of well-paid -staff appointments, made haste to rejoin their regiments. Scarcely -less important than the selection of the military commands was the -selection of the envoys who were to accompany the different columns -in a political capacity. Wade of course was to march with the Sikh -force destined to escort Prince Timour through the Khyber Pass to his -father's capital, but it was not so easy to determine on whom should -devolve the delicate duty of directing the mind of Soojah himself, -and shaping the political course of his operations. Sir Henry Fane -not unreasonably wished that the entire control, political as well -as military, should be vested in his own hands, and proposed to take -Burnes with him as his confidential adviser. But Lord Auckland -had other views, and, contrary to general expectation, his choice fell -on Macnaghten, under whom Burnes, after a momentary, and not unnatural, -fit of disgust, agreed to serve in a subordinate capacity, believing, -in common with others, that Soojah once firmly seated on the throne, -Macnaghten would return, and the chief control of affairs would then -devolve upon him. - -On October 1st the Declaration of War was issued. If our officers -were doubtful before as to the right of their cause this document -certainly tended but little to solve their doubts. Hardly, moreover, -had the Simlah manifesto had time to penetrate through India when news -arrived of the raising of the siege of Herat. As the deliverance of -Herat, and Western Afghanistan generally, from Persian rule had formed, -according to the proclamation, the principal object of the expedition, -it was supposed that the English army would now be disbanded, and -Soojah and Runjeet Singh left to their own devices. Even those of the -authorities at home who had allowed that, while a Persian force was -still at the gates of Herat, Lord Auckland could not do otherwise than -prepare for its defence, were unanimously of opinion that the motive -for the expedition had now ceased to exist. Among such authorities -conspicuously appear the names of the Duke of Wellington, Lord -Wellesley, Sir Charles Metcalfe, Mountstuart Elphinstone, and others of -scarce less weight and experience. Lord Auckland and his advisers were -not, however, of this number. The army was to be reduced in strength, -it is true, since there was no longer any prospect of an encounter with -Persia, or possibly with Russia, but the expedition was in no way to be -abandoned. Instead of two divisions the Bengal column was to consist -only of one; two brigades of infantry were to be left behind; and the -cavalry and artillery were to be proportionately reduced. Nor was Sir -Henry Fane inclined to retain the command of a force whose numbers -were so diminished, and whose probabilities of action were so limited. -The Bengal column was therefore placed in the hands of Sir Willoughby -Cotton, and on its junction with the column from Bombay the chief -command was to fall to Sir John Keane, who led the latter force. - -All things were now ready, but before the army broke ground a grand -ceremony was to take place, a ceremony which had indeed been arranged -before any note of war had been sounded. On November 29th Lord Auckland -and Runjeet Singh met at Ferozepore. It was a magnificent pageant. The -Viceroy's camp was pitched about four miles from the river Gharra. -The English army lay on the plain, a noble force, in perfect order and -condition, and brought together, according to Havelock, in a manner -that had never before been equalled. Escorted by the principal military -and political English officers, Runjeet Singh rode up on his elephant -through a splendid guard of honour, amid the thunder of artillery and -the clash of innumerable bands, to the Durbar tent. Lord Auckland and -Sir Henry Fane rode out to meet him, and as the two cavalcades joined -such was the crush and uproar that many of the Sikh chiefs, thinking -there was some design afoot on their prince, began "to blow their -matches and grasp their weapons with a mingled air of distrust and -ferocity." With some difficulty a passage was cleared, and the little -decrepit old man, supported by the Viceroy and the Commander-in-chief, -entered the tent where the costly presents prepared for him were laid -out. Ordnance of British make, horses and elephants magnificently -caparisoned, were all inspected and admired, and, while a royal salute -thundered without, the prince bowed low before a picture of Queen -Victoria, borne into his presence by Sir Willoughby Cotton. As the -infirm old chief was being conducted round the tent he stumbled and -fell to the ground at the very muzzle of one of the British guns. A -murmur of horror arose from his Sirdars at so dire an omen, but as the -Viceroy and Sir Henry Fane hastened to raise him to his feet, their -hearts were comforted by the reflection that though their chief had -fallen before the British guns, the highest representatives of the -British Queen had raised him again to his feet. - -On the following day the visit was returned amid a scene of still -greater splendour and variety. According to an eye-witness "the Sikhs -shone down the English." All the great Sirdars were present in their -most gorgeous trappings and mounted on their finest steeds, while from -a Sikh band the strains of our own national anthem rose upon the air, -and from the Sikh guns pealed forth the salute ordained for royalty -alone. It must be confessed, however, that Runjeet Singh's ideas of -ceremony were not all of the same exalted nature. At a later period -of the day, after all the due formalities were over, the Viceroy was -required to be present at "an unseemly display of dancing girls, and -the antics of some male buffoons." The two following days were devoted -to military exercises. On the first Sir Henry Fane manoeuvred the -British force with elaborate skill and display; and on the second -the Sikh cavalry executed some less intricate movements with the -unqualified approval of their experienced critics. - -With this the ceremony was at an end. Runjeet Singh returned to -Lahore, and the Viceroy followed him on his first visit to the Sikh -principality. The final dispositions and selections were made by the -Commander-in-chief. A few weeks previously Soojah's levies, about 6000 -strong, horse, foot, and artillery, under the command of Major-General -Simpson, had left Loodhianah on their way to the front, and on December -10th, 1838, the British troops marched out from Ferozepore on their -first stage to the Afghan capital. - -A glance at the map will suffice to show that a more direct route -might have been found from Ferozepore to Cabul than down the bank -of the Indus to Bukkur, thence, across the river, by Shikarpoor and -Dadur, through the Bolan Pass, to Quettah, and from Quettah, through -the Kojuck, by Candahar and Ghuznee to Cabul. In short, as Kaye points -out, the army was about to traverse two sides of a triangle, instead of -shaping its course along a third. But there were two important reasons -for the choice of the longer route. In the first place, Runjeet Singh -had strong objections to opening the Punjab to our troops; and in the -second place the Ameers of Sindh were to be "coerced." - -Shikarpoor, on the northern bank of the Indus, had originally formed -a part of the great Douranee Empire, handed down by Timour to Zemaun -Shah and his brothers, intact as it had been received from the founder, -Ahmed. But piece by piece the kingdom had been dismembered through -the quarrels and weaknesses of its rulers. Cashmere, and Mooltan, and -Peshawur had been won by the Sikhs; Herat had risen to independence; -while Shikarpoor with a fair slice of the southern frontier had passed -to the Ameers of Sindh. But though Shikarpoor was theirs, they held, or -had held it, in consideration only of a yearly tribute, which tribute, -unpaid through many years, had now swelled, as Soojah maintained, to no -less a sum than twenty lakhs of rupees, a sum gratuitously increased by -the English Government to twenty-five lakhs, that the terms of Runjeet -Singh (who was to have received half, but had lately increased his -wants) might be granted without Soojah being the sufferer. The Ameers -themselves, however, told a different tale. Independently of their -not unreasonable objections to the validity of a claim that had been -suffered to slumber for upwards of thirty years, they were enabled -triumphantly, as they supposed, to point to two releases of the debt, -written in Korans, and signed and sealed by Soojah. Thus fortified, -they declared to Colonel Pottinger, our agent at Hyderabad, that "they -were sure the Governor-General did not intend to make them pay again -for what they had already bought and obtained, in the most binding way, -a receipt in full"--a mark of confidence which Pottinger was instructed -to demolish without delay. Nor was this the only difficulty that the -passage through Sindh promised to present. In the treaty which had -opened the Indus to navigation, it had been expressly stipulated that -the river should be free to commerce only, and it became therefore -necessary, for the transport of our army, that this treaty should be -broken. Pottinger, sorely against his will, was ordered to point out -to the Ameers that if they placed any obstacles in the way of the -"first and necessary" undertaking on which their English friends had -embarked, it would be the painful duty of those friends to take steps -to ensure a more ready and hearty co-operation. In other words, the -Ameers were told that if they did not do what was wanted of them, they -would be turned out to make room for those who would. They must pay -the twenty-five lakhs of rupees, the greater part of which would go -into the pockets of a man to whom they were indebted not one single -anna; they must consent to the violation of the treaty of the Indus, -and they must further the advance of our army through their territory -in every possible way. If they did not agree to these demands, they -would find the consequences disagreeable. It did not at first appear -that they were likely to agree. Burnes had, indeed, managed to settle -the difficulty of the Indus, and the Ameers of Khyrpore, more tractable -than the Hyderabad princes, had agreed temporarily to cede to the -British the fortress of Bukkur, the point selected for the passage. -Soojah with his levies, who were some days' march in advance of the -Bengal column, had already crossed, and was waiting our arrival at -Shikarpoor, but for a while it seemed extremely doubtful when we should -be able to join him. The Ameers were waxing turbulent. They had grossly -insulted Pottinger, and were openly collecting forces for the defence -of their capital. It was feared that the "painful duty" would be found -necessary, and orders were despatched to Keane (who had landed with the -Bombay army at Vikkur in the end of November, but had been temporarily -delayed at Tattah for want of carriage) to prepare to co-operate with -Cotton against Hyderabad. As the Bombay column moved up the right bank -of the river, the Bengal column, against the urgent remonstrances of -Macnaghten, moved down the left bank to meet it. Both forces were in -the highest spirits. The defences of Hyderabad were known to be weak; -its treasures were believed to be immense, and a prospect of unbounded -loot danced before the eyes of a soldiery who had almost forgotten what -the word meant. At the eleventh hour, however, the enchanting prospect -faded. The Ameers consented to our demands; a part of the tribute was -paid, and Hyderabad was saved for a time; while, what was then of -still more importance, a collision between the military and political -authorities was avoided. - -On February 20th, 1839, Cotton was at Shikarpoor, and again differences -between him and Macnaghten seemed imminent. Soojah had found himself -short of carriage, and Macnaghten had asked Cotton to supply him with -1000 camels from his own train. But the General expressed himself -strongly to the effect that if Soojah was unable to advance his men, -it were far better that Soojah and his men should be left behind than -that their wants should be relieved at the expense of the English -troops. It was but too apparent, even at that early stage, that the -English military officers were inclined to look upon Soojah and his -6000 soldiers as altogether superfluous. He was, indeed, a king who -was to be restored to his throne, but until the throne was ready for -him it would be better for all parties that he should remain in the -background. Macnaghten, keenly alive to the danger of such sentiments, -and feeling himself especially bound, both in honour and interest, to -uphold the cause of our ally, combated the military policy resolutely. -A collision was happily averted by the timely arrival of despatches -from the Viceroy, strongly tending to confirm Macnaghten's views; -nevertheless, when the English force advanced, three days afterwards, -the carriage difficulty had not been solved, and Soojah with his levies -remained at Shikarpoor. Keane, who came up with the Bombay army some -days later, though little less willing, was more able to help; but the -king, who had fondly hoped to head the advance into his own kingdom, -was, for the time, compelled to content himself with a second place. -Cotton's march through the Bolan Pass to Quettah, though arduous and -painful, was unopposed. Many of the camels and other beasts of burden -dropped dead on the route from want of water; there was considerable -desertion among the camp followers, and some plundering on the part of -the Beloochees, but progress was steadily made, and on March 26th the -column reached Quettah, "a most miserable mud town, with a small castle -on a mound, on which there was a small gun on a ricketty carriage." -Here there seemed a fair prospect of sheer starvation. Stores, as well -as baggage, had been abandoned among the rugged defiles of the Bolan -Pass, and Mehrab Khan, the Beloochee Prince of Khelat, with whom Burnes -had concluded a treaty in our favour, either could not, or would not, -help. He declared that there was very little grain in his country, -and Burnes could not prove that he did not speak truth, while he was -bound to allow the Khan's plea that much of the alleged scarcity was -owing, though unavoidably owing, to our own presence. He could not, -therefore, conscientiously recommend Macnaghten to sanction Cotton's -proposal for a movement on Khelat, though convinced in his own mind of -our ally's treachery, and when Keane, arriving at Quettah on April 6th, -assumed the chief command, it was decided to push on for Candahar with -all possible speed. Save for the heat, and the scarcity of water, the -advance proceeded uneventfully enough. Our soldiers behaved admirably -under circumstances peculiarly trying to Europeans, and experienced -by many of them for the first time. George Lawrence (one of the three -owners of a name which is a household word throughout India, at that -time a captain of the 2nd Bengal Light Cavalry) relates how he saw a -trooper of the 16th Lancers pour the contents of a soda-water bottle -half full of water, a treasure then worth its weight in gold, down -the throat of a native child on the point of perishing from thirst. -As the army neared Candahar, Soojah was moved up again to the front, -and many of the chiefs and people of Western Afghanistan hastened to -his standard. It was known that Kohun Dil Khan had fled, that there -was open dissension among the Barukzye brotherhood, and it soon became -clear that if a stand was to be made it would be made at a point nearer -Cabul. On April 25th, Shah Soojah-ool-Moolk, after more than thirty -years of exile, re-entered in bloodless triumph the southern capital of -his kingdom. - -Till June 27th the army lay at Candahar, waiting the ripening of the -crops. So long a period of forced inactivity was distasteful to the -troops, while daily the conviction forced itself on the more observant -of the officers that the popularity which Soojah had claimed for -himself existed only in his own imagination. The Douranee tribes had, -indeed, long yearned to shake off the hateful yoke of the Barukzye -Sirdars, by whom they had been systematically plundered and oppressed; -but they lacked both spirit and strength to make common cause with -their promised deliverer, while both their national and religious -feelings were alike stirred by the appearance within their gates of -the accursed infidels. When the first cravings of curiosity had been -gratified, their attitude to their king was one rather of indifference -than devotion, and to us one of undisguised if not active enmity. It -needed not the warning of Soojah to remind the English that they were -no longer in Hindostan. Two young officers, Inverarity, of the 16th -Lancers, and Wilmer, were attacked at a short distance from camp; -Inverarity was murdered, and his companion escaped with difficulty. -The Ghilzyes, a fierce and lawless tribe, the original lords of the -soil, alike rejecting British gold and British promises, began, too, -to give early promise of the stern opposition that was hereafter to -be experienced from them. When, a fortnight after his arrival, Soojah -held a grand state reception, scarcely one of his subjects appeared to -do homage to their king. A royal salute of 101 guns was fired in his -honour; the British troops marched past his throne in imposing array, -and Soojah, highly elated, declared that the moral influence of the -ceremony would be felt "from Pekin to Constantinople." But in reality, -the whole affair, so far as what should have been its most important -features were concerned, was a miserable failure. Lawrence relates a -significant speech made to him by an Afghan of distinction, whom he -fell in with while on reconnoitering service to the front. "What could -induce you," said the man, "to squander crores of rupees in coming to -a poor rocky country like ours, without wood or water, in order to -force upon us an unlucky person as a king, who, the moment you turn -your backs, will be upset by Dost Mahomed, our own king?" The order to -advance given on June 27th was heard therefore with pleasure by all; -and on July 21st the army was encamped before the famous citadel of -Ghuznee. - -It became soon evident that a serious mistake had been committed. -Ghuznee was deservedly considered the strongest fortress in the -country, and its defences were the boast of all Afghanistan. Keane had, -indeed, been advised to the contrary, but he knew at least that it was -garrisoned by about 3000 of the enemy under Hyder Khan, one of the -Ameer's sons, while another was reported to be in the neighbourhood -with a strong body of horse. Nevertheless, discarding the battering -train, which had been tugged up to Candahar with immense labour and -expense, he resumed his march with light field-pieces only, and found -himself accordingly before a place subsequently described by himself as -one "of great strength, both by nature and art," without the means of -effecting a breach in its walls. - -Our light companies soon cleared the villages and gardens surrounding -the fort, not, however, without some loss, and at daybreak on the 22nd -Keane and Cotton, with a party of engineers, reconnoitred the place -from the heights commanding the eastern face. It was perfectly evident -that the field-pieces might for all practical purposes have been left -behind with the siege train at Candahar, but treachery was to show -us a way in, which we could have found for ourselves only at immense -loss. One of the garrison, a Barukzye of rank, nephew to the Ameer -himself, had deserted to our camp; the gates, he assured us, had all -been built up with the exception of the Cabul gate, and by the Cabul -gate therefore it was decided that the entrance should be made. That -very night was chosen for the attack. Four English regiments were -detailed for service; the 2nd, 13th, and 17th of the Line, and the -Company's European Regiment. Colonel Dennie, of the 13th, was to lead -the advance, consisting of the light companies of the four regiments, -and the main column was placed under Brigadier Sale. Captain Thomson, -of the Bengal Engineers, was to superintend the explosion party, with -his two subalterns, Durand (afterwards Sir Henry Durand) and Macleod, -and Captain Peat, of the Bombay corps. The night was dark and stormy. -The light guns were ordered to open fire, to distract the attention -of the garrison, while the powder-bags were piled at the gate. The -work was done quickly, quietly and well. Durand, according to one -account, finding the first application of the port-fire of no effect, -was obliged to scrape the hose with his finger-nails; then the powder -exploded, and with a mighty crash, heard above the roaring of the -guns and the noise of the storm, down, amid a column of black smoke, -came huge masses of timber and masonry in dire confusion. In rushed -Dennie at the head of the stormers, and after him pressed Sale with the -main column. The resistance, though short, was stubborn. The breach -was still so narrow that entrance was difficult and slow. Dennie had -won his way inside, but between him and Sale a strong party of the -garrison had made their way to the gate. The Brigadier himself was -cut down, but after a desperate struggle regained his feet, cleaving -his opponent to the chin. The supports, under Colonel Croker, pushed -forward manfully, and as the day broke the colours of the 13th and 17th -Regiments were flung out to the morning breeze on the ramparts of the -Afghans' strongest fort. Ghuznee was ours, with a loss of 17 killed and -165 wounded, of whom 18 were officers. The loss of the garrison was -never accurately known. Upwards of 500 were buried by our men, and many -more were supposed to have fallen beyond the walls under the sabres of -our cavalry; 1600 prisoners were taken, and large stores of grain and -flour proved a welcome addition to the value of the prize. - -With the fall of Ghuznee fell the hopes of Dost Mahomed. Within little -more than twenty-four hours the news had reached him, and his brother, -Jubbar Khan, was forthwith despatched to the English camp, proffering -submission to Soojah, but claiming for his brother the office of -Vizier, which had come to be considered a sort of hereditary appanage -of the Barukzye clan. The offer was declined, and what Kaye calls the -"mockery" of an honourable asylum in the British dominions suggested -in its stead. With an indignant refusal the envoy returned to his -brother, and Dost Mahomed then resolved on one last attempt. He moved -out from the capital, designing to take up his ground at Maidan, a -well-chosen spot on the Cabul river. But when he had reached Urgundeh, -he saw too clearly that the game was up. Hadji Khan, a man in whom -he had placed peculiar reliance, had gone over to the enemy; the -Kuzzilbashes were leaving him fast. With the Koran in his hand, he rode -among his troops. "You have eaten my salt," he said, "these thirteen -years. If, as is too plain, you are resolved to seek a new master, -grant me but one favour in requital for that long period of maintenance -and kindness--enable me to die with honour. Stand by the brother of -Futteh Khan while he executes one last charge against the cavalry of -these Feringhee dogs; in that onset he will fall; then go and make -your own terms with Shah Soojah." The appeal was in vain. Dismissing -all of his followers who were minded to purchase safety by bowing to -the new allegiance, he turned his horse's head, and rode towards the -Hindoo-Koosh. - -A party of horse under the gallant Outram was despatched in hot -pursuit. Twelve English officers rode with him, Lawrence among the -number, and about 200 of our own men. Had the party been no larger -it is probable that it would not have been left to Dost Mahomed to -surrender at his own discretion. But in an evil hour it was decided -that Hadji Khan with 500 Afghans should be added, and the dilatoriness -of our "allies" wholly neutralised the energies of our own men. Hadji, -a traitor once, remained a traitor still, and though quick to leave his -master in the hour of his misfortunes, he had no intention, with an -eye to future contingencies, to commit himself beyond hope of recall. -The harder, then, Outram and his troops rode, the slower rode the Khan -and his following; every pretext that the ingenious Eastern mind could -devise for delay was turned to account, and as the country was wholly -unknown to the English leader he could not leave Hadji to his devices -and push on alone after the fugitive. His orders were not to continue -the chase beyond the Afghan frontier. On August 9th he reached Bamean, -to find that his game was but a day's march before him; but that one -day's march had sounded the recall. Dost Mahomed was over the frontier, -and there was nothing left for Outram but to return, to be laughed at -for his "wild-goose chase," and to hear from the Commander-in-chief -that "he had not supposed there were thirteen such asses in his whole -force!" It is satisfactory, however, to know that the traitor Hadji had -this time over-reached himself. Outram reported his conduct on his -return; other proofs of his treason were forthcoming; he was arrested -by order of the king, and spent the remainder of his life a state -prisoner in Hindostan. - -So Soojah was once more seated on the throne of Cabul. He had entered -the city on August 6th in royal pomp, resplendent with jewels (among -which the mighty Koh-i-noor was this time conspicuous by its absence), -mounted on a white charger, half smothered in golden trappings; -Macnaghten and Burnes, in diplomatic costume, rode with him, and all -the chief officers of the English army swelled his train. But there was -no popular enthusiasm; there were no loyal cries of welcome. The people -flocked to stare at the show, but it was at the white-faced strangers -they stared, not at their restored king. Still, the work had been -done. The English flag had waved over Candahar and Ghuznee; an English -army was encamped before Cabul. The usurpers were in flight, and the -"rightful" king had returned again to his own. - -According to the original terms of the proclamation, the British -troops, their mission accomplished, were at once to withdraw from the -country. Soojah himself was anxious to be rid of allies in whose hands -he was conscious he was and could be no more than a puppet, and whose -presence in the kingdom was a standing testimony to the absence of -that loyalty which he had so loudly vaunted. Nothing would have better -pleased the English themselves than to have acquiesced in the king's -wishes; nothing would have pleased Lord Auckland better than that they -should do so. But it could not be. Unprotected by British bayonets -the throne of the new king would not have stood for a day, and with -it would have fallen the feeble fabric on which the "justice" of the -expedition rested. The Simlah manifesto had declared that Soojah's -"popularity throughout Afghanistan had been proved to his lordship -by the strong and unanimous testimony of the best authorities;" how -then could his lordship leave Soojah alone to give the lie to his own -manifesto? But though it was expedient that an English force should -still, at least for a time, continue at the king's right hand, it was -neither expedient, nor, as it was thought, necessary that the entire -army should remain. A garrison at Cabul and Candahar, and others at the -principal posts on the main roads to Hindostan, Ghuznee and Quettah on -the west, and Jellalabad and Ali-Musjid on the east, would be amply -sufficient. These could be furnished by a portion of the Bengal army, -and the remainder could be withdrawn by way of Jellalabad and the -Khyber Pass, while the Bombay column could return _en masse_ through -the Bolan Pass. Such was the advice of the Commander-in-chief, and -such, as it soon appeared, was the opinion of the Viceroy himself. -Before, however, the homeward march began, Wade had brought Prince -Timour to his father's court. Wade's share in the expedition, though -dwarfed by the more brilliant exploits of Keane, had, notwithstanding -the disaffection of the Sikhs (who, after Runjeet Singh's death, had -not cared to conceal their dislike of their English allies), been -performed with complete success, and had moreover materially assisted -the march of the larger force. For a long time Dost Mahomed had -regarded the advance through the Khyber with far greater anxiety than -that along the Western route, and though his troops had never actually -encountered Wade in the field, a considerable detachment had been -withdrawn for that purpose from the main army at a very critical moment. - -The official order for the departure of the troops appeared on October -2nd. It was at once seen that the first plan had been considerably -altered. Nearly the whole of the Bengal division was to remain behind -under Cotton, and only a comparatively small detachment was to return -home with Keane and the Bombay army. Though Dost Mahomed had fled the -kingdom, he was known to be still near at hand, a guest among the fiery -and hostile Oosbegs, with whom he might at any rate seriously harass -the frontier, if not, indeed, find himself strong enough to hazard an -advance upon the capital. A detachment had therefore been sent up in -September to the Hindoo-Koosh, and it became necessary to supply their -place at Cabul. The 13th, 40th, and 41st were the English regiments -that remained. Of these, the first named, with the 35th Bengal Native -Infantry and three light field guns, was stationed at Cabul, under -Dennie. Jellalabad was garrisoned by the 48th Bengal Native Infantry, -the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, some Sappers and Miners, three light -guns, and a detachment of Skinner's Horse. At Candahar, under Nott, -were the 40th and 41st Regiments of the Line, the 42nd and 43rd -Regiments of Bengal Native Infantry, a company of the European Bengal -Artillery, two regiments of Soojah's Irregular Infantry, one of his -Cavalry, and a troop of his Horse Artillery. MacLaren held Ghuznee with -the 16th Bengal Native Infantry, some of Skinner's Horse, and certain -details of Soojah's levies. At Quettah was a small force composed of -Soojah's troops only, while the Kojuck Pass was watched by a body of -Afghan horse, under Bosanquet, of the Bengal Infantry. At each of these -posts was also stationed a political officer. - -Shortly after the departure of Keane with the homeward-bound column, -Soojah left the cold of the capital for the milder air of Jellalabad, -and with him went Macnaghten, leaving Burnes in charge at Cabul. The -winter months were passed in comparative quiet. Macnaghten busied -himself with an attempt to win the favour of the turbulent Khyber -tribes, and by lavish payments did succeed in lulling them to temporary -quiet. There, too, was received news of the fall of Khelat, which had -been determined on during the upward march as punishment for Mehrab -Khan's treachery, and still more important news from the Bamean of the -further flight of Dost Mahomed to the court of the Ameer of Bokhara, -where our own envoy Stoddart was then a close prisoner in imminent -danger of death. But as a set-off against so much that was good to hear -there came from Burnes the disquieting intelligence of the advance of -a large Russian force from Orenberg on Khiva, ostensibly to release -certain Russian merchants from captivity, and to punish the Khan, -not too severely, for general misconduct--a pretext which, it will -probably be remembered, was used with great effect on a subsequent -occasion. Macnaghten was inclined at first to make light of the news, -on which Burnes had, on the contrary, laid the greatest stress; but as -rumour grew he consented at last to despatch a mission to the Russian -camp. Conolly and Rawlinson were selected--Burnes, when the post was -offered to him, having only replied "that he would willingly go if he -was ordered"--when, on the eve of their departure, the welcome news -arrived that there was no longer a Russian camp for them to visit. -Snow, pestilence and famine had done the work that neither Tartar -sabres nor English diplomacy would have probably availed to do then, -any more than they have availed since, and of Peroffski's 6000 men -scarcely a man found his way back to Orenberg. - -Towards the end of April the court returned to Cabul. Affairs were -far from satisfactory. The unpopularity of the English, and even of -Soojah himself, became daily more and more obvious to all observant -people. The dual Government was a failure. The English, pledged not -to interfere with Soojah, were obliged to permit much of which they -strongly disapproved to pass unchallenged, and were only called upon -to intervene to pass measures which Soojah himself was not strong -enough to enforce. Whenever therefore their presence did make itself -conspicuously felt it had the natural result of only increasing their -unpopularity. The expense had already been enormous, and showed no -signs of decreasing. The wealth and liberality of the English had -been a tradition in Afghanistan since the days of Elphinstone, and -the Afghans, though they hated the infidel soldiers much, loved the -infidel gold still more. Unfortunately, too, the dislike borne to the -English by the Afghan men was not shared by the Afghan women, and the -passion of jealousy, with but too good cause, was thus added to the -passions of distrust and hate. Evil news, too, came from every quarter; -from the Bamean frontier on the north, from Herat on the west, from -Candahar on the south, from Peshawur on the east. Macnaghten had never -ceased importuning the Viceroy to sanction the restoration of Herat -and Peshawur to the Afghan dominions. The Sikhs were now open in their -declarations of enmity to the English, though they had refrained as yet -from any actual hostilities, and Macnaghten, with considerable reason, -declared there could be no safety in Afghanistan till, to use his own -words, "the road through the Punjab was macadamised." At Herat, too, -Yar Mahomed, the Vizier, a man of boundless avarice and treachery, -though living on British bounty, was openly intriguing with Persia, and -had behaved with such gross and repeated insolence to our Envoy that -the latter had at last left his court in disgust. But Lord Auckland, -though not insensible to Macnaghten's arguments, did not dare at that -time to increase either his responsibilities or his expenses, both of -which were already sufficiently heavy. Grave complaints were heard -from Candahar, where the old system of taxation that had made the -Barukzye rule so irksome was still in force, and still in the hands -of the same hated collectors. The Ghilzyes, who had already received -severe punishment from Outram, were again in the field, and further -still to the south the whole country was in revolt. Khelat had been won -back from us by Mehrab Khan's son, and Loveday, the English officer -in charge, barbarously murdered. In the far north our outposts had -pushed on over the Bamean range, and were in frequent collision with -the Oosbegs, and other supporters of the Barukzye cause. It is true -that wherever our troops met the enemy in the open field the victory -remained with the former, but that such meetings were as frequent as -they were showed the angry temper of the country but too plainly to all -who had eyes to see and ears to hear. Still the sanguine temperament -of Macnaghten refused to recognise the impracticability of the game. -Still he persisted in believing in the popularity of Soojal, and in the -ultimate settlement of his kingdom, and as a proof of his confidence he -about this time sent down to Bengal for his wife, an example which was -followed by most of the other married officers. - -The news from the north soon became still more alarming. Jubbar Khan -was at Khooloom with the Ameer's family, living on the bounty of the -Wullee, or chief of that place, who still upheld with fidelity rare -for an Afghan the cause of the fugitive king. Other once staunch -supporters, however, had "come in," as the phrase went, among them -Azim Khan, one of the Ameer's sons, and it was reported that Jubbar -himself was vacillating. A forward movement of our troops would, it -was believed, soon bring him to his senses. A forward movement was -accordingly made and the Khan did "come in." On July 3rd he arrived at -Bamean with his brother's family, and a large party of retainers. - -But now the Ameer himself was once more in the field. At first a guest -in the court of Bokhara, he had afterwards become the prisoner of that -treacherous chief, who, had he dared, would have murdered his captive, -and his sons with him, as he would have murdered the English Envoy. -But Dost Mahomed, who as he said of himself, "was a wooden spoon, to -be thrown hither and thither without hurt," contrived in some way to -effect his escape, and, after infinite hardships, to make his way to -his old ally of Khooloom, who welcomed him with open arms. The Oosbegs -gathered to the popular standard. The Ameer was reminded that his wives -and children were in our power; "I have no family," was his answer, -"I have buried my wives and children," and at the head of 8000 men he -advanced on Bamean early in September. Our troops had been compelled to -abandon the outposts they had established beyond the frontier. They had -never failed indeed to repel the frequent attacks that had been made on -them, but it had become at last painfully evident that such isolated -posts were no longer tenable. They fell back therefore to Bamean, -losing everything on the retreat, and to make matters still worse a -regiment of Afghan infantry that had been lately raised went over in a -body to the enemy. Meanwhile, however, Dennie had come up with strong -reinforcements, and on September 18th a decisive battle was fought. The -enemy were immeasurably the stronger both in numbers and position, but -the victory was ours, and for the second time Dost Mahomed only escaped -death by the speed of his horse. But though he saved his life, he lost -a valuable friend. Dennie's guns had a salutary effect on the Wullee, -and within a few days of the battle the old man prudently came to terms -with the English, pledging himself no longer to harbour or assist Dost -Mahomed or any of his family. Great was the delight in the camp at -Cabul, where affairs had begun to look very black indeed, and serious -apprehensions at one time entertained of an insurrection;--but they had -not yet done with the Ameer. - -Driven out of the Hindoo Koosh, our gallant enemy next re-appeared in -Kohistan, a district only too ripe for revolt. Sale was ordered out -to meet him and Burnes went with him, while Wade was despatched from -Jellalabad to act against the refractory Wuzzeerees. After a series -of small successes, in one of which Edward Conolly, a young cavalry -officer of great bravery and promise, was killed, and one repulse at -Joolgah, Sale, on November 2nd, met the Ameer at Purwandurrah, in the -Nijrow country, a name disastrous among many other disastrous names in -the annals of the Afghan war. The latter had no original intention of -giving battle, but a chance movement of our horse changed his mind. -Lord, one of our political agents, had proposed that our cavalry, the -2nd Bengal Light Cavalry, should take up new ground on the Afghan -flank. The order had been given, and the two squadrons, numbering -something over two hundred sabres, had already gone "threes about," -when Dost Mahomed, seeing, as he supposed, the British in retreat, -rode straight down on them at the head of about 400 horsemen. Fraser, -who was in command, at once facing his men about, gave the order to -charge, and dashed, with his officers behind him, full at the advancing -squadrons. Not a trooper followed. At an irresolute walk they met -the onset, and scarcely even waiting to cross swords, fled in every -direction, leaving their officers to their fate. Of these, two, Crispin -and Broadfoot, were instantly cut down; Lord managed to win his way -through the sabres, only to fall immediately afterwards by a shot from -one of the forts; Fraser, severely wounded, was saved only by the -strength and speed of his horse; how the others escaped no man could -say. Our infantry managed in a measure to retrieve the fortunes of the -day. The Afghans were driven from their position, but their leader once -again escaped from out our very grasp. Lawrence has generously tried -to find excuses for the conduct of his men (he was not himself with -them, for at that time he was acting as assistant agent to Macnaghten), -but the fact remains that a native regiment, hitherto famous for its -bravery and fidelity, refused to follow its English officers on the -field of battle, and fled like sheep before a horde of irregular -horsemen not twice their number. Burnes wrote off to Cabul forthwith -to announce, perhaps somewhat to magnify, the disaster, and implored -Macnaghten to concentrate all our troops at once on the capital, in -anticipation, which all then believed to be certain, of the Ameer's -instant advance. Far other, however, were at that time the plans of -Dost Mahomed. He did, indeed, advance on the capital, but attended only -by a single attendant, and within twenty-four hours after his victory -he had placed his sword in Macnaghten's hands. - -Force would never have driven him to such a step, but he was weary -of fighting in a cause which, so far as he then could foresee, could -but be hopeless, and he felt that after his brilliant triumph of the -previous day he could lay down his arms without disgrace. Macnaghten -and the other English officers received him with the utmost courtesy. -Nicholson, an officer of great bravery and intelligence, was appointed -to take charge of him, but the indignity of a guard was spared him. -Soojah refused to see him, on the ground that he should be "unable to -show common civility to such a villain." Many, however, who had held -persistently aloof from Soojah, came to pay their respects to one -whom they still regarded as their lawful ruler; one of them, Shere -Mahomed, known as the swiftest mounted messenger in all Afghanistan, -exclaiming, as he grasped his chief cordially by the hand, "Ah, Ameer, -you have done right at last; why did you delay so long putting an end -to all your miseries?" Within a few days the Ameer's son, Afzul Khan, -followed his father's example, and on November 13th the two illustrious -prisoners set out for India, under the charge of Nicholson and a strong -escort of British troops. - -As in the previous year the court passed the winter months at -Jellalabad. Cotton was already there on his way down to India, "anxious -to get away," and only waiting the arrival of his successor, General -Elphinstone. Elphinstone was a brave, kindly, and courteous old -gentleman; he had seen service in the Peninsular, and bore the Waterloo -medal, but he was entirely without experience of Indian warfare; was, -moreover, sadly crippled in health, and unfortunately destitute of the -very qualities of energy and foresight which were peculiarly necessary -to his position. His appointment was made against his own personal -inclinations, nor was it precisely clear on what grounds it had been -made, save on the grounds that he was a relation of Lord Elphinstone, -at that time Governor of Bombay. But he was ordered to assume the -command, and, as a soldier, he obeyed his orders. Cotton handed over -his charge, and took his leave with these words, "You will have nothing -to do here; all is peace." Never was there made a more unfortunate -remark. - -The winter passed in tolerable quiet, but with the return of spring -came back the old troubles. The first symptoms of disquiet appeared -again in the neighbourhood of Candahar. Two admirable officers were -in charge there, Nott and Rawlinson, the former holding the military, -the latter the political command. The irrepressible Ghilzyes were -again in revolt, and the Douranees had risen to join them. Soojah was -particularly eager to conciliate the latter tribe, and had, when at -Candahar, remitted many of the impositions which had rendered the -Barukzye rule so odious; but he had also, as has been already said, -retained in office the equally odious tax-collectors who had been -employed under the latter dynasty, and the Douranees, anticipating -complete redress, and probably substantial rewards, were irritated -past endurance to find their state no better under their own king -than it had been under the usurper. Long ripe for revolt, their -disaffection had been secretly fomented by that indefatigable traitor -the Herat Vizier, Yar Mahomed, whose intrigues found a willing tool -in Aktur Khan, a chief of the Zemindawer country. Rawlinson, anxious -to try the effect of conciliatory measures, and believing with Burnes -that Afghanistan was not to be settled at the point of the bayonet, -despatched his assistant Elliot to confer with the insurgents. The -mission was successful for the time; Aktur Khan "came in;" certain -concessions were made, and certain honours conferred upon him, in -return for which he promised to disband his followers. But the peace, -as Rawlinson anticipated, was short-lived. The gallant but imprudent -conduct of Lynch, our political agent among the Ghilzye tribes, in -storming a small fort near Khelat-i-Ghilzye, to avenge an insult -offered him by the garrison, had set that turbulent country in a -flame. Wymer was sent out by Nott to settle matters, which he did -effectively enough. The Ghilzyes, under a famous leader known as the -"Gooroo," fought like madmen, holding our troops in check for five -fierce hours; but they gave way at last, and fled, leaving the greater -part of their number dead or dying on the field. Aktur Khan, fired -by the example, scattered his promises to the winds, and instead of -disbanding, collected anew his forces for another struggle. Woodburn, a -dashing officer, met him on the banks of the Helmund, and defeated him -after a smart engagement, but the British forces were insufficient to -follow up the victory, and on reaching Ghiresk Woodburn was compelled -to await the arrival of more troops from Candahar. Thence, strongly -reinforced, he moved out on August 17th, and after a short but sharp -struggle, in which the Janbaz, or Afghan Horse, for once in a way -behaved with great gallantry, Aktur Khan fled, completely routed, and -for a time again there was peace among the Douranees. The Ghilzyes, -too, at the same time had received so severe a repulse from Chambers, -that even they were forced to abstain from action for a while, and the -dreaded "Gooroo" was at last prevailed on to "come in" to the English -camp. On the north-western frontier our troops had been equally -successful under Nott and Wymer. Akrum Khan, a close ally of Aktur -Khan, was in arms in the Dehrawut country, and would submit neither -to promises, threats, nor force. Treachery, however, did its work at -last. One of his own countrymen offered to betray him, and by a rapid -night march the rebel was seized, and carried down a close prisoner to -Candahar. Macnaghten, at times humane almost to a fault, had at length -resolved to give a terrible example to these continued disturbers of -the public peace. Orders were sent down to Prince Timour, who governed -for his father at Candahar, and who would have obeyed any orders -emanating from his English allies, and Akrum Khan was blown from a gun. -By the end of October, 1841, there at last seemed really a prospect of -peace in Western Afghanistan. - -Despite the warnings of Rawlinson, who could see farther below the -surface than most of his comrades, and who knew well that there was -something more than mere discontent at an obnoxious tax lurking in -the hearts of the western tribes--despite, too, the shadow of Akbar -Khan, Dost Mahomed's favourite son, who was still hovering about our -northern frontier--Macnaghten's spirits rose higher than they had -ever risen before. Of a temperament peculiarly susceptible to the -influence of the hour, he was alternately depressed and exalted beyond -reason, as the varying fortunes of our arms favoured or threatened -the ultimate success of his plans. After the disaster of Purwandurrah -he was convinced that the game was lost; after the discomfiture of -the Ghilzyes and the death of Akrum Khan he was equally convinced -that the game was won, and in one of his letters, written about this -time to a private friend, he boasted that the country was quiet "from -Dan to Beersheba." The well-earned reward of his labours had come at -last in the shape of the Government of Bombay; within a few weeks he -hoped to turn his back on the scene of so many anxieties and so many -disappointments, leaving to his successor the legacy of an accomplished -task. That successor would of course be Burnes; Burnes, who had -a clearer eye for the future than his chief, and who felt in his -inmost heart that the end of such a system as had been established in -Afghanistan could not be far off, yet who, impatient for Macnaghten's -departure, was willing to dare all risks, so that he might at last -touch the goal of his ambition. And at this very time, in that serene -sky, the cloud was gathering that was to break when least expected, -and overwhelm Macnaghten and Burnes and the whole English cause in -utter ruin. - -Elphinstone, as has been said, was now in command of the British -forces. Next in rank to him were Sir Robert Sale, of the 13th Light -Infantry, and Brigadier Shelton, who had come up in the spring of the -year with his regiment, the 44th of the Line. Soojah's own troops -were under Brigadier Anquetil, who had superseded Roberts, much to -Macnaghten's satisfaction, for Roberts was too much of an "alarmist" -to please the sanguine Envoy. The main body of the garrison lay in -the new cantonments. These remarkable works had been erected in the -previous year. Situated in low, swampy ground about two miles from the -citadel, they were defended only by a low mud rampart and ditch, over -which a pony had been ridden for a wager by one of our own officers; -they were commanded on every side by hills and villages, while, to make -matters still worse, the Commissariat supplies were stored in a small -fort without the wall. The authority for this unfortunate arrangement -has been the subject of much discussion, into which it would be neither -profitable nor pleasant to enter here; but it should not, at least, be -forgotten that our engineer officers had always urged most strongly -the expediency of posting the troops in the Bala Hissar, or citadel, -a strong position on a hill commanding the entire city and suburbs. At -first, indeed, this had been done, but the soldiers were soon required -to give way to the ladies of Soojah's harem, and it was then deemed -necessary, by some person or persons, to build what Kaye aptly calls -"the sheep-folds on the plain." Elphinstone, at any rate, was not to -blame, whoever was, for the folly had been committed before Elphinstone -had assumed the command. - -But familiarity, as usual, soon begot security, and in this dangerous -position our officers and men soon learned to live as tranquilly -and easily as in the strongest fortress in the world, or as in the -luxurious quarters they had left in peaceful Hindostan. The time passed -pleasantly enough. Lady Macnaghten and Lady Sale had joined their -husbands, and nearly all the married officers had followed the example -of their chiefs. The climate was fine and bracing, nor was there any -lack either of amusement or society. Englishmen carry their sports with -them into every quarter of the globe, and the stolid Afghans looked in -amazement and admiration on the races, the cricket, and the skating -with which the white-faced infidels beguiled the idle days. But there -were unfortunately other habits in which some of the English chose -to indulge which stirred up in the native heart feelings of a very -different nature, habits which have already been briefly touched upon, -and which were growing fast into an open and notorious scandal. "There -are many," wrote Kaye in 1851, "who can fill in with vivid personality -all the melancholy details of this chapter of human weakness, and -supply a catalogue of the wrongs which were soon to be so fearfully -redressed." - -Macnaghten proposed to set his face towards home in November. His last -days, as ill-fortune would have it, had been again embittered with -revolt, arising from an unpopular measure which he had felt himself -obliged to sanction. Our sojourn in Afghanistan had been a fearful -drain on the resources of the Indian Government, and the need for -economy had been urgently pressed upon Lord Auckland by the authorities -at home. Macnaghten, casting about for the means of obeying his -chief's instructions, unluckily hit upon the most unfortunate means -he could have chosen. He determined to inaugurate a general system -of retrenchment in the stipends, or subsidies, paid to the chiefs, -and as a beginning, the sum of £3000, which had been yearly paid to -the Eastern Ghilzyes to secure our communications with Hindostan, was -forthwith stopped. As a natural result they at once flew to arms, -occupied the passes on the road to Jellalabad, commenced an organised -system of plundering, and entirely cut off the communications it -was our greatest interest to keep open. But the Envoy was not very -seriously disturbed. Sale's brigade, which was under orders for -India, could "thresh the rascals" on its homeward journey, and clear -the passes easily enough. Monteith was accordingly sent out with the -35th Native Infantry, a squadron of cavalry, and some guns, and Sale -followed with his own regiment, the 13th Light Infantry. The task was -not so easy as the Envoy had anticipated. Sale himself was wounded and -Wyndham, of the 35th, killed. It was found necessary to despatch more -troops before the work could be done. It was done, however, partly by -force and partly by diplomacy; the Khoord-Cabul defile was once more -cleared; detachments of troops were posted at intervals along the pass, -while Sale himself, halting at Gundamuck, put away his ideas of home -for a time. - -November 1st was the day fixed for Macnaghten's departure. He was not -without warnings that for some days past there had existed strong -symptoms of disaffection in the city, where the shopkeepers were -closing their shutters, and refusing to sell their wares to the -English. John Conolly, a relative of the Envoy's, had got an inkling -of what was meditated, while Mohun Lal, an interpreter, who had served -us faithfully from the time of our first entry into the country, had -directly warned Burnes of a conspiracy of which Abdoolah Khan, one of -our most uncompromising opponents, was the prime instigator, and in -which the chiefs of all the tribes then assembled in Cabul were alike -implicated. But Burnes was still under the orders of Macnaghten, and -Macnaghten still refused to listen to the "croakers." On that very -evening the conspirators met for the last time, and on the morning of -the 2nd the city rose in insurrection. - -Burnes himself was the first victim. His house was within the city -walls, next to that of Captain Johnson, the paymaster of Soojah's -troops. On the previous night Johnson had slept in the cantonments, -but Burnes was at home, and with him his brother Charles, and William -Broadfoot, an able officer, who had been selected by the expectant -Envoy for the post of military secretary. Before daybreak he had again -been warned of his danger by a friendly native, and at a later hour -came Osman Khan, the Vizier himself, with the same tale, imploring him -to seek safety either in the citadel or the cantonments. Burnes could -no longer disbelieve, for already an angry crowd was gathering under -his windows, and angry voices were raised in clamour for the lives of -the Englishmen. He consented to write to the Envoy for aid, and to send -messengers to Abdoolah Khan, promising him that if he would restrain -the citizens his grievances should receive prompt redress. Why no -immediate answer was returned to the first of these messages has never -been made perfectly clear; the latter resulted only in the death of -the messenger. Meanwhile Burnes himself was haranguing the mob from an -upper gallery, while his brother and the guard were firing on them from -below. In vain he appealed to their avarice; the only answer was that -he should "come down into the garden." A Cashmerian, who had found his -way into the house, swore to pass him and his brother out in safety -to the cantonments, if the latter would bid the firing cease. Hastily -disguising themselves, the brothers followed the man to the door, but -scarcely had they set foot beyond it, when the traitor shouted with -a loud voice, "This is Sekunder Burnes!" In a moment the mob were on -them, and, hacked to pieces by the cruel Afghan knives, then fell the -first, but not the last victims of a long series of mistakes. - -The paymaster's house was next sacked; upwards of £17,000 of the public -money and £1000 of Johnson's private fortune fell to the share of -the murderers. No force came from the cantonments to check them, and -the only effort made in the early part of the day was made by Soojah -himself, who sent one of his own regiments down from the Bala Hissar -into the city. Entangled in a network of narrow lanes and bazaars, -they could do no good, and Shelton, coming up later with a small body -of infantry and artillery, was in time only to cover a disorderly -flight. It is difficult to decide on the true cause of the lateness -of Shelton's arrival, but it is certain that had Burnes's message -received prompt attention, the insurrection, for that time at least, -would have been nipped in the bud. That such was the opinion of the -Afghans themselves many of our officers were subsequently assured, and -the fact that none of the chief conspirators took any part in the first -outbreak seems to give colour to the supposition that it was not the -original design to proceed to such extremities as followed, but rather -to convey to the British such a warning as might convince them of the -hopelessness of their cause, and induce them at last to take measures -to leave the country to its own devices. Be this, however, as it may, -nothing was done till the time had passed for anything to be of use, -and a riot which 300 resolute men could have quelled with ease in the -morning, would in the afternoon have taxed, if not defied, the best -energies of 3000. - -The history of the days which followed between the first rising and -the opening of negotiations is as difficult to write as it is painful -to read. So many and so conflicting are the accounts that have been -received, that it is impossible within a limited space to present a -distinct and coherent narrative of events, or, without the risk of a -hasty conclusion, to apportion, even were it desirable to do so, the -precise share of responsibility to each actor in that dismal tragedy -of errors. It is certain, at least, that from the 2nd to the 25th -November the utmost confusion and dismay prevailed within the British -cantonments. No two of the authorities seem ever to have counselled -alike; there was disunion between Elphinstone and Macnaghten, and -disunion even between Elphinstone and Shelton. Orders were issued one -hour to be countermanded the next, and then re-issued. There was no -lack of individual boldness in council, and, among the officers, no -lack of individual bravery in action, but want of co-operation rendered -both alike useless. Our strength was frittered away in a series of -petty sorties, conducted by insufficient numbers, and generally ordered -when the time for immediate action was past. Our soldiers, even our own -English soldiers, disheartened and demoralized by repeated defeats, -for which they felt that they themselves were not to blame, lost -confidence alike in their commanders and in themselves. It is said that -it was actually found necessary to employ a Sepoy guard to prevent the -soldiers of an English regiment leaving their post, and it is certain -that on one, if not on more than one occasion, our men fairly turned -their backs and ran before the Afghan hordes. At an early day, as -might well have been foreseen, the forts containing the Commissariat -supplies and stores fell into the enemy's hands, and though this -disaster was for a time remedied by the energies of our Commissariat -officers, who had fortunately not been lost with the stores, and who -managed to collect supplies from some of the neighbouring villages, -there soon arose a new danger in the doubt whether the the siege would -not outlast the ammunition. Urgent and frequent messages had been sent -to bring up Sale's brigade, which was supposed to be still among the -Khoord-Cabul hills, and to Eldred Pottinger to join the garrison with -his detachment from Charekur, a place about 60 miles north of Cabul. -But Sale's brigade was already on its march to Jellalabad, and of -Pottinger's detachment only he and another officer reached Cabul alive. -To crown all, it was known that Akbar Khan was moving down from Bamean. -On the 23rd a strong force of cavalry and infantry, but accompanied, -through what strange process of reasoning it is impossible to say, by -only one gun, moved out under Shelton to occupy a hill commanding the -sources of our supplies, which had been recently threatened by the -enemy. The expedition was a total failure. Shelton himself behaved with -conspicuous gallantry, and his officers nobly followed his example; -but the men, discouraged by frequent defeat, and finding their muskets -no match for the Afghan jezails, were mown down like grass, till, -having lost their solitary piece of artillery, they fled in disgraceful -panic back to the cantonments. With this disastrous attempt concluded -all exterior operations, and on the same day Macnaghten received -instructions from Elphinstone to open negotiations for surrender. - -At the first meeting the terms offered were so insulting that -Macnaghten refused to continue the conference. His hopes, too, had -somewhat revived of late by a communication from Mohun Lal, whom he -had secretly employed to sow, with offers of large bribes, dissensions -among the hostile chiefs, and by the news of the death of two of our -bitterest foes, Abdoolah Khan and Meer Musjedee. Whether these men -died from wounds received in battle, or by assassins set on by Mohun -Lal, is not certain, but it seems tolerably clear that the interpreter -was instigated by some one in the British camp to offer large sums -of money for the heads of the principal insurgents. As a set-off to -this, however, came grave reports from the Commissariat department, -and the news that there was little prospect of Maclaren's brigade, -which had set out from Candahar to their relief, being able to win -its way to Cabul. On December 11th, therefore, negotiations were -renewed. Akbar Khan, who had by this time joined his countrymen amid -uproarious expressions of delight, with the chiefs of all the principal -tribes, met the Envoy on the banks of the Cabul river, about a mile -from the cantonments. Macnaghten read in Persian the draft treaty he -had prepared, of which the main stipulations were to the following -effect:--That the British troops in Afghanistan should be withdrawn -to India as speedily as possible, accompanied by two Sirdars of rank -as guarantees of safe conduct; that on their arrival at Peshawur -arrangements should at once be made for the return of Dost Mahomed -and all others of his countrymen at that time detained in India; that -Soojah should be allowed to depart with the troops, or to remain where -he was on a suitable provision, as he might prefer; and that four -"respectable" British officers were to be left at Cabul as hostages for -the due fulfilment of the treaty until the return of Dost Mahomed and -his family. After a discussion of two hours the terms were accepted, -and it was agreed that the evacuation of our position should commence -in three days' time. Such a treaty is not to be read with pleasure, -but it was possibly the best that could have been concluded under the -circumstances that had arisen; for which Macnaghten himself appears, at -least, to have been less responsible than his military colleagues, at -whose urgent and repeated instigations he had undertaken the work. - -It became soon apparent how little dependence was to be placed on -the Afghan word. On the 13th, according to the stipulation, the -British troops stationed in the citadel left their quarters, about -six o'clock on a winter's evening. Scarcely had they cleared the -gates, when an ugly rush was made for them by the crowd outside. The -gates were immediately closed, and the guns of the citadel opened an -indiscriminate fire on friends and foes alike. Akbar Khan declared -that at that late hour he could not undertake their safe conduct to -the cantonments, and the men were therefore obliged to pass the night -on the frosty ground, without tents, without food, and without fuel. -On the following morning they reached the cantonments in safety, but -half-dead with hunger and exposure. It had been agreed that the Afghans -should supply the necessary provisions and carriage for the march; but -it had also been agreed that the British forts in the neighbourhood of -their position should be given up. The Afghans refused to play their -part till we had played ours, and the forts were accordingly placed in -their hands. Still, provisions came in but slowly, and carriage not -at all. A horde of robbers and fanatics swarmed between the city and -the cantonments, plundering under our very eyes the few supplies that -were sent in, but as they were now to be considered "as our allies" not -a shot was permitted to be fired. Yet even then Macnaghten continued -to hope against hope, that "something might turn up" to spare the -humiliation of an enforced retreat, and on the evening of the 22nd it -seemed to him that such a chance had arrived. It came in the shape of -a proposal from Akbar Khan that he and the Ghilzyes should, in the -face of the concluded treaty, unite with the English to re-occupy the -citadel and the abandoned forts; that our forces should be allowed to -remain in Afghanistan till the spring, and then withdraw as though of -their own free-will; that the head of the formidable Ameen-oolah Khan -should be sent to the Envoy, and that in consideration of all these -good offices Akbar Khan himself should receive an annuity of four -lakhs of rupees from the British Government, together with a bonus of -thirty lakhs. The offer of murder was indignantly rejected, but with -the others Macnaghten closed at once, and on the following morning, -having requested that two regiments with some guns might be held ready -for instant service, he rode out to the proposed place of conference, -accompanied by Lawrence, Trevor and Mackenzie. The latter, indeed, -learning the new design, ventured to expostulate with his chief on the -risk he was about to run, while Elphinstone earnestly implored him -to pause before he committed himself to so perilous and so crooked -a course; but despising warnings and advice alike, Macnaghten rode -hopefully out to his death. - -Among some small hillocks about 600 yards from the cantonments -the meeting was appointed; salutations were exchanged, the party -dismounted, and the Envoy and the Khan seated themselves on the -ground. Scarcely had the conversation been opened, when the chiefs -began to close in on the little group. It was pointed out to Akbar that -as the conference was a secret one, they should be advised to withdraw; -he answered that it was of no matter, as they were all in the plot -with him. The words had not left his lips when the Englishmen were -seized. Trevor, Lawrence and Mackenzie were flung each behind a mounted -Afghan and galloped off to one of the forts, through a crowd of armed -fanatics, who cut and struck at them as they passed. On the way Trevor -slipped from his seat and was instantly hacked to pieces, but the -others got safely through. As they were hurried away, Lawrence turned -his head and saw the Envoy struggling in the grasp of Akbar Khan, "with -an awful look of horror and consternation on his face;" a pistol shot -was heard soon after, and no English eye ever saw Macnaghten alive or -dead again. Such was the end of the attempt of an honest Englishman to -outwit the most treacherous people in the world. - -On the following day new terms were sent to Elphinstone to be added to -the existing treaty--that first treaty which Macnaghten had lost his -life in attempting to evade. These required that the guns with the -exception of six, and all the muskets, save those in actual use, should -be given up, and that the numbers of hostages should be increased. -Eldred Pottinger, who had succeeded to the Envoy's place, strongly -combated this additional insult, giving his undaunted voice for the -immediate seizure of the citadel, or at least for one last attempt to -fight their way sword in hand down to Jellalabad. His brave counsel was -overruled; the guns and muskets were given up, a few at a time, in the -vain hope that in some way the treaty might yet be averted, or perhaps -to alleviate, if possible, the humiliation of the surrender; Captains -Walsh and Drummond, with Lieutenants Warburton and Webb were sent to -join Lieutenants Conolly and Airy, who were already in the hands of the -chiefs, and such of the sick and wounded as were unable to bear the -fatigues of the march were conveyed into the city under Doctors Berwick -and Campbell. On the 6th of January, 1842, before the promised escorts -had arrived, the British army, contrary again to Pottinger's advice, -moved out from the cantonments, and the fatal march began. - -The British troops that marched out on that 6th January numbered -4500 fighting men, of whom 700 were Europeans, and about 12,000 camp -followers. Of this force two men reached Jellalabad alive, one of -whom died on the following day. The married officers and their wives, -with all the women and children, and a few of the wounded, were on -the third day of the retreat placed in the care of Akbar Khan, who, -to give him such credit as is his due, for once kept his word when -he promised to treat them honourably and well; six more officers, -including the General himself and Shelton, at a later period fell or -were surrendered as hostages, into the same hands, and were carried -back up country, though Elphinstone, sick in body as in heart, prayed -hard to be allowed to die with his men; Captain Souter, of the 44th, -who had wrapped the regimental colours round his waist, was taken -prisoner with a few private soldiers at Gundamuck, where the last -stand was made by the gallant handful who had survived the horrors -of the pass. The rest of the Europeans perished to a man beneath the -knives and bullets of their "allies." Among the Native troops and camp -followers the loss was probably less than was at the time, and has -been generally since, supposed. Some of the former deserted in sheer -terror to the Afghans, and some of the latter it is possible found -hiding-places among the mountains, whence, when the noise of battle had -passed on, they contrived to make good their escape; yet thousands -fell beneath the murderous rain that poured down night and day upon the -defenceless rabble, and thousands, untouched by shot or steel, from -utter weariness sank down into the snow to rise no more. Had the march -been pushed on from the first with more expedition, it is probable -that at least a far larger number would have been saved; but that, -owing to the general demoralisation that had set in, inspired by the -irresolution of the commander, and aggravated by the disorderly crowd -of camp-followers, whose terror quenched all notions of discipline, -was precisely what could not be done. From dawn vast hordes of Ghazee -fanatics had hung on the rear, cutting off stragglers, plundering the -baggage, and from every coign of vantage firing indiscriminately into -the struggling line. The roads were slippery with ice, and on the -evening of the first day the snow began to fall; on the second day -the march became but "a rabble in chaotic rout." The European troops -indeed, set a glorious example. The officers did all that mortals -could do to preserve discipline, and the men, obeying so far as it was -possible to obey, nobly redeemed their former errors; but hampered by -a helpless crowd whose one thought of safety was not to fight but to -fly, it was but little that they could do. Here and there a stand -was made by gallant handfuls of our men, and where the English stood, -there the Afghans fled, but these momentary triumphs served rather to -increase than to check the fury of our foes. Enough of a melancholy and -shameful tale--let it be sufficient to say that when Brydon reached -Jellalabad on the 13th the army of Cabul had for all practical purposes -disappeared from off the face of the earth. - -The news came upon the Government like a thunder-stroke. The last -days of Lord Auckland's administration were drawing near, and as he -read Macnaghten's sanguine despatches he fondly hoped that it would -be his fortune to return to England, not only the conqueror, but the -tranquilizer of Afghanistan. Towards the close of the year, indeed, -rumours of a disquieting nature had found their way down to Calcutta, -and when all rumours ceased it became evident that our communications -were interrupted, and that something serious had happened; but not even -the gloomiest dared to anticipate the worst: on January 30th the worst -was known. - -Though there was anything but unanimity in the Calcutta Council, some -preparations, chiefly through the energetic representations of George -Clerk, our agent on the north-western frontier, had been made before -the full tidings of the disaster came down. It had appeared to some, -of whom was Sir Jasper Nicolls, then Commander-in-chief in India, -that it was better to accept the blow, and withdraw altogether behind -the Indus, than by attempting to retrieve still further to deepen our -disgrace. Sale still held Jellalabad in the teeth of overwhelming -numbers; Nott was still master of Candahar;--let them yield up the -charge they had so nobly kept, and if too weak to find their own way -down to India, let troops sufficient for their help advance, but for -no other purpose. Lord Auckland, unwilling to commit his successor to -a task which had already proved too strong for his own energies, was -inclined to listen to the advocates of retreat, and though the news -of the annihilation of the army of Cabul roused him for the moment -into a proclamation that the awful calamity was but "a new occasion -for displaying the stability and vigour of the British power, and the -admirable spirit and valour of the British-Indian army," he quickly -followed it by an intimation that when Sale and Nott had been relieved, -it were better that the British troops should withdraw to Peshawur. -Still, fresh forces were to be raised, and a fine soldier was to -head them. The offer had been first made to Major-General Lumley, -Adjutant-General in India, but Lumley's health forbade him to accept so -important a post, and Lord Auckland's choice--a choice as popular as it -was judicious--finally fell upon Pollock, a distinguished officer of -the Company's service, who had seen fighting under Lake and Wellington, -and wherever, indeed, it was to be seen since the year 1803, when he -had first landed in India, a young lieutenant of artillery. Pollock -hastened up to his command without a moment's delay, but before he -could reach Peshawur our troops had suffered yet another repulse. - -Mr. Robertson, Lieutenant-Governor of the north western frontier, and -George Clerk, already mentioned, had counselled from the first prompt -measures, not of retreat, but reprisal. At their earnest request -Colonel Wild had been moved up to Peshawur with four native infantry -regiments, the 30th, 53rd, 60th and 64th, but without guns. It was -supposed he could procure them from the Sikhs, and with a great deal -of trouble he did manage to procure four ricketty guns, which seemed -likely to do as much harm to his own men as to the enemy, and one of -which broke down the next day on trial. Reinforcements were coming up, -which it was probable would contain artillery, but Wild did not dare -to wait. His Sepoys were anxious to advance; the loyalty of the Sikhs -was doubtful, and he feared the contamination might spread. On January -15th he commenced operations. - -The key of the Khyber Pass, as we have all heard more than once within -the last few weeks, is the fortress of Ali Musjid, occupying a strong -position some five miles down the pass, and about twenty-five from -Peshawur. It had been recently garrisoned by some loyal natives under -an English officer, Mackeson; but, straitened for provisions, and hard -pressed by the Khyberees, it was doubtful whether the brave little -garrison could hold out much longer, and on the night of the 15th the -53rd and 64th Regiments, under Colonel Moseley, were despatched with a -goodly supply of bullocks to its relief. The fort was occupied without -loss, but the bullocks, save some 50 or 60, had meanwhile disappeared, -and there were now more mouths to feed in Ali Musjid and less wherewith -to feed them. Wild was to have followed with the other two regiments, -his Sikh guns and Sikh allies, on the 19th, but when the time came the -latter turned their backs on the Khyber and marched to a man back to -Peshawur. The Sepoys met the enemy at the mouth of the pass, but the -spirit of disaffection seemed to have spread. After an irresolute and -aimless volley they halted in confusion: in vain Wild and his officers -called on them to advance; not a man moved; the guns broke down, and -one of them, despite the gallant efforts of Henry Lawrence, had to -be abandoned. One of our officers was killed, and Wild himself, with -several more, was wounded; the retreat was sounded, and the column -fell back on Jumrood. The two regiments which held the fort had soon -to follow their example. They could have held the post for any time -indeed, so far as mere fighting went, but they had no provisions, -and the water was poisonous. On the 23rd, then, they evacuated their -position, and after a sharp struggle, in which two English officers -fell, and some sick and baggage had to be abandoned, made good their -way back to their comrades. Such was the state of affairs Pollock found -on his arrival at Peshawur. - -Despite urgent letters received from Jellalabad the General saw that -an immediate advance was impossible. The morale of the defeated Sepoys -had fallen very low; the hospitals were crowded with sick and wounded, -and there was still an insufficiency of guns. Reinforcements of British -dragoons and British artillery were pressing up from the Punjab, -and Pollock decided to wait till he could make certain of success. -He decided well; nor was the time of waiting lost. He visited the -hospitals daily, cheering the sick, and reanimating by his kindness -and decision the wavering and disheartened Sepoys. On March 30th the -long-desired reinforcements arrived, and orders were at once issued for -the advance. - -At three o'clock on the morning of April 5th the army moved off from -Jumrood to the mouth of the pass. It was divided into three columns; -two of these were to crown the heights on either side, while the third, -when the hills had been sufficiently cleared, was to advance through -the gorge; each column was composed of a mixed force of Europeans -and Sepoys; four squadrons of the 3rd Dragoons and eleven pieces of -artillery accompanied the centre column. The attack was as successful -as it was ingenious. A huge barricade of mud and stones and trunks -of trees had been thrown across the mouth of the pass, while the -heights on either side swarmed with the wild hill-tribes. So quietly, -however, did our flanking columns advance, that they were half-way up -the heights before the enemy became aware of the movement. From peak -to peak our men, English as well as Sepoys, clambered as agile as the -mountaineers themselves, pouring from every spot of vantage a steady -and well-directed fire on the disconcerted Khyberees, who had never -dreamed that the white-faced infidels could prove more than a match -for them in their own fastnesses. Then Pollock with the main column -advanced. The Afghans, finding themselves out-flanked on either side, -gradually withdrew; the barricade was removed without loss; and the -huge line of soldiers, camp-followers, and baggage-waggons passed -unopposed on its victorious way to Jellalabad. The dreaded Khyber Pass -had been forced with the slightest possible loss of life, and the -boastful Afghans beaten at their own tactics. On the 16th Jellalabad -was reached. With what intense delight Sale's noble brigade saw once -more from their walls the colours of a friendly force may well be -imagined. For five weary months the little band had resisted every -offer of surrender, and beaten back every assault. In February the -fortifications that had been raised and strengthened by Broadfoot with -infinite labour were destroyed by an earthquake; and at that very -time they learnt that Akbar Khan was advancing on them. The works, -however, were restored, and in a dashing sortie, commanded by Dennie, -the Afghan chief, with the flower of the Barukzye Horse, was driven -from his position without the loss of a single man to the garrison. -A few days before Pollock arrived a still more daring enterprise had -been attempted. On April 5th another sortie in force was sent out under -Dennie, Monteith, and Havelock, which bore down on the Afghan camp, -and sent Akbar Khan flying with his 6000 men far away in the direction -of Lughman--a dashing exploit, and a complete victory, but dearly won, -for it was won at the cost of the gallant Dennie. The meeting between -the two armies was, wrote Pollock to a friend, "a sight worth seeing;" -according to Mr. Gleig the band of the 13th went out to play the -relieving force in, and the entry was performed to the tune of "Oh, but -ye've been lang o' coming." - -Still there was plenty yet to be done, if only the English soldiers -might be allowed to do it. At first it seemed doubtful whether Lord -Ellenborough, who had succeeded Lord Auckland in February, would be -more willing to sanction a forward movement than was his predecessor. -On his first landing, no one could have been more eager than he to -avenge the humiliation of Cabul, but as he went up the country his -opinions began to suffer a change. Soojah had been murdered about the -very time that the Khyber Pass was forced, by the treachery of a -son of Zemaun Khan (a faithful friend to the English, by whose good -offices the English captives were still living in safety, if not in -comfort); his son Futteh Jung had been nominally appointed to succeed -him, but his government was no more than a farce. Jealous of each -other, and jealous particularly of the rising power of Akbar Khan, it -was plain that the Afghan Sirdars would never rest till the strength -and popularity of Dost Mahomed was once more among them to restore and -maintain order. Was it not better to accept the inevitable, to withdraw -our troops, now that it could be done with comparative honour, and to -leave the country to its own king and its own devices? It was doubtful -how much longer the brave Nott could maintain himself in Candahar, and -the force that had been sent out from Sindh under England to relieve -him had been beaten back at the Kojuck Pass; Ghuznee, after a stubborn -resistance, had fallen, and the British officers sent prisoners to -Cabul. Lord Ellenborough cannot be blamed for hesitating at such a -crisis; but the urgent prayers of Pollock, Nott, and Outram at last -prevailed, and orders were given that the military commanders might -use their own discretion, while they were at the same time warned that -failure meant the inevitable fall of the British Empire in the East. -The responsibility was gladly taken, and the advance commenced which -was to retrieve, as far as it was possible to retrieve, the shame of -all former failure. - -The advance was an unbroken series of victories. England, reinforced -with some British troops, had moved out again from Quettah, cleared -the Kojuck Pass, and joined Nott at Candahar. With a force now raised -to a strength equal to that which lay at Jellalabad, Nott, resolute -to "retire to India" by way of Ghuznee and Cabul, lost no time in -setting to work. Dividing his troops, he took with him the 40th and -41st Regiments of the Line, and the "beautiful Sepoy" Regiments that -had stood by him so well, and despatched the rest back to India in -charge of England, in whose hands also he placed Prince Timour, whom, -after his father's death it was alike dangerous to take to Cabul or to -leave at Candahar. About the same time Pollock, with 8000 men of all -arms, including the 31st Regiment of the Line and the 3rd Dragoons, -moved out from Jellalabad on the Khoord-Cabul Pass, that blood-stained -theatre of an awful tragedy. The enemy were in force at Jugdulluck, -but Pollock, employing the same tactics that had been so efficacious -among the Khyber hills, sent out flanking parties to clear the -heights, while from below his guns kept up a hot fire of shells on -their position. The Ghilzyes fought bravely, but they could not stand -against the English troops in open fight, and with as little loss as -in his first engagement Pollock led his men into the pass. Seven miles -within, in the little valley of Tezeen, Akbar Khan, with 16,000 of his -best troops, resolved to make one last throw for victory. He threw and -lost. While the English Dragoons met and broke the charge of the Afghan -horse, the English infantry, gallantly seconded by the Sepoys and -Ghoorkahs, pressed up the heights under a heavy fire. Sale himself led -the advanced column; Monteith and Broadfoot and McCaskill followed. Not -a shot was fired by the stormers; thick and fast flew the bullets among -them from the long Afghan jazails, but not an English musket answered. -The work was done with the bayonet, and driven from crag to crag by -that "beautiful weapon" alone, the enemy fled in confusion, till -amid the ringing cheers of the whole British force the British flag -waved on the highest pinnacle of the pass. This was Akbar Khan's last -attempt; leaving his troops to shift for themselves, he fled northward -to the Ghoreebund Valley; Pollock, over the crumbling skeletons of the -comrades whom he had so worthily avenged, led his men in triumph to -Cabul, and the British ensign once more flew from the heights of the -Bala Hissar. - -On September 15th Pollock reached Cabul, and on the 17th he was joined -by Nott. After a slight check to the cavalry of his advanced guard, at -an early period of his march, the latter's success had been as complete -as Pollock's. At Ghoaine he had utterly routed a superior force of -the enemy under Shumshoodeen Khan. Ghuznee had been evacuated before -even our preparations for the assault were completed; the works were -dismantled and blown up, the town and citadel fired, and the famous -sandal-wood "gates of Somnauth," which, according to Afghan tradition, -had adorned their famous Sultan's tomb for upwards of eight centuries, -carried off in accordance with Lord Ellenborough's expressed desire. -At Syderabad, where in the previous November Woodburn and his men had -been treacherously massacred, Shumshoodeen turned again; the stand was -stubborn and for a while the issue seemed doubtful; but the news of the -defeat at Tezeen had spread, the Afghans lost heart, and abandoning -their position left the way for Nott clear into Cabul. - -The honour of the British arms was at last complete; 15,000 British -troops were encamped in the Afghan capital, and from every quarter -round submission was pouring in. Ameen-oollah Khan, who held out to -the last, had been utterly routed in the Kohistan by a force under -McCaskill, and Akbar Khan had also intimated his wish to treat for -terms. The miserable Futteh Jung, who had already once been forced to -fly for his life, was formally installed on his throne, but as formally -warned that he was to expect no further aid or protection. The prospect -before him was too much for his weak and timorous mind, and, in truth, -it was far from a pleasant one; after a few days' nominal rule, he -voluntarily resigned a crown which he would never have been able to -keep, and Shahpoor, a high-spirited young boy of the Suddozye House, -was seated in his stead. - -Two things had yet to be done. The captives were to be recovered, and -some unmistakeable mark of British retribution was to be stamped on -Cabul. - -Before Akbar Khan took the field for the last time he had despatched -all the English hostages, together with the prisoners from Ghuznee, -towards the Bamean frontier, under Saleh Mohamed. Pollock immediately -on reaching Cabul had sent Sir Richmond Shakespeare, with a party of -horse in hot haste after them, and subsequently a stronger force under -Sale. Before, however, the rescue arrived the prisoners had effected -their own deliverance through the medium of Saleh Mohamed's cupidity. -On a promise, duly drawn up and signed by Pottinger, Lawrence and three -others, of a heavy bribe, the Afghan had consented to escort them -not to Turkestan and slavery, as had been intended, but back to the -English camp, and it was at Kaloo, on their way down to Cabul, that, -after more than eight months' daily expectation of death, they once -more found themselves among English friends and safe under the English -flag. Despite the many hardships and anxieties they had undergone, -their health, even of the women and children, had been marvellously -preserved, and their condition had, on the whole, been far better than -any they could have hoped for when they exchanged the certain dangers -of the retreat for the uncertain security of Akbar Khan's word. Two -only of the little band that had turned their backs on the miseries of -the Khoord-Cabul Pass were missing when they rode into Sale's camp, -amid the cheers of the men and a salute of welcome from the guns. -John Conolly, mourned by all who knew him, had died at Cabul a few -days before the march for Bamean began, and in the previous April, -after Pollock's victory had heralded the triumph which was to atone -for the disasters that the British arms had experienced under his -command, poor Elphinstone, after days of intense suffering in body -and mind, and bewailing to the last that he had not been permitted -to die with his men, passed away amid the affectionate sympathy of -all his fellow-prisoners. His body was sent down to Jellalabad, and -there interred with military honours in the presence of his victorious -successor. - -To set the seal of our triumph on Cabul it was determined to destroy -the great Bazaar, where the mutilated body of Macnaghten had been -exposed to the insults of his murderers. It had been first intended to -demolish the citadel, but the Suddozye chiefs pleaded so earnestly for -this last remnant of their royalty, that Pollock consented to spare -it. During two days, October 9th and 10th, the work of destruction -went on, and though every precaution was taken to prevent any farther -loss beyond that ordered, and particularly any excess on the part of -our soldiers, many suffered, and there was much excess. On the 11th -the homeward march began. Futteh Jung had implored the safe conduct -of the British from a kingdom where he was no king, and from subjects -with whom his life was not worth an hour's purchase, and with him went -for the second time into exile his blind old grandfather Zemaun Shah. -By the Khoord-Cabul and Khyber Passes, the scenes of so much misery -and such grievous humiliation, the victorious army returned in triumph -to Hindostan, and ere Ferozepore was reached they heard that the last -of the Suddozye line had fled, that Akbar Khan had seized the throne -in trust for his father, and that Dost Mahomed himself was even then -on his way through the Punjab to resume his old dominion. And so the -English army left secure on the throne of Afghanistan the dynasty they -had spent so many millions of treasure and so many thousands of lives -to overthrow. - - - - - LONDON: - GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS, - ST. JOHN'S SQUARE, E.C. - - - - -Transcriber's Notes - - -Obvious punctuation errors repaired. - -Inconsistent hyphenation fixed. - -P. 22: He proceded to Teheran -> He proceeded to Teheran. - -Pp. 19 (twice), 57: Dost Mohamed -> Dost Mahomed. - -P. 30: to be be applied -> to be applied. - -P. 32: five brigades of of infantry -> five brigades of infantry. - -P. 33: Burnes with with him -> Burnes with him. - -P. 51: you own terms -> your own terms. - -P. 85: salutatations were exchanged -> salutations were exchanged. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The First Afghan War, by Mowbray Morris - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR *** - -***** This file should be named 50145-8.txt or 50145-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/1/4/50145/ - -Produced by Moti Ben-Ari and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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