"Thank God that is over," Captain Fletcher said, as he lifted his
cap and wiped the perspiration from his forehead; "but the regiment
is almost annihilated."
"I fear the worst is yet to come," Will said. "We are fifty miles
from Candahar; and when we came out we had to carry water with us,
for there was none to be found, on the way. We have a fearful march
before us.
"What on earth has become of the cavalry? They have done nothing to
cover the retreat."
"They have ridden on ahead," the captain said, bitterly, "without
having drawn a sword in this day's fight; and will ride into
Candahar tomorrow morning, without losing a man, save the few who
were knocked over by the artillery."
Presently an officer rode up.
"Ah! Gale," he exclaimed, "thank God you are safe. I rode back to
see."
And Colonel Ripon shook hands warmly with the young officer.
"I am glad to see that you are safe, sir," Will answered. "This has
been a terrible day."
"It has, indeed," the colonel said, mournfully, "terrible! There
has been nothing like it, since the retreat from Cabul in 1848. And
how many of these poor fellows will reach Candahar, God only knows!
The water bottles wore emptied, hours ago. The men are already
exhausted with the long day's work, and parched with thirst; and we
have fifty miles' tramp before us. Have you any wounded men here
with you?"
"Several, sir, some of them badly hurt."
"Put one of the worst on my horse," Colonel Ripon said,
dismounting; "and push on briskly, lads. There are some carts
ahead. We will turn out the stores, and put the wounded in.
"You had better let the men throw away their knapsacks, and all
useless encumbrances," he said to Captain Fletcher. "You will have
to march--and perhaps fight--all night; and must husband your
strength."
Steadily, the rear guard followed the broken column. It consisted
of men of the 60th and Grenadiers, mingled together; and well did
they carry out their arduous duties. A portion were thrown out on
each flat, while the rest kept to the road. This was strewn with
arms and accouterments of all kinds. The men's hearts were wrung to
the core, by the sight of the number of wounded who had dropped by
the roadside; and who implored them, as they passed, not to leave
them to be murdered by the enemy. Many of them were lifted and
placed in carts--everything else being turned out, to make way for
them--but many had to be left behind; for it would be impossible to
carry them, on such a march.
Slowly the long night passed. All along the line ahead, a scattered
fire of musketry could be heard; as the villagers shot down the
fugitives who, in hopes of finding water, straggled from the road.
Sometimes sharp volleys rang out, as the troops stood at bay, and
drove back the natives, when they pressed upon them. Several times
the rear guard were hotly engaged as the Afghans--furious at seeing
their prey slipping from their fingers--mustered and fell upon
them; but each time they were repulsed, and the column held on its
way.
Will was in command of a mixed band, of some forty men, which moved
to the right of the road. Colonel Ripon kept by his side, but few
words were spoken, through the long night. The men were half mad
with thirst and, had there been water near, nothing could have
restrained them from rushing to it; but they knew that none could
be obtained, until they reached Candahar. Many, in utter despair at
the distance before them, threw themselves down on the ground to
die. But the others kept on--stumbling and staggering as they
marched, stupid and half blind--rallying only when the order came
to turn, and repulse the enemy.
Two or three times in the night the rear guard halted, for a few
minutes; and the men threw themselves down on the sand, where they
picked the scattered herbage within their reach, and chewed it to
quench their burning thirst.
Daylight was a welcome relief. They knew indeed that, with the
rising of the sun, their torments would grow still greater; but the
change from the long dreary darkness cheered them; and they could
now see, from the nature of the country, that they were within
fifteen miles of Candahar. They marched on for two more hours, and
then the officer in command of the little body saw that they could
do no more.
He therefore led them to a village on rising ground, a short distance
from the road, and halted them there. The exhausted men threw themselves
down in the shade of the houses. They had the long day yet to pass, and
their thirst seemed unendurable; still, the halt was welcome, for there
was not a man but felt that his strength was at an end, and that it
would have been an impossibility to reach the city.
Captain Fletcher picked out a few of the least exhausted men, and
placed them in the outskirts of the village to call the rest to
arms in case the Afghans--numbers of whom were hovering
round--should venture upon an attack. For the first hour after
reaching the village, not a man moved from the spot where he had
thrown himself down. The officers had searched the houses, and
found some jars of water. These they carried round, and doled out a
few mouthfuls to each man. Small though the amount was, the relief
afforded was immense and, as soon as their first exhaustion had
subsided, the men scattered through the gardens; plucking the vine
leaves and chewing them and, fortunately, discovering a few gourds,
which were cut up into small fragments, and divided.
The day wore on; and at one o'clock there was a shout of joy, for a
body of cavalry were seen approaching, at a rapid trot, from the
town. Soon they rode up, and proved to be a regiment which had been
despatched, from the town, for the relief of the stragglers. At
daybreak the cavalry, riding in many miles ahead of the infantry,
brought the news to the city of the defeat; and something very like
a panic at first ensued. It was some time before anything was done
to succor the exhausted fugitives, who were pressing forward to the
city. But at last a force was sent out with wagons, and bullocks
with water-skins; and thus hundreds of lives, which would otherwise
have been sacrificed, were saved. The cavalry had come out with
full water bottles, and relief was soon afforded to the worn-out
rear guard, who at once fell into rank, and resumed their march
towards Candahar; the cavalry, who had brought a few light carts
with them, pursuing their journey for some distance further, to
succor and collect those who had fallen on the road.
The sun was just setting as the rear guard of General Burrows'
brigade reached Candahar; after having marched, since the previous
morning, sixty miles without food, and with only a few mouthfuls of
water; and having fought for nearly twenty-four hours of that time.
Every preparation was made, in the city, for the expected attack.
The defenses were strengthened; the lower portion of the
populace--who would be likely to declare against them--were turned
out of the town; and provisions were collected from the country
round. Fortunately, ample time was afforded them for these
preparations. Ayoub's army had been, to a great extent, demoralized
by the tremendous losses which it had sustained, in the defeat of
this handful of British troops; and some days elapsed before it
moved forward from Maiwand. Then, by easy marches, it approached
Candahar; and took up its position in the plain, to the north of
the city.
Just as the rear guard of General Burrows' force were starting from
their halting place, for their last march into the city, Will Gale
was delighted at seeing Yossouf approaching. He had not seen him
since the regiment marched out from Khusk-I-Nakhud. The young
Afghan had remained, with the other followers, in the village
behind Maiwand during the battle when, while the resistance of the
British was still continuing, the Afghans had worked round by the
ravines and entered the village.
Yossouf had been obliged to join in the retreat, which was at once
commenced by the baggage train. Full of anxiety for the fate of his
master, he had hurried forward at his best speed to Candahar;
reaching the city only an hour or two after the arrival of the
cavalry. In spite of the distance he had already performed, he did
not delay for an instant; but set out again with some provisions,
and a bottle of wine, and one of water hidden away in his dress. He
had resolved to push forward, at all hazards, until he had either
joined his master--whether on his retreat, or as a prisoner in
Ayoub's army--or had discovered his body on the field of battle,
and given him burial.
Passing through the throng of fugitives, and questioning any of the
men of the 66th he met, he made his way forward. He had learned
that Will's company had withdrawn, in a body, from the battlefield
to the village but, further than this, none of the fugitives could
tell him; and his delight was exuberant, when he saw Will marching
along with his company. The little supply which he had brought was
at once served out, among the men who most needed it; and Will--who
had been in a state of great uneasiness concerning the safety of
his faithful follower--was greatly cheered by finding him alive,
and unhurt.
The news of the defeat of Maiwand produced an immense sensation, in
India; and measures were at once taken for the relief of Candahar.
A strong division was ordered to march from Cabul, through Ghuzni;
while General Phayre, who commanded the force at Quettah, was also
ordered to advance to the assistance of the garrison.
General Phayre, however--although comparatively close to
Candahar--was unable to advance, for some time. The same miserable
economy which had dispersed the transport train, after the
signature of the Treaty of Gundamuk; and had so delayed the advance
of General Roberts towards Cabul, after the massacre of the
mission, again paralyzed the action of the British troops--the
whole of the transport train, collected at so much cost and
difficulty, having been dismissed to their homes, as soon as the
negotiations with Abdul-Rahman held out a prospect of peace. Many
weeks elapsed before a sufficient number of baggage animals could
be collected to enable General Phayre to advance, with his
relieving column.
In Candahar, things passed quietly. The enemy, from time to time,
fired shot and shell into the city from distant positions but,
believing that no relief could reach the garrison before the
supplies of food were exhausted, and that it must therefore yield
to hunger, Ayoub's army contented themselves by watching the city
from a distance; and by keeping a cordon of troops round its walls,
to prevent the country people from bringing in provisions.
Detached bodies, indeed, often crept up near the walls; and kept up
a musketry fire at any troops showing themselves, there. But no
attempts were made to batter down the walls, or to make anything
like a resolute assault. Ayoub's army had, indeed, greatly lost
heart. If 1500 British soldiers, attacked under circumstances of
the greatest disadvantage, had killed 6000 or 7000 of their
assailants; what might not be the slaughter which a greatly
superior force would inflict, when sheltered behind stone walls?
From one village, situate half a mile from the eastern gate of the
city, so constant and harassing a fire was maintained, by the
enemy, that General Primrose resolved to make a sortie, to capture
it. The affair was, however, badly planned, and resulted in
failure. The Afghans--sheltered in the strongly-built houses--kept
up so severe a fire upon the assailants that these were obliged to
fall back, with a considerable loss. After that, no further sorties
were attempted; and the city remained in quiet, until the relieving
columns were close at hand.
The force selected to march from Cabul to the relief of Candahar,
under the command of General Roberts, consisted of the 92nd
Highlanders, 23rd Pioneers, 24th and 25th Punjaub Infantry; the
2nd, 4th, and 5th Ghoorkas; the 72nd Highlanders, 2nd battalion of
the 60th, the Norfolk Rangers; the 2rd, 3rd, and 15th Sikhs. There
were three batteries of artillery, and four cavalry regiments: the
9th Lancers, the 3rd Bengal Cavalry, the 3rd Punjaub Cavalry, and
the Central India Horse. This gave a total of about 10,000 fighting
men. There were, in addition, 8000 followers to feed, 7000 horses,
and some 8000 transport and artillery mules, and ponies.
The Ameer did his best to assist the force; which was, indeed,
going to fight his battle, as well as their own. The question was
whether so large a force would be able to subsist on the road and,
in order to assist them to do so, he sent orders to all the tribes
along the line of march to aid the column, in every way. In
consequence, no difficulties were met with; and scarce a shot was
fired on the way down.
In seven days after starting Ghuzni was reached, and in fifteen
Khelat-I-Ghilzai--where Colonel Tanner, with a small garrison, had
been besieged by the local tribes since the advance of Ayoub.
Khelat-I-Ghilzai stood near the lower end of the valley down which
the column was advancing, and was but three days' march from
Candahar. From the day of their leaving Cabul, to their arrival at
Khelat-I-Ghilzai, the troops had marched a distance of fifteen
miles a day--not an extraordinary distance for a single regiment to
perform, but a wonderful feat for a force containing some 18,000
persons and 9000 baggage animals, marching through mountains and
valleys.
As the relieving force approached Candahar, Ayoub drew off his
troops from around the city; and took up a strong position on some
hills, a few miles to the north. On the 27th of August Roberts'
cavalry were near enough to establish heliographic communication
with the town and, on the 31st, the column entered Candahar.
During the siege, the duties of the garrison had been heavy. A
strong force was always held ready to get under arms, instantly, in
case of an attack by the enemy. The number of sentries on the
walls, magazines, and lower important points was large. The town
had to be kept in order, and the inhabitants strictly watched.
House-to-house requisitions were made for provisions; and the
greatest economy was used in the distribution of these, as the
garrison had no means of knowing how long a time might elapse
before any could arrive.
The death of ten officers of the 66th--all of senior standing to
himself--had placed Will Gale at the top of the list of lieutenants
and, as several officers were disabled by wounds, he was now
performing captain's duty, and was in charge of a company. There
were, indeed, but three companies now in the 66th Regiment; so
great having been the loss, that the whole of the survivors now
made up but this number.
Among the other duties of the troops was that of protecting the
many houses which had been left vacant, by the hasty retirement of
many of the native merchants and traders, at the approach of
Ayoub's force. Colonel Primrose--anxious to lessen the number of
mouths to be fed--encouraged the exodus; promising to take charge
of all property left behind. This duty proved a troublesome one, as
the lower class--which still remained in the city--were constantly
endeavoring to break into, and loot, the houses thus left vacant by
their proprietors. In order to protect these as much as possible,
many of the officers were directed to move from their quarters in
the barracks, and take up their residence in them; an order which
was gladly obeyed, as the exchange, from hot confined quarters to
the roomy dwellings of the merchants, was a very pleasant one.
Will Gale was one of those who so moved and, with Yossouf and two
native followers, had been quartered in the house of a wealthy silk
merchant. One night, he was aroused from sleep by Yossouf.
"Sahib!" the latter whispered, "I hear people moving below. I think
there are thieves in the house."
Will rose noiselessly, slipped on his trousers and shoes and--taking
up a revolver in one hand, and a sword in another--stole downstairs;
followed by Yossouf, with his long Afghan knife in his hand. The door
of the warehouse was open; and within it Will saw, by the faint light
of a lamp which one of them carried, four Afghan ruffians engaged in
making up silks into large bundles, in readiness to carry off. His
approach was unnoticed; and on reaching the door he leveled his pistol,
and shouted to the Afghans to surrender, as his prisoners.
In reply, they dropped the lamp, and made a sudden rush at him. He
fired his pistol hastily in the darkness but, in an instant, the
Afghans were upon him. The first man he cut down, but he was
knocked over by the rush of the others. Two fell upon him; but
Yossouf bounded upon them like a tiger, and buried his knife to the
hilt in their backs, in quick succession. The last of the
party--without staying to see what was the fate of his friends--at
once took to his heels and, rushing to the door leading to the
street, made his escape.
Yossouf raised Will to his feet,
"Are you hurt?" he asked, anxiously.
"Nothing to speak of," Will replied. "I am a bit shaken, and
bruised by the fall. Those fellows, in the darkness, were upon me
before I could see them.
"Thanks to you, I have escaped without hurt, Yossouf; and had it
not been for your aid, they would assuredly have made an end of me.
My pistol had fallen from my hand as they knocked me down and, on
the ground, I could not have defended myself with my sword, for an
instant. Once more, Yossouf, I owe my life to you."
So many attempts, similar to that made upon the house occupied by
Will Gale, took place that sentries were posted, at ten o'clock at
night, at the entrances to the various streets in which the houses
left deserted by the native traders were situated; and orders were
given that no natives should be out of their houses, after that
hour, unless provided with a pass signed by the commandant of the
city.
Several messengers were from time to time sent out, to endeavor to
get through the enemy's, lines and to carry to General Phayre the
news of what was going on in the city. A few of these succeeded in
getting through, but none returned; so that, until the signal
lights were seen flashing from the distant hills, in the direction
of Khelat-I-Ghilzai, the garrison were unaware of the steps which
were being taken for their rescue. Even had unforeseen obstacles
prevented the advent of either of the relieving columns, it is
probable that the garrison of Candahar would finally have freed
itself. Colonel Primrose had, at his disposal, a force more than
double that which had fought at Maiwand; and had the British
advanced into the plain, and offered battle to Ayoub on a fair
fighting ground they should, without difficulty, have defeated his
army; whose long delays and hesitation showed how immensely their
morale had been affected by the previous battle.
Thus it was that Sale--after sustaining a long siege in
Jellalabad--finally sallied out, and completely defeated the
besieging army, before the arrival of the force marching to his
relief. The Candahar force was not commanded by a Sale but, had it
been given a chance to retrieve Maiwand, there can be little doubt
of what the issue would have been. Over and over again, the subject
was discussed at the messes of the various regiments; and immense
indignation was felt at the force being kept cooped up in Candahar,
when the history of India recorded scores of examples of victories
won, by British troops, against greater odds than those now opposed
to them.
It must be said, however, that the native portion of the army, in
Candahar, was of very inferior fighting quality to that which
operated in Eastern Afghanistan. Those regiments were, for the most
part, either Ghoorkas, Sikhs, or Punjaubees--than whom no braver
men exist. The Ghoorkas are small, active men; mountaineers by
birth, and to whom war is a passion. The Sikhs and Punjaubees, upon
the contrary, are tall, stately men; proud of the historical
fighting powers of their race. They had fought with extreme bravery
against the English but, once conquered, they became true and
faithful subjects of the English crown; and it was their fidelity
and bravery which saved England, in the dark days of the mutiny.
The Bombay troops, upon the other hand, were drawn from races which
had long ceased to be warlike. They possessed none of the dash and
fire of the hardier troops; their organization was--and still
is--defective; and the system of officering them was radically bad.
The contrast between the two was strongly shown, in the conduct of
the Sikh and Ghoorka regiments with General Stewart, when attacked
by the sudden rush of the Ghazis, at Ahmed Khil; and that of the
Bombay Grenadiers and Jacob's Foot, under precisely similar
circumstances at Maiwand.
There is no doubt, however, that the main reason why General
Primrose did not sally out and give battle on the plain of Candahar
was that, in case of defeat, the populace of the city would
assuredly have closed their gates against the army; and that
nothing would have remained but a disastrous retreat across the
Kojak Pass--a retreat of which very few would ever have survived to
tell.
Their enforced idleness, in Candahar, made the time pass slowly and
heavily; and it was with the greatest joy that the garrison hailed
the entry of the columns of General Roberts.
Upon his arrival the general lost no time in reconnoitering the
position of the enemy. It was well chosen for defense His army was
encamped behind the range of hills known as the Baba-Wali Hills. A
road ran direct over these hills; and here a strong force was
stationed, supported by artillery in position. The last hill of the
range, on the southwest, was known as the Pir-Paimal Hill; and by
turning this the camp of Ayoub's army would be taken in flank, and
the defenses in front rendered useless. The reconnaissance which
was made by the cavalry; supported by the 15th Sikhs, advanced
close to the central hill. The enemy unmasked five guns and opened
upon them, and the Afghans poured down to the attack. There was,
however, no intention on the part of the British commander of
bringing on a battle; and the troops accordingly fell back, in good
order, to the main body.
A mile and a half from the city stood a low ridge of rock--called
the Picket Hill--in the line by which the column would have to
move, to turn the Pir-Paimal Hill; and this was at once seized. A
number of Ghazis stationed here fought, as usual, desperately; but
the 4th Ghoorkas repulsed their charge, and cleared the ridge of
the enemy. The general determined to attack the enemy's position
with his whole force, on the following day.