TO HERAT AND CABUL
[Illustration: ANGUS AND POTTINGER WATCHING THE FIGHT FROM THE WALLS OF
HERAT.
_Frontispiece._]
TO HERAT AND CABUL
A STORY OF
THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR
BY
G.A. HENTY
Author of "With Buller in Natal" "At the Point of the Bayonet"
"The Bravest of the Brave" "Won by the Sword" &c.
_WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHARLES M. SHELDON_
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1901
Copyright, 1901, by
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
_Published September, 1901_
THE CAXTON PRESS
NEW YORK.
PREFACE
In the military history of this country there is no darker page than
the destruction of a considerable British force in the terrible defiles
between Cabul and Jellalabad in January, 1842. Of all the wars in which
our troops have taken part never was one entered upon so recklessly
or so unjustifiably. The ruler of Afghanistan, Dost Mahomed, was
sincerely anxious for our friendship. He was alarmed at the menacing
attitude of Russia, which, in conjunction with Persia, was threatening
his dominions and intriguing with the princes at Candahar. Our
commissioner at Cabul, Mr. Burnes, was convinced of the Ameer's honesty
of intention, and protested most strongly against the course taken by
the Indian government, who determined upon setting up a discredited
prince, who had for many years been a fugitive in India, in place of
Dost Mahomed.
In spite of his remonstrances, the war was undertaken. Nothing could
have been worse than the arrangements for it, and the troops suffered
terribly from thirst and want of transport. However, they reached
Cabul with comparatively little fighting. Dost Mahomed fled, and the
puppet Shah Soojah was set up in his place; but he was only kept
there by British bayonets, and for two years he was so protected.
Gradually, however, the British force was withdrawn, until only some
five thousand troops remained to support him. Well led, they would
have been amply sufficient for the purpose, for though the Afghan
tribesmen were dangerous among their mountains, they could not for
a moment have stood against them in the open field. Unhappily the
general was old and infirm, incapable of decision of any kind, and in
his imbecile hands the troops, who in October could have met the whole
forces of Afghanistan in fight, were kept inactive, while the Afghans
pillaged the stores with the provisions for the winter, and insulted
and bearded them in every way. Thus a fine body of fighting men were
reduced to such depths of discontent and shame that when the unworthy
order for retreat before their exulting enemy was given they had lost
all confidence in themselves or their officers, and, weakened by hunger
and hampered by an enormous train of camp followers, they went as sheep
to the slaughter in the trap the Afghans had prepared for them. It
would almost seem that their fate was a punishment for the injustice
of the war. Misfortunes have befallen our arms, but never one so dark
and disgraceful as this. The shame of the disaster was redeemed only by
the heroic garrison of Jellalabad, which, although but one-fourth of
the strength of that at Cabul, sallied out after a noble defence and
routed the army which Dost Mahomed's son Akbar had assembled for their
destruction.
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
I. Alone in the World 1
II. An Unexpected Meeting 19
III. The Siege of Herat 36
IV. A Sturdy Defence 54
V. In Candahar 72
VI. An Escape 89
VII. In the Service 108
VIII. The Advance 126
IX. Just in Time 144
X. A Mission 161
XI. A Dangerous Journey 180
XII. Troubles Thicken 198
XIII. The Murder of Sir A. Burnes 216
XIV. A Series of Blunders 232
XV. A Doomed Army 249
XVI. Annihilation of the Army 267
XVII. Jellalabad 286
XVIII. The Advance on Cabul 301
XIX. The British Captives 321
ILLUSTRATIONS
Angus and Pottinger watching the fight from the
walls of Herat _Frontispiece_
PAGE
"A man walking just in front of him ... was knocked
down" 26
Azim surprises the spy 96
"He took down the prop, and thrust it suddenly with
all his force through the hole" 150
"There, lying close under a rock, was a young Afghan" 166
"As they passed the corner ... some men sprang on
them" 218
"Angus was half-mad with grief and with fury that
he was not in his place among the troops" 272
Angus shows his goods to the prisoners 330
* * * * *
Map of Afghanistan and North-west Frontier of India 50
TO HERAT AND CABUL
CHAPTER I
ALONE IN THE WORLD
On the 20th of September, 1837, a lad was standing before Mr. M'Neill,
the British minister at the Persian court. Both looked grave, for
the interview was an important one. The former felt that it was
the turning-point of his life, the opening of a fresh career, the
introduction to a service in which he might gain honourable distinction
and credit. To the British minister it was of scarcely less importance,
for the interests of Great Britain were gravely involved in the success
of the mission that he was now entrusting to this young clerk in the
employment of the embassy. It was nothing less than thwarting the
designs of Persia, aided and instigated by Russia, to capture Herat and
to conquer at least the western portion of Afghanistan, the alliance of
the princes of Candahar having already been secured.
Angus Campbell was now about sixteen years old. His father was a
trader, who had for twelve years been settled in Tabriz, carrying on
business on his own account in some branches of trade, and as agent
for a Scotch firm in others. The boy had been left with some relations
in Scotland until he was twelve years old, when his parents had paid
a short visit to their friends in Scotland, and had brought him back
with them. The change of life was not an agreeable one to him. In the
eight years that had elapsed since he had last seen his parents, he
had, of course, almost forgotten them, and it would be some time before
any real affection for them would spring up. It was the companionship
of his school-fellows that he missed rather than that of his aunt, a
strict woman, who made no allowance whatever for a boy's restlessness
and love of fun, and who was continually shocked by the complaints made
by members of her chapel as to the conduct of the boys at Dr. Murray's.
It was the principal school in the little town. The teaching was good,
the application of the rod frequent, but neither teaching nor thrashing
availed to soften the manners of the healthy and somewhat riotous
lads, who once out of school threw themselves with all their hearts
into their favourite diversions, among which the most conspicuous
were fishing in forbidden parts of the river, bird-nesting in woods
which were kept strictly private and guarded by keepers, playing
hare-and-hounds across the fields of the crustiest of farmers, and
above all engaging in desperate battles with the boys of other schools.
In all these pastimes Angus Campbell took as large a share as his age
entitled him to, and the state of his clothes and his face when he
returned home was a source of continual amazement and irritation to his
aunt.
She had even endeavoured to arrange for a deputation to wait upon Dr.
Murray with a list of grievances suffered by the townspeople, such as
broken windows, the yells and shouts of conflict, and the destruction
of the boys' garments caused by the various fights, and to propose
that the hours of play should be shortened, and that some sort of
supervision should be exercised at all times over the boys. However,
although there were many who agreed with her that the present state of
things was disgraceful, nothing came of the movement; for the fathers,
remembering their own boyhood, were to a man against the idea.
"We did just the same in our young days," they said, "and are none the
worse for it now. Lads cannot be like lassies, and we don't want them
to be even if they could; if you were to speak to the doctor, he would
just laugh in your faces, and would tell you that he kept a school for
boys and not for girls. If you have complaints to make against any of
his scholars, make them, and he will punish the lads as they deserve.
His boys are no worse than others, and he does not wish to see them
better. If they do some mischief occasionally, it is because they are
in good health and in good spirits, and a lad of that kind is far more
likely to turn out well than one who spends all his spare time in
poring over his books."
As the doctor's opinions on these subjects were known to all the town,
Miss Campbell's proposal came to nothing. She would herself have gone
to him to complain of the doings of her nephew, but there was a strong
feeling in the town that while all things connected with the school
were under the doctor's charge, parents should take other matters into
their own hands, and maintain discipline by the use of the tawse in
their own dwellings, and that they had no right to trouble Dr. Murray
about private delinquencies.
He had, indeed, sufficient on his hands, for although no actual
supervision was maintained when the lads were once dismissed from
school, there were bounds set beyond which they were not allowed to
go, and when they were caught upon any of their frequent forays beyond
these limits, he had to adjudicate and punish the offenders. But it was
not often that this happened; for while the boys considered it not only
justifiable but meritorious to break bounds, they looked upon anyone
caught in the act of showing a want of craft and of judgment, and so,
having good legs and lungs, they were generally able to outdistance
their pursuers.
Thus, then, when his parents returned to Scotland they found Angus a
healthy, active, and high-spirited boy, somewhat rough in manners, but
straightforward and honourable, for it was a tradition in the school
that no boy should ever try to screen himself by a lie. When questioned
by his father, he acknowledged that he would like to stay at school for
a few years longer.
"And I should like you to do so too, Angus; but it is a long, long
journey, and a difficult one, from Tabriz to Scotland, and it may be
many years before I return home again. It is a journey that it is
impossible for a boy to make alone. But this is not the only reason why
I wish to take you back. I want to train you to help me in my business,
and until you speak Persian fluently you will be of no use whatever to
me. At your age you will pick it up rapidly, far more rapidly than you
could if you did not begin till you were seventeen or eighteen. We will
generally speak to you in Persian, and you will have many opportunities
for practising it. In two years you ought to speak it like a native.
Arabic will also be very useful to you. I have constant communications
with India, with Turkey, and with Herat. I buy goods from all these
countries; and sell Persian products to them. In Afghanistan, indeed,
Persian is spoken generally by the trading and upper classes; but
Arabic is essential to trade with Constantinople and Smyrna, with
Bokhara and the Turkomans; and it is our chief medium of communication
with India traders, who, although speaking several distinct languages,
all have more or less knowledge of Arabic. It has been a great
privation to your mother and myself to be so many years without you. We
have no other children, and it would be a great joy and comfort to our
lives, as well as a great assistance to me in my business, to have you
with me."
"I understand, Father," the boy said; "I did not think of these things
before. I am sure I should be very glad to be able to help you, and I
won't say another word about being sorry to leave all my friends."
"It is quite natural that you should be sorry, Angus; it would be
strange indeed if you were not. However, I don't think you will dislike
the life out there when you get accustomed to it. We will certainly do
our best to make you happy."
So Angus had returned with them, and soon settled down to his new life.
Devoting himself earnestly to acquiring the language, at the end of
six months he came to speak it fairly, and before he had been out a
year could have passed as a Persian lad; at the same time he had made
considerable progress in Arabic. His father had then dressed him in
Persian fashion. There was a good deal of ill-feeling among the lower
class against foreigners, and the pugnacity that had been fostered in
Angus at school had frequent opportunities of displaying itself; for,
in spite of good resolutions to the contrary, he was often goaded into
fury by the taunts and abuse with which the boys assailed him when he
went out alone, and had thrown himself upon them, and used his fists
with such effect that he had sometimes put to flight half a dozen
lads of his own age. But in Persian costume he could move about the
streets unnoticed; and although he did not like the change at first,
he acknowledged that it was useful, for his father pointed out to him
that it was essential that nothing should take place that could add to
the dislike with which foreigners were regarded. Already several angry
complaints had been made by neighbours of the state in which their sons
had come home after an encounter with him.
Nearly four years after Angus arrived at Tabriz the plague made its
appearance in Persia. It spread rapidly, and Tabriz was one of the
cities which suffered most severely. One evening Mr. Campbell returned
home from a visit to a customer and complained of feeling unwell. The
next morning it was too evident that he had caught the infection.
Before nightfall his wife also sickened. Twenty-four hours later both
were dead. Mr. Campbell had a long talk with his son as soon as the
disease manifested itself in the case of his wife.
"Angus," he said, "you must prepare for the worst. The cases of
recovery are few indeed. The servants have already fled, and even did I
wish you to leave us, I know that it would be too late now. God's will
be done, my boy, and I can only hope that you may be spared. However
that is in His hands. You have been my assistant now for the past three
years, and know how matters stand. I have no debts. The books will
show you how much is due to me from the house at home and how much by
my agent at Bombay. The stock of goods in the warehouse is worth a
considerable sum. I am unable to think very clearly now, or to advise
you what to do should you be left alone; but it is clear to me that you
are too young yet to manage the business, and it is not likely that the
firm would entrust their affairs to a lad of your age. I should say,
therefore, that you had best dispose of all the goods; the books will
show you their prices. As for yourself, I will give you no advice. It
will be open to you to return to England or to go to Bombay, and I have
no doubt my agent there will obtain employment for you, especially as
you will have money to embark in any business you may go into. But do
not invest a penny until you become of age; you will by that time be
able to judge wisely whether the business you are in is that in which
you can best employ your mind.
"Whatever you do, do not remain in Tabriz. As is always the case
in times of plague or famine, there is sedition and trouble, and
foreigners become the object of hatred, for the poor people have some
sort of superstitious idea that they are responsible for the scourge.
The best thing you can do is to consult our Armenian friend, who is
also our vice-consul; he will view matters more clearly than I can do
at present. Put your trust always in God, my boy. My own opinion is
that you had better remain in the East. Your knowledge of languages
would be absolutely useless to you at home, and you could only hope to
obtain a place in a counting-house."
"I will do as you tell me, father," Angus said, trying to speak
steadily. "I will try always to be what you would wish me."
His grief was terrible when his mother expired two or three hours
after his father. He roused himself, however, to see to the simple
preparations for their funeral, and late that evening buried them in
the garden behind the house.
The next day as he was sitting alone he heard a tumult in the street.
Looking out, he saw that several houses, which he knew belonged to
foreign traders, were in flames, and a mob of maddened men were rushing
down the street towards his house. Resistance would have been madness.
He ran to the safe, seized the bag containing the cash, and had just
time to run out at the back of the house and escape by the gate in the
garden when the rioters burst in.
For a few minutes they were engaged in the work of pillage. Shawls from
Cashmere, native embroidered silks, costly goods from India, Turkish,
Persian, Turkoman, and Heratee carpets, and British goods of all kinds
were scrambled and fought for. When the house was sacked from top to
bottom it was set on fire, and as a volume of smoke rose from it, Angus
turned away from the spot where from a distance he had been watching
the scene, and made his way to the house of the Armenian merchant.
The loss of the house and the contents of the warehouse affected
him little--although he knew that it had cost him more than half
his inheritance--but this was as nothing to what he had so recently
suffered.
The vice-consul had been an intimate friend of the family. On
approaching his house Angus stood some distance from the door and
called. A servant looked out. "Will you tell Izaac effendi that I
desire greatly to speak to him?"
The Armenian quickly came to the door. "My poor lad," he said, "I
grieve deeply for you. I heard of your losses, and the news has just
been brought in of the burning of the house and magazine. But why do
you stand so far away?"
"Because I would not bring contagion near you, effendi. I came to tell
you what had happened, and to say that I shall buy some food and go out
into the country, and there remain until I die of the plague or can be
sure that I have escaped contagion."
"You will come in here at once," the Armenian said. "Does not one
in the street run against persons who may be affected. Many of my
compatriots have come here to ask my advice, and some of them have
stricken friends in their houses. Since I came to reside here I have
four times seen the plague raging, and each time it has passed me over.
Whether it is the will of God that I should thus be spared I know not,
but I am in His hands. Come in, lad, I will take no denial. Shall I
desert my friends when they most need comfort and aid? What is my
friendship worth if I should, now in your hour of need, turn my back
upon you? Come in, I pray you."
Seeing that the old man was thoroughly in earnest, Angus, too greatly
touched by his kindness even to speak, silently entered the house.
"I will take you through at once to the pavilion in the garden," the
merchant said. "Although I have no fear myself, there are my servants
and clerks. 'Tis like enough that some of them may be stricken, for
they, like all of us, are liable to be smitten when they go into the
streets, and should this be so they might blame me for your presence
here; therefore 'tis best that you should for three or four days live
in the pavilion; I will bring you out cushions and pillows. But I do
not think that you will be attacked; had you taken the plague you would
probably have shown symptoms of it ere now. Keep your thoughts from
dwelling on it. I will bring you out some books; try to fix your mind
on them and abstain as much as possible from dwelling on the past. I
will bring your food out to you, and we will talk together to-morrow,
there is much that you will have to consider."
"What are you thinking of doing?" his host asked him when he came in to
see him on the morning after his arrival.
"I have been trying to think, but I cannot decide on anything. I do not
wish to go back to Scotland. I have an aunt living there, but she would
not welcome me warmly. Besides, if I were to do so, I do not see how
I could earn my living; for my knowledge of Persian and Arabic would
be of no use to me. If I had been ten years older the firm for whom my
father was agent might have appointed me in his place, but of course
I am a great deal too young for that. They acted as his agents also,
and bought for him the goods in which he dealt outside their business;
and he told me when he was taken suddenly ill that they had about a
thousand pounds of his money in their hands. That would be of no use to
me now, and I should very much prefer not to touch it until I am old
enough to set up in trade."
"The position is certainly a grave one, Angus. I agree with you that
it would be better for you on all accounts to remain out here, at any
rate for a time. Your father had correspondents also in Bombay, had he
not?"
"Yes, he made purchases of Persian goods for a house there; but he did
not do much for them, as the trade is principally in the hands of the
Parsees."
"There is one thing that you might do," the Armenian said, after
thinking for some time. "I have heard that Mr. M'Neill is on his way to
Teheran as British minister there. You might be able to obtain a post
in his Embassy. You can write both Persian and Arabic, and might be
useful in many ways. It would not be necessary for you to ask a large
salary, but, however small, it might lead the way to better things. At
present there is much political disturbance. The Shah is meditating
an attack upon Herat, and has already given orders for an army to
be collected. Certainly the British government will feel jealous of
any movement that would extend the power of Persia farther towards
Afghanistan, especially as they are, I hear, about to take steps to
interfere in that country by placing a rival of Dost Mahomed on the
throne. Then, too, it is no secret that Russia is encouraging the Shah,
and it is probable that Russian influence will become predominant in
Persia. The conquest of Herat would matter little to England were it
by Persia alone, for Persia is powerless to damage India; but with
Persia acting as the tool of Russia, which some day or other will
assuredly swallow her up, the matter is very much more serious. This
being so, there can be little doubt that the new British minister will
be charged with a mission to counteract the designs of Russia as much
as possible, and might be glad to take into his employment one who
knows the language well and could gather news for him in the guise of a
native--for there are so many dialects spoken in different parts of the
country that any imperfection of speech would pass unnoticed."
"I think that would be an excellent plan, sir, if it could be carried
out."
"I will give you a letter stating the circumstances, speaking of the
esteem in which your father was held, and vouching for your character.
If you decide to take this course, think it would be well for you to
leave at once, for from what I hear of the new minister's course you
would then arrive at Teheran within two or three days of his getting
there, and might have a better chance, therefore, of obtaining a post
in his office. As to the money you speak of, it seems to me that, as
your country is a long way off, it would be better if it could be sent
to the house with which you father had dealings at Bombay, since there
are constantly vessels sailing thither from ports in the Persian Gulf;
and whether you saw an opportunity for doing a trade with India, or
thought of going there yourself, it would be an advantage to have your
money ready to your hand. You must already know a good deal of trade
matters, having, as I know, worked as your father's assistant for the
past two years. At any rate a year or two at Teheran in the service of
the British minister would be an advantage to you in many respects.
There is a caravan starting to-morrow, that is why I suggested that you
should leave at once. A merchant who travels with it is a friend of
mine, and I can recommend you to his care, but it would certainly be
best for you to travel as a native."
"I thank you, sir, very heartily, and shall certainly do as you advise
me, for as an English lad going alone with a caravan I could scarcely
hope to escape trouble with camel-drivers and others. If I fail to
obtain employment at the Embassy, I shall probably travel down with a
caravan to Bushire, and take ship to Bombay. I have plenty of money
to do that, for the expense of travelling with a caravan is very
small--nothing is needed except for food--and the passage in a native
craft would not be more than a pound or two. I have nearly two hundred,
so that I could live for a long time in Bombay if I failed to obtain
employment there. When it is gone, I could at least enlist in one of
the British regiments."
"It is a poor trade soldiering, lad, though in your case it might not
do you harm for a few years, especially if you turned your attention to
learning some of the Indian languages. With such knowledge you should
certainly have no difficulty in making your way with the little capital
you will receive from home."
And so it was settled, and Angus travelled to Teheran. The journey
did him good. He had bought a donkey, and trotting along by the side
of the merchant to whom his friend had introduced him, the novelty of
the life, the strangeness of passing as a native among the travellers,
and the conversation of the Persian merchant kept him from brooding
over his sorrows. He felt that, suddenly thrown as he was upon his
own resources, and compelled to think and act for himself, when but a
fortnight before he had others to think and care for him, he must bear
himself like a man. It was only at night, when rolled in a blanket he
prepared to sleep, that he gave way and lay for hours weeping over his
loss.
The merchant, who had been much pleased with his conversation, and had
made many enquiries as to the ways of his countrymen, and to whom he
had told his plans, invited Angus to take up his abode with him at a
khan until he found whether he could obtain employment at the British
minister's. Issuing into the town, after having seen his animals
attended to and his goods stowed away, the merchant went to see some
friends, and on his return told Angus that the new British minister had
arrived two days before. The next morning Angus went to the envoy's,
and sent in the letter with which the Armenian had furnished him,
together with the translation which he had made and the vice-consul
had signed and stamped. He had not waited many minutes when one of the
attendants came to him and led him in to the minister's room.
"You are Mr. Campbell, the young gentleman of whom our vice-consul at
Tabriz writes to me?"
"Yes, sir."
"It is a sad story that he has told me, and I would willingly do
anything in my power for a young countryman thus left so sadly and
suddenly on his own resources in a foreign land. He tells me that
you speak Arabic as well as Persian, and have some acquaintance with
Armenian colloquially, though you cannot write it as you can the two
former languages. Do you know any other language at all?"
"I know some Kurdish. One of my father's porters was a Kurd, and I was
able to get on fairly with him."
"He tells me that it is your wish to obtain employment of some sort
with me, as at present you are not old enough to enter upon trade for
yourself, and that you do not wish to return to Scotland."
"No, sir. I have been away for four years, and were I to go back I
should lose the advantage that I have gained in learning these Eastern
languages."
"Quite right; very sensibly decided," the minister said. "And I suppose
that you know something of trade?"
"Yes, sir, my father took much pains in instructing me, and for the
past two years I have acted as his assistant, and have learned the
value of most articles of trade."
The minister nodded.
"Very good; it will doubtless be of value to you hereafter. However, I
can at present utilize your services here. I have with me my secretary,
and I have the dragoman employed by my predecessor, who speaks half a
dozen languages; but in many ways a sharp young fellow like yourself,
able if necessary to mix with the people as one of themselves, and to
gather me information as to popular opinion, and who can read and write
Persian fluently, would be a welcome addition to my staff. Of course I
cannot offer you high pay, as I have an allowance for the expenses of
my office upon the same scale as that of my predecessor."
"The pay is quite a secondary matter with me, sir. Even if there were
no pay, I should be glad to accept a temporary post under you, as it
would be a great advantage to me afterwards to have been employed by
you, and I should at least have time to decide what to do next."
"I will think the matter over," the minister said; "at any rate there
will be a room assigned to you in the house, and for the present thirty
shillings a week for your living. You had better continue to wear your
Persian attire. Have you European clothes with you?"
"No, sir, everything was burnt."
The next day Angus was installed in a small room next to that of the
secretary, and set to work translating Persian proclamations, edicts,
and other matters. A fortnight later the minister decided that he
should be dressed as a European when in the house, and a tailor was
sent for and ordered to make him clothes of the same style as a suit of
the secretary's, which was given him to use as a pattern. The minister
nodded approvingly when he entered the little office on the day when
Angus first wore his new suit. His work was now changed, and while
visitors of distinction were ushered in directly to the minister, and
others of less importance were first interviewed by the secretary,
people coming in with complaints or petitions were shown in to Angus,
who took down what they had to say, and then dismissed them to call
the next day for an answer. He was amused at the general impression
prevailing among these people that if the British minister could be
induced to take up their cases he could obtain justice and redress for
them, and how evidently they disbelieved his assurances that a foreign
official could not interfere in such matters.
Six months passed, the Shah had started with his army towards Herat,
and the evidences that Russia was at the bottom of the movement, and
that he was acting in accordance with her advice, became stronger and
stronger. Angus stood high in the minister's good opinion, from the
steadiness with which he worked, the tact and good temper that he
showed with the natives he interviewed, and the willingness with which
he would, after the office was closed, work until late at night at
his translations. Sometimes he changed his attire again, and slightly
darkening his face, and tucking away his light hair, would go out into
the streets, mingle with the crowd in busy quarters, and listen to
the talk. From the fact that the expedition against Herat was seldom
spoken of, he gathered that the war was not popular except among the
trading class, who thought that the possession of Herat would lead to
a large increase of trade with Afghanistan, and even through Candahar
to Northern India. It was, however, but seldom that he went on these
expeditions, for it was certain that any private arrangement that had
been made between the Shah and Russia would be known only to two of the
former's principal officers.
One evening Mr. M'Neill summoned him to his own apartment, and said:
"I have obtained information from a source I can rely upon that Russia
is encouraging the Shah, and that there are other Russian officers
besides their accredited envoy in the Shah's camp. Mr. Corbould started
half an hour ago, and will carry the news himself to London; it is too
important to be trusted to other hands. I have no doubt whatever that
orders will be sent to me at once to mediate between the parties, and
to put a certain amount of pressure upon the Shah. Herat is considered
the key of Afghanistan, and although we could do nothing to assist its
defenders, even were a force to start at once from Bombay, I fancy that
I should be authorized to say to the Shah that England would greatly
resent the town being permanently occupied; and that she might even
go so far as to blockade the ports on the Persian Gulf, and so put a
stop to the whole trade of Persia with India. The great question, of
course, is how long Herat can hold out against the Persians. The place
has the reputation of being strong, but I hear that the fortifications
are much dilapidated. The Afghans are likely to fight well up to a
certain point, but they might, and probably would, get disheartened
after a time. I am anxious to assure them that if they will but hold
out, England will do all in her power to induce the Persians to give up
the siege. The messenger I send must at once be altogether trustworthy,
must be able to make his way through the country as a native, and must
have a sufficient knowledge of Arabic to make himself understood there,
although this is less important, as there must be many traders in the
town who understand Persian."
"If you would entrust me with the message, sir, I would gladly
undertake to carry it to Herat."
"That was my purpose in sending for you, Mr. Campbell. I have the
greatest confidence in you, and as your Persian is good enough to pass
in Teheran, it is certainly good enough for the country districts.
But it is not only because I should trust you thoroughly, and have
every faith in your being able to carry out the mission, but also
because I thought that it would be of great utility to you to be
engaged in the performance of such a mission. If Herat defends itself
successfully until relieved either by Afghan troops, or as a result
of our diplomacy, it will undoubtedly be a feather in the cap of the
gentleman I select to undertake the commission of encouraging the
Heratees to hold out; and, with my report of the valuable services that
you have rendered here, might obtain for you a better position in the
diplomatic service than I can offer you, or some post in India where
your knowledge of Persian and Arabic would be valuable."
"I thank you very much indeed, sir. The change to an active life would
not only be very pleasant to me, but I can quite understand that if
good comes of it I might benefit greatly. Would you wish me to return
as soon as I have delivered your message?"
"No, I think it would be better for you to remain there. I myself will
shortly join the Shah in his camp; the office here will be closed."
On the following day Angus started. The back of his head having been
shaved, his hair was completely covered by his turban. He wore wide
Turkish trousers, a loosely fitting blue embroidered vest, and a long
kaftan thickly padded and falling below his knees, a coloured sash,
with two long-barrelled pistols, and a curved sword. His attire was
that of a Persian trader. He rode on a camel, which, although not a
handsome animal to look at, was of good blood and fast. Slung over
his shoulder was a long matchlock; he carried behind him a great bale
of goods. Accompanying him was a Persian boy, whose father was a
door-keeper at the mission; the boy himself was a hanger-on there. He
was a bright-faced lad of some fifteen years old, who ran messages,
and made himself generally useful. Between him and Angus a sort of
friendship had sprung up, and of an evening when the latter went out he
often took the boy with him, his shrewdness and chatter being a relief
after a long day's work in the office.
Azim had accepted with delight Angus's proposal that he should
accompany him, as his attendant, on a journey that he was about to
make. The matter was settled in a few minutes, a donkey purchased
for him, suitable clothes for travel, and a couple of Kurd blankets.
Angus himself had a large fur-lined coat reaching to his feet, and
four blankets, two of which were of very large size and capable of
being made into a tent, for he knew that the khans and the houses in
the villages swarmed with insects, and was determined that, unless
circumstances prevented it, he would always encamp in the open air.
Azim's camel carried, in addition to a bale of goods, two water-skins,
a sufficient supply of flour for the journey, a bag of ground coffee,
and another of sugar; meat would always be procurable.
It was a long journey, but Angus enjoyed it. The road was a frequented
one, for a considerable trade was carried on between Herat and Persia,
and traders frequently passed along. Azim turned out a bright and
intelligent companion, and no suspicion was anywhere entertained that
Angus was aught but what he seemed. Some little surprise, however,
was occasionally expressed that he should be making the journey at a
time when the Persian army was marching against Herat. To such remarks
he always replied that he should probably stay there but a few days,
and hoped to be well on the road to Candahar before the army arrived
at Herat. He was certain that he should arrive in time, for the army
with its huge baggage train had already taken nearly six months in
accomplishing a journey that he had performed in little over as many
weeks.