AN ESCAPE
"I think, Azim," Angus said, when they met that night "you must buy
some clothes for yourself. You may be pretty sure that no one is
watching you. You must not get them at any shop in the main street,
because there are always passers-by who stop and listen to the bargains
made; but there are some by-streets where there are a few shops. Of
course you will go into a Persian's. If you give a fair price--not too
high, you know, so as to seem too anxious to buy--I don't suppose he
will trouble much what you may want them for. You must make out some
likely story--say, for example, that your master keeps a sharp look-out
over you, and that you want to be able to go out sometimes in such a
dress that he would not know you if he met you. I don't know that that
is a good excuse, but I am unable to think of a better one. All you
will want will be a long white robe coming over the head and down to
the eyebrows, and falling to the feet; and a white cloth coming across
the face below the eyes, and falling down over the throat. There is no
occasion to buy other garments. A rug torn asunder and wrapped round
the waist, falling to the feet, so as to fill up the outside robe,
is all that will be required. But the more I think of it, Azim, the
greater appears the difficulty about the camel; indeed, now that we
have ascertained about this spy, it seems to me hardly possible to make
a start without being pursued at once."
Azim nodded approvingly. "That is just what I think, master. But I
could put a knife into him, and then all trouble would be over."
"I don't like the idea of killing the man, Azim."
"You killed many men at Herat."
"That was in battle, which is a very different thing from stabbing a
man to enable us to get away."
Azim shook his head. This was quite beyond him. "He is fighting against
you now, master. If the princes find out that you are English they will
put you in a dungeon and most likely kill you, and kill me too, so as
to shut my mouth. This man is paid to act as a spy on you. Why not
kill him? Thousands of people were killed or died at Herat. I cannot
understand why one man should not be killed, when we can perhaps get
free away if he is dead."
"If he found us escaping and attacked us, we could kill him, Azim, but
it is not an Englishman's way to kill men, except in fight."
Azim shook his head. To his mind this was very foolish. "Perhaps we
might make him prisoner, Azim."
"Where could we put him in prison?" Azim enquired, with his eyes wide
open in surprise.
"I don't mean in a prison, Azim, I mean in some empty house or some
out-of-the-way place; we might tie his arms and legs and gag him."
Azim's eyes twinkled. "I see, master, you do not like to use a knife.
Good, we can bind and hide him. Perhaps no one would come for a long
time, may be a year, and, finding only a skeleton, would not bother
about him. He would just say it was some fellow killed by robbers."
"No, no, Azim," Angus said in a tone of horror. "I never thought of
such a thing. No doubt someone would come along and let him out."
"Someone might come, master. He might come a few minutes after we had
gone, then they would catch us at once. If someone did not come in an
hour, why should he come in a week or a month?"
Angus was silent. "No, Azim, you don't quite understand me. I meant
that he should be gagged and bound after dark, and then be left in some
place a little distance from the road, where he would not be seen till
morning. Then the first person who came along would turn aside and look
at him, and he would be loosed, but we should have got twelve hours'
start."
"That would be a good plan, master. But how should we get the camel?"
"In that case we should make a start without it, for we might ride
fifty miles, perhaps a good deal more than that, before it would be
discovered that we had gone. We could do that in our present dress, and
then I could put on my Afghan clothes and go into a village off the
road and say that the horses were tired and that I wanted to go on, and
so buy a camel."
Azim shook his head. "Anyone who wanted to go on fast, master, would
not buy a camel."
Angus uttered an exclamation of disgust, and Azim struck another blow
at his plan by saying, "How would you get the horses out, master? The
gates are shut at dark. You could not tie up the spy till after the
gates were shut, and in the morning he might be found, and we should be
caught as we went out."
"I am getting altogether stupid," Angus said. "Of course you are
right; the horses could not be sent out beforehand, for if the spy saw
them going out he would at once inform his employers, and I should be
arrested. Ah, I have an idea! That trader from Scinde, who arrived here
yesterday, was saying that as he intended to stay here for some time he
would sell his horses if he could get a fair price for them. I might
say that I would buy two of them, as they are better than mine, and as
I wanted to travel fast, I would give him my two and some money for
them. I dare say he would be willing to do that, as our horses would
sell more easily than his. One can always sell a poor horse, while one
might have to wait some time before finding a purchaser for a good one.
I don't suppose really there is much difference in value between his
and mine, and he would think he was making a good bargain. I should say
that for certain reasons, which it would not be necessary to explain
to him, it must be a part of the bargain that he should deliver them
outside the city, and that one of his men should take them out during
the day and wait for us at a spot we could agree upon."
"That would be a capital plan, master."
"Then we will carry it out, Azim."
"Shall I get the woman's dress?"
"Yes, you may as well do that. We may want all sorts of disguises
before we get down. We need not talk any longer now; at any rate we
certainly shall not try the plan to-morrow. We must not appear in any
hurry with the trader, and there are several things we shall have to
talk over when I have struck a bargain with him."
The next night Angus was able to inform his follower that he had made
his arrangements with the Scinde trader. "I am to buy his horses," he
said, "and he will deliver them in the way I want. Without saying it,
he evidently understood that I wanted to get quietly out of the city to
escape some trouble. He asked a very reasonable price, but he would
have nothing to do with my horses. He said that if there should be
any trouble about my leaving, the change of horses might be noticed.
If he said he had bought them of me, and sold me two of his, he might
get into trouble too. However, I afterwards talked to one of the other
merchants, who was going away in a day or two, and told him that I
might be kept here for a considerable time, and should therefore be
glad to get rid of my horses. He said he would be glad to buy them, as
he was taking down a number of Heratee carpets and other things. So we
struck a bargain at once, and he paid me the money and I gave him the
receipt.
"I said that you would continue to look after the horses as usual until
we started, so that matter is quite arranged. The Scinde man will keep
the horses I have bought with his others till he sends them out through
the gate. When he does so, he will put our saddles on them. Now for our
plans to-morrow. I shall go out as usual in the morning; the spy will
of course follow me. While I am away make up our rugs and disguises
and fasten them upon the saddles, and take these to the new horses, so
that the trader's servant will put them on with the saddles and take
them out with the horses before sunset. He is to stop at those three
palm-trees that grow by the roadside a quarter of a mile out of the
town. Even if the spy is looking on as they go out of the yard, he will
have no idea that I have anything to do with the horses.
"When you have seen to that, you will buy twenty yards of rope for us
to get down over the wall. I shall start at about four o'clock. I shall
go exactly the same way as I did the last time you followed me. It is
a very lonely part there. He is sure to watch me very closely, as he
will wonder why I choose that way for my walks. I shall stay there
for a bit, and shall lean over the wall as if I were calculating its
depth and intended to make my escape there. He is sure to be intent on
watching my movements, and will get up as close as he can. Then is your
time to steal up. Do you think that you can do it without his hearing
you? If not, I should think that a better plan will be for you to hide
close to the way we shall come back. I shall not return till it is
beginning to get dark, and he will probably keep closer to me than he
would going, so as to better watch my movements. When he comes along
you will spring out and knock him down, and I will, as you shout, run
back to your assistance."
"I shall not want any assistance, master," Azim said confidently. "I am
sure I am quite as strong as he is, and as I shall take him by surprise
I shall have no difficulty in managing him."
"Don't use your sword, Azim."
"No, master, I will get a thick stick."
"Of course you will bring the rope with you, Azim; the twenty yards
will be ample to spare a length to tie him up with, and to reach to
the ground from the top of the wall. You may as well put enough food
for a couple of days in the saddle-bags, and a supply of grain for the
horses, then we shall not have to stop to buy anything."
The day passed quietly. Azim bought the heaviest staff that he could
find, and brought it back and stowed it away during his master's
absence, as he did not think that the latter would approve of its
weight. He considered his master's objection to his stabbing the spy to
be a weakness which he was quite unable to understand. At four o'clock
Angus started, and a few minutes later the trader's servant led the two
horses he had bought through the streets and out at the southern gate.
Azim waited till he saw him go, as there was no occasion for him to
follow the spy closely, and indeed it had been arranged that he should
not do so, lest the spy should this time notice him and perhaps take
alarm. He therefore strolled leisurely along until he neared the spot
where Angus was standing on the wall. The spy had taken up his post
nearer to him than before, and was evidently watching narrowly what he
was doing. As he might turn round suddenly, Azim seated himself behind
a ruined hut within a couple of yards of the road, and there patiently
waited until, as darkness fell, Angus came along.
"I am here, master," Azim said.
"Take care of yourself," Angus replied without stopping; "he will
probably have pistols, and certainly a knife."
"All right, master."
Azim stood up now grasping the heavy staff firmly in both hands.
Listening intently he heard a minute later a soft footstep, and the spy
passed him keeping his eye fixedly on the figure ahead of him. Azim
sprang out, and swinging his staff round his head, brought it with all
his strength against the back of the man's head, just below his turban.
He fell without a sound.
"He is down, master," the lad cried.
Angus, who had been listening for the sound of a struggle and had heard
the blow, came running back.
"Why, it was almost like the sound of a pistol," he said, as he saw the
motionless figure.
"Yes, master, I was obliged to hit him hard, because, as you said, he
might have pistols."
"You have stunned him," Angus went on, going up to the prostrate
figure. "Now, cut off a length of that rope and we will tie him up
securely."
He tied the man's legs, and then turned him over. The inertness of the
body struck him, and he placed his ear over his heart. "He is dead," he
said. "He is not breathing, and his heart is not beating. You have hit
him too hard."
"Well, I did hit him hard, master. It is a misfortune, but perhaps it
is all for the best. Undoubtedly it was Allah's will that he should
die."
"Well, it cannot be helped," Angus said, "and undoubtedly it will make
it safer for us. Well, let us move on."
"Do you go on, master, and I will take his clothes off and drag him
into this hut. He may lie there for months before anyone comes along
and looks in."
"Very well, I will walk on to the wall; don't be long."
Five minutes later Azim rejoined him carrying a bundle.
"We do not want to be bothered with the clothes," Angus said.
"No, master; but if we left them there, they might be found to-morrow
morning. Someone might recognize the man by them, so I thought it would
be better to carry them away with us for a few miles, and then throw
them in some bushes. I have got his pistols and knife. He was well
paid, master; he had ten gold pieces in his sash--here they are."
"Put them in your own pocket, Azim. I do not want to have anything to
do with them; they are your spoil."
Azim, who had no compunction in the matter, at once put the little bag
into his sash. The rope was now fastened to the battlement, and they
slid down. The wall was about forty feet high, and unprovided with a
moat. They started at once for the place where the horses were to be
waiting for them; a quarter of an hour's brisk walk took them there.
Angus made a present to the man in charge of them, who, while they were
tightening the girths, at once wrapped himself in the blanket he had
brought out and lay down to sleep till morning.
[Illustration: AZIM SURPRISES THE SPY.]
"We need not press the horses," Angus said as they rode off. "We shall
certainly have twelve hours' start, and I hope twenty-four. It all
depends on how often the man reports to his employer, who is no doubt
an official at the palace. Probably he goes once a day, though, as
there has been nothing suspicious about our movements and no signs of
any intention of leaving, he may have been ordered to go only every
two or three days unless he has news to give. Of course in that case
we are all right; but if he reports every evening, how long a start we
shall get depends entirely upon what sort of a man the official is. In
any case, he would hardly give a thought to his spy not coming in this
evening, but would suppose that I had been out till late. When he does
not appear in the morning, if the official is of a suspicious nature he
will enquire for the man, and when he is not found will send down to
the khan to see if he is there, and to ascertain if things are going on
as usual.
"When the news is brought him that the man is not there, and that we
have been out all night, he will become alarmed. He will go himself
and question the traders there, and will doubtless ascertain that I
have sold our horses. I don't suppose he will hear that we have bought
others. The trader will see that there is going to be trouble about
it, and is likely to hold his tongue and tell his servant to be silent
on the subject; and as the official could have no reason for imagining
that we should sell our horses and buy others, he will conclude that we
have made our escape over the wall on foot. That is the report which he
will probably make to the Prince, and we may safely calculate that it
will be afternoon before parties of horse are sent off in pursuit by
the Herat, Ghuznee, and Quettah roads, and will probably be instructed
to enquire for two young Persians on foot. They will lose time by
stopping at every village to make enquiries, and after going forty or
fifty miles will begin to feel sure that we have not come along that
road, but have gone by one of the others, or perhaps hidden up in some
village at a distance from the road.
"They may have instructions to go as far as Quettah; but suppose they
get thirty miles before sunset--and they certainly won't get farther
than that, as they will have to make enquiries, and will probably halt
as soon as it gets dark,--we shall have a start of nearly sixty miles
before morning, and will hide up and go on as soon as it is dark, and
shall be another thirty or forty before they start next day; so we
shall then be some sixty miles ahead of them and within from twenty to
thirty from Quettah. We will skirt round the town without going into
it, and then make down the Bolan Pass. I don't think there is the least
chance of any pursuit being kept up beyond Quettah, and we can travel
at our own pace down the pass. We shall have to lay in a good stock of
provisions at the last village we pass before beginning to descend,
and must travel at night, for otherwise we may be plundered by the
tribesmen, who have the worst possible reputation."
"How long is the pass, master?"
"Fifty-five miles long, Mr. Pottinger told me. He says that it is
a frightful place. A river runs through it, and in the wet season
anyone caught in it would be drowned, for in some places the sides are
perpendicular, and the channel is only sixty or seventy feet wide.
There are caves along there in which the tribesmen hide, and rush
out and plunder, and often kill, travellers. We must get through in
two nights, and must be extremely careful where we stop for the day,
choosing some place where we can hide ourselves and our horses."
"Well, master," Azim said after a pause, "if it is the will of Allah
that we are to get through, we shall; if not, not."
"That is it, Azim. I do not think that there is much fear of our lives.
We know that travellers do use that pass. I believe they generally pay
so much to one of the chiefs of the tribesmen, and we will do the same
if, on arriving at the top of the pass, we find that we can arrange
it. We shall want money to take us from Dadur across the plain to the
Indus. It is a barren and desolate country, and we shall have to buy
some supplies at Dadur. Coming down without merchandise, the tribesmen
will make sure that we have money, as we should naturally have sold
the goods we brought from Persia at Candahar, and must intend buying a
fresh stock in India. Therefore, you may be sure, that if captured we
should be stripped of every penny we have about us."
They rode for eight hours, and reckoned that they had made some fifty
miles. They gave the horses a good feed and lay down until daylight,
for they were now at the foot of the Kojuk, a gorge so steep and
difficult that it could not be passed at night. Just as they were
starting, three tribesmen rode up, and in the name of the local chief
demanded two gold tomauns, one for each horse and rider, as tribute for
a free passage. As the money was paid without question, they rode off
without giving further trouble. The passage was long and difficult, and
in many cases they had to lead their horses. Once through, they allowed
the animals another hour's rest and a feed, and then mounting, rode on
briskly again. A few miles farther on they halted in a clump of trees,
and slept until nightfall, and then rode another twenty miles. As speed
was of less consequence than keeping their horses in fair condition,
they turned off at a little stream, followed it for half a mile up,
and then halted in a dip through which it ran. Here there was good
grass for the horses. They remained for the rest of that day, and until
within three hours of daybreak next morning. As Angus had calculated,
they saw at sunrise the mud fort and town of Quettah standing on its
rocky eminence. They made a detour, and came down upon the road again
round the town, and then rode briskly down the Shawl valley. The
country round was rich and fertile, and dotted with villages, orchards,
and vineyards. They stopped late in the afternoon at a village near the
entrance to the pass. Two armed men came out from a hut as they drew
up. The leader said, "Our chief is master of the pass, travellers find
it wise to pay for right of passage."
"That we are ready to do," Angus said. "But does your chief guarantee
that we shall go unmolested down to Dadur?"
"The chief cannot guarantee that, he can only guarantee you from hurt
or damage from his people. He is lord of the eastern side of the pass,
but there are others--men of no account, and who own no chief--among
the mountains to the west. They sometimes waylay travellers. Our chief
punishes them when he can do so; but it is seldom that he is able to
catch them. He does all that he can, for he wishes well to traders and
others who pass along, for when ill happens to them others are afraid
to pass, and he loses his tribute. When a large caravan comes up, and
is able to pay handsomely, he furnishes an escort of twenty men or
more; but he will not send less than twenty, for a smaller party might
not be able to defend the caravan, and he would suffer loss of honour
from failing to give protection to those to whom he guaranteed it."
"We cannot afford to pay for an escort of twenty men, and have but
little to be robbed of, for you see we carry no merchandise, having
disposed of what we bought at Herat and Candahar, and sent the proceeds
by sure hands back to Persia."
As their attire gave no signs of their being men of substance, the
tribesman said: "In that case you will only have to pay one tomaun
each; that is the price for a man and horse, and the same for each
camel- or horse-load of goods; that is the regular toll."
"That we can pay. As to the brigands you speak of, we must take our
chance."
He handed the money to the man, who in return gave him a little
white-and-red flag, which he was to show should he encounter any of
his tribesmen. They stopped here all day, and purchased food for their
journey.
"I should think it would be a very good thing, Azim," Angus said in the
afternoon, "if we could engage a guide. We might break our necks making
our way down here in the dark. I will speak to those two fellows. I
suppose they are on duty here, and cannot go themselves, but there may
be others of the tribe in the village; or, if not, some of the people
here may be accustomed to going down the pass with caravans."
Angus went to the hut occupied by the two tribesmen and called them
out. "We are intending to travel at night," he said, after offering
them a packet of tobacco. "In that way we may escape being seen by
these brigands."
"It will be almost impossible for you to go at night--quite impossible
without a guide."
"That is what we came to you about. Are there any of your tribe who
would act as a guide for us? How long would it take us?"
"It would take you four nights' journey. You could do it in two stages
if your horses are sure-footed and you travelled in the day, but at
night it would take four at least. How much would you be willing to
pay?"
"How much would be charged?" Angus said quietly.
"You should have two men," the man answered, "two men who know the pass
well. Yakoob and I could go with you. We have been here six days, and
two others will come to take our places and collect tolls to-morrow,
so we shall be free. We know every foot of the pass, having travelled
up and down it scores of times. We cannot guarantee your safety, but
you would have a better chance with us than with others. We will take
you into Dadur. We do not promise to fight; when twenty attack four,
fighting is foolish. We have our horses; there are parts where the pass
opens out and the bottom is level."
"Well, how much would you charge?"
The two men talked together in an undertone, and then the one who had
before spoken turned again to Angus. "We would take you for three gold
pieces each."
"It is a large sum," Angus said; "but as I hear in the village that it
is not safe to go unless with a large caravan, and that it might be
three weeks or a month before a sufficiently large number of travellers
arrive, we will pay you that."
"It is a bargain, then," the man said. "We had best start at four
o'clock; the descent here is very steep, and it is not overlooked from
the hills to the west. Therefore, we can go down there by daylight,
and then rest our horses for an hour and move forward again when it is
quite dark. You had better buy four black blankets, to cut up and tie
round the horses' feet, so that when we are passing the bad points,
where the brigands generally lurk, no noise will be made in climbing
over the boulders or slipping on smooth rocks. It will be necessary, of
course, to get food for us all and for the horses."
"I will buy that to-morrow," Angus said. "I suppose it would be of no
use taking torches?"
"You might take some," the man said. "In some places the rocks are so
steep that no one could look down from above, and at these points there
are no caves where the thieves would be hiding, and we should certainly
get on a good deal faster with torches."
"I will take some then. Have you ever been through by night before?"
The man shook his head. "We have not. It is seldom attempted; but it
is because you are willing to travel so that we are ready to accompany
you, for the brigands would expect no one at that time, and will most
likely be asleep."
"Then, if we are attacked we must be taken prisoners?"
"No," the man said; "there are many places where the hills can be
ascended by men who know them. Should we be attacked near one of these
spots we must leave our horses and fly; that is what we should do, and
what I should advise you to do also. A man's life is worth more than a
horse and saddle. Of course in the daytime there would be no escape in
that way, for they would bring us down with their matchlocks; but at
night we could elude them, and if they did follow us we could defend
ourselves, taking shelter and shooting them as they came up."
"Well, it is a satisfaction, anyhow," Angus said, "that there would be
a chance for us. Our horses are good beasts, but we value our lives
more."
"I think they are honest fellows," he went on after telling Azim the
substance of his conversation with the tribesmen. "They say that the
Afghans have a treacherous disposition, but I believe these men can
be trusted to keep their engagements. They did not exaggerate the
difficulties of the journey as some would have done, nor did they
pretend that they would join in a hopeless fight. In fact, although
of course the actual difficulties of the journey would be very much
greater in the dark than in daylight, they evidently considered that
the danger from the other tribesmen would be by no means great."
It was, however, a terrible journey, and Angus felt that without the
guidance of the tribesmen it would have been an impossible one. They
knew exactly where the river was fordable, and on which side the pass
was most free from great boulders and obstruction, and where torches
could be safely used. But at times progress was terribly slow, their
horses having to pick their way among rocks and boulders, and taking
more than an hour to cover a mile. At other times they were able to
go at a brisk walk, and even break into a trot. Whenever they neared
spots where the caves frequented by the robbers were situated, the
horses' feet were muffled, and they were led with the greatest care.
It was indeed comparatively seldom that the riders mounted; where it
was dangerous to have torches, they walked along by the side of their
horses, allowing the animals to pick their own way, which they were
able to do better than they could have done if led.
The horses Angus had bought having made the ascent of the pass were to
some extent accustomed to the work, and not having to carry the weight
of the riders were able, save in exceptional places, to get along more
easily than Angus and Azim were able to do. Both of these had many
falls, and would have had many more had not their guides at such times
stood close beside them and rendered them assistance, often warning
them of obstacles of which they themselves were unable to make out the
faintest outline.
Several times they saw the glow of fires burning in the caverns. At
such points the strictest silence was observed. They had purchased
Afghan shoes at the village, and round these had wound strips of thick
woollen stuff like felt, so that their steps were as noiseless as those
of the horses. The stirrups were fastened over the animals' backs so as
to avoid contact with rocks; and any slight sound that might be made
was to a great extent drowned by the murmur and rattle of the rapid
stream.
The long halts during the daytime were made at points, carefully chosen
by the guides, at the foot of precipitous rocks. Fragments that had
fallen from above formed a bank at a short distance from the foot, the
greater part of the rocks having bounded outwards with the impetus
of their fall. Between the bank and the cliff there was a depression
partly filled with splinters of rock. It was, however, considerably
lower than the bank, and the men and horses stationed in it were hid
alike from observation from above and from the eye of those passing
along the valley. Here they slept on beds composed of their saddles and
rugs laid on the rough stones, their guides by turn keeping watch. As
a whole they got on faster than the guides had anticipated, and were
fairly down at the mouth of the pass at daybreak on the fourth morning
after their start. Here the tribesmen received their pay, Angus adding
another pound to the amount agreed on, for the care and assistance
given. They waited two days at Dadur to allow their horses rest. Here
they were fortunate in finding two men well acquainted with the road.
They had so far guided a party who were proceeding up the pass to
Quettah, and as they were now returning, were glad enough to accept
the offer of a couple of pounds to act as guides across the desert.
In accordance with their advice two rough ponies were bought to carry
water-skins and provisions, while smaller skins were to be taken on
their own horses, as the country to be traversed was for a considerable
distance a waterless desert. Even this part of the journey would not be
accomplished without danger, for the Belooches of the district were to
a man plunderers, and cared nothing for the authority of the Khan of
Khelat. The distance from Dadur to Shikarpore is nearly a hundred and
fifty miles across a flat and dreary country, almost unpopulated; but
as they were unencumbered by baggage, and carried sufficient water for
their wants and those of their horses, it was performed in seven days.
At Rojhan they came upon Captain Thompson, who was in command of a
party which had gone forward to examine the state of the water-supply,
and if necessary to sink more wells. He was surprised when a young
Persian trader addressed him in English, and informed him that he had
just come through from Herat. This was quite enough to assure a warm
welcome, and the officer put him up for the night in his own tent and
made him in all respects comfortable.
After hearing something of the siege of Herat, and of his journey,
he asked anxiously as to the water-supply in the villages on the way
to Dadur. On hearing that few of them were much better supplied than
Rojhan he threw up his hands in despair.
"Two or three thousand natives ought to have been engaged," he said,
"and a couple of hundred set to work to dig deep wells in these
villages. A hundred wells would be little enough for the army, its
horses and baggage animals, and its native followers. Even when they
are dug the water runs into them slowly. I have sent down my report
from here. There are only three wells, one of which Sir Alexander
Burnes sank when he was here a week ago; the others contain such bad
water as to be quite unfit for human use. I am really frightened at the
thought of what will take place before the army gets to Dadur. However,
I hear that they will not advance for another month, and that some very
energetic steps will be made to secure a water-supply before they come
along."
On the following day Angus passed several working parties who were
engaged under the superintendence of Major Leech, assistant to Sir
Alexander Burnes--for Captain Burnes had been knighted as a reward
for his services in Cabul. With the exception of these parties they
scarcely encountered a human being on the way down, except in the
miserable little villages which were situated where the soil permitted
the cultivation of a scanty crop, which was for the most part cut when
green and sold to passing travellers. Angus was heartily glad when
Shikarpore came in sight. He had learned from Captain Thompson that
Shah Soojah had arrived there with a native army which he had raised,
that the Bengal army under General Cotton, which had marched down by
the Indus, was expected to arrive there in a day or two, and that the
Bombay army under Sir John Keane was but a few days behind.
Upon entering the town he was glad to see British uniforms in the
street, and addressing in English the first officer he met, he found
that the division of General Cotton had arrived two days before.
"I have just come from Herat," Angus said. "I left there after the
siege was raised. I have some despatches from Lieutenant Pottinger,
which should be given either to Colonel Pottinger or to Sir Alexander
Burnes."
"Burnes is here. I think that Colonel Pottinger is at Sukkar, he was
there a few days ago; you will find Burnes at the head-quarters. He is
the political officer and so forth of the army; but Macnaghten is envoy
and commissioner to Soojah, and generally at the head of all political
business."
The army was encamped round the town, and Angus had no difficulty in
finding the quarters of Sir Alexander Burnes. Dismounting a short
distance away, he left Azim to look after the horses and went towards
the tent. He was stopped by a sentry, who on learning that he wished
to see Sir Alexander, called an attendant. The latter, coming up, took
Angus's name in, and reappearing at the entrance almost immediately,
signed to him to enter.