THE ADVANCE ON CABUL
The garrison of Jellalabad found themselves pressed for provisions at
the end of March, and on the 1st of April made a gallant sortie, and
swept into the town a flock of five hundred sheep and goats. On the
5th Macgregor's spies brought in news from Akbar's camp that it was
reported there that Pollock had been beaten with great loss in the
Khyber Pass, and on the following morning Akbar's guns fired a royal
salute in honour of the supposed victory. Sale, now confident of the
fighting powers of his men, determined to make a great effort to break
up the blockade; as if Pollock had really been defeated it would be
some time before relief could come to them, and they could not hope
again to make such a capture as that which they had effected on the
1st. A council of war was held, and action was decided upon, as success
would not only free them from all apprehensions of being starved out,
but would effect a diversion in favour of Pollock.
The force was but a small one for the enterprise which they moved out
to undertake. The centre column, consisting of the 13th Regiment,
mustering five hundred bayonets, was under the command of Colonel
Dennie; the right, consisting of some three hundred and fifty men of
the two native regiments and a detachment of sappers, was commanded
by Captain Havelock; the left column was about the same strength,
under Lieutenant-colonel Monteith; the light field battery and a small
cavalry force were to support them. They advanced from the city at
daylight on the 7th. Akbar Khan drew up his force, six thousand strong,
before his camp, his right resting on a fort, and his left on the Cabul
river. Havelock's column commenced the fight by attacking the enemy's
left, while Dennie advanced to the assault of the fort, which was
vigorously defended. Dennie himself fell mortally wounded by an Afghan
ball, but his men captured the place in gallant style. A general attack
now took place on Akbar's camp. The artillery advanced at a gallop,
and poured their fire into the Afghan centre, the 13th and Colonel
Monteith's column pierced their right, while Havelock drove back their
left from the support afforded by the river.
The Afghans fought sturdily, their musketry keeping up a heavy fire,
and large bodies of horse again and again threatened Havelock's column,
while three guns from a hidden battery opened fire. The struggle,
however, was a short one. Their cannon were taken, every position held
by them was captured, and by seven o'clock they were in full retreat.
Two cavalry standards were taken, four guns lost by the Cabul and
Gundamuck forces were recaptured, a vast quantity of ordnance stores
destroyed, and the whole of the enemy's tents burnt. The loss of the
Afghans had been heavy, and several chiefs were among the fallen. The
loss of the victors was small indeed. Colonel Dennie and ten Sepoys
were killed, three officers and some fifty men wounded. A day or two
later Pollock's force reached Jellalabad, and the joy of both parties
was great.
Indeed, no stronger contrast can be found than that between the leading
and conduct of the force at Cabul and that at Jellalabad. The one
showed the British leader and the British soldier at their worst,
the other the British commander and men at their best. It may be
confidently affirmed that had Sale been in the place of Elphinstone,
with full power of action, the fight in the passes would never have
taken place, and within three days of the murder of Burnes the Afghan
host would have been a mob of fugitives, and Cabul would have been in
our hands. The British soldier is always best in the attack. He is
ready and eager to fight against any odds, but when kept in a state
of inaction, under a commander in whom he has lost all confidence, he
speedily deteriorates. Happily there are few examples in our military
history such as those of Cabul and Walcheren, where the British soldier
has been placed in such a position.
While Pollock was forcing the Khyber Pass the reign of Shah Soojah came
to a sudden end. After the departure of the British no hostility was
shown towards him by the Afghans, and he continued at the Bala Hissar
in the position of nominal sovereign of Afghanistan the Nawab having
willingly resigned the difficult and dangerous post and accepted that
of wuzeer. He himself had his troubles. Most restless and dangerous
of these Afghan leaders was Aneen-oollah-Khan, who had played fast
and loose with the British while secretly working against them. He
demanded the surrender to him of the hostages. The Nawab steadily
refused, and as threats of force were used against him, raised a body
of three thousand men for their protection. These, however, were
corrupted by Aneen, but the Nawab remained faithful to his trust. On
the 4th of April Shah Soojah left the Bala Hissar with his retinue to
go down to join Akbar Khan. An ambush was laid for him by one of the
sons of the Nawab. These poured in a volley, and Shah Soojah fell dead,
shot through the head. The Nawab was filled with horror at the deed,
and swore an oath never again to see his son beneath his roof or suffer
him to be named in his presence.
While Jellalabad was being besieged, the situation at Candahar had
been precarious. Ghuznee had been captured by the tribesmen after a
gallant defence, and its garrison had been massacred. Kelat-i-Ghilzye
was besieged, and without hope of succour. Candahar was surrounded by
the insurgent Dooranees, but these had been twice defeated by General
Nott. During one of these expeditions the city was in imminent danger,
for the enemy, gradually retiring, drew the sortie-party a considerable
distance from the walls, and then at night slipped away and attacked
the place. One of the gates was destroyed by fire, and for many hours
the issue of the contest was doubtful. At last, however, the assailants
were beaten off with very heavy loss. A force marching up to the relief
of the town, under General England, being very badly handled, were
opposed on their way up from Quettah, and fell back and remained there
until Nott sent a peremptory order for them to advance again.
He himself marched to meet them, and on the united force arriving at
Candahar, the town was placed beyond all risk of capture. Nott was
preparing to march on Cabul, while Pollock advanced on Jellalabad;
but, to the stupefaction and disappointment of all, an order arrived
from Calcutta for the abandonment of Candahar and the return of the
force to India. There had been a change of governors. Lord Ellenborough
had succeeded Lord Auckland, and immediately set to work to overthrow
the whole policy of his predecessor. Similar orders were sent to
Pollock. The latter, however, mindful of the honour of his country,
and the safety of the hostages and ladies, replied that, being almost
without carriage, it would be impossible for him to retire at once,
thus gaining time, which he utilized by entering into negotiations with
Akbar Khan for the release of their prisoners.
Both generals wisely kept the order they had received a secret from
the troops, who would have been profoundly disheartened. However, no
secret had been made as to the orders issued in Calcutta, and the
news soon spread all over India, and reached Pollock's camp, that
the army was to be withdrawn. Pollock did his best to throw doubts
upon the truth of the reports by marking out a new camp two miles in
advance, and arranging with the natives to bring in supplies there, so
as to give grounds for a belief that, so far from leaving the town,
he was preparing for an advance. In the meantime he had written an
urgent letter pointing out the evils and difficulties of an immediate
withdrawal, and the immense advantage that would arise by striking
a heavy blow before retiring, and so to some extent retrieving the
reputation of the British army.
The letter had its influence, and the governor wrote:
_It would be desirable undoubtedly, before finally quitting
Afghanistan, that you should have an opportunity of striking a blow at
the enemy, and since circumstances seem to compel you to remain there
till October, the governor-general earnestly hopes that you will be
able to draw the enemy into a position in which you may strike such a
blow effectually._
This was good news. Every effort was being made to collect carriage
cattle in Hindostan for the purpose of the withdrawal, and Pollock
determined to turn these to account. If there was carriage enough to
enable him to fall back upon Peshawur, there would be carriage enough
for him to advance on Cabul. In the meantime negotiations were going
on for the release of the captives. The married families had, on the
day of their arrival at Akbar's camp, been placed in a small fort with
Pottinger, Lawrence, and Mackenzie. Two days later they were taken down
to Jugduluk, where they found General Elphinstone, Brigadier Shelton,
and Captain Johnson, and thence travelled down to a fort, the property
of the father of Akbar's wife. The party consisted of nine ladies,
twenty officers and fourteen children; seventeen European soldiers, two
women and a child were confined in another part of the fort.
Here they remained three months. Two more officers were brought in,
and a month after their arrival two other survivors, Major Griffiths
and Captain Souter, were added to the party. On the day after Akbar's
defeat they were hastily taken away and carried to Tezeen, and thence
to a place called Zanda, far up in the hills. General Elphinstone had
been bed-ridden for some weeks, and was left behind at Tezeen, where
he died. Akbar Khan sent in his remains to Jellalabad. Civil war was
raging in Cabul. Shah Soojah's second son had succeeded him, but he
was altogether without power. Some of the chiefs supported him, others
opposed; but finally the Bala Hissar was stormed by Akbar, who was now
the most powerful chief in Afghanistan. Pollock was still harassed
by letters from Lord Ellenborough insisting upon his retiring; but
public opinion throughout India was so opposed to a course that would
bring the deepest disgrace upon the British power, that at last, in
August, he wrote to Nott saying that he must withdraw his force from
Afghanistan, but that if he chose he might take the route through
Ghuznee and Cabul. He similarly issued his orders for Pollock to
retire, but added that "you will be at liberty to first march to Cabul
to meet Nott."
Both had been preparing for the movement. Pollock had sent several
expeditions against hostile tribesmen, and had recovered one of the
captured guns. On the 20th of August he left Jellalabad with eight
thousand troops, and on the 23rd reached Gundamuck. The next day the
village was cleared of a strong body of the enemy. While concentrating
his troops there and waiting intelligence from Nott, the British
force remained at Gundamuck till the 7th of September. On the 1st,
Futteh Jung, who had succeeded his father, rode into camp. Akbar Khan
had stripped him of all power and all his wealth, and imprisoned him
in the Bala Hissar, from which he had now escaped, and with much
difficulty made his way to Pollock's camp to seek the protection of
the British government. On the 7th the first division of the army,
under the command of Sale, moved forward; the second division, under
General M'Caskill, marched on the following day. Sale found the hills
commanding the roads through the Jugduluk Pass occupied by large
bodies of the enemy, who opened a heavy fire. The guns replied, and
the infantry then in three columns dashed up the hills and drove the
Ghilzyes from them.
One strong body had taken refuge at an apparently inaccessible point,
but the British storming party scaled the height, and the enemy fled
without waiting for the assault at close quarters. Thus on the hills
where the Afghans had massacred Elphinstone's troops they were now
taught that, if well led, the British soldier could defeat them in a
position they had deemed impregnable. At Tezeen the second division
joined the first. The force halted for a day, and the Afghans,
believing that this betokened indecision, mustered their forces for
a final engagement. Akbar had, as he had threatened to do if they
advanced, sent off the captives to the Bamian Pass, with the intention
of selling them as slaves to the Turkomans.
On the 13th the two armies were face to face. The valley of Tezeen was
commanded on all sides by lofty hills, and these now swarmed with men.
The enemy's horse entered the valley, but the British squadrons charged
them, drove them in headlong flight, and cut down many. The infantry
climbed the hills on both sides under a terrible fire from the Afghan
guns. To these they made no reply, well knowing that their muskets
were no match for the long firearms of the enemy. As soon, however, as
they reached the summit, they fixed bayonets and charged with a mighty
cheer. Only a few of the enemy stood their ground, and fell, the rest
fled. All day firing was kept up, until at last the enemy occupying
the highest ridges were, in spite of a sturdy resistance, driven off,
fairly beaten on their own ground and in their own style of warfare.
Our troops fought with extraordinary bravery. They were animated by
a desire to wipe out the disgrace that had fallen on our arms, and
were maddened by the sight of the numerous skeletons of their comrades
in the Jugduluk. Akbar Khan saw that all was up, and fled, while the
tribesmen scattered to their homes, and the army marched forward
without opposition to Cabul.
In the meantime, Nott had been busy. On the 29th of May he inflicted a
decisive defeat upon the Dooranees outside the walls of Candahar. On
the 7th of August the army evacuated that city, and on the 27th arrived
at Mookoor. Up to this point no opposition whatever had been offered.
The inhabitants had been friendly, and supplies were obtained without
difficulty. But the Afghan governor of Ghuznee had raised all the
country, and had taken up a very strong position near the source of the
Turnuck.
On the 28th the forces met. The position of the enemy was unknown,
as a thick mist covered the country. The cavalry rode forward to
reconnoitre, cut up a party of Afghan infantry in the plain, and
pursuing them hotly came upon hills crowded by the enemy, who opened
a heavy fire. They fell back in an orderly manner, when a body of the
enemy's horse appeared on the hill above them. A squadron of native
cavalry charged them, but were cut up by the fire of a body of Afghan
foot who had hitherto been hidden. The enemy's horse poured down, and
the troopers, already suffering from the infantry fire, turned and
fled. The panic spread, and the whole of the cavalry were soon in
flight. Two British officers had been killed and three wounded, and
fifty-six men disabled. Nott, on hearing the loss, marched out with his
infantry, but on reaching the scene of the fight found that the enemy
had retired.
On the afternoon of the next day Nott, marching forward, came upon
a fort held by the enemy. Our artillery opened upon it with little
effect. The Afghan army, some ten thousand strong, had been watching
us, and now opened an artillery fire from the heights, and its foot men
moved forward to the attack; but as they neared us our infantry charged
with a cheer and they broke and fled. Two of their guns, and their
tents, magazines, and stores were captured. On the 5th of September
Nott encamped before Ghuznee, and began to prepare for the assault. The
enemy, however, were in no humour for fighting; the greater portion
of the tribesmen had scattered to their homes after their defeat.
The garrison lost heart altogether and evacuated the city, and the
governor set off with a few followers for Cabul. The next morning the
British entered the town without firing a shot. On the following day,
however, the governor returned with a large number of the tribesmen
who had just arrived, and on the 14th Nott attacked them. A hard
battle was fought, but it was indecisive. On the following morning the
enemy disappeared; they had received the news of the defeat of Akbar
at Tezeen. The column, however, was again harassed when the troops
advanced, but they cleared the way in good style. The tribesmen here
had been actively engaged in the Cabul insurrection, and twenty-six of
their forts were burned as punishment. On the 17th the army encamped
four miles from the city, and learned that Pollock had occupied Cabul
two days previously.
Angus Campbell had taken no part in the operations of that advance.
On the 26th of August news had arrived at Gundamuck by a messenger
from the moonshee, Mohun Lal, who had throughout kept the force at
Jellalabad well supplied with news of what was passing at Cabul; he
now sent to say that on the previous day Akbar had despatched all
the captives under an escort of three hundred horse to Bamian, and
that they were to be taken on to Khooloom, and there handed over to
the governor. Once there, it was certain that they would remain in
captivity among the tribes until death released them. As soon as he
heard the news Angus went to Macgregor.
"I am going to ask," he said, "if you will allow me to go on an
expedition on my own account. I was thinking that it was just possible
that the captives might be overtaken. It is probable that they will
halt some time at Bamian, and certainly we could come up to them there.
With so many women and children it will be impossible for the convoy
to move fast, and they may stay at Bamian until the result of our
operations here are known. You have already promised me that the part
taken by Sadut Khan shall be forgiven, seeing that he did his best to
persuade Akbar to give protection to the retreating army, and also
because he showed great kindness to me when I was in his hands. If you
can obtain permission from the general I will start at once in disguise
for his fort in the mountain. I cannot but think that he will aid me,
and I might, with four of his followers, who have come from Bamian,
and are personally well known to me, succeed in some way in rescuing
at least a few of the captives. Eldred Pottinger, Captain Boyd, and
Captain Johnson are all dear friends of mine, and I would willingly run
any risk in the endeavour to save them. Possibly, if we overtake the
party, we may in some way cause a delay which would enable any rescue
party sent off when you reach Cabul to get up in time."
"It is a brave offer, Campbell, but the enterprise seems to me an
almost desperate one. However, I don't think that I should be justified
in refusing it, and I am sure that if anyone could succeed, you will do
so. When will you start?"
"In ten minutes, sir, if you will furnish me with an authority to offer
a bribe to the officer in command of their escort."
"I will go and see the general at once. He is well aware, from the
report that I have made, of the kindness Sadut showed you, and of his
efforts to save our army. I have no doubt that the chief has fought
against us in the last battle, but that was only natural. I feel sure
that above all things Pollock would embrace any offer that promises
the slightest chance of rescuing the hostages, but the risk would be
terrible, Campbell."
"Of course there would be risk," Angus agreed, "but I do not see how
it would be exceptionally great. I have journeyed as an Afghan two or
three times already without detection, and I could just as well do so
again. At any rate, I am willing to undertake the enterprise. It would,
of course, be useful for me to take a considerable sum of money to win
over the guard; still more useful if the general would authorize me
to offer terms that would tempt the cupidity of the commander, as we
have always found that the Afghans are ready to do almost anything for
bribes."
"I will take you at once with me to the general. He is well acquainted
with the services you rendered Pottinger at Herat, and have rendered
the army ever since it began its march from the Indus, and he knows the
favourable report that has been sent in by Pottinger and Burnes."
Angus had, indeed, been introduced by Sir Robert Sale to General
Pollock on his arrival at Cabul. On reaching his tent they found him
for the moment unoccupied. He listened gravely to Macgregor's statement
of the offer that Angus had made.
"It is a noble proposal, Mr. Campbell," he said, in his usual kindly
and courteous way, "but the risk seems to me terrible, and should
anything happen to you, the service would be deprived of one of its
most promising and meritorious officers. At the same time, there seems
a fair possibility that you may succeed in rescuing one or more of the
captives. Of course it would be quite out of the question that any
of the ladies could escape. There would be a hot pursuit, and only
horsemen well mounted could hope to get off. However, I do not feel
justified in refusing any offer that affords a shadow of hope of saving
such men as Pottinger, and will do all that Mr. Macgregor suggests to
facilitate your operations. You will doubtless pass through Cabul, and
I will at once write a letter to Mohun Lal, requesting him to give you
authority, in his name as well as mine, for payment to the leader of
the prisoners' escort of any sum in reason. At present native opinion
is strong that we shall not be able to force the passes, and the name
of the moonshee may have greater effect than any promise on my part;
but at the same time, until you can get into communication with the
captives and learn something of the officer and his disposition,
it would be madness to attempt to bribe him. The difficulties of
the journey appear to me to be great, but not insuperable. The real
difficulty will only begin when you overtake the captives' escort."
"I feel that, sir, but I rely greatly upon the men I hope to obtain
from Sadut. Although not of his tribe, they have attached themselves
most strongly to him. They are strong, resolute men, and as one of them
was a petty chief near Bamian, he may be able to gather a few others
to aid me. I shall, of course, be very glad to have authority to offer
a bribe to the officer in command of the party, but I rely chiefly
upon these men and my own efforts, at any rate as far as Pottinger
is concerned. Captains Boyd and Johnson can hardly leave their
families. Possibly, by the aid of these men, I may be able to collect
a sufficient number of fighting men to make a sudden attack upon the
escort, and to carry off all the captives to some hiding-place among
the hills, and there keep them until you send on a force to bring them
in. Of course I must be entirely guided by circumstances, but it is
impossible for me to have any fixed plan until I see how matters stand."
"I can quite see that, Mr. Campbell, and that, greatly as you may
desire to rescue the whole party, it is Eldred Pottinger who is the
first object of your expedition."
"That is so, colonel. He was most kind to me in Herat, and it is to
him I owe my present position; therefore he is my first object. If
I can free him it will be a great step gained towards rescuing the
others. I feel sure that he would not think for a moment of leaving
his companions to their fate. But his name as the defender of Herat is
known to every Afghan, and he would be able to bring a great influence
to bear upon the tribesmen round Bamian, whose interests must lie quite
as much with Herat as with Cabul."
The general nodded approvingly.
"I see that you have thought matters over well. If you will call here
again in half an hour the letter for the moonshee shall be ready for
you, and a thousand pounds in gold."
At the appointed time Angus called upon the general, and received the
money and letter; then returning to his own tent, he rode out with
Azim. When fairly away from the camp they dismounted and put on their
Afghan disguises. They had brought an orderly with them, who took back
the clothes they had discarded and Angus's sword to Macgregor's tent,
he having undertaken to have them brought up to Cabul with his own
baggage. They had no difficulty as to the way, as the path they had
followed with Sadut had come down close to Gundamuck. They had little
fear of being interfered with on the road. The Afghans would have
gathered in the passes, and should they meet any they would only have
to say that their village near Gundamuck had been burnt by the British,
and they were now on their way to join Sadut and fight under his orders.
Although they saw several parties in the distance making their way
towards the pass, they did not encounter any within speaking distance,
and just at sunset reached Sadut's fort.
They had passed through the village unnoticed. Tribesmen were
frequently coming and going, and there was nothing to distinguish
them from others. They dismounted in front of the fort. A man was
sitting at the top of a ladder, and Angus held up his hand to him, and
Hassan--for it was the man who had twice captured him--at once waved
his hand in welcome, and stood up.
"You have come willingly this time," he said with a smile, as Angus
reached him. "Of course you wish to see Sadut Khan. He is within. It is
lucky that you have arrived to-day, for to-morrow he sets out."
Sadut greeted him with pleasure mingled with surprise.
"I did not expect to see you here, my friend."
"No, I suppose not, chief; but I am on a mission with which I am sure
you will sympathize, and in which I hope you will aid me, so far as to
spare me Hassan and his four men."
"What is its nature?" the chief asked. "I know that you would not come
and offer me English money to abstain from fighting again."
"I should not think of such a thing, Sadut. I know that you are a fair
and open enemy, and I think the better of you for fighting for your
country. I may say that General Pollock has been informed of your
kindness to me, and that you did your utmost to make Akbar keep his
word to grant protection to the retiring army, and I can assure you
that, in any event, no harm will happen to you or yours. I will tell
you what I have come for. Do you know that all the hostages, ladies
and children, have been sent away by Akbar from Cabul, that they are
to be taken over the Bamian Pass to Khooloom, and handed over to the
governor there, and that, doubtless, they will be sold as slaves to the
Turkomans?"
"I had not heard it," Sadut said angrily. "It is a disgrace to us. They
were delivered up trusting to our word and honour, and it is a foul
deed of Akbar to harm them in any way after taking his oath for their
protection. It is infamous! infamous!" and he walked up and down the
room in fierce indignation. "What should we say," he burst out, "if
the families of Dost Mahomed and Akbar himself were to be sold by your
people as slaves to some barbarous race? Could we complain if, when the
news of this treatment of the hostages becomes known in India, Dost
Mahomed's family should be treated in a similar way?" Then he stopped
abruptly. "What is it that you have come to ask of me? The thing is
done, and cannot be undone. Akbar and I are ill friends now, for I have
bearded him in the council and denounced his conduct. Certainly I have
no influence that could assist you. I am an Afghan, and am pledged
to join the force that will oppose the march of your troops up the
passes, and I am a man of my word. But even were I free to help you,
I could be of little assistance. I have here not more than thirty or
forty fighting men, and I doubt if even these would obey me on such an
enterprise. I might ride to my own fort and summon the Momunds, whom I
have so far kept quiet; but the enterprise would be a desperate one,
we should set all the other tribes against us, and they would not risk
destruction merely for the sake of rescuing a few white men and women.
Their sympathies are all with the tribes round Cabul, and they share in
their hatred of the infidel invaders. It would be as much as I could do
to keep them quiet, and certainly I should fail if I called upon them
to embark on such an enterprise."
"I have no intention of asking it of you, chief. I am going myself to
see what can be done to save my friends, and have come to ask you to
allow Hassan and his men to go with me. They are from Bamian, and at
Bamian it is likely that the captives will be kept for some time. I
should, of course, pay them well for their aid."
"You can take them," the chief said at once. "They are good men and
faithful to me, and I rely upon them as I could not do on any of my
own tribesmen. I will call them in at once."
Hassan and his four men entered the room a minute later.
"Hassan," Sadut said, "you and your men have proved yourselves true
and faithful followers from the day when you left your homes to carry
me over the passes, although you all thought that there was no hope
of our getting through. You have fought by my side in Kohistan; you
twice at my orders carried off my friend here. He appreciates the
service you did him, and is in sore need of five men upon whom he can
rely to the utmost. He has come to ask me to let you go with him. A
sore disgrace has fallen upon our nation. Akbar Khan has sent the men
who placed themselves in his hands as hostages, and the women whom he
swore to protect, over the Hindoo Koosh to be sold as slaves to the
Usbegs. My word has been given to fight against the army of Gundamuck
if it attempts to ascend the passes, and I at least will keep faith.
This British officer is going to attempt to free some of the captives.
How he will do so I know not, but my best wishes will go with him. He
thinks it likely that the escort of the prisoners will halt for some
little time at Bamian, and you more than any others might therefore be
able to help. I do not order you to go, but I ask you to do so. It is a
good work, and concerns the honour of every Afghan."
"And moreover," Angus said, "I will pay a thousand rupees to you, and
five hundred to each of your followers. I will hand them over to you at
once, and if we are successful I will pay you as much more."
The sum was a huge one in their eyes. It would suffice to settle them
in comfort for the rest of their lives. Hassan looked at his men,
and saw by the expression of their faces that they were more than
willing to accept the offer. He held out his hand to Angus, "We are
your servants," he said, "and will serve you truly, and if needs be,
lay down our lives for you, not only for the sake of the money you
offer us, but because Sadut Khan has told us that for the honour of
the nation these people ought to be released. We have been comrades in
danger before, and were nigh dead when you rescued us when buried in
the snow. I see not how this enterprise can be carried out; but we will
do what you tell us, and men cannot do more. When do we start?"
"Every hour is of consequence," Angus replied. "Can you find your way
across the mountains in the dark? if so, we will start at once."
"I certainly can find the way."
"You must all have a meal first," Sadut said. "Besides, you will need
horses. They shall be brought in and got ready for you in an hour.
See that the English officer's horses have a good feed, and that his
servant eats with you. The food will be ready in half an hour."
No time was lost, and in an hour and a half after the arrival of Angus
at the fort the party set out. Fortunately the moon was nearly full,
and Hassan had so frequently gone down to Cabul from the fort that he
had no difficulty whatever in following the track. This in many places
was so steep that all had to dismount and lead their horses down.
However, they reached Cabul an hour before sunrise, and all lay down in
an empty hut for three or four hours' sleep.
Then Angus, with Hassan and three of his men, entered the town, leaving
Azim and the other man to look after the horses. As there were numbers
of tribesmen in the streets, they attracted no attention whatever.
Proceeding to the house of the moonshee, Angus enquired if Mohun Lal
was in.
"He is busy. He does not grant audiences till ten o'clock."
Angus moved away and returned at half-past nine. Already five or six
persons were waiting to see the moonshee, and by ten the number had
considerably increased. It was eleven before Angus's turn arrived. The
moonshee was alone. Angus took out his letter and handed it to him.
He knew Mohun Lal well, having often taken communications to him from
Burnes.
The Afghan read the letter, and looked up in surprise.
"You are well disguised indeed, sahib," he said, rising, "for, often
as I have seen you before, I did not recognize you in the slightest,
but thought it was, as usual, an Afghan peasant with complaints to make
against plunderers. So you have undertaken the dangerous mission of
endeavouring to rescue some of the prisoners. Truly you English have
courage thus to thrust yourself into the midst of enemies, and on such
a mission. However, I will do what I can to help you. I do not say
that it is altogether hopeless, for I know my man; the commander of
the escort is Saleh Mahomed. He is an adventurer, and has served under
many masters. He was at one time a subaltern in one of your native
regiments, but deserted with his men to Dost Mahomed just before the
fight at Bamian. Such a man might be bought over, but not cheaply."
"General Pollock said he left the sum to be offered to him entirely to
you."
Mohun Lal thought for some time, and then said:
"I should say that a pension of a thousand rupees a month, and a
present of thirty thousand would tempt him as much as a larger sum.
It would, I think, be best for you to disguise yourself now as a
Cashmerian. You know Syud Moorteza?"
"I know him well," Angus said; "he helped Captain Johnson to collect
grain from the villages."
"It would be as well for you to use his name. As an Afghan, Saleh
might doubt you. Altogether, it would be more likely that a man who
may be considered a neutral should be employed on such a mission, and
the offer to sell goods would make an opening. Of course you could
take the dress you now wear with you in case of necessity. It would
be too dangerous for me to give you a letter, for if Saleh, when you
opened the subject to him, at once ordered you to be arrested, it would
certainly be found on you, and would cost me my life. You will require
to take a small escort with you, or you might be robbed at the first
place you come to."
"I have five men with me," Angus replied. "They come from Bamian; one
of them is a petty chief there, and might, if I find that Saleh cannot
be approached, persuade or bribe some of the people there to aid."
"I fear you would not succeed in that way. Saleh had, I believe, two
hundred and fifty men with him. I suppose you will start at once?"
"Our horses are outside the town, and we shall mount as soon as I
return to them."
"I wish you good fortune. There are many Afghans who feel deeply
the disgrace Akbar has brought upon himself, and upon all of us, by
breaking his plighted word."
Taking leave of the moonshee, Angus joined his companions, and after
having bought in the bazaar a costume suitable for a trader from
Cashmere, and two bales of goods from that country, left the city.