THE ARMY AT CAUBUL BROKEN UP--MARCH OF SIR JOHN KEANE'S ESCORT BY
JELLALABAD, AND THROUGH THE KHYBER-PASS, TO PESHAWUR.
The army of the Indus having effected the object for which they had
been assembled, it was resolved to leave Shah Soojah to the charge
of his loving subjects, supported by the contingent, and a small
portion only of the force. The country being ill-adapted for cavalry,
the news that the brigade, excepting one native regiment, were to be
withdrawn, was received by the greater part with decided satisfaction;
for many began to pine with regret at the protracted absence from their
amiable halves; others were anxious to bind themselves in rosy (or
thorny?) fetters; and, last and least, a few, after a long and painful
estrangement, sighed deeply to participate once more in the pleasures
of that deity, whose benign influence has been said to surpass "all
that life can supply"--riches, love, ambition, friendship--
"For what tongue will avow
That friends, rosy wine, are so faithful as thou?"
So wrote the virtuous and inconsistent Byron; and I have no doubt that
a few habitual drunkards may concur in such an opinion.
The sole recommendation to Caubul was the temperate climate, which
served to invigorate many who had severely felt the fatigues and
exposure of this campaign, or who still suffered from the effects of
their Indian enemy. To those who took pleasure in an active life and
field-sports, our present quarters were irksome. The country possessed
no attractions for the sportsman; and even in the pursuit of small game
at any distance from camp, it was necessary to go prepared for more
serious encounters; inasmuch as any straggler from the party stood an
uncommonly good chance of being bagged by some Afghan huntsmen, whose
sporting propensities led them to pursue white game with quite as much
zest as ever, though, from the royal proclamation, it might be inferred
that the season had closed.
Not satisfied with simply destroying their prey, these wild beasts
mutilated the dead bodies, and arranged them in fanciful attitudes.
Occasionally, a leg would be cut off, and placed under the head, for
a pillow; the head itself would sometimes be found supported by the
hands, in lieu of the neck; and I have seen things in a man's mouth
which were never intended by nature to occupy such a situation.
To the antiquarian, Afghanistan presented some interest and employment
in the collection of coins and antiques: many of the former were bought
from the Afghans, bearing the names of the ancient Bactrian dynasty,
and successors of Alexander the Great. The Afghans had, however,
imbibed so great a taste for these antiquities, when they discovered
the value we set upon them, that the manufacture and sale of the most
ancient Bactrian coins is becoming a trade of some profit. Even at this
day, both the Sikhs and Afghans converse with great interest on the
feeble tradition they possess of events which occurred in the days of
Shah Sikunder (Alexander the Great) and his generals, who subsequently
governed this country. Alexander's Eastern expedition, the countries
which he traversed, the localities of his engagements, and the modern
names of the nations with whom he fought, have been much veiled in
obscurity, owing to the very slender knowledge possessed by Europeans
of the countries lying between Persia and Chinese Tartary.
The numerous ancient coins and reliques, monuments of Grecian design,
the tradition of the natives, and the names borne by many ancient
cities of Afghanistan and the Punjaub, (some of which, at the present
day, assimilate much to those recorded by historians,) being matters
of recent discovery, will tend to assist the classic labourer in such
an investigation with materials which have hitherto been wanting or
imperfect. As several officers who were with the army have succeeded in
making extensive collections of ancient coins, I trust that, ere long,
these may tend to throw some light on the interesting subject. The
evidence of Alexander's advance into Hindostan, south of the Sutlej,
is very vague, especially as the princes of India made no attempt to
oppose his approach towards their frontier, as the more warlike nations
of Afghanistan and the Punjaub undoubtedly did; and Porus, with his
herds of elephants, marks pretty accurately the neighbourhood of the
Hydaspes in the modern Jelum, because the country north of Peshawur
is unfitted to nurture elephants. South of the Jelum or Hydaspes,
I conceive the difficulty of tracing his route to be much greater,
for the rivers are so numerous in the rainy season, and have changed
their courses so materially, that the modern streams must differ
considerably, both in number and position, from the ancient.
The accounts from the north of the Hindoo Koosh, about the beginning of
October, showed the probability of a storm arising, ere long, in that
quarter, directed by the hand of Dost Mahomed; and, in consequence, Sir
John Keane ordered the whole of the Bengal infantry division to stand
fast, for the present, in Afghanistan, for the security of Shah Soojah,
who daily prophesied that our departure would be his death warrant.
The commander-in-chief himself, having resolved on returning to
England, now signified in general orders, that on his departure the
supreme command would devolve on Sir Willoughby Cotton.
The cavalry-brigade, (except the 2nd Native Cavalry, which was left
in Afghanistan,) with a detachment of the European Regiment, and a
few Sappers, formed the whole of the returning party escorting his
excellency.
I little thought, at the time of quitting Bengal, that any fit of
desperation could ever induce me to look forward with anything like
pleasure to a residence in Hindostan; yet an experience of a few
months' sojourn in the inhospitable and dreary wastes of Afghanistan
proved that there were worse places on the face of this chequered globe
than India.
Our retrospect, since leaving Merut, was not a very attractive one.
Nearly a year had now been spent under canvas, or, more frequently,
under the canopy of heaven, with a fierce sun scorching us unmercifully
by day, and occasionally a damp chill to vary it by night. During the
year, we had risen nearly every day about two or three hours before
daybreak, and undergone the monotonous and wearisome marches, which
resembled at last, in many respects, the morning's employment of a
malefactor at the treadmill; and, to crown all, we had arrived at
last in a country of rocks, savages, and starvation, where our chief
occupation consisted in hunting continually for an enemy, who took care
to deny us the excitement anticipated in the discovery. Such having
been, with trifling exceptions, the result of our campaign, every
source of employment, beyond that above mentioned, was confined to
the narrow limits of a little canvas world, peopled almost entirely
by the grosser sex of black and white; for the small portion of the
opposite sex and former colour who sojourned amongst us, were scarcely
attractive enough to remind one of the generic distinction which
existed. To these hardships, and others in addition, we would more
cheerfully have submitted, had an enemy kept us on the alert, and
played, on an extensive board, the rough game of war; but the only
enemies we had met were scarcely deserving such a name--ensconcing
themselves behind mud walls, or perched on inaccessible heights--and as
there appeared now little chance of tilting with the Afghan clans in
the open field, it was with feelings of pleasure we looked forward to
an emancipation from the barren mountains of Afghanistan.
The Punjaub was, at this period, in so distracted a state, that the
government of the country betrayed a marked anxiety that we should not
become witnesses of their anarchy and disunion. Even in the days of
Runjeet Singh, the Sikhs beheld with feelings of uneasiness the advance
and establishment of the British outposts on the Sutlej; and the
passage of troops through their country caused even greater jealousy
and alarm, for they considered, not perhaps without some foundation,
from a few precedents in the East, that when the English had once got a
footing, they might take a fancy to remain there.
In the present crisis of affairs, it was apprehended that these Sikh
scruples would act as a temporary obstacle to our departure; but,
fortunately for us, the court of Lahore yielded a reluctant assent to
our passing through their country, and on the morning of the 15th of
Oct. we quitted Caubul.
The breaking up of a long-standing camp is a scene of no trifling
bustle and confusion. The previous day is usually one of considerable
trouble to those who have suffered their marching-establishment to get
out of order; and when it is requisite to replace a camel or a bullock,
the new comer, even if found, (and that is generally at a ruinous
price,) not unfrequently evinces the most marked repugnance to tents
or bullock-trunks. Yet, however great the difficulty, the peremptory
necessity of the habitation being moved before next morning, causes all
to be prepared at sunset, either by a reduction of baggage, or increase
of cattle, save the more provident campaigners, who rectify such
deficiencies without delay. The earliest practicable hours are kept by
all off duty, and two hours after sunset the camp (if well regulated)
is quiet enough, unless a horse breaks loose and sets the whole brigade
in a state of ferment; for all seem to take a deep interest in the
progress of any mad animal who tears through the camp, with ropes and
pegs flying in wild confusion about his heels. As night advances,
even these stray madcaps betake themselves to rest, and the quiet is
only disturbed by the hourly tramp of patrols, or the challenge of a
sentry. This gloom and stillness are suddenly dissipated by the shrill
startling blast of the trumpet, wakening all around to consciousness
and activity. The loud and continued neigh from the pickets, and the
angry remonstrances of the camels, amidst the extensive buzz of human
voices and barking of dogs, tell that man and brute are both aware of
the time having come for their allotted duties. Sticks and dry grass
raked into pyramids are sending forth volumes of smoke in one place,
and in another are rising into high crackling fires, round which may
be seen groups of dusky figures squatted together, inhaling their
morning hookahs, or spreading their long bony hands to the flames, and
listlessly regarding their more assiduous brethren occupied in striking
the tents, or fitting loads on the backs of the beasts of burden. But
think not, my lazy fire-worshipper, this indolence is unobserved; the
eye of the occupant of yonder tent is upon you: he advances softly
towards the fire, his arm is raised, and the descending lâttie causes a
momentary scene of flight and confusion which is immediately succeeded
by a zealous attention to duty, proving the salutary force of the
"Argumentum ad baculum." Although this is not an orthodox, logical, or
even legal argument, it is, nevertheless, frequently used in India,
and is generally conclusive. Next morning, the voice, unaccompanied by
manual exercise, will produce the desired effect.
The loads being packed, and all the tents, save three or four lazy
stragglers, having disappeared, the second trumpet sends its shrill
echoes through the lines, and gives warning that the treadmill will
soon be at work. Beware of that camel's mouth gaping close to your hand
in the dark, or he will spoil it for holding a rein or a sabre; and
beware the treacherous tent-peg, which lurks in savage gloom for the
shins of the unwary. "It is no use cursing the peg. Why did you not get
out of its way when you found it was not inclined to get out of yours?"
cries a facetious neighbour, as you stoop to rub the lacerated shin,
and narrowly escape being trampled by an elephant, who is hustling off
with a few hundred weight of canvas and tent-poles hanging about him.
The third trumpet and a cup of _boiling_ coffee generally accompany
each other, if your khansanah belong to the right Dean Swift's breed;
and it is no punishment to insist on his drinking it himself--the man
would swallow a cup of cayenne and fire, without winking.
The troops are formed in dusky masses on their alarm-posts; the
commanding-officer rides along the line; the word of command is given,
and passed down the squadrons; the welcome note for the march is heard,
and the tramping of the steeds raises an impenetrable cloud of dust
around the column, as we cheerfully turn our backs on Caubul, most
probably for ever; the band prophetically striking up, "Ha til mi
tulidh," or something which I mistook for it.
Sir John Keane marched with the head column, consisting of the 16th
Lancers, one troop of Horse Artillery, and four companies of Native
Infantry. General Thackwell followed, the next day, with the 3rd Native
Cavalry, detachments of Infantry, and the state prisoners, Hyder Khan,
late governor of Ghuzni, and Hadji Khan Kaukur. The former was destined
for Bombay, the latter, for Bengal, where it was intended to place him
in close confinement at Chunar, on the Ganges; but this was afterwards
commuted for a more salutary and agreeable durance at Landour, where
Hadji Khan had little cause to complain of the severity of his captors.
The 2nd Bengal Cavalry, which were left at Caubul, soon afterwards had
an opportunity of distinguishing themselves at Purwan Durrah, in an
encounter with Dost Mahomed. The Ameer having been nearly surrounded
by his enemies, and entertaining a low opinion of the courage of the
Native Cavalry, resolved to dash through the circle at the post held
by the above-named corps, and accompanied by a determined body of his
adherents, he charged two squadrons of the 2nd Cavalry.
The officers of the regiment having tried unsuccessfully to induce
their men to follow, formed a line, and gallantly charged the Afghan
force. Three of the regiment were killed, and most of the remainder
severely wounded; but such was the moral effect of this behaviour,
that Dost Mahomed exclaimed, "that war against such a nation must be
hopeless."
The dastardly black fugitives who had been spectators, during their
flight, of the self-devotion and butchery of their officers, spread
themselves in the wildest disorder and affright, but the avenging
cimeters of the Afghans soon flashed amongst them, and dealt a partial
retribution for their detestable cowardice.
The number of this regiment was afterwards erased from the list of the
Company's troops, and the corps was disbanded at Kurnaul, with the
exception of one squadron, which, not having been present at Purwan
Durrah, was distributed throughout the remaining regiments of Native
Cavalry. The officers were provided with various situations in the
Company's service, and subsequently incorporated in a new cavalry
regiment, (the 11th.)
Some attempts to palliate the conduct of the 2nd Cavalry, on this
occasion, have been attempted; and I have heard it adduced in
extenuation, that the men (save the mark!) had no confidence in their
arms and equipments or their _horses' bits_--that they reverenced Dost
Mahomed and the Afghans as the heads of their religion[48]--and that
British cavalry have also been known to be backward.
Regarding the first of these assertions, we need but ask--Is not the
Native Cavalry soldier as carefully instructed in the use of his weapon
as the English Dragoon? If he be, there is no reason for his running
away. If he be not, I cannot admit that a brave man is likely to run
away with a piece of English steel in his hands, because he thinks he
is not sufficiently instructed in the use of the sabre, or because he
prefers Hindustanee manufacture.
In answer to the second apology, it is only requisite to state, that if
they did respect the Afghans as brother Mussulmans, experience should
long before have taught them that the feeling was by no means mutual.
The irregular horse were affected with no such compunctions, but
evinced a laudable desire to destroy their enemies, when called upon to
do so, on several occasions, in Afghanistan.
To the third charge, I must plead guilty of ignorance; for I cannot
remember having heard or read of any British cavalry regiment
absconding in the face of an enemy, and leaving their officers to
charge, unaided by a single trooper of the corps.[49]
On quitting our camp at Caubul, we marched over a rough and stony
road for about ten miles, and encamped on some high grounds. In the
afternoon, we experienced a smart shock of an earthquake here, which
appeared to come rumbling towards us from the mountains of the Hindoo
Koosh, and upset nearly everything in our tents. From the elevated
ground on which we were encamped, we had a farewell view of Caubul and
the noble chain of the Indian Caucasus, still clad in bright snowy
garments.
The next morning, we entered a steep, rocky[50] pass, between two
ranges of mountains, where the cold before sunrise was intense, and
the aspect certainly the most dreary we had hitherto experienced. We
emerged, half frozen, from this stony sepulchre, and gladly thawed
ourselves in the sun, which shone dimly on the platform of rock where
our camp was pitched.
Each day, as we advanced, the roads (if they can be deemed worthy such
a title) became decidedly worse. Our third day's march lay through
another narrow defile, across which dashed several rapid mountain
torrents at intervals of about a mile from each other. The next day's
occupation was a steep, rocky ascent, and an equally sudden fall,
which caused a corresponding one with our unfortunate beasts of burden.
A succession of deep, stony ravines, and occasionally sharp-pointed
rocks, presented the next variety.
On the 7th of March, we wound up a long gradual ascent of some twelve
or fourteen miles, and on descending from this elevation two guns were
discovered not far off the road, embedded in the sand. These had been
abandoned here by Dost Mahomed's son, (Mahomed Akbar,) when retreating
from the gorge of the Khyber to join his father previous to their
flight from Urghundee.
On the eighth march from Caubul, we descended into the celebrated
valley of Neemla, where Shah Soojah had been finally defeated in 1809,
and expelled from his kingdom. It is a small, well-cultivated valley,
surrounded by barren, craggy mountains, (as is the case, indeed,
with almost every valley in the country.) If the numbers present at
this battle are correctly stated, it must have been a business of
tolerably close quarters, and little scope could have been afforded
for manoeuvring: but the Afghans are not much addicted to wasting time
in military operations. A favourite mode of attack is the chupao, or
surprise by night, (which was practised at Neemla,) and if the enemy
be found prepared, or the first charge prove unsuccessful, they prefer
reserving their energies for a more favourable opportunity, to pressing
the matter any further under such critical circumstances as a spirited
resistance might entail. The party making the night attack certainly
act under the more favourable circumstances of the two, as in case of
failure a retreat is open under cover of the darkness, and unmolested;
whereas, the party attacked once getting into disorder, can scarcely
hope to rally under such disadvantageous circumstances. Thus it was
at the battle, or, rather, the route of Neemla, where Shah Soojah was
encamped, with a force exceeding fifteen thousand men, whilst his
adversary, with barely two thousand fighting men, coming down suddenly
during the night, took the Shah so completely by surprise, that he
forthwith devoted all his attention to preserve his own royal person,
leaving his army to do all the fighting part without any general. Of
course they soon got into hopeless confusion, and followed the example
of their prudent master before the chiefs were able to marshal their
numerous forces. Such are the chances and vicissitudes of war. Want of
timely information, a picket ill posted, or a vidette falling asleep,
may cause the loss of an army and an empire.
The tenth march from Caubul brought us to the green and lively-looking
valley which contains Jellalabad, and the march between this and
Caubul, which we had now happily overcome, was unanimously allowed
to be the worst we had experienced. Our camels had certainly great
cause to complain, and they neglected not to do so; but man and beast
endured much on this march--the former a pecuniary, the latter a bodily
suffering--let naturalists decide which endured the heavier affliction.
Jellalabad[51] is an insignificant place of itself, though situated in
a fertile valley, through which rolls the clear Caubul river, washing
the foundations of the city walls, and they certainly required no
impotent scavenger. It has been selected as a residence by the kings
of Caubul for the winter season, owing to the mildness of the climate,
from its depressed situation, (about two thousand feet above the sea;)
and this recommendation induced the commander-in-chief to select it
as winter quarters for the greater portion of the army remaining in
Caubul during the ensuing cold season.
According to the prevalent opinion, Jellalabad lays claim to
considerable antiquity, as it has been supposed to represent the
site of ancient Nysa. Numerous copper coins, as well as some curious
antiques, have been from time to time collected in the vicinity of this
place by the natives. Unfortunately, nearly all the gold and silver
coins and reliques have been melted down, as the natives themselves
admitted, and converted into bangles, nose-and-ear rings, or other
ornaments, for the dusky beauties of Jellalabad. Several copper
coins, bearing the name of Hermæus, king of Nysa, distinctly legible,
were bought amongst the country people. The inscription was in Greek
letters, and as follows:
ΒΑΣΙΑΕΟΣ ἙΡΜΑΙΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ.
Those of the Bactrian monarchs found in different parts of the country
are also in Greek; and the figures and hieroglyphics on the coins
have been converted, by erudite conjectures, into an endless variety
of meanings. Heaven, earth, and sea have been ransacked to discover
the symbolical allusions on a piece of grangrened copper; and the
half-effaced toes of a Bactrian savage were successively mistaken
for the signs of the Zodiac, the trident of Neptune, and a Barbarian
coronet.[52] By dint of much cleansing, the toes became apparent, then
appeared the legs; and over them, the body and intellectual countenance
of the tiresome Hermæus shone conspicuous, with a well-flattened nose,
and a pair of monstrous eyes, one of which seemed to leer with a
knowing expression of cunning on his indefatigable polishers.
Near Jellalabad, we found encamped some of Runjeet's Mussulman troops,
which had accompanied Colonel Wade through the Khyber Pass, about three
months previously, when that distinguished officer advanced upon Ali
Musjid, and opened his batteries on that remarkable fortress. The siege
was conducted with such vigour, and so severe was the effect of the
cannonade, that the loss on the part of the besieged must have been
very serious, although the exact number of the sufferers could not be
ascertained. Colonel Wade's losses, in killed and wounded, during the
investment, amounted to something less than two hundred, which was
about the strength of half the garrison.
In the course of the first night after the investment of Ali Musjid,
intelligence reached the garrison of the fall of Ghuzni, and of
the return of Mahomed Akbar with his forces from the mouth of the
Khyber towards Caubul. This news, it is supposed, coupled with the
_incalculable_ losses of the previous day, induced the Khyberees to
evacuate Ali Musjid during the night. Next day, the fortress was
joyfully taken possession of by Col. Wade; and that celebrated despatch
was penned which informed Lord Auckland and the people of India that,
in consequence of "The capture of Ali Musjid, and the successful
advance of the British forces into Afghanistan, there remained no doubt
of the speedy dethronement of Dost Mahomed, and the favourable issue of
the Afghan campaign."
Having quitted Jellalabad, we proceeded along the banks of the Caubul
river, which is here skirted for some distance by a stony plain,
over which the deadly simoom is said to be an occasional traveller
during the hot season. Five marches from Jellalabad brought us to the
gorge of the formidable Khyber Pass, the position occupied by Mahomed
Akbar at the opening of the campaign. The mountains through which
this defile runs are inhabited by the Khyberees, a tribe who have
from time immemorial exacted tribute of all passengers through their
gloomy mountains, and Dost Mahomed himself considered it politic to
pay them annually a large sum to keep open the pass for traffic, as
well as to secure so formidable a barrier against any sudden freak of
his hereditary enemies in the Punjaub. These troublesome mountaineers
also succeeded in exacting contributions from the inhabitants of the
Peshawur district, in payment for a stream of water which issued from
the Khyber mountains, and supplied the frontier position of the Sikhs
at Futtehghur.
Colonel Wade, in his passage through this defile, endeavoured to treat
with the chiefs of the Khyberees; and even bribed some of them, by a
considerable bonus, to ensure a free passage; but, subsequently, so
many presented themselves to demand bribes, that the negotiation bade
fair to become expensive, and it was evident that this hydra was more
amenable to steel than gold.
Many of the chiefs had expected payment, for the use of their
productive mountains, on the return of the army through the Khyber
pass, but part of Colonel Wade's force had returned, and no bribes for
the chieftains had accompanied them. The Khyberees, therefore, were
much exasperated at the prospect of a failure of revenue; and, fearing
that if once the precedent of passing freely through their mountains
were established by the British, their black mail might henceforth be
reduced to a cipher, they vowed vengeance on the first intruders, and
had now an opportunity of trying the experiment.
The entrance of the Khyber much resembles that of the Bolan pass,
except that the footing was the same as on a beach of shingles in the
former, and in the latter a platform of rock. On our flanks rose abrupt
rocks, during the first day's march, untenanted by animal or vegetable;
barrenness held undisputed rule.
On the second day, we ascended a steep mountain by a path resembling
those cut on the Missourie and Landour range, and, descending by a
similar road of about ten feet in breadth and occasionally less,
entered a valley of some extent, sprinkled with several little villages
and some melancholy grainfields. Traversing this valley, we entered a
narrow, rocky defile, and following the course of a mountain torrent by
its narrow passage through the beetling rocks, arrived, unmolested by
the Khyberees, at Ali Musjid, after a march of about fifteen miles.
This fort, which stands on a steep hill about three hundred yards
from the gorge of the stony defile above mentioned, had been occupied,
since Colonel Wade's departure, by an officer of Native Infantry with
a levy of Mooltanee recruits and a few sepoys. During the summer, the
place had been found so extremely unhealthy that a great portion of
the garrison died, and most of those who escaped were left in a very
weak state. Inside the fort itself there is no water, and this useful
article was brought by the garrison from a water-course and well,
about three hundred yards distant from the walls. As there were no
cannon in this formidable place, the possession of the water-course
became very precarious in case of the enemy attempting to cut off
the communication. The Khyberees, well aware of these disadvantages,
came down, latterly, nearly every night to attack the place; but
were gallantly repulsed by the little garrison as often as they
came, and frequently with considerable loss. Five days before our
arrival, a regiment of Sikhs, from Peshawur, amounting to nearly eight
hundred, although many were in a sickly state, had occupied a small
stockade,[53] on an eminence, about one mile distant from Ali Musjid,
for the garrison of which place they had brought supplies.
During the night, this regiment was suddenly attacked by a force of
about two thousand Khyberees. The Sikhs defended themselves within
their stockade for above an hour, when their ammunition being spent,
and the enemy still pressing hard upon them, they quitted their
entrenchments in the hopes of effecting a retreat upon Ali Musjid. No
sooner had the unhappy men evacuated their stronghold than they were
surrounded by their merciless foes, and nearly the whole regiment was
destroyed. Not twenty men, it was believed, escaped to bear these
disastrous tidings to Peshawur. The little garrison in Ali Musjid had
been effectually prevented from attempting a diversion in favour of
their unfortunate allies, by a force of Khyberees, which were stationed
so as to intercept the communication between the fort and the stockade.
Had any part of the garrison, under such circumstances, quitted Ali
Musjid, they must inevitably have been overwhelmed by the Khyberees,
and in the darkness of night would, in all probability, have shared the
fate of the Sikhs; but no doubt was entertained in Ali Musjid that the
stockade would make good its defence.
We arrived late in the afternoon, and encamped by this field of
recent slaughter, which presented a dreary spectacle; the effluvia
arising from the half buried bodies and limbs of the Sikhs was almost
poisonous, though it seemed to give no inconvenience or nausea to the
Pariah dogs and vultures who were enjoying the ample repast provided
for them by and upon the lords of the creation.
An attack on our camp being anticipated at this place, orders were
issued, prohibiting both officers and men from quitting the lines, and
a chain of sentries were posted, in the evening, on the summit of the
lower range of hills which encircled our camp.
None of my baggage having made its appearance at nightfall, I fully
made up my mind to the loss of such part of the wreck as remained,
and seated myself, for the night, on a rock, where, having loaded
my pistols in anticipation of the Khyberees' visit, I awaited that
important event.
It was a bright starlight night. All in camp were hushed in sleep, save
the guardians of the lines, who testified their vigilance by striking
the hours on a lugubrious sounding gong, or by the ringing of their
arms as the patrols or reliefs traversed the encampment.
As I sat in contemplation of the still scene around me, the solemn
thought occurred that in a very few hours, this deathlike stillness
might be locked in that sleep to be disturbed only by the sound of
the last trumpet. That band of eight hundred Sikhs, which lay here but
five nights past, slept on, in all probability, (until aroused by the
war notes of the Khyberees,) with the same careless security that my
fellow-soldiers were now enjoying, and they awoke to be slain, in one
short hour--
"A thing
O'er which the raven flaps her fun'ral wing."
It is a strange sensation that interview which we are constrained to
hold with death; yet, with all the imaginary terrors in which he is
clad, the brave man readily meets him face to face. That those only
who are, morally speaking, prepared to die, fear not death, is too
wild a theory to be maintained: for many of us have seen the hardened
malefactor advance, with unfaltering step and fearless aspect, to the
scaffold, while in the ranks of the timid have been numbered some of
the best of mankind.
And my fellow-countrymen here, who have, at least, been educated in
the constant hearing of the word of God--are they more fitted to die
than those miserable heathens were, whose carcases are now tainting
the atmosphere? Let those who are more competent to judge of such
matters decide. We, who, according to the declaration of our divines
and the boast of government, are sent out to retain possession of this
vast country, and to exhibit to the benighted natives the benefits and
example of Christianity, have performed the latter part of our ministry
in a singular manner, unless it is to be effected by daily instances
of blasphemy, drunkenness, and debauchery, that the natives of India
are enabled to witness. And yet they have been inapt scholars, for
we have failed signally in propagating amongst them the two former
accomplishments, and I question much if they have excelled us in the
latter. And yet let it not be imputed to us that we are the only, or
the greatest, transgressors. Let the traveller who has wandered through
the bazaars of Cairo, Bombay, Caubul, Delhi, or Canton, and marked
the character and occupation of the Mussulman, Gheber, and idolator,
compare them with the gin palaces, cafés, bull fights, and gardens or
thoroughfares of London, Paris, Madrid, Vienna, and Naples, and exult
(if candour will admit) in the moral advantages of civilized Europe. I
ask him not to visit the palaces of the aristocracy, or the church and
chapel; in the former he will gain no knowledge, and in the latter,
perhaps, too much; for, of all sciences, theology has become the most
abstruse; and he who can recognise the immaculate precepts of Jesus of
Nazareth, amidst the fiery and relentless hostilities of modern sects,
must be an unhappy man. For my own part, the nice distinctions of party
in the early history of the church, the difficulty of deciding between
the mighty and learned differences of the Christian fathers, and the
inability to distinguish between the Homoosion and the Homouosion
quite disheartened me, at the outset, in the study of divinity; and
in modern days the fiery animosities of catholic and protestant,
transubstantiation, predestination, the gown and surplice riot, and
pulpit mendicity, drove me from the church portals to take refuge in
the book.
But, after this peregrination of the globe, to return to India: is
it by the example of the better-educated classes, and the stern and
impartial dealing of justice, that the natives of the East are to form
an estimate of our superior wisdom and excellence? If so, let them
look to some in the high places of this land, and be staggered at the
display of erudition, wisdom, and righteousness; and let them judge
of our notions of rigorous justice from the policy which dictated the
expedition from which we are now returning. Have we not marched into
the kingdom of Caubul, and without any pretext or right, save the
"lex fortioris," wrested the sceptre from the hands of one monarch,
the favourite of his subjects, as far as any Afghan could be so, to
transfer it to those of another, (and one avowedly of a tyrannous
and execrable disposition,) after shedding the blood of those who
stepped forward in defence of him whom they probably conceived to be
their rightful sovereign? It can hardly be assumed that the desire of
establishing legitimate rights led us romantically forth on the Caubul
expedition; for the government of India held friendly intercourse with
Dost Mahomed for many years, without questioning his sovereign rights,
and only discovered how ill-used a man Shah Soojah had been, when Dost
Mahomed showed a disinclination to enter into hostilities with those
who were deemed to be averse to British influence.
I had just come to the above conclusion, when a tramping behind aroused
me from my reverie; and starting up, I was agreeably surprised to find
that all my camels and servants had walked safely into camp. I rolled
myself in a cloak, and making a comfortable resting-place of the folds
of canvas composing the fly of the tent, soon became insensible alike
to the immoralities of mankind and the intentions of the Khyberees.
The morning sun, when I awoke, had burst brilliantly forth, even upon
the desolate and gloomy mountains of the Khyber, trying, but in vain,
to bid them look cheerful; and the night, contrary to all expectations,
had passed without an alarm. In the afternoon, the second column, under
General Thackwell, arrived at Ali Musjid; and orders were issued for
our march out of the Khyber Pass the following morning. In consequence
of the reports which had reached camp of the intention of the Khyberees
to attack us, the two companies of sappers and miners formed our
advanced guard, and the cavalry were disposed in single files on the
flanks of the baggage, with a rallying-party from each squadron in
rear, as a point of formation in case of a descent from the mountains.
We marched, at daybreak, along the rugged course of a torrent, which
had now degenerated to a shallow, trickling stream. High, barren
mountains beetled above and almost over our track; and frequently
their bases approached so near to one another, that six could scarcely
ride abreast. At every step, we expected to see our enemies make
their appearance on the heights, from whence they might almost with
impunity have done us any injury which their long rifles, or juzzails,
were capable of inflicting; but, singularly enough, not an enemy was
to be seen, and we passed unmolested through the rugged defile. At
about six miles from the outlet, we encountered a large body of Sikh
troops occupying the road, whilst detachments were posted above them
on the heights. These belonged to the army of the frontier, stationed
at Peshawur. With their national modesty, they failed not to inform
us that they were our deliverers from the hands of the Khyberees;
and loudly proclaimed, that without their co-operation, we never
should have escaped from the jaws of the Khyber Pass. Nevertheless,
these heroes had taken the precaution of not advancing into the most
arduous part of the defile; and previously to the British advance into
Afghanistan, they had not been much acquainted with the geography of
these mountains.
Towards the exit of the Pass, the mountains, though loftier and nearly
as abrupt, recede considerably from one another. On emerging from
them, we entered an extensive plain, and encamped near the fort of
Futtehghur, which was lately built by Runjeet Singh as a frontier
position. Near its walls, a long line of dusky tents marked the
station of the Peshawur forces. Our lines were soon overrun by swarms
of inquisitive Sikh warriors, mounted on lean, weedy horses, and
carrying lances and beards of nearly equal length.
We marched early the following morning. The ground we quitted was soon
occupied by the rear column, which also passed unobstructed through the
defile with the state-prisoners.
The Sikhs raised a yell of execration and abuse at the sight of
Hadji Khan; but he, turning in his saddle with a smile of contempt,
exclaimed--
"Yelp on, ye dastardly curs--it was not _your_ prowess which made me a
captive! Many a time, at the head of a few brave Afghan followers, have
I made ye sing a different song; and, with Allah's help, I trust I may
live to do so again!"
On the morning of the 7th of November, we crossed the rich valley of
Peshawur, and approached the city, having bidden adieu to the rocks and
deserts of Afghanistan without a single regret, and with the fervent
hope of never revisiting the realms of our ally, Shah Soojah.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 48: Most of the Company's cavalry regiments are composed of
Mussulmans.]
[Footnote 49: A few days after this skirmish, Dost Mahomed surrendered
himself to the envoy, and was sent a prisoner to Hindostan.]
[Footnote 50: This was the pass of Khoord Caubul, afterwards memorable
in General Elphinstone's final retreat from Caubul.]
[Footnote 51: The well-known site of Sir Robert Sale's gallant defence.]
[Footnote 52: The coin which caused so much trouble and conjecture is
now in my possession.]
[Footnote 53: The stockades are made of loose stones and beams.]