The Entry into Cabul—Description of the City—Its Commonplace
Features—Sullenness of the People—The Order against Intrigues with
Afghan Women—Precautions against Fanaticism—The Bazaars—Subjection
of the City—Capture of Twelve Guns on the Ghazni Road—Explosion in
the Bala Hissar—Death of Captain Shafto—Destruction of Munitions of
War—Attack on the Shutargardan—Return of Captured Ordnance.
CAMP SIAH SUNG, _13th October_.
Cabul has been spared, so far as regards the wiping out of its name by
the destruction of the city; but to-day it has had to suffer the
humiliation of seeing our troops march triumphantly through its streets,
and to feel, for the first time for many years, that its freedom has
passed away. The terms of the proclamation, read by Sir F. Roberts in
the Bala Hissar yesterday, have been made known to the turbulent
populace; and though they have not so far thought fit to surrender their
arms, they are wise enough to keep them all out of sight for fear of
consequences. Our troops paraded this morning at ten o’clock, and by
eleven the cavalry had begun to enter the Lahore Gate to clear the way
for the General and his Staff. I described very fully the appearance of
the little army yesterday when the Bala Hissar was taken possession of,
and there is therefore no need to dwell upon their bearing to-day. They
were as smart and fit as any martinet of the old school could have
wished, and their steady march through the narrow streets and bazaars
was as imposing as the spectacle of the previous day. A circuit of the
city had to be made; and by the time the cavalry were well on their way
back to the starting-point, the last of the infantry filed in. Following
closely on the heels of the 14th Bengal Lancers, the Major-General
commanding rode through the Lahore Gate, and, turning off soon to the
left, took the street leading to the Chandaul Bazaar, the Hindu and
Kizilbash quarter of Cabul. General Macpherson, at the head of the First
Brigade, led the infantry; and General Baker, with the Second Brigade,
closed the procession. Of course, the 67th and 5th Ghoorkas were absent,
as they are now garrisoning the Bala Hissar. There was no artillery
brought in, as the streets are so tortuous and the bazaars so narrow,
that it would have been difficult for the guns to have worked through.
We have not much artillery with us; and, accustomed as the Cabul people
are to seeing large parks, our three batteries would not have impressed
them.
There has been for so many years such a peculiar interest attaching to
the name of Cabul, that one naturally expected to be struck with the
appearance of the city; and it was therefore disappointing to find
nothing in its features remarkable or impressive. Viewed from the ridge
in which we are now encamped, the town presents a mass of mud walls and
flat roofs, with trees and gardens scattered among them, and belting
them on the north and east with rich verdure. To the west the bastions
and walls of the Bala Hissar, and the double line of fortifications
about the Arsenal, stand out in bold relief; the steep hills to the
north and south, with the open gorge through which the Cabul river runs,
forming an imposing background. Apart from these there are no
distinctive signs to distinguish the place from any other Eastern city;
in fact, it lacks the tall buildings, mosques, and minarets which many a
centre of Mahomedan fanaticism boasts. The strong wall which once
guarded it and made it a place of strength has crumbled away, or been
broken down, and in its place are the wretched mud structures called
houses, in which it pleases the citizens to live. There is one landmark,
the tomb of Taimur Shah: its low dome standing out in solitary state,
and only noticeable by reason of the dead level of dreariness which
surrounds it. The Cabul River is now dwarfed to a shallow streamlet
which a child could wade, and the paltry bridges of masonry which span
it are half ruinous, and of a style which any Western engineer would
despise. The fact that there is a river at all is only patent when we
come suddenly upon it; and though it may in flood-time swirl along with
some attempt at dignity, it is now beneath contempt. The broad current
which roars by Daka, and finally swells the Indus above Attock, would be
angered if it could see its parent stream crawling so sluggishly along
that even a _dhobie’s_ stone might turn it from its course. It is not at
Cabul a river to be proud of, however much it may fertilize the valleys
through which it runs. It is practical and commonplace, and the latter
epithet applies with some little reserve to Cabul itself. There is not
the overwhelming interest aroused as one traverses its streets that
might be reasonably anticipated; and the picture of its teeming life and
swarming bazaars has certainly been overdrawn. I do not mean to infer
that its streets are deserted and its stalls forsaken. There are 23,000
houses and some 70,000 people within its bounds; but there is no greater
sign of active commerce than Peshawur and half a dozen other cities of
Northern India present to a stranger. As it is far from civilization,
and is the first and last stage between Central Asia and India,
accordingly as the current of trade sets in either direction, it has
drawn to itself merchants of varied nationality, and become an exchange
where trafficking in Eastern and Western goods goes on side by side. In
one stall the silks of Bokhara and indigenous products of the Khanates
are packed side by side with the cloths of Manchester; while in another
Sheffield cutlery and “Brummagem” goods are the near neighbours of the
rudely-made iron-ware and roughly-finished jewellery of native
artificers. That the bazaars are full of goods of all kinds, from
diamonds to _dhoties_, and from _kabobs_ to cabbages, is quite true, but
it all seems petty trading, and the stalls, if numerous, are small and
insignificant-looking. The city feeds as it trades—in its bazaars; and
the picturesque view of a silk-merchant’s shop is marred by its
association with the masses of meat on the butcher’s stall adjoining, or
the incongruous grouping of the filthy goods of a clothesman near by.
And yet when once the feeling of disappointed expectations has been
overcome, there is much to notice and criticise, both in the people and
the place. Our ride through was necessarily a hurried one—it is never
good policy to make long halts when traversing for the first time the
streets of a conquered city—and apart from the above comments, which I
have set down, as they are the general impressions left upon my mind
after a hasty visit, I will try to give a rough sketch of Cabul, such as
we saw it to-day. That it was seen under abnormal circumstances should,
of course, be steadily kept in mind.
After entering by the Lahore Gate, wide enough to admit two horsemen
abreast with comfort—the gate is nothing more than the usual tall wooden
framework let into the dilapidated mud wall—we entered a dirty, ill-kept
street, and followed it for a short distance until it branched off right
and left, to the Char Chowk, or chief bazaar in the Afghan quarter on
the one hand, and to Chandaul on the other. We took the latter road to
the left, the dead walls of the houses shutting in all but the immediate
view. Little gaps on the left, where side passages had been made,
enabled us to see the wall of the Bala Hissar, in places only forty or
fifty yards off. It looked strong and menacing when compared with the
city itself. Leaving the fortress behind we turned to the right, and
were soon in a narrow, but well-kept, bazaar. The stalls, raised two or
three feet from the ground, were filled with articles such as one always
meets in native Indian cities, varied occasionally by heaps of grapes,
melons, apples, and fruit and vegetables of the kind which the gardens
about produce so lavishly. This was the Hindu quarter, and the
stall-owners watched us ride past with every expression of satisfaction,
salaaming smilingly, and no doubt praying that the English _raj_ might
now be established and last for ever. These Hindus have had rough times
to endure when their Afghan masters have played the tyrant, and they now
see an era of safety and rupees before them which shall repay them for
all their past sufferings. The bazaars continued for a considerable
distance, and Hindu faces with their caste marks were replaced after a
time by a new type, which showed that we were among the Persian
residents, the Kizilbashes,[16] who form so large a proportion of the
population. They are, as a rule, orderly and well-disposed, and, being
keen traders, are glad to see us as their neighbours. Traversing the
main street of Chandaul, we left the bazaar and came to a better class
of houses, all, however, gloomy and uninviting to look at, the high
courtyard walls hindering any view of the interior. There were crowds of
men and boys at every street-corner and gateway, and at intervals we
caught sight of a white-robed figure veiled from head to foot, out of
which a pair of eyes just glanced for a moment to look at the cavalcade,
and were then hidden by a deft movement of the hand or a turn of the
head. On house-tops or at narrow windows high above the street, similar
figures looked down, feminine curiosity proving too much even for the
restraint which controls life in the zenana. With such faint glimpses we
could form no idea of the charms of the women of Cabul; against
indiscretions with whom, by the bye, we have been solemnly warned in the
following order issued by our General:—
“Sir F. Roberts desires general officers and officers commanding corps
to impress upon all officers under their command the necessity for
constant vigilance in preventing irregularities likely to arouse the
personal jealousy of the people of Cabul, who are, of all races, the
most susceptible in all that regards their women. The deep-seated
animosity of the Afghans towards the English has been mainly ascribed to
indiscretions committed during the first occupation of Cabul; and the
Major-General trusts that the same excellent discipline, so long
exhibited by the troops under his command, will remove the prejudices of
past years, and cause the British name to be as highly respected in
Afghanistan as it is throughout the civilized world.”
-----
Footnote 16:
Literally, “Red-heads,” from the colour of their turbans.
-----
There is another version of this old story, that the indiscretion was
all on the side of the Afghan ladies; and it is to be hoped the order
will be translated into Persian for their benefit. Until this is done,
the virtue of our brave soldiers must tremble in the balance, the
conjugation of _amo_ in Persian being described as the most fascinating
step in Eastern philology—when the teacher is draped in a _yashmak_.
From Chandaul we passed through one of the usual gates, and, crossing
the Cabul River by a narrow masonry bridge of three small arches, rode
along a path in the western suburbs of Deh-i-Afghan skirting the bed of
the stream. Several gardens filled with fruit trees, but otherwise much
neglected, were passed, and some houses of sufficient size to warrant
the belief that their owners were men of importance. The handsome villas
Cabul is said to be proud of were certainly not to be seen. Re-crossing
the river by another bridge not far from Taimur Shah’s tomb, we entered
the Afghan quarter of the city, the route lying through the Char Chowk,
so called from the four small squares with drinking fountains which are
found at about equal distances along the bazaar. The place was crowded
with people, from gaudily-dressed merchants to poor, ill-clad Hazara
coolies (the Hazara _log_ are the hewers of wood and drawers of water
all over Afghanistan), and there was much diversity of costume and
character. No sign of resentment was shown towards us; but a sullen
silence was maintained, and the villainous faces seen from time to time
caused many of us to wish that a little decimation, or some equally
healthy operation, had been performed among these ruffians. The
side-streets were more crowded than in the Chandaul quarter, and a sharp
look-out was kept for any fanatical attempt to run amuck among us. The
lances of the General’s escort and the rifles of the orderlies on foot
were ready for an emergency; a bloodthirsty little Ghoorka among the
orderlies having hitched his _kookrie_ round so as to have it handy. But
no _ghazi_ or _budmash_ appeared anxious for martyrdom, and we wended
our way onwards peacefully. Not an arm of any kind was carried by any
person in the crowd, and the armourers’ shops were quite empty; the
grindstones, on which many a _chura_ and _tulwar_ has been sharpened,
were lying idle on the ground. This turbulent populace has been cowed by
our prompt march upon their city, and as the Afghans heard behind us the
shrill shriek of the pipers and saw the Highlanders in their kilts
stepping along in easy confidence, they must have known their time had
gone by. Of course, all trade was suspended while the march was going
on, and the stall-keepers looked far from pleased at our intrusion.
There was none of the impulsive salaaming we had been received with in
Chandaul, and many stood up almost defiantly as if to vindicate their
claim to be considered the salt of the earth. What lay behind in the
thickly-packed houses on either side of the bazaar none of us could
say,—General Hills, the new Governor, may soon know; but we could quite
believe from the scowling faces seen in the side-streets that fanatical
hatred against us was still alive, if for the time it was held in check.
When we proceed with our work of disarmament, perhaps it may flash out;
and then who knows that a repetition of Pollock’s policy may not follow,
and the Char Chowk be blown to the four winds of heaven.
The bazaar is covered in at some height above the stalls, which can be
numbered by the hundred; and is very narrow and cramped. It would be
impossible to describe in detail the arrangement of the shops; but the
most attractive were certainly those of the silk merchants, whose goods,
with their brilliant colours and fine texture, were openly displayed.
Richly-braided caps and coats; boots elaborately worked in gold and
silver; cutlery and cloths, both English and native; sweets, fruit on
every hand in huge heaps, grain, spices, saddles, harness for mules and
camels, piles of blankets and felt _numdahs_ of wonderful patterns, and
scores of other articles that I cannot set down, succeeded each other as
stall after stall was passed; and a further medley was formed by the
heaps of parched gram and _chupaties_ (flat unleavened cakes), plates of
horrible stews and greasy-looking messes which were exposed for sale.
Next a butcher’s shop full of meat curiously cut up and hung about in
admired disorder, would be a _kabob_ stall, the keeper of which would be
cooking his dainty morsels in the open air, and tempting passengers to
try his savoury little sticks. In all the small squares which I have
before mentioned as giving the name to the bazaar, groups of men were
lounging or squatting about the tank in the middle of the open space,
and here, doubtless, much of the bartering with strangers and merchants
from a distance is carried on. The buildings in the squares are more
pretentious than elsewhere, rising to a height of three or four stories,
and their fronts and chief doorways are handsomely ornamented.
Our ride through was soon over, and we arrived at the street where we
had turned off to Chandaul in about an hour and a half from the time of
entering the city. Only one mosque was passed on the way, just as we
were leaving the Char Chowk, and the voice of a _moollah_, shrieking
“Allah-il-Ullah,” and perhaps cursing us under his breath, could be
heard within the courtyard, rising over all the din made by our horses
as they stumbled over the rough ground. Whatever fanaticism there may be
in Cabul—and that it is highly fanatical historical events have only too
sadly shown—it is clearly under a cloud now; and as long as we remain in
the Bala Hissar, with a force ready for all contingencies, it can never
make much headway. Our march through having been happily ended, Sir F.
Roberts drew rein outside the Lahore Gate, and watched the infantry
brigades file out with bands playing and colours flying. Thus ended our
second and final triumph in the humiliation of Cabul, and now there lies
before us the work of detection and punishment of those who shared in
the massacre of our Envoy. That there are many in the city all our
information leads us to believe, and we are not likely to let them
escape.
It is reported that nine regiments are marching down from Turkistan to
Cabul, and are even now at Charikar in Kohistan. Two squadrons of the
12th Bengal Cavalry go out to-morrow to reconnoitre the road. Two fatal
cases of cholera occurred to-day; generally, however, the force is in
splendid health. Too liberal indulgence in fruit may possibly have been
the cause of the cholera. Brigadier-General Gough will start in a few
days, with a small force, for the Shutargardan, whence he will bring on
supplies. The 14th Bengal Lancers have captured twelve guns (six
9-pounders and six mule guns) on the Bamian Road, which were abandoned
by the Ghazni Regiments. The horses had been taken away. So far we have
heard nothing of the Khyber Force, which is supposed to co-operate with
this division, and our letters are still sent to the Shutargardan.
CAMP SIAH SUNG, _16th October_.
We had begun to settle down to a quiet life in camp here after our
full-dress parade through the Bala Hissar and the city, and after all
our late excitement a little rest was very welcome; but we have been
suddenly shaken into action by such an untoward event as the explosion
of the vast stores of gunpowder in the Cabul Arsenal, in the
neighbourhood of the 67th Regiment and the 5th Ghoorkas, who were
garrisoning the fortress. It was announced, while we were marching here
from Kushi, that the rebels in Cabul had plundered the Arsenal and
looted the magazine, but this was found afterwards to be only partially
true. They had certainly carried off many rifles from the Arsenal and
several thousand rounds of ammunition, but there was still left
munitions of war sufficient to have supplied all Afghanistan. A
systematic examination, under the direction of Captain Shafto, of the
Ordnance Department, was set on foot immediately our troops went into
garrison in the Bala Hissar, and the result was the discovery of some
millions of cartridges, Enfield and Snider, of English and Afghan make,
and some 150,000 lbs. of gunpowder, besides valuable stores, such as
could he useful to an army engaged in active warfare. Daoud Shah, the
late Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan army states, there is at least
1,000,000 lbs. of gunpowder hidden in the place. The Arsenal was little
worthy of its name; there were no regular workshops, no foundry and but
little machinery, the building being merely made up of a score or more
of godowns (sheds) arranged under the strong walls of the upper part of
the Bala Hissar, on the hill immediately overlooking the Residency and
the Amir’s pleasure-garden, where the Durbar was held by Sir F. Roberts.
In these godowns there was none of that care and precaution taken, such
as is insisted upon in English arsenals and magazines. The gunpowder was
chiefly stored in huge earthen gurrahs and dubbers (such as ghee is
usually carried in), and in many instances these had been tilted over
and loose powder scattered on the ground. Bits of iron, stray caps, and
friction tubes for artillery lay about in dangerous proximity to these,
and Captain Shafto had to display the greatest caution in examining the
place. There was no magazine proper to speak of; though one godown,
which was looked upon as specially worthy of the name, had in it 410
jars of about 150 lbs. each, or over twenty-seven tons of gunpowder.
This was a little detached from the other godowns, and was looked after
carefully, as the effect of such a quantity of powder exploding would be
terrific. The Arsenal walls face to the four points of the compass, that
on the north looking over the city, while the eastern wall frowns down
upon the lower Bala Hissar, and commands the whole of the houses below.
The walls are of great thickness at the base, arising out of the solid
rock, which runs down precipitously on three sides, while to the west it
rises gradually until it forms part of the narrow spur joining the
fortress to the high ridge above. On the eastern side, just at the foot
of the rock, is built the Amir’s pavilion with its oblong garden, some
one hundred yards in length, which I described in one of my late
letters. About this garden are clustered houses of all kinds, and at the
base of the rocky hill on the north are also dwelling-houses. The
Guides’ quarters, the Residency, and some high buildings are near the
south-eastern corner, past which a road leads up to the gate of the
Arsenal in its southern wall. The outer walls of the fortress are less
than one hundred yards away, facing over the Cabul plain, the strong
bastions giving them the appearance of great stability. The 5th Ghoorkas
were in tents near the south-west corner of the Arsenal, and had luckily
moved a little distance away this morning, as the wall looked
suspiciously weak. The whole of the 67th Foot were encamped within the
walls of the Amir’s garden, and had in their custody the Mustaufi and
four other prisoners now awaiting trial. The two Gatling guns were with
the troops in the Bala Hissar. In order that a just idea may be formed
of the two explosions which occurred, and the probability of a third
greater than all, which we are now expecting, I give below a list of the
godowns and their contents furnished to me by Captain Shafto two days
ago. He had examined up to that date seventeen godowns, and their
contents were:—
GODOWNS IN THE BALA HISSAR ARSENAL.
No. 1.—Copper sheeting, punches, rolling machines.
No. 2.—15 sacks of Enfield copper caps, 87 jars of powder, many friction
tubes.
No. 3.—42 dubbers of powder.
No. 4.—410 big jars of powder.
No. 5.—190 ditto
No. 6.—Full of rope and _chuts_ (nets for carrying guns and straw on
baggage animals).
No. 7.—Hemp, thread; paper, Russian foolscap; 52 jars of powder, filled
cartridges, 3 skins of loose powder, cartridge-boxes.
No. 8.—Gun cartridges, wax lubricators, &c., 103 dubbers of powder.
No. 9.—150 jars of powder: charcoal, saltpetre, sulphur, &c.
Total: 1,000 jars of powder, each 150lbs. = 150,000lbs.
Nos. 10, 11, 12.—Filled with rope, _chuts_, mussucks, shelves for axes
and spades, wood for tent-pegs and timber; godown full of shot and shell
and bullets; and small room full of plates of lead piled up to the roof.
No. 13.—Boxes of percussion caps and a vast number of Enfield
cartridges: boxes marked “Ferozepore, 1857,”
Nos. 14, 15, 16, 17.—Boxes of Snider cartridges, English and Afghan
pattern, about 520,000 from Dum-Dum in perfect order. Also Enfield
cartridges, old iron, and lead.
There were therefore some millions of cartridges and nearly seventy tons
of gunpowder, besides stores of highly inflammable character in these
few godowns, and these have nearly all been destroyed.
The first intimation we, in camp on Siah Sung Ridge, received of the
explosion was a dull report, which would not have attracted much
attention but for a huge column of smoke which rose from the Bala Hissar
several hundred feet in the air, and plainly showed something was wrong.
It was a beautiful sight, as the silvery column with the sun lighting up
its soft edges slowly spread itself out; but there was little time to
admire it, for we trembled for the fate of the brave little Ghoorkas who
were so near the Arsenal. The smoke settled over the lower Bala Hissar
and the city, obscuring all the buildings; and as it slowly drifted away
the Arsenal became visible, with its outer wall, facing us, still
standing, but lighted up from inside by little sheets of flame and
sudden rushes of smoke, which proved that gunpowder was still exploding.
There was then no doubt that some of the godowns Captain Shafto was
inspecting had been blown up, and General Roberts at once sent
messengers to inquire into the extent of the disaster. Riding down to
the Bala Hissar, we were not long in learning, so far as was known, what
had occurred. The road leading upwards past the Residency was blocked by
the rubbish of the upper part of the southern wall of the Arsenal, which
had been blown outwards; and the explosions, which could distinctly be
heard, were all near the south-eastern bastion, the very point, it may
be added, from which a murderous fire was poured upon Sir Louis
Cavagnari and his companions by the mutineers. In the Amir’s garden the
tents of the 67th were covered thickly with dust, and every pane of
glass in the pavilions had been shattered, though the buildings
themselves were quite intact. The men had been marched out as quickly as
possible into the square adjoining, and with faces, beards, and helmets
grey with dust, they looked as if some shadowy change had came over
them. Colonel Knowles, who was in command of the regiment, had tried to
send working parties up to the Arsenal; but they could not force a way,
and he had soon to think of the safety of his own men, as he learnt that
only a small portion of the powder had exploded, and that at any minute
the larger stores might ignite. The explosion, as heard in the garden,
was described as a smart shock, mistaken at first for an earthquake:
this idea was soon dissipated, as a darkness equal to that of the
darkest night blotted out everything, and showers of bullets, stones,
cartridge-cases, and burning rubbish fell into the garden. Two or three
beams of timber were also blown down; but, happily, no one was injured
beyond a signaller. This man was with a sentry on the roof of the
pavilion in which the Mustaufi, the Wazir, the Kotwal, and two others
were confined, and he was seen to jump three or four feet down to a
lower roof as the explosion occurred. Nothing more was seen of him until
his dead body was found on the stones below. The sentry escaped
uninjured. The men, once the danger was appreciated, were quickly on the
alert, and the gates were guarded in case of any attempt to rescue the
prisoners. No such attempt was made, and leaving all their kits behind
the men filed out towards the gate. In the by-streets I came across two
or three Ghoorkas with faces bleeding from wounds inflicted by falling
bullets and stones, but their only anxiety seemed to be for their
comrades above. Of these I am sorry to say the subadar-major, four
havildars, and sixteen men are missing.[17] Twelve were on guard in the
Arsenal, and the others were counting out the pay of the men which had
been drawn this morning. They were buried under a wall which the force
of the explosion broke down. Anxious inquiries were also made for
Captain Shafto, who had been seen in a powder godown, but all inquiries
proved fruitless. His pistol, with the stock blown off, was found in the
Amir’s garden; and as he has not since appeared, there can be little
doubt he was killed.
-----
Footnote 17:
The casualties were proved to be eventually twelve killed and seven
wounded: among the former were the subadar-major and the four
pay-havildars.
-----
The order was given for every person to leave the Bala Hissar in
anticipation of another explosion; and after riding out to see if the
outer wall of the fortress had been injured, I returned to watch the
people turning out. It was a mixed throng of soldiers, camp-followers
carrying the ammunition boxes, and frightened inhabitants hurrying to
the gate. The soldiers marched steadily and with the unconcern of men
equal to the occasion, a few on fatigue duty working heartily in seeing
the ammunition safely out. One man was dragging a Gatling gun which
rattled over the rough stones and drowned many of the other noises;
while others were keeping back such suspicious Afghans as wished to
return to the place, no doubt in the hope of loot. Women draped in
white, many with children in their arms, made hastily for the gateway,
their lords and masters carrying a few _rezais_ (quilted bed-covers), to
make them comfortable hereafter. The _yashmak_ hid the faces of these
refugees, but they were quite safe from molestation, and this they
seemed to know, as they mixed freely with the throng and passed out to
seek refuge with friends elsewhere. Dr. Bourke, with a strong party of
dhoolie-bearers, was sent down from camp, and after trying to get them
up to the Arsenal past the garden, he worked round outside to the
southern wall. A difficult path led up to the ramparts, and a few
Ghoorkas made this more passable by breaking down a portion of the wall.
Drs. Bourke, Duke, and Simmonds, with two European soldiers and some
Ghoorkas, went up this way into the fortress and succeeded in rescuing
five wounded men. They approached to within thirty or forty yards of the
burning godowns, but the explosions were so frequent that they had soon
to withdraw. No more wounded men could be found, and nothing was seen of
those who were known to have been on guard. The place was then deserted
except for a few mulemen who obstinately kept with their animals on the
walls as far as possible from the Arsenal.
The 67th formed up just outside the Bala Hissar gate, but by order of
General Roberts they were withdrawn still farther away on the Jellalabad
Road. We then watched for the next explosion, and it came at a
quarter-to-four. The report was terrific, a dense black column of smoke,
fivefold as great as the first, shot upwards, out of which burst a few
flashes as live shell exploded. This time the smoke sank in almost solid
masses upon Cabul, and with it fell large stones, beams, and bullets in
profusion. A little group of Afghans with two sowars and some European
officers and soldiers were standing near the Bala Hissar gate. Through
this was blown a shower of stones with terrible force; four men
(Afghans) were killed on the spot, the two sowars and a fifth Afghan
being badly hurt. This must have been 300 or 400 yards from the Arsenal.
The panic in the city was very great, the shops being shut and the
streets deserted. Several of the inhabitants are reported to have been
wounded by falling bullets, and this has given rise in their minds to
the idea that we have destroyed the Arsenal purposely. When we have
examined what is left of it, perhaps we may take that course in earnest.
All this evening we have been watching from camp the burning of the
Arsenal and listening to the constant explosions and the incessant
firing of cartridges, the reports of which as they exploded singly or in
little groups from the heat could be distinctly heard. As I am writing
now (2 A.M.) these reports are still heard, and vivid flashes are seen
on the hillside: a third explosion has just occurred, but it was not so
great as the others. The largest store of powder is supposed to be still
untouched, but whether it will explode is doubtful; if it does, Cabul
will, indeed, be shaken to its foundations. Nothing is known as to the
cause of this disaster. Our regret is not much for the Bala Hissar,
which many of us would delight to see destroyed, but for the brave
fellows who are now lying dead within its walls, scarcely a stone’s
throw from the still smouldering ashes of the Embassy. Search will be
made to-morrow for Captain Shafto’s body.
CAMP SIAH SUNG, _18th October_.
There seems to be a very general opinion in camp that the explosion at
the Bala Hissar was not due to any accident, but was intentionally
brought about by some of the enemy who had trusted to our occupying the
place in force. Captain Shafto, who was examining the war material
stored in the godowns which have been destroyed, was careful to a fault
in all his work; and it is argued that so great an explosion could not
have occurred unless preparations had been made for it beforehand.
Further, it is believed that the powder which did the mischief was
lodged in vaults below the open ground within the walls; and of the
existence of these vaults we were quite in ignorance. The mode in which
so large a quantity of gunpowder was stored was safe enough under
ordinary conditions, the large earthen jars and dubbers exposing a
minimum of open surface—just at the mouth—to the action of any
inflammable material. Several officers, who had just left Captain
Shafto, state that where he was engaged there was not sufficient
explosive material of any kind to have done more than purely local
damage; whereas the shock felt was terrific. Information by the Amir and
Daoud Shah has since been volunteered that the place was vaulted, and
that a tower, which still stands untouched, was full of gunpowder. Even
as it is, the three largest godowns examined by Captain Shafto have
escaped, and as these contain many tons of powder, and were considered
the largest magazine, it is plain that the loss of life, regrettable as
it is, might still have been much greater. If treachery has been at
work, there has been some bungling, for the explosion of the one large
godown filled with 410 jars, each weighing 150lbs., would have sufficed
to have killed nearly every living person within a radius of a quarter
of a mile, or even more. As it was, the second explosion at a
quarter-to-four burst open the outer gate of the Bala Hissar, and on the
road beyond several persons met their deaths. The mud walls and roofs
are dented and broken by the huge stones which showered thickly upon
them and were driven down from the Arsenal with terrific force. Beyond
two tents belonging to the 67th Regiment being burnt in the Amir’s
garden, there was not much damage done to property outside the Upper
Bala Hissar, the height of the hill on which it is built diverting the
shock upwards. It has now been decided that the Bala Hissar shall be
destroyed,[18] and Cabul thus rendered a defenceless city. The old
respect which was paid to it must inevitably disappear when its citadel
and defences are swept away; and this must put a new feature upon the
political situation in Afghanistan. What the political state now is it
is most difficult to say, for the Amir still remains in our camp, and
the numerous sentries guarding his tent seem to point to his presence
being absolutely required in our midst until we have decided upon whom
the blame of Sir Louis Cavagnari’s death is to rest. The trial of the
five sirdars now in custody has not yet commenced; but evidence is
accumulating, and when once the Commission begins to sit, witnesses will
not be wanting.
-----
Footnote 18:
This intention was, unfortunately, never carried out owing to the
outbreak in December.
-----
To return to the only excitement we have had since the fight on the
Asmai Heights on the 8th. Early yesterday morning it was observed that
the fire in the Upper Bala Hissar had died out, and that only a smoking
heap of rubbish marked the spot where the explosions had occurred. Half
the southern and western walls of the Arsenal had been thrown outwards
down the hillside, and within was a chasm in which cartridges still
exploded, though only faintly, as if in protest at being ignominiously
smothered under crumbling walls. It was by no mean safe walking in such
near proximity to half-consumed boxes of cartridges; and as there was
the off-chance of a jar of powder going off at any moment, the risk was
proportionately increased. Besides, there might be vaults loaded with
powder, and Sir F. Roberts very wisely ruled that the lives of his
soldiers were too valuable to be endangered in such a neighbourhood. It
was, however, necessary that search should be made for the poor fellows
who had been killed; and, accordingly, a number of the city people were
impressed and made to work upon the ruins. Dry earth and rubbish were
thrown down upon the smouldering embers, and the three godowns filled
with powder were banked up with mud and made as fireproof as possible in
the time. _Kahars_ from the ambulance corps were also sent up, and in
the afternoon they discovered Captain Shafto’s body and the charred
remains of the Ghoorkas. They had all been buried under the falling
walls. The loss to the regiment of the subadar-major and four
pay-havildars is very serious; while we all deplore poor Shafto’s death,
as he was a universal favourite. He was buried with military honours
this morning; the 67th furnishing the firing party.
Yesterday afternoon a strong wind swept across the ridge for several
hours, and in the evening the fire in the ruins broke out afresh and
blazed up till long past midnight. Small explosions occurred from time
to time, showing that much powder was still buried and ready to ignite.
Fortunately, the wind dropped about ten o’clock, or the remaining
godowns might have been burnt down. To-day valuable stores of poshteens
and warm clothing, enough for many hundreds of men, were come upon, and
these have been carried into camp by fatigue parties without delay. They
will be of immense service, as warm clothing for the followers is much
needed. The troops, also, are not too well provided for; but now
European and sepoy alike can be made comfortable for the winter. It is
already bitterly cold at night, and it has been decided to move us all
into the Sherpur Cantonment, where are already barracks equal to
accommodating 3,000 or 4,000 men. Huts will also be built below the
Bemaru Ridge, which forms the fourth side of the fortified
parallelogram, and the Bemaru village will be cleared of its
inhabitants. All the houses therein will then be available for our army
of followers, who are always the greatest sufferers when snow falls and
frost sets in. This ridge on which we are now encamped is very exposed;
and as the sun is still powerful in the day, the health of the men will
be sure to suffer unless they are protected against the cold wind which
rises as the sun sets.
There is but little news of military moment just at present. From the
Shutargardan we hear of another attack by 3,000 Mangals and Ghilzais;
but three companies of the 3rd Sikhs and the 21st P.N.I. scattered them
in the most admirable manner, charging up hill at the _sungars_ and
carrying them with the bayonet. This hand-to-hand fighting is far better
than pitching shells at long ranges, as it teaches these ruffians the
material our men are made of. There were only 300 sepoys engaged, but
they were more than enough. The gallant way in which they took the
_sungars_ and bayoneted forty of the defenders on the spot has given us
all, from the General downwards, unqualified satisfaction. There is
grand fighting material still to be found in many of our native
regiments, as Colonel Money’s two engagements on the Shutargardan have
clearly proved. General Gough, with the 5th P.C., the 5th P.I., and four
mountain guns, left Cabul yesterday for the Shutargardan to bring down
all the supplies accumulated there, and to close the line by way of
Kotal for the winter. Snow may now fall at any time at such an altitude
as the Shutargardan, and it behoves us to clear out the post before
further difficulties are added to what is already a very difficult bit.
General Gough may be molested on his march, as the districts of the
Logar swarm with robbers; but it is unlikely any organized attack will
be made upon his party, whatever attempt to loot his convoy may be
attempted upon his return journey. As he will bring back the
head-quarters and a squadron of the 9th Lancers, the 3rd Sikhs, and the
mountain guns now on the Shutargardan, he will be able to defend his
charge without fear of consequences. If, as we learn this afternoon, the
Mangals have occupied the heights in force, and have cut off even the
grass-supply of Colonel Money’s little garrison, General Gough’s arrival
may be most opportune, and the tribesmen may receive another sharp
lesson. Sixty headmen of the Gajis, Turis, Mangals, and other tribes
between here and the Shutargardan have come in at Sir Frederick
Roberts’s request. The General pointed out to them how utterly useless
resistance was to the British, as exemplified in the fall of Cabul, and
this they acknowledged, promising to keep their followers in good order
and not to molest us.
As we shall soon be moving into our winter quarters, I send you a
complete list of the guns captured up to date:—
ORDNANCE CAPTURED.
───────────────────────────────────┬───────┬───────┬───────────────────┬─────
Nature of Ordnance. │ A │ B C │ D E F G H │Total
───────────────────────────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────────────────┼─────
⎛ ⎛ ⎛│12 pr.│ - 4│ - 4 - - -│ 4
⎜ ⎜ Guns ⎜│ 9 pr.│ - 2│ 2 - - - -│ 2
⎜ ⎜ ⎜│ 6 pr.│ 1 16│ - - - 17 -│ 17
⎜ Bronze ⎜ ⎝│ 3 pr.│ - 51│ - 42 - 3 6│ 51
⎜ ⎜ Howitzers ⎛│ 8 pr.│ - 2│ - 2 - - -│ 2
Smooth ⎜ ⎜ ⎝│12 pr.│ - 5│ - - - 5 -│ 5
Bore ⎜ ⎜ Mortars ⎛│ 8 pr.│ - 6│ - - - 6 -│ 6
⎜ ⎝ ⎝│ 5½ in.│ 1 6│ - - - 7 -│ 7
⎜ ⎛ Guns ⎛│24 pr.│ - 2│ - - - 2 -│ 2
⎜ Iron. ⎜ ⎝│18 pr.│ 4 -│ - 4 - - -│ 4
⎝ ⎝ Howitzers │ 8 in.│ 2 -│ 1 1 - - -│ 2
⎛ ⎛ ⎛│20 pr.│ - 6│ - 6 - - -│ 6
⎜ ⎜ ⎜│12 pr.│ - 6│ - 6 - - -│ 6
⎜ ⎜ ⎜│ 9 pr.│ - 14│ 1 - - 7 6│ 14
Rifled ⎜ Iron ⎜ Breech- ⎜│ 8 pr.│ - 6│ - - 6 - -│ 6
Guns ⎜ ⎜ -loading ⎜│ 6 pr.│ - 22│ 10 6 - 6 -│ 22
⎜ ⎜ ⎝│ 4 pr.│ - 11│ - - 5 6 -│ 11
⎜ ⎝ Muzzle-loading │ 7 pr.│ - 26│ - - - 26 -│ 26
⎝ Steel Muzzle-loading │8 pr.│ - 21│ 6 5 10 - -│ 21
───────────────────────────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────────────────┼─────
Grand Total │ —│8 206│ 20 76 21 85 12│ 214
───────────────────────────────────┴───────┴───────┴───────────────────┴─────
A: Calibre
B: English
C: Afghan
D: Charasia, 6 October
E: Charasia, 8th October.
F: Heights above Cabul,
G: Bala Hissar, 12th October.
H: Ghazni Road, 14th October.
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