himself down by a rope. The Wuzeer says he is gone to Tagow; but the
general opinion is that he is gone to Jellalabad. Troup went to see the
Wuzeer to-day; who told him, he purposes sending for him and Pottinger,
to stay with him in the Bala Hissar.
A thunder-storm at night, with heavy rain; the lightning vivid; but it
was all over in an hour. This storm was immediately preceded by an
earthquake, between 10 and 11 o'clock.
Akbar has written to Lord Ellenborough to say he will only treat with
him; and that he will not have any thing to do with Gen. Pollock; who is
"a fool!" This is complimentary.
_20th._--We heard a great deal of firing in the evening.
Futteh Jung is said to have been taken on the road to Jellalabad: but
Abib Khan declares it is not true. They also say that there has been a
fight at Gundamuk; that our troops have arrived there; and that the
Affghans have lost several men in their defeat; that one of the
fugitives has just arrived; and that Akbar will send 5000 more men
there. They also say, that the Kandahar force is within two marches of
Ghuznee. Three horses are kept ready saddled to start with messengers at
a moment's notice, night or day; and the Khan says, he thinks we shall
not be here more than three days longer.
_21st._--The late newspapers have not a little amused me. They show that
the editors catch at every expression, used in any letters they have
read; or on any comments they hear on news from Affghanistan. A regular
controversy has arisen between one, who asserts that Lady Sale in her
letters evinces a strong prepossession in favour of Mahommed Akbar Khan,
and another, who thinks Lady Sale wrote, as she did, because she was a
prisoner: to which the first rejoins, that he does not think Lady S.
would, under any circumstances, write that which was false. _There_ he
is right: but I would not have written on the subject at all, unless I
wrote as I thought: if people misunderstand, it is their fault and not
mine. Again, they say it were better I had never written at all. Perhaps
so: but it seems that details were wanting; my letters to Sale gave
those; and he thought them of sufficient consequence to send them to the
Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief. They were afterwards sent
to England by the former; and, if the papers tell truth, excited some
attention in the highest circles. As to my "great prepossession" in
favour of Akbar, my greatest wish is, that Gen. Nott's force should
march up to Ghuznee; release the prisoners there; and then that a
simultaneous movement should take place of Nott's and Pollock's forces
upon Cabul. Once again in power, here, I would place Akbar, Mahommed
Shah, and Sultan Jan _hors de combat_; befriend those who befriended us,
and let the Affghans have the Ameer Dost Mahommed Khan back, if they
like. He and his family are only an expense to us in India; we can
restore them, and make friends with him. Let us first show the Affghans
that we can both conquer them, and revenge the foul murder of our
troops; but do not let us dishonour the British name by sneaking out of
the country, like whipped Pariah dogs. Affghanistan will become a byword
amongst the nations. Had we retreated, as poor Sturt proposed, without
baggage, with celerity (forced marches to get through the snow), and had
the men stood by us (a doubtful point,--they were so worn out and
dispirited), we might have figured in history; and have cut out
Xenophon's account of the retreat of the 10,000.
As to the justice of dethroning the Ameer Dost Mahommed, and setting up
Shah Shoojah, I have nothing to say regarding it: nor regarding our
policy in attempting to keep possession of a country of uncivilised
people, so far from our own; whence all supplies of ammunition, money,
&c., must be obtained. Let our Governors-General and Commanders-in-chief
look to that; whilst I knit socks for my grand-children: but I have been
a soldier's wife too long to sit down tamely, whilst our honour is
tarnished in the sight and opinion of savages. Had our army been cut to
pieces by an avowed enemy, whether in the field or the passes--let them
have used what stratagems they pleased,--all had been fair. Akbar had
shone as another William Tell; he had been the deliverer of his country
from a hateful yoke imposed on them by Kaffirs: but here he stands, by
his own avowal freely made, the assassin of the Envoy;--not by proxy,
but by his own hand. I do believe, he only meant to make him prisoner;
for the purpose of obtaining better terms and more money: but he is a
man of ungovernable passions; and his temper when thwarted is ferocious.
He afterwards professed to be our friend;--we treated with him;--great
was the credulity of those who placed confidence in him: still they
blindly did so;--even after the letter was received from Conolly, at
Bhoodkhak, confirming the previous warnings of his intentions towards
us. He followed us, with his bloodthirsty Ghilzyes. Mahommed Shah Khan,
his principal adviser, I might almost say his master, is the most
inveterate of our enemies. Akbar is a jovial smooth-tongued man; full of
compliments and good fellowship; and has the knack of talking over both
kaffirs and true believers.
To our cost, he did talk our chiefs over; and persuaded them of his
friendship; but said that those sugs (dogs) of Ghilzyes were intent on
murder and plunder; and totally unmanageable. In this way he hovered on
our flanks and rear: and when our people were massacred and his
bloodhounds in human shape were tolerably glutted with their blood, the
scene was changed; although it was constantly reacted. In the distance,
a group of horsemen invariably appeared: they were beckoned to;
questioned as to what chief was present,--it was invariably Akbar, who
always pretended good faith, said his 300 horsemen were too few to
protect us from the Ghilzyes, &c.,--and then, the following day
witnessed a repetition of the slaughter, and pretended friendship; for
that this friendship was a mere pretence, was acknowledged by him when
he said, "I was the man who killed your Envoy with my own hand; I
destroyed your army; I threw aside all ties of family, deserted every
thing, for the faith of Islam; and now I am left to bear the opprobrium
heaped on me by the Feringhees, whilst no one supports me: but were I in
power, I would make the chiefs remember it!" and then he uttered
maledictions on their heads. He has kept his word; has been a bitter
enemy to all who have shown the slightest kindness to us; and grinds
their money out of them by threats and torture.
A woman's vengeance is said to be fearful; but nothing can satisfy mine
against Akbar, Sultan Jan, and Mahommed Shah Khan. Still I say that
Akbar, having, for his own political purposes, done as he said he would
do--that is, destroyed our army,--letting only one man escape to tell
the tale, as Dr. Brydon did,--and having got the families into his
possession;--I say, having done this, he has ever since we have been in
his hands, treated us well:--that is, honour has been respected. It is
true that we have not common comforts; but what we denominate such are
unknown to Affghan females: they always sleep on the floor, sit on the
floor, &c.--hardships to us. We have bought common charpoys at two
rupees each; that is, a bed formed by four poles and ropes tied across
and across them. Had we tables and chairs, we have not space for them;
so many inhabit the same apartment. Individually I have no right to
complain on this subject; as Lady Macnaghten, Mrs. Mainwaring, Mrs.
Boyd, Mrs. Sturt, and I, occupy the same apartment. Capt. Boyd makes his
bed on the landing-place of the stairs, or on the roof of the house; so
that we have no _man_-kind amongst us, except the Boyds' two little
boys, and Mrs. Mainwaring's baby. This little fellow was born just
before the insurrection broke out in Cabul (in October): his father had
gone with Sale's brigade; and we always call him Jung-i-Bahadur.
After so long enduring the misery of having gentlemen night and day
associated with us, we have found this a great relief.
The Wuzeer gives us rations of meat, rice, ottah, ghee, and oil; and
lately fruit. At first our food was dressed for us; but it was so greasy
and disgusting, that we asked leave to cook for ourselves. That again
was a matter of taste: one person likes what another does not. By us, a
strong cup of coffee is considered a luxury; whilst an Affghan the other
day, who had some given to him (he had never tasted any before),
pronounced it bitter and detestable.
It is true, we have been taken about the country; exposed to heat, cold,
rain, &c.; but so were their own women. It was, and is, very
disagreeable: but still we are, _de facto_, prisoners; notwithstanding
Akbar still persists in calling us--honoured guests: and, as captives, I
say we are well treated. He has given us common coarse chintz, and
coarse longcloth, too, wherewith to clothe ourselves;--I must not use
the word dress: and making up these articles has given us occupation;
increased by having to work with raw cotton, which we have to twist into
thread for ourselves. We suffered more from uncleanliness than any thing
else. It was above ten days after our departure from Cabul, before I had
the opportunity to change my clothes, or even to take them off and put
them on again, and wash myself: and fortunate were those who did not
possess much live stock. It was not until after our arrival here (at
Spéwakee, near Cabul) that we completely got rid of _lice_, which we
denominated infantry: the fleas, for which Affghanistan is famed (and
particularly Cabul), we call light cavalry.
The servants, of course, were worse off than ourselves; and, not having
as good wardrobes as we had, communicated their pests, of the insect
tribe, to the children they carried about; and thus the mothers obtained
a double share. Bugs have lately made their appearance; but not in great
numbers: the flies torment us; and the musquitoes drive us half mad. But
these annoyances, great as they are, are the results of circumstances
which cannot be controlled; and when I say this, I suppose I shall again
be accused of prepossession in favour of the Wuzeer. We ought, however,
to bear in mind, that the Affghans are not addicted to general ablution:
they wash their hands before and after their meals, which is but _comme
il faut_, as they eat with their fingers; and they constantly wear the
same clothes a month. This is not economy. The Wuzeer will take his bath
perhaps once a week; and change his clothes: and the women never think
of doing so oftener; and only open their hair at such times; which is
kept smooth for that period by the application of gum to its innumerable
plaits. Here again is a difference between their tastes and ours, who so
enjoy bathing twice a day.
The garden, or rather vineyard and orchard, I consider a great luxury:
we walk in it every evening for an hour or two. A strong guard is placed
there: but, except when it has been lately changed, the men do not annoy
us. At such times they dodge about after us; but otherwise do not. Last
evening, for instance, sixteen men, armed at all points, sat down in a
row in the centre walk; and laughed and joked together: five or six were
sitting eating grapes on the top of the summer-house; and a few were
posted, seated on the walls; whilst we walked here and there where we
pleased.
When we have marched since we left Buddeabad, Mahommed Shah's family,
and some others, have accompanied us; and the best camels, largest
kujavas, &c., have been selected for them; and when carriage runs short,
they are served first. But this is only what we must expect. Mahommed
Shah Khan, too, preferred Mrs. Sturt's riding-horse to his own; and took
it. Mine was sent to Jellalabad. When Mackenzie went there, he rode, and
lamed it; and it was left behind. There I was fortunate; as Sale has got
it. Luckily I had a few rupees; and the only day I was not provided with
a horse to ride, I hired one for two rupees six anas, a mere baggage
pony; but it carried me safely.
Nothing can exceed the folly I have seen in the papers regarding my
wonderful self;--how I headed the troops, &c. &c. It puts me in mind of
Goldsmith's verses on Mrs. Blaze; in which he remarks, that "the king
himself has followed her, when she has gone before:" and certainly I
have thus headed the troops; for the chiefs told me to come on with them
for safety sake: and thus I certainly did go far in advance of the
column; but it was no proof of valour, though one of prudence.
Troup and Pottinger have been told to be in readiness to go in to-morrow
morning: so I now make up my packet, in case an opportunity should offer
by which Troup can send it to Sale.
The only thing that has given me pleasure in the Indian papers, is a
subscription set on foot by the civilians, to purchase a sword, to be
presented to Sale; because it shows that they appreciate his conduct;
and I know that he will value it most highly. I hear that after Futteh
Jung was placed in confinement, his family had all their jewels, &c.
taken away; to the value of twenty lakhs. Some say this was done by
Akbar and Sultan Jan; others, by Mahommed Shah Khan. The latter had
taken a lesson in such actions, when he despoiled Lady Macnaghten of her
valuables.
_22d August._--Our friends went back to the Wuzeer; and took my packets
with them.
The Affghans still talk of some defeat they have experienced near
Soorkhab: whence the celebrated miner has returned discomfited and
wounded; and says he will not attempt to cope with our force. The Wuzeer
has made the people of Cabul take their oath on the Koran to stand by
him; and great excitement prevails in the city. Futteh Jung has arrived
safely at Jellalabad; and has written from thence, that, if Akbar is his
father's son, he will meet him in fair fight; for which purpose there is
said to have been held a grand muster of troops on the Siah Sung plain;
amounting to 25,000 infantry and 5,000 horse, who are to be headed by
Akbar in person. I can scarcely believe that he will set his fortunes on
the issue of a battle. A fair field and no favour is what we want: but
he would be mad to meet our disciplined troops on the plain; when he
knows that the fastnesses of his country give him every advantage over
us, with any rabble he can collect. Besides, he is all but supreme now.
He wishes to be king: but Zeman Khan has again got a strong party in his
favour; and is endeavouring to regain the throne.
_23d._--The prisoners from Ghuznee arrived quite unexpectedly:--Col.
Palmer, Capt. Burnett (54th), Harris, Nicholson, Poett, Alston,
Williams, Crawford, and Thompson.
Akbar says, he will send us away in three or four days, either to
Bameean, Zoormut, or Soorkhab; twenty miles off, on the borders of the
Loghur country.
_24th._--Sultan Jan left Cabul with 300 men; to reinforce Shumshudeen,
who has been signally defeated, we hear, at Carabagh; escaping with only
twenty men. Some say Nott's force achieved this victory; but others that
the Huzaras rose against him: so probably British gold has been weighed
in the balance, and found more ponderous than the hatred of the Kaffirs.
Being greatly in want of medicine, Mr. Campbell went to the Sirdar to
get some from Cabul; and he told him we were to move to-night or
to-morrow. Mrs. Anderson, being too ill to travel, remains here.
_25th._--A sudden order arrived for our removal; with a report, that
Futteh Jung's and all the female royal family were to accompany us.
Capt. Troup arrived in the evening to see us off, by Akbar's command.
Mrs. Anderson, her husband and children, remained at the fort. Akbar has
ordered every attention to be paid to her and the gentlemen; Mr.
Campbell being left with the party to afford medical aid. Mrs. Trevor
and eight children are also left here, in consequence of her being
seriously ill with fever; as also one of her children. A man of the 44th
died of fever to-day; and was buried in the garden. Soon after the moon
rose we left the fort; camels for kujavas and fifty ponies having been
sent for our accommodation. All our ponies, &c., were taken from us; and
on our removal, a certain number were sent. We fortunately purchased two
ponies to carry our baggage. We were told we were to go to Killa Kazi,
about seven miles from Cabul: but we made a long _détour_ to avoid the
city; and crossed the Loghur river: the road was very tolerable. After
proceeding about five miles we came to several forts on our right; the
first a large one; and were told it was called Killa Kazi. We passed a
succession of forts on either side; but there was scarcely any one to be
seen except a few men watching their grain heaps in the fields. On the
right appeared much cultivation; judging from the dark shade; which,
with an ill-defined line of irregular mountains, was all we could even
speculate upon in the way of scenery. We had with us ten soldiers; so
ill with fever as to require to be carried in kujavas: and Capt.
Mackenzie and Lieut. Eyre were also suffering.
I was the only lady who rode; the others preferring the kujavas; on
account of their children.
_26th._--At daybreak we were still travelling; and near sunrise found
ourselves just opposite to Cabul; and about two miles distant, as the
crow flies, from Baber's tomb. We saw the wall on the hill quite
distinctly. We did not arrive at our ground till past seven: and took up
our stations under some trees near the fort; which, I have been told, is
called Kundah. Here there was no admittance; as Sultan Jan was in it,
with his reinforcements for Ghuznee. This disproves a report of
yesterday; to the effect that the people of Cabul had insisted on having
Sultan Jan as a hostage for our safety. He had a number of good horses
with him: and we recognised the Envoy's grey. His army consisted of
about thirty men; but Inshallah! he is to be joined by lakhs. We are
said to be guarded by 1000 men; but 300 were nearer the mark. During the
morning we were joined by Dr. Berwick, Lieut. Evans, and the European
soldiers who were left sick when we evacuated Cabul: they form a total
of thirty-seven; but a few have been left for want of carriage, which is
to be furnished; and they are to be sent after us; as also Lieut.
Haughton. We this morning recognised the summer-house above Baber's
tomb, Kerghah and the Pughman hills.
Judging from the time that we were travelling, about twelve hours; and
taking the rate of the camels at about two miles per hour, deducting a
fourth for halt; we estimate the distance we have gone at eighteen
miles.
A letter has been received from Kandahar: Nott has marched in three
columns with only 6000 men. He sent his camels out to graze the 3d
March; and lost 2000. He left Kandahar on the 28th.
Shumshudeen has retired on Ghuznee: and, by the last accounts, Gen. Nott
was within ten miles of that fortress. He is expected at Cabul on the
1st. Pollock's force is to move on the 20th. We are to march at
moon-rising. We witnessed a parade of telling off the guards, &c.; and
heard the retreat beat off at sunset. They use our drums and fifes; and
have some bugles with which they sound for us to halt or advance. The
sentries planted round our camp are a perfect farce. These men are the
Pultans; who have no knives, and are mostly armed with our own muskets:
I saw them place their pickets, in imitation of ours; and sentries
walked backwards and forwards, with a ramrod in their hand; having stuck
the butt end of the musket in the earth at their posts: so that, were it
of any use, we might easily overpower them. We asked to be admitted into
the fort: but though they said we might occupy one room when vacated by
Sultan Jan; after his departure, they insulted the gentlemen who went to
get it ready for us; and asked, how the Kaffirs dared to wear their
shoes there. We, therefore, spread loonghees to form a shade, as the
heat was excessive; and at night it was very cold. At eleven the
_réveillé_ was beat by the drums, and performed by the pipes; a kind of
repetition of one, two, three: and at midnight we were all ready to
start.
_27th._--We left camp soon after midnight. The Meer Akhor Ahmed Khan was
very anxious that all the riders should follow the advance guard of half
the infantry; the rest of which closed on our rear: then came the
kujavas, followed up by the baggage; and their rear was closed by a
strong guard of Affghan cavalry.
Another body of horsemen, about twenty in number, joined as riders; and
kept near the Meer Akhor; who desired Lady Macnaghten's kujavas to be
kept as the leading ones; and the camel had fine trappings, as if to
mark it particularly in case of an attempt at escape.
We were between eight and nine hours on the march over a barren broken
slip of land, bounded on either side by the hills for a considerable
distance, until we passed a fort and chokey at Urghundee on our left;
soon after which the road turns off to the left to Ghuznee. The ascent
to Bala Maidan was long, but not difficult; and the view from the top of
it, looking down on the plain above named, was very pretty; comprising a
narrow valley, thickly studded with forts and diversified by
cultivation; with lines of willows and poplars marking the water cuts;
which here serve as hedgerows. We were taken to a fort; but not admitted
into it: and after a time had tents pitched for us. Lady Macnaghten,
Mrs. Boyd and three children, Mrs. Mainwaring and child, Mrs. Sturt and
child, and I, occupied one division of a Sipahee's pall: there was
another tent for the other ladies; two more for the gentlemen, and one
for the sick soldiers.
We hear that Gen. Nott has arrived at Ghuznee, has blown up the new
bourj in the city, and has put to death nearly every man, woman, and
child found there. We cannot be surprised at the men taking signal
vengeance; but we fear the news is too good to be true. We met on our
road two horsemen; whom we supposed to be expresses. We met, also,
several camels, bullocks, and donkeys, laden, for the most part, with
assafœtida.
It seems a plan was proposed this morning, and negatived. I only heard
of it by chance; so no thanks are due for courtesy to those, who, had
the measure been carried, would have come to us for our share. The plan
was, to get Ahmed Khan to make short marches, or halt; so as to allow
Gen. Nott to hear where we are, and rescue us: and should it succeed,
Ahmed was to receive two and a half lakhs. The scale before proposed
was, I believe, again to be brought forward: Lady Macnaghten 10,000
rupees, Lady Sale 5000, Mrs. Sturt 5000, Capt. and Mrs. Boyd and family
5000, &c. This scale is said to be prepared according to rank and means;
which I deny: the other captives are not wealthy any more than
ourselves; and where the money was to come from, I know not. The Indian
Government, it is said, offered to ransom us for that sum; and I believe
would have given more: but this seems to have been a private and most
_zubberrdust_ arrangement.
There is a report, that all Cabul is in confusion, and the natives
fighting against each other; and that our force has passed Gundamuk.