Scenes and Adventures in Affghanistan Part 4

As the soldiers severally left the fortress to return to the camp they were stripped of the plunder which they had obtained, and a goodly heap of armour and weapons of every kind was soon piled before the entrance.

Amongst the number of curious articles obtained in this way was an old s.h.i.+eld, which had belonged to one of the Affghan chiefs and which, though remarkable for the oddness of its construction, presented little else to attract the eye. Its material appeared to be a compound of copper and some white metal, and it was thrown aside by the prize agent amongst the most valueless of the objects which fell under his care. A soldier of the Bengal European regiment, who had been a jeweller by trade, happened to observe the circ.u.mstance, and carelessly taking up the s.h.i.+eld, as if to examine the devices with which it was ornamented, scrutinized it for some time, and went away without making the slightest observation. He immediately repaired to the Captain of his company, and told him to bid for the s.h.i.+eld at the prize sale which was to take place a few days afterwards, advising him not to stop at any reasonable price for it. The officer acted on the hint, and obtained the article for about thirty or forty rupees. The s.h.i.+eld turned out to be of the purest and finest gold, and the fortunate possessor felt so grateful to his informant that he made him a present sufficient to purchase his discharge, and carry him home to England.

Amongst the different ensigns captured from the enemy on this occasion were two banners of green and crimson silk, trimmed with gold lace and inscribed with precepts from the Koran. They were desperately defended, the Affghans appearing to attach great importance to their safety. They are, I believe, at present in the possession of her Majesty's 17th Light Infantry, and the Bengal European Regiment.

Shortly after the breach had been effected intelligence was brought to the Commander-in-Chief, that numbers of the enemy were making their escape through one of the back gates. He immediately dispatched the 1st Bombay Light Cavalry in pursuit. The Affghans being daring hors.e.m.e.n, and better mounted than our men, made at once for the hills, where they knew our Cavalry could not follow. Aware of this our men put their horses to their utmost speed, in order to intercept them before they got entangled in the defiles. The chase soon a.s.sumed a character of lively interest. An Affghan, worse mounted, or less skilled in horsemans.h.i.+p than his fellows, was overtaken and cut down, and the pursuers pressed hard on the heels of another. The cheers of his enemies, and the clatter of their horses' hoofs sounding fearfully near in the ears of the pursued he put the n.o.ble animal on which he was mounted to its utmost speed, and cleared the s.p.a.ce between him and his companions at a bound rather than a gallop. Again he was almost within reach of the sabres of our men, and again did the fleetness of his horse place him for a time in safety. As he was about to plunge into a deep ravine after the other fugitives a shot brought his horse upon its knees, and the rider was flung upon his head. All now seemed over with him. Starting, however, to his feet, he turned upon his pursuers, and single handed opposed a host of them. Warding off the blows which rained on him from every side, he kept rapidly retreating until he gained the brow of a steep declivity over which he flung himself and was instantly lost to view. Disappointed in their pursuit, our men took an unmanly revenge on some peasants who were peaceably engaged in agricultural occupations near the spot. One of these wanton acts of cruelty met with a just retribution. A havildar or serjeant, seeing a young Affghan following the plough at a little distance, galloped up, and made several cuts at him with his sabre. The young man ran to the other side of the plough, and placed the serjeant at bay. The latter drew a pistol from his holster, and was about to shoot him, when his horse stumbled over the plough and fell on his side, breaking the leg of the havildar and pinning him at the same time firmly to the ground. The Affghan seized the sword which had fallen from his grasp, and dealt him a blow on the head which instantly killed him.

The comrades of the dead man riding up surrounded and captured the peasant, and he was brought into camp to abide the decision of the Commander-in-Chief. A representation having been made to Sir John Keane of the wanton and unprovoked attack which had been made upon the prisoner, he immediately ordered him to be liberated. The havildar was interred on the spot where he fell and there were few in the army who pitied or regretted him.

CHAPTER IX.

Attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Shah.--Court Martial on an Affghan Chief.--Visit to the Hospital at Ghuznee.--Hatred of the Affghans towards the Native Troops.--Departure from Ghuznee.--Capture of a Battery and Fatal Accident.--Summary Punishment.--Arrival at Cabul.--Pursuit of Dost Mahommed and Treachery of a Native Chief.--Description of Cabul.--The Balar Hissar.--Mosque of the Emperor Baber.--The Bazaar.

A few days after the taking of Ghuznee a tragical scene occurred, which pretty clearly indicated how the tide of popular feeling ran with regard to the restored monarch. There is a poetical superst.i.tion that approaching events are often foreshadowed, and the circ.u.mstance to which I allude seemed to impress every man's mind at the time with the result that has since happened.

The majority of the prisoners who fell into our hands were released on condition of their serving in the Shah's army, but there remained about thirty who refused to accept of their liberty on such terms. They consisted for the most part of the immediate followers of Dost Mahommed's father-in-law, and were devotedly attached to that prince.

The Shah, on learning the circ.u.mstance ordered them to be brought before him, and expostulated with them on the folly of their conduct. A Chief of haughty bearing stepped from amongst the prisoners, and after overwhelming his Majesty with reproaches, told him that nothing should induce him to enter the service of a man who had brought the horrors of foreign invasion on his country. Then suddenly s.n.a.t.c.hing a dagger from one of the attendants, he rushed with uplifted arm towards the Shah, and would have pierced him to the heart had not one of his Majesty's servants interposed his person, and received the blow intended for his master. The faithful domestic fell dead at the feet of the Shah, and the officers and attendants instantly rushed towards the a.s.sa.s.sin with drawn swords; but he had already antic.i.p.ated their intention by plunging the poniard in his breast. The Shah, alarmed and exasperated, ordered the whole of the prisoners to be immediately executed, and in a few minutes their heads were rolling in the dust. This terrible scene created great alarm in the camp, it being at first reported that his Majesty had been a.s.sa.s.sinated, but the apprehensions to which it gave rise were soon dispelled, by his publicly making his appearance amongst us.

A Chief, named Walla Mahommed, who had persisted in firing on the troops several hours after the taking of the fort, and in spite of repeated summonses to surrender, was brought to a court martial by order of the Commander-in-Chief, and sentenced to be shot within the walls of the fortress. He had killed three or four of our men, and wounded one of the Native officers by his obstinate folly. He met his fate with the most perfect indifference, for the fear of death cannot be said to be one of the weaknesses of the Affghan character.

I one day paid a visit, with some of my comrades, to the hospital where the wounded Affghans had been carried by their friends. It was situated in the old town, and consisted of a mud hut, whose thatched roof was broken in several places, and afforded little or no shelter against the heat of the sun. The interior was as filthy and disgusting as it is possible to conceive. Into a s.p.a.ce of about thirty feet by twelve, were crowded from seventy to a hundred patients, who were disabled by wounds of every description, their sufferings being aggravated tenfold, by the intolerable heat and stench of the place. They were attended by two elderly men and a youth about fifteen years of age, who were busily engaged dressing their wounds, whilst a Faquir was performing certain charms, by which he pretended he could restore them to health. Pitiable and disgusting as the scene was I could not help laughing at the mummeries of the fellow. He first placed some cow dung in the hand of the sufferer, and holding it in his, saturated it with water and compelled the patient to smell it. He then wound up the ceremony by repeating some prayers over the fumes of a charcoal pan, the patient repeating after him certain responses which he directed him to make.

This done, he covered him up with an old blanket, and ordered him to lay quiet for several hours, when the cure would be complete. Having of course received a consideration for all this trouble, he left his patients to the progress of the charm, and the discovery, when too late, that they had been grossly duped.

Happening to have a quant.i.ty of apples with me which I had just plucked from one of the orchards in the vicinity, I offered them to the sufferers in the hope that they would in some degree refresh them. They accepted them with eagerness which induced some sepoys who were with me to follow my example. The Affghans indignantly refused to receive anything at their hands, and so great was their hatred of the native troops, that they actually spat upon the men who showed them this kindness.

Early in August we resumed our march towards Cabul, leaving the whole of our sick and wounded in garrison at Ghuznee. It was reported that Dost Mahommed intended to dispute every inch of ground to the capital, but these valiant resolutions were abandoned as soon as formed. The only indication of a preconcerted plan of defence which we met with on the route, was a battery of sixteen field pieces which we found planted on an eminence commanding the entrance to a formidable pa.s.s about midway between Ghuznee and Cabul, but which had been deserted by the enemy as soon as our advanced columns made their appearance. A party of the Horse Artillery having been sent to secure the guns and ammunition, an accident took place which was attended with fatal consequences. One of the men having approached a tumbrel with a lighted pipe a spark fell into it and the whole blew up with a tremendous explosion, killing two of the party and severely injuring another.

The conduct of the inhabitants of the different villages along this route, whether influenced by good will or fear, I cannot take upon myself to say, was friendly and well disposed towards us. This did not however prevent some excesses on the part of the native troops, which Sir John Keane sought to repress by issuing an order forbidding the men from robbing the villagers on pain of death. At Chesgow, about two days march from Ghuznee, a soldier belonging to the 2nd Bengal Light Cavalry was observed thieving in the immediate vicinity of the staff lines, and one of Sir John's aides de camps who watched his proceedings took a gun from his tent and deliberately lodged its contents in his side. The unfortunate man died of the wound, after lingering a few days. The extreme severity of the punishment and its informal nature, were bitterly canva.s.sed amongst the native troops, but it nevertheless had the effect of preventing a repet.i.tion of the offence.

Early on the morning of the 7th of August, we encamped without opposition under the walls of Cabul, Dost Mahommed and his forces having fled to the hills at the first news of our approach. The Commander-in-Chief being desirous of securing the person of the usurper, immediately despatched Captain Outram, and Hadji Khan, a chief supposed to be well affected towards Shah Soojah, with a thousand Affghans and a hundred native cavalry in pursuit. They had not proceeded far from the camp when it became evident to Captain Outram that treachery was secretly at work, the Affghans deserting daily, until their number was diminished to about five hundred. Hadji Khan, to whose guidance the force was entrusted, led it by long and circuitous routes, under pretence that they would thereby more easily intercept the fugitives, and turned a deaf ear to the Captain's entreaties that they should proceed directly across the hills. Wherever a rapid movement became necessary, the Affghan managed so that his followers should be delayed on the route, and there was no sort of impediment that craft or ingenuity could suggest that he did not employ to r.e.t.a.r.d the progress of the troops. Captain Outram having no authority to act without the aid of the Khan was obliged to shut his eyes to these manoeuvres, and succeeded after the most urgent persuasion in inducing the Affghan Chief to proceed at once to the hills, with a small detachment.

After traversing the highest parts of the Hindoo Kosh, a chain of mountains, fifteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, and extending as far as Bamean, Captain Outram found that Dost Mahommed had taken refuge in the territories of an independent Uzbeck Chieftain then at enmity with the Shah. Whilst crossing the heights several blue lights were thrown up by the orders of Hadji Khan, which the British had reason to believe were intended to give warning to the enemy. Further pursuit through a difficult and hostile territory became of course out of the question, and the horses being worn out from want of forage and rest, orders were given for the return of the party to Cabul. During the march homeward Hadji Khan contrived to give the British the slip, and made off to the hills, rightly calculating that his equivocal conduct would be severely punished by the Shah. He was, however, captured before the British left Cabul, and sentenced to imprisonment for life. It was said that the Commander-in-Chief was dissatisfied with the conduct of Captain Outram in this affair, and that he pointedly pa.s.sed over his name in the official despatches to mark his displeasure.

As several descriptions of Cabul have been published it will only be necessary for me to give such of its leading features as are essential to the completeness of my narrative. The city lies almost in the centre of a semicircular chain of hills, the valley in which it is situated being watered by a n.o.ble river which pursues a serpentine and picturesque route through it, and divides the town in nearly equal parts. The bazaar stands at the base of a lofty mountain, up whose rugged sides straggle rude and irregular fortifications of no great strength or importance. The town itself covers a considerable extent of ground, and the streets are in general regular and well built as compared with the other cities of Asia. Towering high above the other buildings may be observed the mosque and Balar Hissar or palace of the sovereign. The latter is surrounded by beautiful gardens and is entered by a large flagged court-way leading to the princ.i.p.al portal of the edifice. The proportions of the building are on a scale commensurate with royalty, the centre being surmounted by a lofty dome, and the wings of vast extent. The right wing contains the stabling of the Shah and chambers of the household, and the left is appropriated to the sovereign's own use. The general effect of this building is heavy, and it conveys the idea of a prison rather than a palace.

About half a mile to the right of the palace stands the mosque which contains the remains of the Emperor Baber. This temple is one of the finest I have seen in this part of Asia, being of great architectural beauty and n.o.ble proportions. It is entirely composed of richly carved stone-work, and is crowned by a number of graceful spires and minarets.

The interior is magnificently ornamented with gilding and sculpture, and the pavement is composed of rich Mosaics of various coloured marbles.

The tomb containing the remains of the Emperor occupies the centre of the mosque, and is less elaborately ornamented than any other part of it, being composed of plain slabs of white marble on which some extracts from the Koran are inscribed.

The bazaar is of circular form, the streets composing it radiating from an open s.p.a.ce in its centre, and presenting a thronged and busy aspect.

The princ.i.p.al articles of merchandize which attracted our notice were cashmere shawls of the richest and most expensive patterns, and costly silks of every description. A considerable trade is also carried on in preserved fruits, which find their way from here to the most distant parts of Hindostan. In the fruit market we observed grapes which measured nearly two inches in circ.u.mference; peaches, whose rich bloom and luscious quality gratified at once the eye and the palate; and strawberries, such as the hot houses of Europe, and all the inventions of horticultural science could not force into existence. As to apples and pears, fruits prized in the western hemisphere, they were in such abundance and of such low price, that they were only deemed worthy of furnis.h.i.+ng food for cattle. Almost all the necessaries of life were in equal profusion, beef fetching only a penny, and mutton twopence the pound. It may be readily imagined that to the tired and half-starved soldier, Cabul appeared almost a second land of promise.

CHAPTER X.

Triumphant Entry of Shah Soojah into Cabul.--The Cabul Races.--Death of Brigadier General Arnold.--Sale of the General's effects.--Arrival of Prince Timour.--The Sikhs.--Murder of Colonel Herring.--Arrival of money and supplies from the Upper Provinces.

It having been announced that early on the morning of the 8th of August the Shah would take formal possession of the Balar Hissar, the troops were under arms and in review order at ten o'clock. The Commander-in-Chief, the Politicals, and the whole of the general officers and staff rode up, shortly after, to the tent of his Majesty, at which I happened that morning to be stationed as orderly, and were kept waiting some time. Sir William McNaghten and Sir Alexander Burnes were at length summoned to the Shah's presence, and having remained with him a few minutes, they came out and informed the Commander-in-Chief, it was his Majesty's pleasure that the ceremony should be postponed until three o'clock the same afternoon. The reason a.s.signed for this alteration was understood to be an augury p.r.o.nounced by his Majesty's priests or soothsayers, that the hour was unpropitious, an opinion in which the troops devoutly concurred, the prospect of broiling for several hours under a meridian sun not being extremely agreeable.

At the appointed hour the troops were again under arms, and salvoes of artillery announced the Shah's departure from his tent. His Majesty was, as usual, borne on an elephant, the howdah of which was of silver, and the caparisons crimson and gold. On each side of him sat Sir William Mc Naghten and Sir Alexander Burnes, the former attired in the same court dress which he had worn at Candahar. His Majesty appeared in excellent health and spirits, and addressed much of his conversation to Sir Alexander Burnes, who seemed to be high in his favour. The Shah's costume was, as usual, magnificent, his turban being ornamented with a single diamond, whose value was estimated at 100,000. Immediately after came six elephants, containing the ministers and household of the Shah, and then followed the Commander-in-Chief, with the whole of the general officers and staff in brilliant uniforms, and decorated with their various orders. The next feature in the procession, and a ludicrous one it was, was the appearance of two burly-looking fellows, dressed in red and yellow, and wearing conical caps, out of which shot two large horns. We at first supposed they were his Highness's jesters, but instead of that they turned out to be his executioners, functionaries far more essential to the comfort of an Asiatic prince. The Shah's troops, consisting of two thousand infantry, brought up the rear, our own lining the route along which the procession pa.s.sed. On approaching the city his Highness was received with loud acclamations by the populace, who gave expression to their satisfaction in barbarous music and salvoes of small fire arms. Many of the houses were decorated with flowers, and the windows were crowded with spectators. At the entrance, and in the courts of the palace, was stationed a body of about 250 hors.e.m.e.n, whose steel armour and splendid horses gave them a martial and imposing appearance. They received us with stern and scowling looks, which plainly indicated that their hearts were not in the ceremony which they were compelled to sanction by their presence. On the Shah's entrance into the palace he held a durbar, at which all the British officers were presented to him, and his Majesty took the opportunity of expressing to them individually and collectively his thanks for the exertions which they had made to replace him on his throne.

We had several reviews of the troops during our stay at Cabul, and on each occasion we were honoured by the Shah's presence. In order to give his Highness some notion of an English horse race, it was agreed that the officers should get up sweepstakes amongst themselves, which the Shah no sooner heard of, than he added a splendid gold hilted sword with Damascus blade. This increased the spirit of compet.i.tion, and the Derby or Oaks was never looked forward to with more eager interest. The place selected for the course was a level plain immediately beyond our lines, and about a mile and a half from the city.

From sixteen to twenty horses belonging to the officers of the different regiments were entered for the sword, and it was resolved that three heats should be run for it, the first six horses of the first heat being privileged to run the second, and the third heat being limited to the first and second horses of the second heat. It was agreed that the sweepstakes, which amounted to a considerable sum, should be divided into three parts, for the different breeds and ages of cattle so as to prolong the sport for three or four days.

Six o'clock in the evening being the time fixed for the commencement of the races, the course became crowded, long before that hour, with anxious spectators, the natives not being amongst the least eager lookers on at this, to them, novel scene. The Shah took up his position near the winning post, attended by the Politicals, and the Commander-in-Chief, but his Majesty did not appear to take much interest in the sport, and he left the course before it was half over.

The officers rode their own horses and turned out in gay striped jackets and jockey caps; so that but for the dark faces and turbaned heads which every where encountered the eye it would not have been difficult to imagine ourselves suddenly transported to Ascot or Epsom. The word having been given, away started the compet.i.tors in high blood and spirits; and as the rider belonging to some particular regiment pa.s.sed the others in his career, the men composing it enthusiastically cheered and hurraed him, others taking up their shouts as their favourite pa.s.sed him in turn, this military favouritism imparting to the contest a degree of wild excitement such as I have never witnessed on any similar occasion.

The second heat was still more warmly contested, as, according to the regulations above mentioned only the two foremost horses could be entered for the third. Major Daly of the 4th Light Dragoons, and an officer of the 16th Lancers, whose name I now forget, obtained the precedence, after a hard struggle, the race being a neck and neck one the entire way.

As the two successful officers belonged to different divisions, one to the Bengal and the other to the Bombay army, the partizans.h.i.+p which before had been only regimental now extended to the two armies, and "Bravo Bengal," "Bravo Bombay," burst at every moment from the eager mult.i.tudes a.s.sembled, as the riders alternately pa.s.sed or repa.s.sed each other in the final heat.

After a contest in which the compet.i.tors themselves almost appeared to feel the influence which pervaded the crowd, and to think that the honor of their respective divisions depended upon their success, Major Daly gained the race by about a neck, and was handed the sword amid the delighted cheers of the Bombay troops and the congratulations of his brother officers. The races continued two days longer, and afforded a pleasant recreation to the men after the fatiguing and hara.s.sing duties of the last few months.

Brigadier General Arnold of the army of the Indus, having been long suffering under a liver complaint, breathed his last at Cabul shortly after our arrival there. This officer was distinguished for his qualities as a _bon vivant_, and having laid in a good store of necessaries for the campaign, was the only one almost who fared well amidst the general privations. He kept an excellent table along the route, and an invitation to it, was always regarded as amongst the lucky chances by which fortune signified her favour. Good living could not however protect the General against disease, and he fell ill at Candahar of a malady which is often said to be the result of it. He was carried from Candahar to Cabul in a palankeen, and took no part whatever in the events which occurred between those places. His remains were interred in the Armenian burial ground, outside the walls of the city, and his effects were publicly sold by auction a few days after. The General had left Bengal with about eighty camels laden with baggage and necessaries, of which about five and twenty remained at the time of the sale. His trunks were filled with quant.i.ties of plate, a goodly provision of snuff and cigars, and such an immense stock of linen that it occupied two days of the sale. His cooking apparatus was most elaborate and ingenious, and we could not help wondering at the uses to which the infinite varieties of small and curious articles of which it was composed were devoted. The prices at which these effects were sold will appear incredible to the European reader, but it must be remembered that it was the scarcity, in fact the almost total impossibility of getting them, that enhanced their value. The cigars sold at the rate of about two s.h.i.+llings and six pence each, the snuff at ten s.h.i.+llings an ounce, a few bottles of beer, a liquor of which no other officer in the army possessed a drop, at thirty s.h.i.+llings each, and some choice wines at from three to four pounds the bottle. The other things brought proportionate prices, the s.h.i.+rts fetching from thirty to forty s.h.i.+llings each. The amount realised at this sale must have been enormous.

Prince Timour, the eldest son of Shah Soojah, arrived at Cabul early in September, escorted by the troops of Runjeet Singh. We expected to find the Sikhs an undisciplined horde of barbarians, but they turned out on the contrary to be nearly as well organized as ourselves, being disciplined by French officers, and marching with the same order and regularity as a European regiment. Each division was headed by an excellent military band and officered by the same number of grades as ourselves. The men were in general about the middle height, and not so muscular or well formed as the Affghans. They are made, however, of the right material for the soldier, being brave, orderly, and tractable, and though they may be considered in some respects inferior to the European troops, they are in my opinion, equal if not superior, to the Sepoys. A detachment consisting of the 4th Light Dragoons, the 16th Lancers, and her Majesty's Queen's Royals, under the command of Major-General Sir Thomas Wilts.h.i.+re, was despatched to receive the Prince with fitting honors. He was met at a short distance from the town by the British escort, and conducted to the palace amid salvoes of Artillery. The Prince was a fine youth about one or two and twenty, with a frank expression of countenance and affable manners. The meeting between him and his royal father was said to be extremely affecting, and the Prince was unceasing in his expressions of grat.i.tude to the British for bringing about this happy reunion.

Large supplies of arrack, biscuits, and rice, together with money to pay the troops, having been promised from the Upper Provinces, their arrival was looked forward to with some anxiety in the camp, as we could not leave Cabul without them. Information was at length received that Colonel Herring was on his way through the Punjaub, and after a tedious and hara.s.sing journey, in which he had to encounter frequent opposition to his progress from the mountain tribes, he at length reached Hyder Khail within one day's march of Cabul. Riding out alone next morning, for the purpose of inspecting the country, the Colonel was set upon by a body of Affghans and barbarously murdered, his body being plundered of every article of value he had about him, and his horse carried off. His mutilated remains were found in the course of the day by some troopers, who had been sent out in search of him, and brought to Cabul along with the stores, which reached that place in safety the same night. He was interred with military honours in the Armenian burial-ground, on the following day. The deceased had been long in the service, and was a gallant and experienced officer. We heard that his murderers were captured shortly after we left Cabul, and put to a dreadful death, by order of the Shah.

CHAPTER XI.

Inst.i.tution of the Order of the Doorannee Empire.--Murder of a Private of the 13th Light Infantry.--Departure from Cabul.--Return to Ghuznee.--Accident to the Revd. Mr. Pigot.--Discovery of the Skeletons of British Soldiers.--Horse-steaks.--Treachery of some Ghiljie Chiefs and destruction of their Fort.--Adventure of a Dragoon.--Loss of a Cook.

In order to testify his grat.i.tude towards the British, the Shah resolved to inst.i.tute an order of merit, to be called the order of the Doorannee Empire, and to confer its respective grades upon three cla.s.ses of officers, namely, Generals, Brigadier Generals, and Field Officers. A durbar having been summoned, at which the Ministers of State, the Politicals, and a number of British Officers were present, a chapter of the order was held, and his Majesty, as Sovereign, invested the Commander-in-Chief, several general and field officers, and the Politicals with the decoration, which consisted of a sort of Maltese cross with a jewel in the centre. His Majesty was also pleased to express his desire that every officer, non-commissioned officer, and private soldier in the army should receive a silver medal, commemorative of the campaign, and for this purpose placed a large sum of money at the disposal of Sir John Keane. The Queen's sanction has been obtained to the measure, but the medal has not as yet been issued.

Leave had been given by the officers in command of the different regiments to men entering the town to carry their side arms, as a protection in case of chance collision with the inhabitants. The facility of obtaining intoxicating liquors rendered this a contingency of not unlikely occurrence, and our men soon got themselves into unpleasant and in some instances dangerous sc.r.a.pes. On one occasion, a private of the 13th Light Infantry having been drinking rather freely, forced himself into the apartments of the wife of a respectable inhabitant. Proceeding to offer her some violence, her screams alarmed the neighbourhood, and the soldier was soon surrounded by a host of angry husbands and fathers, armed with every description of weapon. He defended himself with his bayonet for some time, contenting himself with merely parrying their blows, and had fought his way into the street, when he was met by several others of the townspeople, who set upon the unfortunate fellow and instantly despatched him. They secreted the body until night-fall, and then threw it outside the walls of the town, where it was discovered next morning.

It having been determined that early in September part of the forces should set out on their return homeward, the choice fell upon her Majesty's 17th Foot, the 2nd or Queen's Royals, one Company of Foot Artillery, a detachment of the 4th Light Dragoons, the 1st regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry, and two troops of Bombay Horse Artillery, the whole under the command of Major General Sir Thomas Wilts.h.i.+re. It would naturally be supposed that after so long an absence from quarters, we hailed this intimation with something like pleasure, but such was far from being the fact. We had rioted in profusion and luxury, and did not relish the idea of again encountering the privations of the long and dreary route which lay between us and India. Added to this we had seen but little of actual fighting, and the promotions had been consequently few.

Promotion and prize money are the all engrossing subjects of a soldier's ambition, and this speedy return put an end at once to our long cherished hopes. We well knew that the restless and turbulent spirit of the Affghan Chiefs would not permit them to remain long in subjection to Shah Soojah, and that there would consequently be more work for the British troops. Regret and envy of our more fortunate comrades were therefore the predominant feelings which pervaded nearly the whole of the departing troops.

We left Cabul on the 14th of September, and arrived at Ghuznee, the scene of our former exploits, after eight days' march, during which nothing worthy of mention occurred. It is astonis.h.i.+ng how soon the traces of war disappear, and the living gaps caused by its ravages are filled up. The fortress appeared as perfect in its outline as if the hand of the destroyer had not recently pa.s.sed over it, new gates having been subst.i.tuted for those which had been damaged, and the breach immediately above them re-filled with masonry. The inhabitants of the bazaar had resumed their accustomed occupations, and scolded, and chaffered, and jested, and laughed, as if they had neither lost relatives nor friends, nor dabbled through mire freshly reeking with their blood. Familiarity, they say, breeds contempt and blunts the feelings, and the Asiatic, before whose eyes such scenes pa.s.s almost daily, thinks of them only as the immutable decrees of fate, which cannot be shunned, and ought not to be repined at.

The sick and wounded, of whom we had left numbers at Ghuznee, had almost all died, and were interred in an open s.p.a.ce selected for the purpose outside the walls of the fortress. The last resting-place of our brave fellows is situated at the foot of one of the adjacent mountains, but neither stone nor inscription indicates the spot.

The Bengal regiment of Native Infantry, whom we found in garrison at Ghuznee on our return, and whom we left after us, appeared to be quite as well reconciled to their quarters as we were at Cabul, although the two places appeared to me vastly different in point of health and comfort. The majority of the inhabitants regarded the troops with a sort of sullen indifference, but the trading cla.s.ses seemed civil enough. The quant.i.ties of fish and game with which the neighbourhood abounded, afforded the officers a ready means of dissipating their time, and we would have been well content to have remained here. Orders were however given that we should pursue our route, and we left Ghuznee on the 25th of September, after a stay of only two or three days.