the garrison of jellalabad found themselves pressed for provisions at the end of march, and on the 1st of april made a gallant sortie, and swept into the town a flock of five hundred sheep and goats. on the 5th macgregor's spies brought in news from akbar's camp that it was reported there that pollock had been beaten with great loss in the khyber pass, and on the following morning akbar's guns fired a royal salute in honour of the supposed victory. sale, now confident of the fighting powers of his men, determined to make a great effort to break up the blockade; as if pollock[pg 302] had really been defeated it would be some time before relief could come to them, and they could not hope again to make such a capture as that which they had effected on the 1st. a council of war was held, and action was decided upon, as success would not only free them from all apprehensions of being starved out, but would effect a diversion in favour of pollock.
the force was but a small one for the enterprise which they moved out to undertake. the centre column, consisting of the 13th regiment, mustering five hundred bayonets, was under the command of colonel dennie; the right, consisting of some three hundred and fifty men of the two native regiments and a detachment of sappers, was commanded by captain havelock; the left column was about the same strength, under lieutenant-colonel monteith; the light field battery and a small cavalry force were to support them. they advanced from the city at daylight on the 7th. akbar khan drew up his force, six thousand strong, before his camp, his right resting on a fort, and his left on the cabul river. havelock's column commenced the fight by attacking the enemy's left, while dennie advanced to the assault of the fort, which was vigorously defended. dennie himself fell mortally wounded by an afghan ball, but his men captured the place in gallant style. a general attack now took place on akbar's camp. the artillery advanced at a gallop, and poured their fire into the afghan centre, the 13th and colonel monteith's column pierced their right, while havelock drove back their left from the support afforded by the river.
the afghans fought sturdily, their musketry keeping up a heavy fire, and large bodies of horse again and again threatened havelock's column, while three guns from a hidden battery opened fire. the struggle, however, was a short one. their cannon were taken, every position held by them was captured, and by seven o'clock they were in full[pg 303] retreat. two cavalry standards were taken, four guns lost by the cabul and gundamuck forces were recaptured, a vast quantity of ordnance stores destroyed, and the whole of the enemy's tents burnt. the loss of the afghans had been heavy, and several chiefs were among the fallen. the loss of the victors was small indeed. colonel dennie and ten sepoys were killed, three officers and some fifty men wounded. a day or two later pollock's force reached jellalabad, and the joy of both parties was great.
indeed, no stronger contrast can be found than that between the leading and conduct of the force at cabul and that at jellalabad. the one showed the british leader and the british soldier at their worst, the other the british commander and men at their best. it may be confidently affirmed that had sale been in the place of elphinstone, with full power of action, the fight in the passes would never have taken place, and within three days of the murder of burnes the afghan host would have been a mob of fugitives, and cabul would have been in our hands. the british soldier is always best in the attack. he is ready and eager to fight against any odds, but when kept in a state of inaction, under a commander in whom he has lost all confidence, he speedily deteriorates. happily there are few examples in our military history such as those of cabul and walcheren, where the british soldier has been placed in such a position.
while pollock was forcing the khyber pass the reign of shah soojah came to a sudden end. after the departure of the british no hostility was shown towards him by the afghans, and he continued at the bala hissar in the position of nominal sovereign of afghanistan the nawab having willingly resigned the difficult and dangerous post and accepted that of wuzeer. he himself had his troubles. most restless and dangerous of these afghan leaders was aneen-oollah-khan, who had played fast and loose with the british while[pg 304] secretly working against them. he demanded the surrender to him of the hostages. the nawab steadily refused, and as threats of force were used against him, raised a body of three thousand men for their protection. these, however, were corrupted by aneen, but the nawab remained faithful to his trust. on the 4th of april shah soojah left the bala hissar with his retinue to go down to join akbar khan. an ambush was laid for him by one of the sons of the nawab. these poured in a volley, and shah soojah fell dead, shot through the head. the nawab was filled with horror at the deed, and swore an oath never again to see his son beneath his roof or suffer him to be named in his presence.
while jellalabad was being besieged, the situation at candahar had been precarious. ghuznee had been captured by the tribesmen after a gallant defence, and its garrison had been massacred. kelat-i-ghilzye was besieged, and without hope of succour. candahar was surrounded by the insurgent dooranees, but these had been twice defeated by general nott. during one of these expeditions the city was in imminent danger, for the enemy, gradually retiring, drew the sortie-party a considerable distance from the walls, and then at night slipped away and attacked the place. one of the gates was destroyed by fire, and for many hours the issue of the contest was doubtful. at last, however, the assailants were beaten off with very heavy loss. a force marching up to the relief of the town, under general england, being very badly handled, were opposed on their way up from quettah, and fell back and remained there until nott sent a peremptory order for them to advance again.
he himself marched to meet them, and on the united force arriving at candahar, the town was placed beyond all risk of capture. nott was preparing to march on cabul,[pg 305] while pollock advanced on jellalabad; but, to the stupefaction and disappointment of all, an order arrived from calcutta for the abandonment of candahar and the return of the force to india. there had been a change of governors. lord ellenborough had succeeded lord auckland, and immediately set to work to overthrow the whole policy of his predecessor. similar orders were sent to pollock. the latter, however, mindful of the honour of his country, and the safety of the hostages and ladies, replied that, being almost without carriage, it would be impossible for him to retire at once, thus gaining time, which he utilized by entering into negotiations with akbar khan for the release of their prisoners.
both generals wisely kept the order they had received a secret from the troops, who would have been profoundly disheartened. however, no secret had been made as to the orders issued in calcutta, and the news soon spread all over india, and reached pollock's camp, that the army was to be withdrawn. pollock did his best to throw doubts upon the truth of the reports by marking out a new camp two miles in advance, and arranging with the natives to bring in supplies there, so as to give grounds for a belief that, so far from leaving the town, he was preparing for an advance. in the meantime he had written an urgent letter pointing out the evils and difficulties of an immediate withdrawal, and the immense advantage that would arise by striking a heavy blow before retiring, and so to some extent retrieving the reputation of the british army.
the letter had its influence, and the governor wrote:
it would be desirable undoubtedly, before finally quitting afghanistan, that you should have an opportunity of striking a blow at the enemy, and since circumstances seem to com[pg 306]pel you to remain there till october, the governor-general earnestly hopes that you will be able to draw the enemy into a position in which you may strike such a blow effectually.
this was good news. every effort was being made to collect carriage cattle in hindostan for the purpose of the withdrawal, and pollock determined to turn these to account. if there was carriage enough to enable him to fall back upon peshawur, there would be carriage enough for him to advance on cabul. in the meantime negotiations were going on for the release of the captives. the married families had, on the day of their arrival at akbar's camp, been placed in a small fort with pottinger, lawrence, and mackenzie. two days later they were taken down to jugduluk, where they found general elphinstone, brigadier shelton, and captain johnson, and thence travelled down to a fort, the property of the father of akbar's wife. the party consisted of nine ladies, twenty officers and fourteen children; seventeen european soldiers, two women and a child were confined in another part of the fort.
here they remained three months. two more officers were brought in, and a month after their arrival two other survivors, major griffiths and captain souter, were added to the party. on the day after akbar's defeat they were hastily taken away and carried to tezeen, and thence to a place called zanda, far up in the hills. general elphinstone had been bed-ridden for some weeks, and was left behind at tezeen, where he died. akbar khan sent in his remains to jellalabad. civil war was raging in cabul. shah soojah's second son had succeeded him, but he was altogether without power. some of the chiefs supported him, others opposed; but finally the bala hissar was stormed by akbar, who was now the most powerful chief in afghanistan. pollock was still harassed by letters from lord ellenborough insisting[pg 307] upon his retiring; but public opinion throughout india was so opposed to a course that would bring the deepest disgrace upon the british power, that at last, in august, he wrote to nott saying that he must withdraw his force from afghanistan, but that if he chose he might take the route through ghuznee and cabul. he similarly issued his orders for pollock to retire, but added that "you will be at liberty to first march to cabul to meet nott."
both had been preparing for the movement. pollock had sent several expeditions against hostile tribesmen, and had recovered one of the captured guns. on the 20th of august he left jellalabad with eight thousand troops, and on the 23rd reached gundamuck. the next day the village was cleared of a strong body of the enemy. while concentrating his troops there and waiting intelligence from nott, the british force remained at gundamuck till the 7th of september. on the 1st, futteh jung, who had succeeded his father, rode into camp. akbar khan had stripped him of all power and all his wealth, and imprisoned him in the bala hissar, from which he had now escaped, and with much difficulty made his way to pollock's camp to seek the protection of the british government. on the 7th the first division of the army, under the command of sale, moved forward; the second division, under general m'caskill, marched on the following day. sale found the hills commanding the roads through the jugduluk pass occupied by large bodies of the enemy, who opened a heavy fire. the guns replied, and the infantry then in three columns dashed up the hills and drove the ghilzyes from them.
one strong body had taken refuge at an apparently inaccessible point, but the british storming party scaled the height, and the enemy fled without waiting for the assault at close quarters. thus on the hills where the afghans had massacred elphinstone's troops they were now taught that,[pg 308] if well led, the british soldier could defeat them in a position they had deemed impregnable. at tezeen the second division joined the first. the force halted for a day, and the afghans, believing that this betokened indecision, mustered their forces for a final engagement. akbar had, as he had threatened to do if they advanced, sent off the captives to the bamian pass, with the intention of selling them as slaves to the turkomans.
on the 13th the two armies were face to face. the valley of tezeen was commanded on all sides by lofty hills, and these now swarmed with men. the enemy's horse entered the valley, but the british squadrons charged them, drove them in headlong flight, and cut down many. the infantry climbed the hills on both sides under a terrible fire from the afghan guns. to these they made no reply, well knowing that their muskets were no match for the long firearms of the enemy. as soon, however, as they reached the summit, they fixed bayonets and charged with a mighty cheer. only a few of the enemy stood their ground, and fell, the rest fled. all day firing was kept up, until at last the enemy occupying the highest ridges were, in spite of a sturdy resistance, driven off, fairly beaten on their own ground and in their own style of warfare.
our troops fought with extraordinary bravery. they were animated by a desire to wipe out the disgrace that had fallen on our arms, and were maddened by the sight of the numerous skeletons of their comrades in the jugduluk. akbar khan saw that all was up, and fled, while the tribesmen scattered to their homes, and the army marched forward without opposition to cabul.
in the meantime, nott had been busy. on the 29th of may he inflicted a decisive defeat upon the dooranees outside the walls of candahar. on the 7th of august the army evacuated that city, and on the 27th arrived at mookoor.[pg 309] up to this point no opposition whatever had been offered. the inhabitants had been friendly, and supplies were obtained without difficulty. but the afghan governor of ghuznee had raised all the country, and had taken up a very strong position near the source of the turnuck.
on the 28th the forces met. the position of the enemy was unknown, as a thick mist covered the country. the cavalry rode forward to reconnoitre, cut up a party of afghan infantry in the plain, and pursuing them hotly came upon hills crowded by the enemy, who opened a heavy fire. they fell back in an orderly manner, when a body of the enemy's horse appeared on the hill above them. a squadron of native cavalry charged them, but were cut up by the fire of a body of afghan foot who had hitherto been hidden. the enemy's horse poured down, and the troopers, already suffering from the infantry fire, turned and fled. the panic spread, and the whole of the cavalry were soon in flight. two british officers had been killed and three wounded, and fifty-six men disabled. nott, on hearing the loss, marched out with his infantry, but on reaching the scene of the fight found that the enemy had retired.
on the afternoon of the next day nott, marching forward, came upon a fort held by the enemy. our artillery opened upon it with little effect. the afghan army, some ten thousand strong, had been watching us, and now opened an artillery fire from the heights, and its foot men moved forward to the attack; but as they neared us our infantry charged with a cheer and they broke and fled. two of their guns, and their tents, magazines, and stores were captured. on the 5th of september nott encamped before ghuznee, and began to prepare for the assault. the enemy, however, were in no humour for fighting; the greater portion of the tribesmen had scattered to their homes after their defeat. the garrison lost heart altogether and evacuated the city,[pg 310] and the governor set off with a few followers for cabul. the next morning the british entered the town without firing a shot. on the following day, however, the governor returned with a large number of the tribesmen who had just arrived, and on the 14th nott attacked them. a hard battle was fought, but it was indecisive. on the following morning the enemy disappeared; they had received the news of the defeat of akbar at tezeen. the column, however, was again harassed when the troops advanced, but they cleared the way in good style. the tribesmen here had been actively engaged in the cabul insurrection, and twenty-six of their forts were burned as punishment. on the 17th the army encamped four miles from the city, and learned that pollock had occupied cabul two days previously.
angus campbell had taken no part in the operations of that advance. on the 26th of august news had arrived at gundamuck by a messenger from the moonshee, mohun lal, who had throughout kept the force at jellalabad well supplied with news of what was passing at cabul; he now sent to say that on the previous day akbar had despatched all the captives under an escort of three hundred horse to bamian, and that they were to be taken on to khooloom, and there handed over to the governor. once there, it was certain that they would remain in captivity among the tribes until death released them. as soon as he heard the news angus went to macgregor.
"i am going to ask," he said, "if you will allow me to go on an expedition on my own account. i was thinking that it was just possible that the captives might be overtaken. it is probable that they will halt some time at bamian, and certainly we could come up to them there. with so many women and children it will be impossible for the convoy to move fast, and they may stay at bamian until the result of our operations here are known. you[pg 311] have already promised me that the part taken by sadut khan shall be forgiven, seeing that he did his best to persuade akbar to give protection to the retreating army, and also because he showed great kindness to me when i was in his hands. if you can obtain permission from the general i will start at once in disguise for his fort in the mountain. i cannot but think that he will aid me, and i might, with four of his followers, who have come from bamian, and are personally well known to me, succeed in some way in rescuing at least a few of the captives. eldred pottinger, captain boyd, and captain johnson are all dear friends of mine, and i would willingly run any risk in the endeavour to save them. possibly, if we overtake the party, we may in some way cause a delay which would enable any rescue party sent off when you reach cabul to get up in time."
"it is a brave offer, campbell, but the enterprise seems to me an almost desperate one. however, i don't think that i should be justified in refusing it, and i am sure that if anyone could succeed, you will do so. when will you start?"
"in ten minutes, sir, if you will furnish me with an authority to offer a bribe to the officer in command of their escort."
"i will go and see the general at once. he is well aware, from the report that i have made, of the kindness sadut showed you, and of his efforts to save our army. i have no doubt that the chief has fought against us in the last battle, but that was only natural. i feel sure that above all things pollock would embrace any offer that promises the slightest chance of rescuing the hostages, but the risk would be terrible, campbell."
"of course there would be risk," angus agreed, "but i do not see how it would be exceptionally great. i have[pg 312] journeyed as an afghan two or three times already without detection, and i could just as well do so again. at any rate, i am willing to undertake the enterprise. it would, of course, be useful for me to take a considerable sum of money to win over the guard; still more useful if the general would authorize me to offer terms that would tempt the cupidity of the commander, as we have always found that the afghans are ready to do almost anything for bribes."
"i will take you at once with me to the general. he is well acquainted with the services you rendered pottinger at herat, and have rendered the army ever since it began its march from the indus, and he knows the favourable report that has been sent in by pottinger and burnes."
angus had, indeed, been introduced by sir robert sale to general pollock on his arrival at cabul. on reaching his tent they found him for the moment unoccupied. he listened gravely to macgregor's statement of the offer that angus had made.
"it is a noble proposal, mr. campbell," he said, in his usual kindly and courteous way, "but the risk seems to me terrible, and should anything happen to you, the service would be deprived of one of its most promising and meritorious officers. at the same time, there seems a fair possibility that you may succeed in rescuing one or more of the captives. of course it would be quite out of the question that any of the ladies could escape. there would be a hot pursuit, and only horsemen well mounted could hope to get off. however, i do not feel justified in refusing any offer that affords a shadow of hope of saving such men as pottinger, and will do all that mr. macgregor suggests to facilitate your operations. you will doubtless pass through cabul, and i will at once write a letter to mohun lal, requesting him to give you authority, in his name as[pg 313] well as mine, for payment to the leader of the prisoners' escort of any sum in reason. at present native opinion is strong that we shall not be able to force the passes, and the name of the moonshee may have greater effect than any promise on my part; but at the same time, until you can get into communication with the captives and learn something of the officer and his disposition, it would be madness to attempt to bribe him. the difficulties of the journey appear to me to be great, but not insuperable. the real difficulty will only begin when you overtake the captives' escort."
"i feel that, sir, but i rely greatly upon the men i hope to obtain from sadut. although not of his tribe, they have attached themselves most strongly to him. they are strong, resolute men, and as one of them was a petty chief near bamian, he may be able to gather a few others to aid me. i shall, of course, be very glad to have authority to offer a bribe to the officer in command of the party, but i rely chiefly upon these men and my own efforts, at any rate as far as pottinger is concerned. captains boyd and johnson can hardly leave their families. possibly, by the aid of these men, i may be able to collect a sufficient number of fighting men to make a sudden attack upon the escort, and to carry off all the captives to some hiding-place among the hills, and there keep them until you send on a force to bring them in. of course i must be entirely guided by circumstances, but it is impossible for me to have any fixed plan until i see how matters stand."
"i can quite see that, mr. campbell, and that, greatly as you may desire to rescue the whole party, it is eldred pottinger who is the first object of your expedition."
"that is so, colonel. he was most kind to me in herat, and it is to him i owe my present position; therefore he is my first object. if i can free him it will be a great step[pg 314] gained towards rescuing the others. i feel sure that he would not think for a moment of leaving his companions to their fate. but his name as the defender of herat is known to every afghan, and he would be able to bring a great influence to bear upon the tribesmen round bamian, whose interests must lie quite as much with herat as with cabul."
the general nodded approvingly.
"i see that you have thought matters over well. if you will call here again in half an hour the letter for the moonshee shall be ready for you, and a thousand pounds in gold."
at the appointed time angus called upon the general, and received the money and letter; then returning to his own tent, he rode out with azim. when fairly away from the camp they dismounted and put on their afghan disguises. they had brought an orderly with them, who took back the clothes they had discarded and angus's sword to macgregor's tent, he having undertaken to have them brought up to cabul with his own baggage. they had no difficulty as to the way, as the path they had followed with sadut had come down close to gundamuck. they had little fear of being interfered with on the road. the afghans would have gathered in the passes, and should they meet any they would only have to say that their village near gundamuck had been burnt by the british, and they were now on their way to join sadut and fight under his orders.
although they saw several parties in the distance making their way towards the pass, they did not encounter any within speaking distance, and just at sunset reached sadut's fort.
they had passed through the village unnoticed. tribesmen were frequently coming and going, and there was nothing to distinguish them from others. they dismounted in front of the fort. a man was sitting at the top of a[pg 315] ladder, and angus held up his hand to him, and hassan—for it was the man who had twice captured him—at once waved his hand in welcome, and stood up.
"you have come willingly this time," he said with a smile, as angus reached him. "of course you wish to see sadut khan. he is within. it is lucky that you have arrived to-day, for to-morrow he sets out."
sadut greeted him with pleasure mingled with surprise.
"i did not expect to see you here, my friend."
"no, i suppose not, chief; but i am on a mission with which i am sure you will sympathize, and in which i hope you will aid me, so far as to spare me hassan and his four men."
"what is its nature?" the chief asked. "i know that you would not come and offer me english money to abstain from fighting again."
"i should not think of such a thing, sadut. i know that you are a fair and open enemy, and i think the better of you for fighting for your country. i may say that general pollock has been informed of your kindness to me, and that you did your utmost to make akbar keep his word to grant protection to the retiring army, and i can assure you that, in any event, no harm will happen to you or yours. i will tell you what i have come for. do you know that all the hostages, ladies and children, have been sent away by akbar from cabul, that they are to be taken over the bamian pass to khooloom, and handed over to the governor there, and that, doubtless, they will be sold as slaves to the turkomans?"
"i had not heard it," sadut said angrily. "it is a disgrace to us. they were delivered up trusting to our word and honour, and it is a foul deed of akbar to harm them in any way after taking his oath for their protection. it is infamous! infamous!" and he walked up and down the[pg 316] room in fierce indignation. "what should we say," he burst out, "if the families of dost mahomed and akbar himself were to be sold by your people as slaves to some barbarous race? could we complain if, when the news of this treatment of the hostages becomes known in india, dost mahomed's family should be treated in a similar way?" then he stopped abruptly. "what is it that you have come to ask of me? the thing is done, and cannot be undone. akbar and i are ill friends now, for i have bearded him in the council and denounced his conduct. certainly i have no influence that could assist you. i am an afghan, and am pledged to join the force that will oppose the march of your troops up the passes, and i am a man of my word. but even were i free to help you, i could be of little assistance. i have here not more than thirty or forty fighting men, and i doubt if even these would obey me on such an enterprise. i might ride to my own fort and summon the momunds, whom i have so far kept quiet; but the enterprise would be a desperate one, we should set all the other tribes against us, and they would not risk destruction merely for the sake of rescuing a few white men and women. their sympathies are all with the tribes round cabul, and they share in their hatred of the infidel invaders. it would be as much as i could do to keep them quiet, and certainly i should fail if i called upon them to embark on such an enterprise."
"i have no intention of asking it of you, chief. i am going myself to see what can be done to save my friends, and have come to ask you to allow hassan and his men to go with me. they are from bamian, and at bamian it is likely that the captives will be kept for some time. i should, of course, pay them well for their aid."
"you can take them," the chief said at once. "they are good men and faithful to me, and i rely upon them[pg 317] as i could not do on any of my own tribesmen. i will call them in at once."
hassan and his four men entered the room a minute later.
"hassan," sadut said, "you and your men have proved yourselves true and faithful followers from the day when you left your homes to carry me over the passes, although you all thought that there was no hope of our getting through. you have fought by my side in kohistan; you twice at my orders carried off my friend here. he appreciates the service you did him, and is in sore need of five men upon whom he can rely to the utmost. he has come to ask me to let you go with him. a sore disgrace has fallen upon our nation. akbar khan has sent the men who placed themselves in his hands as hostages, and the women whom he swore to protect, over the hindoo koosh to be sold as slaves to the usbegs. my word has been given to fight against the army of gundamuck if it attempts to ascend the passes, and i at least will keep faith. this british officer is going to attempt to free some of the captives. how he will do so i know not, but my best wishes will go with him. he thinks it likely that the escort of the prisoners will halt for some little time at bamian, and you more than any others might therefore be able to help. i do not order you to go, but i ask you to do so. it is a good work, and concerns the honour of every afghan."
"and moreover," angus said, "i will pay a thousand rupees to you, and five hundred to each of your followers. i will hand them over to you at once, and if we are successful i will pay you as much more."
the sum was a huge one in their eyes. it would suffice to settle them in comfort for the rest of their lives. hassan looked at his men, and saw by the expression of their[pg 318] faces that they were more than willing to accept the offer. he held out his hand to angus, "we are your servants," he said, "and will serve you truly, and if needs be, lay down our lives for you, not only for the sake of the money you offer us, but because sadut khan has told us that for the honour of the nation these people ought to be released. we have been comrades in danger before, and were nigh dead when you rescued us when buried in the snow. i see not how this enterprise can be carried out; but we will do what you tell us, and men cannot do more. when do we start?"
"every hour is of consequence," angus replied. "can you find your way across the mountains in the dark? if so, we will start at once."
"i certainly can find the way."
"you must all have a meal first," sadut said. "besides, you will need horses. they shall be brought in and got ready for you in an hour. see that the english officer's horses have a good feed, and that his servant eats with you. the food will be ready in half an hour."
no time was lost, and in an hour and a half after the arrival of angus at the fort the party set out. fortunately the moon was nearly full, and hassan had so frequently gone down to cabul from the fort that he had no difficulty whatever in following the track. this in many places was so steep that all had to dismount and lead their horses down. however, they reached cabul an hour before sunrise, and all lay down in an empty hut for three or four hours' sleep.
then angus, with hassan and three of his men, entered the town, leaving azim and the other man to look after the horses. as there were numbers of tribesmen in the streets, they attracted no attention whatever. proceeding[pg 319] to the house of the moonshee, angus enquired if mohun lal was in.
"he is busy. he does not grant audiences till ten o'clock."
angus moved away and returned at half-past nine. already five or six persons were waiting to see the moonshee, and by ten the number had considerably increased. it was eleven before angus's turn arrived. the moonshee was alone. angus took out his letter and handed it to him. he knew mohun lal well, having often taken communications to him from burnes.
the afghan read the letter, and looked up in surprise.
"you are well disguised indeed, sahib," he said, rising, "for, often as i have seen you before, i did not recognize you in the slightest, but thought it was, as usual, an afghan peasant with complaints to make against plunderers. so you have undertaken the dangerous mission of endeavouring to rescue some of the prisoners. truly you english have courage thus to thrust yourself into the midst of enemies, and on such a mission. however, i will do what i can to help you. i do not say that it is altogether hopeless, for i know my man; the commander of the escort is saleh mahomed. he is an adventurer, and has served under many masters. he was at one time a subaltern in one of your native regiments, but deserted with his men to dost mahomed just before the fight at bamian. such a man might be bought over, but not cheaply."
"general pollock said he left the sum to be offered to him entirely to you."
mohun lal thought for some time, and then said:
"i should say that a pension of a thousand rupees a month, and a present of thirty thousand would tempt him as much as a larger sum. it would, i think, be best for[pg 320] you to disguise yourself now as a cashmerian. you know syud moorteza?"
"i know him well," angus said; "he helped captain johnson to collect grain from the villages."
"it would be as well for you to use his name. as an afghan, saleh might doubt you. altogether, it would be more likely that a man who may be considered a neutral should be employed on such a mission, and the offer to sell goods would make an opening. of course you could take the dress you now wear with you in case of necessity. it would be too dangerous for me to give you a letter, for if saleh, when you opened the subject to him, at once ordered you to be arrested, it would certainly be found on you, and would cost me my life. you will require to take a small escort with you, or you might be robbed at the first place you come to."
"i have five men with me," angus replied. "they come from bamian; one of them is a petty chief there, and might, if i find that saleh cannot be approached, persuade or bribe some of the people there to aid."
"i fear you would not succeed in that way. saleh had, i believe, two hundred and fifty men with him. i suppose you will start at once?"
"our horses are outside the town, and we shall mount as soon as i return to them."
"i wish you good fortune. there are many afghans who feel deeply the disgrace akbar has brought upon himself, and upon all of us, by breaking his plighted word."
taking leave of the moonshee, angus joined his companions, and after having bought in the bazaar a costume suitable for a trader from cashmere, and two bales of goods from that country, left the city.