With Kelly to Chitral

ther a matchlock. They confessed that they had fought us at Nisa Gol, and stated they were now going home. We thought differently, and requested them to carry boxes of ammu

were then under the direct supervision of the guard, and the

good deal of time is spent in wondering why the dickens they don't get on in front. That was a particularly bad day for halts: the first one was caused by the column having to cross the Perpish Gol, a very similar pla

ndred feet on to the road below, which here made a zigzag. The first donkey who came down landed on his head and broke his silly neck; but the second donkey had better luck, and landed on the first do

s some of Edwardes' party. By 4.30 P.M. the rearguard had crossed the cliff, and, rounding the shoulder of a spur, descended to a plain, bare of vegetation, with the exception

e troops had waded across, with the intention of camping that night at the village of Barnas, the rearguard arriving just in time to see the main body mov

e carried over piecemeal, the coolie returning for the second part after taking the first across. This idea was all very fine in theory, but we found that most of the coolies, having made the first trip, sat down on the bank and proceeded to dress, leaving

t ondacent parade I iver tuk a hand in-four-and-twenty privates an' a officer av the line in review ordher, an' not as much as wud dust a fife between 'em all in the way of clothin'." As I stood on that bank, with the eve

-way across he would get swept off his feet, and go floating down the stream, vainly endeavouring to regain his footing. Then there would be a rush of two or three of the levies, the man would be swung on to his feet, and his load fished for. One man I thought was bound to be drowned; he had somehow tied his load

t him. We found the young men easy to manage, and the old men were let down lightly; it was the middle-aged man, full of strength and his own importance, who sometimes tried to raise objections, but it was getting late, and no time f

to go scrambling round the pickets; even at that late hour I saw

the next morning was ordered for 10 A.M., in order to allow foraging

me levies forward to the n

y a deep nullah; it took some time getting across this. By the time we cleared the village, we met our returning scouts, who reported having seen the enemy i

as about a mile of this, and then two miles of narrow path along the face of steep shale slopes and cliff face high above the river. Any forc

eached. Here there was a flattish bit of maidan for about fifty yards before the path ascended, and crossed the face of slope and cliff. The officer in command of the advance guard, thinking this was the maidan mentioned in his orders, sent back word that he was through the defile, and the road clear. Accordingly the main body advanced with a flanking picket on the cliff above. I was with Colonel Kelly at the head of the column, w

d enemy. I found the Levies on the maidan that our advance guard should have occupied in the first

ogazi, taking all his following with him, and that he would defend

he village till we saw clear open country ahead, and sat

nice garden and orchard, with big shady mulberry trees, and a stream flowing down the centre. On one side was the house that Mahomed Issar had occupied, and belonged to one of

selves; each man took away a handful or so, as natives are very fond of it for cooking purposes, especially for curry, a little going a long way. The whole camp smelt of caraway seed, and not an unpleasant smell either. The house was pulled down for

ree days, by which time we hoped to arrive in Chitral. A good deal of the grain brought in consisted of unhusked rice and millet, what canary birds are fed on in England,-good enough for the coolies, at any rate, most of them having been used to it from childhood. We tried to get the village water-mills going, but al

first time since we had left Mastuj that it h

hich, if destroyed, could be more easily mended, and as the reputed position taken up by t

one company of Pioneers under Bethune, and the Hunza Levies, started to repair the br

e attempts to destroy the road, but so ineffectually that the advance guard hardly delayed its advance for five minute

om pier to pier, but attempts were being made to get these

nel Kelly sent me on to reconnoitre the Goland Gol, which we expected

ng beams of the destroyed bridge which had stranded on the opposi

hills on the left bank of the river, the sides being impracticable for several miles, and down the centre of which rushes a mountain torrent, the road to Chitral crossing this latter, just before it flows into the Yarkhun river, by means of a bridge. This bridge we found destroyed, but I sent half the Levies across by fording

dway of boards from a hut near, and filled up the holes with branches, and had the bridge ready before the advance guard arrived. I sent back word, and then crossed the stream and joined the remainder o

, had fled up the Goland Gol to the higher hills, but he would try and bring in any he could find. He did not think the enemy would try and fight again, though there was a place called Baitali, just before the opening into the Chitral valley, where, if any opposition was offered, it would be made. The position could be turned from both flanks, and ponies could go, but it was not a good road. He professed himself as willing to go and find out if the Baitali Pari was occupied, so I sent him off. I knew the place as