XL. 1839. forces in despair; some opened their doors to the magic CHAP. of a golden key. All opposition was finally overcome, and on the 3d September, Wade and Prince Timour reached Cabul, which had previously been occupied by Sir John Keane's forces. 66. sation in these The commencement of this formidable war, and the plunging so large a part of the British forces into the Great sendistant defiles of Affghanistan, produced an immense India from sensation in India, and evinced the treacherous surface events. on which the British Government was reposing in fancied security. The native states on the borders were beginning to evince signs of feverish anxiety. From the hills. of Nepaul to the jungles of Burmah came threats, at first smothered, but ere long openly uttered, of invasion. Even in our own provinces, and those longest subjected to our rule, there was an uneasy restless feeling among all classes the well-known and often unaccountable precursor of external catastrophe or internal revolution. This feeling was peculiarly strong among the Mussulman inhabitants, forming above fifteen millions in the upper provinces. It was akin to that which, eight-and-thirty years before, had alarmed Marquess Wellesley, when Zemaun Shah threatened a descent from the mountains with the whole forces of central Asia, to exterminate the haughty infidels who had so long oppressed the land. In their eyes the approaching conflict assumed the air of a religious crusade. It was believed that the Feringhees were preparing to scale the mountains-" the native guardians of the land"-in order to exterminate the race of true believers in their strongholds, but that the followers of the Prophet would rise up in countless multitudes, repel the vain assault, pour down over the plains of the Punjaub and the Ganges, and wrest all the country, from the Indus to the sea, from the infidel usurpers.1 So gene1 Kaye, ral were these feelings, so common the panic excited, that 290. they formed the topic of conversation in the bazaars of CHAP. Calcutta and Bombay, and occasioned a serious decline in the value of the public securities. XL. 1839. 67. towards Cabul. July 15. But whatever might be the expectations and hopes Movement of the Hindoo and Mahommedan powers in India, the of the army march of events, in the first instance at least, was very different, and a signal triumph awaited the arms of Christendom in the very cradle of the rule of the Crescent in central Asia. The stay of the army of Sir John Keane in Candahar was very brief, and not more than was indispensable to enable them to recover from the toils and hardships of their long and exhausting march. It was expedient to press forward, and take advantage of the disunion and consternation which the rapid advance and unexpected successes of the British army had occasioned among the Affghanistan tribes. 'The bloodless fall of Candahar had struck terror into the souls of the partisans of Dost Mahommed, though it had been expected by that sagacious chief himself, who was well aware it was the stronghold of the Douranee dynasty. But he had never anticipated the successful passage of the Bolan and Kojuk passes; still less that the terrors of the far-famed Khyber should have been surmounted by a mere motley array of Asiatics, led only by European officers. Disunion evidently prevailed in the country; the hopes of Feringhee gold had done more than the dread of the Feringhee bayonets. A powerful force was advancing against his capital, both by the eastern and western passes; he was obliged to divide his troops in order to oppose them, and he knew not on whom, in this strait, he could rely to repel the threatened invasion. His empire was crumbling to pieces before his eyes. This state of things made it advisable to press upon the enemy before 438-440; he had recovered from his consternation, and accordingly vi. 179-181. Sir John Keane, in the beginning of July, set out on his march for Cabul by the route of GHUZNEE.1 1 Kaye, i. Thornton, This far-famed fortress lies on the direct road from Candahar to Cabul, distant two hundred and thirty miles XL. 1839. 68. of Ghuznee, of Dost Ma from the former, and ninety from the latter. The whole CHAP. country on either side through which the road passes is open and level, fruitful and abounding with supplies, and presenting no obstacles to an advancing army. The Description town itself is inferior, both in importance and population, and plans to either of these capital cities; but the strength of its hommed. citadel, which was universally deemed impregnable in Asia, as well as its position, commanding the principal road to Cabul, rendered it, in a military point of view, a post of the highest importance. The rampart, which is sixty feet high, of good masonry, is built on a scarped mount, thirty-five feet high, rising from a wet ditch, and defended by numerous towers, a fausse-braye, and various skilfully constructed outworks. The interior of the town by no means corresponds to this imposing exterior. Situated on the extreme point of a low range of hills, it is composed of mean houses and narrow streets; but the citadel contains spacious squares, overshadowed by lofty trees, handsome palaces, and stabling for an entire brigade of cavalry. The governor of the place, Hyder Khan, had a large garrison of trusty troops under his command. To guard against the gates being blown open, as had so often been done by the British in Indian warfare, they were all walled up, except the one to the northward leading to Cabul. The ramparts were lofty and massy, incapable of being breached but by heavy artillery and regular approaches. Dost Mahommed never supposed that the English general would attempt the reduction of a place of such strength, least of all by a coup-de-main. He thought they would mask it, and push forward towards Cabul, where he was prepared to meet them. With this view he had largely strengthened the garrison, and stationed a body of irregular horse on the hills in the neighbourhood, who were to sally forth and threaten the communications and rear of the in- 443; Thornvaders, while he himself arrested them in front, in a 182. strong position which he had occupied twenty miles in 1 Kaye, ton, vi. 181, XL. CHAP. front of Cabul, and commanding all the approaches to that city. 1839. 69. nee, and plan of the attack. July 22. But Dost Mahommed's well-conceived plan was entirely Melancholy defeated, for the British commander had no intention tragedy before Ghuz of merely masking Ghuznee. Abdool Rached Khan, a nephew of Dost Mahommed, had joined the British army on its approach to the fortress. He was a man of intelligence, and well acquainted with the fortifications; and he revealed to Major Thomson, the chief engineer, the important secret of the weak point where an assault might be hazarded with a prospect of success. Before the attack was made, however, a deplorable event occurred, which demonstrated both the desperate character of the fanatics with whom we had to deal, and the revengeful disposition of the sovereign whom we were striving to put on the throne. A band of frantic Mahommedans, named Ghazees, incited by the priests, had poured down upon the British camp, and were met and defeated by Nicolson's native horse and Outram's foot, and their holy standard, with fifty prisoners, was taken. They were brought into the presence of Shah Soojah, and then, after reviling the king in his own presence, one of them actually stabbed one of the royal attendants under his very eyes. Upon this Shah Soojah ordered them all to be put to death, 444,445; and they were hacked to pieces at his feet. This atroHavelock, cious massacre was never forgotten in Affghanistan; it increased the indisposition of the people to receive the Notes, 112; sovereign sought to be forced upon them, and led to an dy's Narra- awful retribution, when the Affghans got the upper hand, and the wild cry of the Ghazees was heard in the Coord Cabul Pass.1 Kaye, i. ii. 69; Out ram's Rough Dr Kenne tive, ii. 39 41. 70. July 22. Relying upon the important information obtained from The assault. Abdool Khan, Sir John Keane and Major Thomson resolved upon an attempt to carry the place by a coup-demain. For this purpose a storming party was formed, consisting of the light companies of the four European regiments, the 2d, 13th, and 17th, with the Company's XL. 1839. European regiment, who formed the advance, followed by CHAP. the other companies of the same regiments in support. The advance was under the command of Colonel Dennie of the 13th regiment, the support under Brigadier-general Sale. The night was dark and gusty; the wind wailed aloud, but its blasts were drowned in the roar of the artillery, which kept up a heavy fire at random upon the ramparts, on the side opposite to that where the assault was intended to be made. Meanwhile the stormers were silently formed on the Cabul road, and at three in the morning all was ready for the assault. Beguiled by the false attack, the Affghans manned all the ramparts against which the fire was directed, and a row of blue lights, suddenly lit up along the walls, showed that they expected and were prepared for an escalade. But the stormers were not idle during this violent cannonade. In profound silence, and unobserved, under cover of the darkness, they silently piled the powder-bags against the Cabul gate; the fusee was fired by Lieutenant Durand, and the explosion took place. Above the blasts of the tempest and the roar of the artillery, the mighty sound was heard by all, whether in the city or the camp, and every eye was turned towards the quarter from which it arose. A column of black smoke was seen to arise; down with a heavy crash came the huge masses of masonry and rent beams which had been lifted up; and amidst the silence which followed the awful sound, a bugle was heard sounding the advance. On rushed Dennie, at the head of the stormers, into the scene of ruin; the opening was gained before the defenders could man it, and soon the bayonets of the British were crossing with the swords of the Affghans. A few moments of mortal strife took place in the dark, but the British gained 446, 447; ground,' they caught a glimpse of the first streaks of ii. 79, 80; dawn on the eastern sky within the walls, and soon three vi. 192-195. loud cheers-so loud that they were heard through the VOL. VI. 2 Q Havelock, Thornton, |