laid
great stress in his letter of the 4th September on the sincerity of
his friendship, my Government had been informed that emissaries had
been despatched from Kabul to rouse the country people and tribes
against us, and as this action appeared inconsistent with friendly
intentions, I considered it necessary for His Highness to send a
confidential representative to confer with me and explain his object.

I had little doubt as to the truth of the report that the Amir was
using every effort to incite the Ghilzais and other tribes to oppose
us, and I was confirmed in my conviction by a Native gentleman, Nawab
Ghulam Hussein Khan,[12] at one time our agent at Kabul, who told me
that, although he did not believe that Yakub Khan had actually planned
the massacre of the Embassy, he had certainly taken no steps to
prevent it, and that he, Ghulam Hussein Khan, was convinced that the
Amir was now playing us false. It was, therefore, a relief to
find awaiting me at Alikhel several of the leading men from the
neighbouring districts, to whom I had telegraphed, before leaving
Simla, asking them to meet me.

These men were profuse in their proffers of assistance, and, although
I did not place a great deal of faith in their promises, I came to the
conclusion that, notwithstanding Yakub Khan's treacherous efforts to
stir up the tribes, if I could only push on rapidly with a fairly
strong force, I need not anticipate any opposition that I could not
overcome. Everything depended on speed, but rapidity of movement
depended on the condition of the transport service, and my inspection
of the animals, as I passed through Kuram, was not calculated to
raise hopes of being able to make a very quick advance; for, owing
to continuous hard work and the want of a staff of trained transport
attendants, the numbers of animals had steadily diminished, and those
that remained were for the most part sickly and out of condition.

On the 16th of September I issued a Proclamation,[13] copies of which
I caused to be sent to the people of Kabul, Ghazni, and all the
neighbouring tribes; this, I hoped, would facilitate our advance, and
reassure those who had taken no part in the attack on the Residency.
I also wrote a letter[14] to the _maliks_ of the Logar valley, whose
territory we must enter directly we had crossed the Shutargardan, and
whose co-operation I was most anxious to obtain. On the 18th I again
wrote[15] to the Amir, enclosing copies of these