; and in accordance with my promise to
the Kabul-Kandahar Field Force, that they should not be required to
garrison Kandahar when the fighting was at an end, I arranged to
despatch without delay to India the corps which had come with me from
northern Afghanistan.

[Illustration: SKETCH OF THE BATTLE-FIELD OF KANDAHAR]

One column proceeded to Maiwand to inter the bodies of our soldiers
who fell on the 27th July. The Cavalry brigade moved with a number
of sick men and transport animals to Kohkeran. Macgregor's brigade
started for Quetta on the 8th, and was followed soon after by Baker's
and Macpherson's brigades. I accompanied Macgregor in the hope that
the change to Quetta (where I remained about a month) would pick me
up, and enable me to meet Lord Ripon's wish that I should retain the
command in southern Afghanistan until some satisfactory settlement
could be arrived at.

Before leaving Kandahar I issued an order thanking all ranks of the
Kabul-Kandahar Field Force for the work they had so nobly performed,
and I had the gratification of acknowledging, on their behalf and my
own, congratulatory messages from the Queen, the Duke of Cambridge,
the Marquis of Ripon, and many others. On the way to Quetta I had
the further gratification of being informed by the Viceroy that Her
Majesty had been graciously pleased to make me a G.C.B., and to
appoint me Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army.

I now heard that Abdur Rahman had been finally nominated Amir of
Kabul on the 10th August, and that immediately after the ceremony of
installation Sir Donald Stewart had marched the whole British force
of 6,678 men of all arms out of Kabul on their return to India. Sir
Donald left Peshawar to take up his appointment of Military Member of
Council at Simla on the 31st August, and by the 7th September the last
of his troops had arrived at the former place, except one brigade left
as a temporary measure in the Khyber Pass.

At Quetta I stayed with Sir Robert Sandeman, the capable Resident,
who by his great personal influence had done much to allay excitement
amongst the tribes, and to prevent serious trouble in Baluchistan
and along the border. I had never before been to that part of the
frontier, and I was greatly impressed by the hold Sandeman had
obtained over the country; he was intimately acquainted with every
leading man, and there was not a village, however out of the way,
which he had not visited. 'Sinniman _sahib_,' as the Nat