in capturing which, two years ago,
Colonel Tonnochy and Captain White lost their lives, as described in
Chapter I. We passed through the wire entanglement, and spent the heat
of the day talking to the native officer and soldiers in charge. In the
afternoon we set out again, and marched along the bed of the Kurram
River, which we had to ford six times, so that before we reached our
night camp it had become quite dark. Taking advantage of the dark,
some light-fingered Wazir thieves managed to steal the tent carpet
off the back of a camel without our catching sight of them. Our camp
was in a Wazir village, built on a cliff overhanging the river. The
people were rather excited, as another Wazir clan had been up during
the day and made off with twenty head of cattle. However, there were
some old patients among the people, so we got a hearty welcome. They
made us some tea, and set some of their number to watch round our
beds with their Martini-Henrys ready loaded in case enemies should
come during the night. The Mullah of the place came and had a talk
with us, and then we were soon all fast asleep.

Next morning we were up betimes, and I found my bed surrounded by a
number of women with squalling babies. One mother wanted me to see her
baby's eyes, another the stomach of hers, another the ears; in fact,
all the babies seemed to have made common cause to delay my departure
as long as possible. However, after doling out various lotions and
pills, and giving the mothers many instructions, which, I fear, were
only heard to be forgotten, we managed to get the camels loaded and
started. Now, however, a new difficulty confronted us. During the
night there must have been heavy rain higher up the valley, for the
river was in flood and unfordable. I knew by experience how strong
yet deceptive the currents of the river are when it is in flood, for
a few weeks before I had been out on a bathing excursion with some
of our schoolboys in another part of the same river. I had dived
into a deep pool, when I found myself in a return current, which
was carrying me back under a small waterfall, where the water was
sweeping over an obstruction like a mill-race, with a fall of about
four feet. As soon as I got to the fall I went down, down, down, till
I thought I was never coming up again. However, I did come up, only,
however, to be pulled back at once under the waterfall and down into
the depths again. The third time I came up I got a momentary