ugh perhaps that is a little too melodramatic. They
possess few fire-arms, but roll down large pieces of rock in the narrow
passes, and rush out from the small recesses of the rocks, leading God
knows where, which abound in every part. They never spare any one, and
cut and hack about the bodies of their victims in the most frightful
manner. With all this they are the greatest cowards possible; a few
determined men would be a match for the greatest odds; but the very name
of Kauker seems to convey terror in it to a traveller. I saw the head
of one of these rascals lying about at Dadur, and it was the most
frightful face I ever beheld, more like a wild beast's than a human
being's. On entering the Pass, which we did as if expecting an enemy,
with skirmishers, flanking parties, &c., we were nearly stifled by the
horrible smell arising from the number of dead camels which were lying
on the ground, in every degree of putrefaction. We soon, however, came
to bodies of a different sort; for on the banks of a small rivulet, and
in the water, most in the long reeds, some in the middle of the road,
were about twenty or thirty dead Sepoys and followers. They were in
every kind of shape and contortion that could indicate a violent death.
Some were in a tolerable state of preservation, but others, again, had
been sadly mauled; tripes torn out by jackals, and one or two were
perfect skeletons. We kept on coming also upon an arm or a leg, or an
ugly-looking skull; but the most disgusting sight was an arm and leg,
protruding out of the centre of the stream, washed to the consistency of
a washer-woman's hand after a hard day's washing. If you can fancy all
this on a dark, sluggish-looking stream, surrounded by high and barren
rocks, you may, perhaps, guess what feelings of disgust it excited in
us. However, before reaching Candahar we were pretty well accustomed to
these sights, and got rather callous on the subject, as there was a fair
sprinkling of them to be met with all the way to that town. Well; we
made five marches through this delightful Pass, and debouched on a fine
wide plain on the 17th. Not a stick, not a particle of forage, except
some high rank grass, was to be got in all this time, and we had been
obliged to take on supplies for our camels and horses from Dadur; so
there was a new expense, and new carriage to be provided. The robbers
did not attempt any attack upon us at all (though, if they had had the
slightest pluck, they