te, we managed to get all our baggage into Chitral.

Moberly now handed over the company of Kashmir troops to my tender
charge and departed back to Mastuj, so now I had the command of the
Levies and one company added to my numerous other duties, so generally
I was pretty well on the hop.

By dark the baggage had come in, the dead either buried or burnt
according to their religion, and the wounded attended to and made as
comfortable as we could make them under the circumstances.

Oldham and some fifty Levies who had been reconnoitring down the left
bank of the river had returned, and by nine we got some dinner.

Just as we were turning in, the picket on the road over the nullah first
let drive a volley, and Oldham, who was on duty, took some men and
doubled out to see what was the matter. On his return, he reported the
picket had heard someone moving in the nullah, and as the sentry's
challenge had not been answered, they had let drive at it.

CHAPTER VIII

THE MARCH RESUMED THROUGH KILLA DRASAN

We were up by daylight the next morning, had breakfast, and were ready
to march by 7 A.M. The wounded were sent back under Luard and the escort
who had brought out the baggage, and we moved off in the opposite
direction. Our order of march was always the same, each company taking
it in turn to act as advance or rear guard, and every British officer,
with the exception of Colonel Kelly and Borradaile, taking his turn on
duty.

When my company of Kashmir troops was on rear or advance guard, I went
with it; at other times I went with the Levies or Colonel Kelly,
whichever seemed most useful.

Our march for this day led for some miles along a flat, grassy plain, a
continuation of the Nisa Gol Maidan, then up and over a fairly high
spur, and gradually down to the river bed opposite the village of Awi or
Avi. Here we had a halt for the men to drink, as it was pretty thirsty
work marching in these hot valleys. We passed a village or two on the
opposite bank, but our side of the river was a desert of rocks and
stones. There was a small bridge at Awi, so Cobbe, with fifty men and
Shah Mirza as interpreter, was sent across to collect supplies from
Buni, the village in which Jones had remained for a week after the
Koragh affair. The main body continued along the right bank parallel
with Cobbe's party.

During our halt two men had come in, bringing two ponies, which were
much appreciated by Colonel Kelly and Borradaile.