em back, much to our disgust. It was
quite a treat to be in camp and settled before dark, and I've no doubt
the coolies were as thankful as we were. The only drawback to our food
was the flour of which the chupatties were made; it was coarse to a
degree, and seemed to consist chiefly of minute speckly pieces of husk,
which used to tickle our throats up in the most unpleasant manner, and
had a nasty habit of choking the swallower, in addition to being highly
indigestible. We used at last to sift the flour through linen, and the
residuum was a surprise and revelation.

We had intended to march the next morning by 7 A.M., with the intention
of getting to a village called Parpish, but as it was still pelting with
rain, the march was deferred, to give the weather a chance of clearing
up, which it very kindly did about 10 A.M., when we started. The Kashmir
Company was on advance guard that day, so I went with them, two levies
leading, as usual, about a quarter of a mile ahead. We struck up country
for about two miles, till we got to a kotal, or saddle, from whence we
had a splendid view of the surrounding country. During a halt, Colonel
Kelly came up, and I was able to point out to him the different
places--Koragh Defile, where Ross's party had been cut up, Reshun, where
Edwardes and Fowler had held out for a week, and Barnas, a village we
reached the next day. All these places were on the opposite bank of the
river and several thousand feet below us. We had, by taking our present
route, avoided a very difficult and dangerous part of the country, and
no doubt much disgusted the inhabitants, who, on the old route, would
have had all things their own way.

By two o'clock we had reached the village of Gurka, where we were met by
a deputation, from whom we demanded certain supplies to be brought to
our camp on pain of severe punishment if not complied with, and by 4
P.M. we got to the hamlet of Lun, and as there was a good camping
ground, good water and firewood, Colonel Kelly decided to halt there.
Here also supplies were demanded, the amount depending a good deal on
the number of houses and the knowledge of the locality possessed by
Humayun. The Lunites paid up smartly enough, as we were too close
neighbours to allow of any hesitation; but the Gurka contribution had
only partly come in the next morning, so that a party of the Levies was
sent back, and the Gurka villagers had the trouble of bringing the loads
along to Barnas, i