it so.

Stewart came into camp that day like a bear with a sore head. "Here had
he been hauling his guns over condemned precipices in pursuit of an
invisible enemy. Call this war! it was only a route march. For a
promenade he preferred the Empire Theatre."

We tried to console him with hopes of a fight before Chitral, but he
declared the Chitralis had grievously disappointed him, and went off to
see about fodder for his ponies. Alas, poor Stewart! he didn't get his
desire.

As soon as we had settled down in camp, Colonel Kelly told me to try and
find some man who would carry a letter into Chitral, to warn the
garrison of our approach. I got hold of Shah Mirza, and asked him if he
knew anyone who would go. First, we tried the man who had escaped from
Killa Drasan, but he refused; then Shah Mirza volunteered to go himself,
but he was too useful to be spared. Just as we were wondering who we
could get to go, Humayun and Akbar Khan turned up, evidently excited,
and escorting a man who was bearing letters from Chitral. He handed over
a letter addressed to "The officer commanding troops advancing from
Gilgit." Inside was a letter from Surgeon-Major Robertson, saying that
Sher Afzul had fled on the night of the 18th April, and the siege of
Chitral was raised. He enclosed a return of the killed and wounded,
which, he requested, might be forwarded to India. Then we went through
the list, and came across poor Baird's name among the killed. This was
the first we had heard of it, the natives all declaring that it was
Gurdon who had been killed. Among the wounded we came across
Surgeon-Major Robertson severely and Captain Campbell severely. Poor old
General Baj Singh and Major Bicham Singh were killed, and all together
the casualties amounted to one hundred and four killed and wounded out
of three hundred and seventy combatants. So the garrison had evidently
had a lively time of it. Then we set to work and pumped the messenger
dry of all the news he could tell, the details of which are now too well
known for me to relate. The man had a passport from Surgeon-Major
Robertson, sending him to Killa Drasan, so he was allowed to go. We also
found out from him that there was no enemy between us and Chitral, at
which Stewart swore openly. My spy returned on meeting the Chitral
messenger.

There was no difficulty now in getting a man to go to Chitral, so we
sent off one with a note, saying we should arrive next day by noon, the
20th Ap