saw no
reason to suppose that men could not, and therefore, at Teru, which we
reached by four o'clock, a halt was made, and two hundred Pioneers, with
Borradaile and Cobbe, and the Sappers under Oldham, were detailed to
remain there with the Hunza Levies, and to try and force their way
across the pass the next day. Borradaile was to receive all the coolie
transport, which he was to send back as soon as he got across the pass,
in order that we might follow with the remainder of the troops. His
orders were to entrench himself at Laspur, which was the first village
across the pass, and if possible open communications with Mastuj.

The guns were immediately sent back to Ghizr, and we set to work to
sort out the kits of Borradaile's party from the remainder. The
unavoidable confusion at first was something dreadful. First of all, the
kits had to be unloaded, then those of Borradaile's party separated and
put on one side; the remaining kits were then loaded on the ponies and
sent off, as fast as the ponies could be loaded up, back to Ghizr. The
ammunition had to be divided, and as much as possible given over in the
way of supplies. All this time we had to have a ring of sentries round
to stop the coolies from bolting, but as soon as we had got the ponies
off, the coolies were collected, and sat down in the snow under a guard.
Borradaile's party were then told off into the different houses, and the
coolies likewise, still under guard, the ammunition and supplies
stacked, and the job was done.

By this time it was about seven o'clock, getting dark, and also
beginning to snow. All of us, officers and men, were covered with slush
and mud from head to foot, and dripping wet. Smith, who was going with
Borradaile's party, had, however, managed to get a fire going in one of
the houses, and had got some tea ready, bless him! We had a cup all
round, and wished Borradaile and his party good luck. The remainder of
us plunged out into the darkness and snow and splashed back to Ghizr.
The men, who had started some time before us, were comfortably in their
former quarters when we reached Ghizr.

On the way we met Stewart, who had just returned from his coolie hunt,
and was seated on a rock, like Rachel mourning for her children, only in
his case he was murmuring, not because the guns were not, but because
they were back in Ghizr. "His guns were going over that pass even if he
had to carry them himself, you may bet your boots on that! and