r by the villagers; who expressed
themselves willing to pay their share of the fines imposed, and
also to picket the hills. The rear guard, of two companies of
Ghoorkhas and two companies of Scottish Fusiliers, arrived late in
the day. They had met with great opposition. The tribesmen would,
indeed, have succeeded in carrying off the guns, had not a company
of the Ghoorkhas come up and, fighting stubbornly, driven them off.

Next morning the headmen of the village were summoned, to explain
why they had failed to pay the number of rifles they had promised;
and fire was applied to one of their houses. This had an
instantaneous effect and, in a quarter of an hour, the rifles were
forthcoming and the fine paid.

The force then moved on to Esor, where helio communication with the
Khuram column had been effected and, that day, Sir William Lockhart
and Colonel Hill--who commanded it--met. The country traversed was
a beautiful one. It was admirably cultivated, and the houses were
substantially built.

That day two columns went out: one under General Gazelee, to
collect the fines from one of the tribes; the other commanded by
Colonel Hill, to punish the Chamkannis. This was a small, but
extremely warlike and hardy tribe. A short time before, they had
raided a thousand head of cattle from across our border, and got
clear away with them.

A portion of the force was told off, to work its way into the
valley by the river gorge, while the main body ascended the path
over the Kotal. They reached this at a quarter-past ten and, while
they were waiting for the head of the column that had gone up the
gorge to appear, fire was opened upon them. This, however, was kept
down by the guns. It was an hour before the column appeared, but
the whole force was not through the defile until it was too late to
carry out the destruction of the villages. The column therefore
retired, severely harassed, the while, by the enemy.

Next day Colonel Hill was again sent forward, with the Border
Scouts, the 4th and 5th Ghoorkhas, part of the Queen's, and the
Khoat Battery. They were over the Kotal at nine o'clock, and the
5th Ghoorkhas and the scouts were sent to hold the hills on the
left. The Chamkannis had anticipated a sudden visit, and were in
force on the left, where they had erected several sangars.

The little body of scouts, eighty men strong, fought their way up
the hill; and waited there for the leading company of the 5th.
Lieutenant Lucas