giment, 6th Native Infantry, and the 45th Sikhs, were to
advance straight up the valley. With them was a mountain battery, a
battery of Horse Artillery, one of Royal Artillery, and a battery
of 40-pounders, drawn by elephants.

These brigades marched forward until they reached some rising
ground in the valley, whence they could see Ali-Musjid, at a
distance of a mile and a half, in front of them. The enemy at once
opened fire. The gunners in the fort had been practising for some
weeks, and had got the range with great accuracy; and their shot
and shell fell thick along the slope. The column was therefore
marched back behind its crest, and there halted; and the men were
allowed to fall out and eat their dinners, as it was desired that
the flanking columns of Macpherson and Tytler--which had very much
further to go--should reach the positions assigned to them before
the attack began.

The artillery, however, took up their position on the crest, and
opened fire on the fort. The effect of the light guns was but
slight, but the 40-pounders produced considerable effect on the
face of the fort.

After a halt for some time, the troops were ordered to advance. The
45th Sikhs were first thrown out upon the hillside and, working
their way along on the right of the valley, opened a heavy musketry
fire against the Afghans in the batteries there. Presently the 51st
and 6th Native Infantry joined them; while the 81st, the 24th, and
14th Sikhs worked along on the left.

The scene was one of the most picturesque ever witnessed in
warfare. From the fortress, standing on the perpendicular rock in
the center of the valley, the flashes of the great guns came fast
and steadily; while the edges of the rock, and fort, were fringed
with tiny puffs of musketry. From the rising ground in the valley,
the smoke of the British guns rose up in the still air as, steadily
and fast, they replied to the fire of the fort. Both sides of the
steep hill slopes were lined with British infantry--the quick flash
of the rifles spurting out from every rock and bush; while
continuous lines of light smoke rose from the Afghan entrenchments
which faced them.

Gradually the British skirmishers advanced, until they were close
to the Afghan entrenchments on the hillsides abreast of the fort.
So far, there was no sign that Macpherson's brigade had reached the
post assigned to it, high up on the hill; or that Tytler had worked
round to the village in the enemy's