were so very hard. At the very worst
part, my headman being in front, all of a sudden I heard three shots in
quick succession with the usual hallooing, and then I was called on in
advance, meeting my headman wounded: he has lost the two fore-fingers of
his right hand. All I saw was three men scrambling up the face of the
hill, on whom I opened a fire as soon as my guns came up, and had the
pleasure of hitting one on the shield.

"Such a scene ensued! for when there are three or four on such occasions
we may reasonably expect thirty or forty, and my object was to get out of
the bad road, and so be close to camp. Some of, or rather all, my people
became dismayed, I had therefore to cheer, to point my double barrels,
and in fact to enact a whole legion. One fellow tried to shoot me but
his powder proved faithful, the others were wounded: however they kept in
sight, and to make matters worse, in one place within twenty yards, six
or seven of my loads were thrown; evening drawing on, and prospects
disgusting, when at last having passed over one bad part and got down
into a ravine, a number of people were seen closing down on us, but my
man had run off to camp, and by shouts succeeded in calling five or six
_sepahis_, part of the rear-guard, to our relief, and so we escaped bag
and baggage, the rascals making off when the red coats appeared. I was
sick at heart at the loss of poor Abdool Rozak's fingers: he is an Arab
with an English heart, bearing his loss most manfully, and when his
fingers were removed expressed anxiety alone about me and my _Sundoogs_
(collections). Well then, where should I have been had I been assailed
as Abdool Rozak was, I should have been unprepared, and if riding, my
mare would certainly have jumped into the river beneath. Thomson {0a}
said when he left me, G---, you are rash and Abdool Rozak is rash, take
care or you will get into trouble. My moving about without a guard was
imprudent, and I now return to Jallalabad to get one, or if not
successful to wait there until the spring and its floral excitements call
me out: what I dislike is danger without any recompense, not a flower is
to be had; with excitement it is nothing. I have now had two escapes,
one from the buffalo in Assam, and this, which is a greater one, because
had not the army been delayed by accident at the ford, it would have been
eight or ten miles in advance, and consequently there would have been no
rear-guard at hand.

"