to meet his assailants. Beside him rode the bearer of the blue
standard, which marked his place in the battle. He pointed to it, and
reined in his horse, then snatching the white _lunghi_ from his head,
stood up in his stirrups uncovered before his followers, and called upon
them in the name of God and the Prophet to drive the cursed Kaffirs from
the country of the faithful. "Follow me," he cried aloud, "or I am a
lost man!" Slowly, but steadily, the Afghan horsemen advanced. The
English officers who led our cavalry to the attack covered themselves
with glory; but the native troopers, those vaunting horsemen,
treacherous not for the first time even now, and who were in after years
to prove traitors of the darkest dye, fled like sheep. Emboldened by
the dastardly conduct of the men of the 2nd Light Cavalry, the Afghan
horsemen dashed on, driving their enemy before them, and not stopping
till they were almost within reach of the British guns.

The British officers unsupported by their men met the full force of the
Afghan charge, and fought bravely to the last. Lieutenants Broadfoot
and Crispin were killed, while Captains Fraser and Ponsonby, though
badly wounded, broke through their assailants.

The next evening poor gallant Dost Mahomed, seeing his cause was
hopeless, gave himself up to the British at Cabul, and shortly after was
sent to British India.

ACTION NEAR SOORKHAB--NOVEMBER 1841.

The chiefs of certain hill tribes, Kuzzilbashs, Ghilzyes, and other
robbers and bandits by profession, had been accustomed to receive
subsidies to induce them to refrain from robbing any caravans or parties
travelling in the neighbourhood of their territories. The expenses of
the war in Afghanistan had been enormous; and it becoming necessary to
retrench, it was unwisely determined to begin by cutting off the pay of
these chiefs. They resented the measure, and assembling in vast
numbers, took every opportunity of attacking the British troops passing
through the defiles of their mountainous country. Sale's brigade had
reached Jugdulluck with little opposition; but on the next march it was
seen that the heights were bristling with armed men, and a heavy fire
was poured in with terrible effect from all the salient points on which
the mountaineers had posted themselves. Sale threw out his flanking
parties, and the light troops, skirmishing well up the hillsides,
dislodged the enemy, whilst a party under Captain Wilkinson, pu